Welcome to The Yappy Hour, powered by Yappily! 🎉
In this deeply moving episode of The Yappy Hour, powered by Yappily, host Nathan Dunleavy is joined by Danielle Beck, trauma-informed clinical animal behaviourist, aggression case specialist and creator of Control The Meerkat.
Together they unpack what trauma in dogs really means, how it shows up in everyday life, and why so many fear, reactivity and “aggression” cases are actually dogs struggling with emotional overwhelm rather than being “naughty” or “dominant”.
Dannielle shares her own journey, from zoo animals and reptiles to complex aggression and assistance dog work, and offers compassionate, practical advice for guardians who feel out of their depth with a shut-down, fearful or reactive dog. They also explore the emotional load on humans – especially when you rely on an assistance dog – and how to support both ends of the lead with safety, consent and choice.
If you live with a sensitive, spicy, or traumatised dog, this episode will help you feel less alone – and give you a gentler, more hopeful way to move forward.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ What “trauma in dogs” actually means – beyond one-off scary events
✅ How trauma can develop even in loving, well-intentioned homes
✅ The difference between a reactive dog and a truly trauma-impacted dog
✅ Why aggression is communication, not a character flaw or “dominance”
✅ How shutdown, freeze and appeasement behaviours are often missed
✅ Where to start with a fearful, shut-down or overwhelmed dog
✅ The importance of safety, consent and choice in recovery
✅ How enrichment, free work and pattern games help rebuild confidence
✅ What happens when an assistance dog develops behaviour struggles
✅ The emotional impact on guardians and how to support yourself too
Key Takeaways:
- Trauma is about emotional overwhelm, not just a single big event
- Aggression is communication – most dogs are asking for distance or safety, not being “bad”
- Many traumatised dogs look “fine” from the outside because they shut down or appease
- You can’t train trauma out, but you can support healing with safety, consistency and choice
- Start with safety and decompression, not fancy training plans
- Free work, sniffing and low-pressure exploration help rebuild a dog’s sense of safety
- Guardians’ feelings matter too – you’re allowed to slow down, breathe and take the pressure off
- Assistance dogs are still dogs; they can struggle, get scared and need time out of work
- The bond of trust – “you’ll keep me safe” – is at the heart of all trauma-informed support
🎙️ Thanks for tuning in! Let’s celebrate the joy and challenges of dog parenting together, because we’re all here for the dogs. 🐾
Connect with Danielle Beck
Control The Meerkat Facebook page
Connect with Nathan and Yappily
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