Dogs and Sprogs Podcast

04/05/2026

🐾 Episode 4 is here… and it’s a big one.

Adolescence PART 2!

Whether you’re living with a teenager or a dog who’s suddenly “forgotten” everything, this stage can feel chaotic, confusing, and at times… a little bit relentless.

In this episode of Dogs & Sprogs, we dig into what’s really going on beneath the behaviour. From dopamine and risk-taking to sleep deprivation, routine, and regulation - we explore why both teens and dogs can seem inconsistent, impulsive, and hard to reach.

This isn’t about excuses. It’s about understanding.

Because when you understand the brain, the behaviour starts to make a lot more sense.

Expect:
Real science, explained simply
Relatable dog moments
Honest teenage insights
Plenty of “that makes so much sense now” moments

If you’ve ever thought:
“Why are they like this?”
This episode is for you.

Listen now, follow the page, and share with someone who needs to hear it.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4xuYX4tN2RdjpMh55iXoij?si=-CzHHnZ6TWi6knjTsTjVHw

Dogs and Sprogs · Episode

30/03/2026

https://open.spotify.com/show/5iCivlSLOeAfwsCUNJ7WUp

New episode has dropped!

Muttley Crew Dog Training & Behaviour Ltd

29/03/2026

After a brief hiatus… real life and external barriers… we recorded episode 3 today… keep an 👂 out dudes!

Very excited to share the last episode of Dogs and Sprogs Podcast was recorded earlier today in the HUGE subject that is adolescence in both kids and dogs.

I could literally talk about this all day 🤣

Keep an eye out on the socialis for it to go live!

16/03/2026

Adolescence.
Whether you’re raising a dog or a child, it can feel like the moment everything you thought you’d taught them disappears overnight.

Suddenly there’s more independence, more testing of boundaries, more big emotions… and sometimes behaviours that leave you wondering who is this creature and where did the lovely one go?

But adolescence isn’t dysfunction, it’s development. Brains are rewiring, autonomy is growing, and the world suddenly looks bigger, riskier, and more exciting.

So here’s the question we’re exploring on the Dogs & Sprogs Podcast:

Do dogs and young people go through adolescence in ways that are more similar than we think?

And if they do…
what does that mean for how we respond as the adults responsible for guiding them?

Curious to hear your experiences…
Have you noticed parallels between teenage dogs and teenage humans?

13/03/2026

The Dogs side of the team has been v v v busy! Sprogs side of the team does her best learning how to post on Instagram… with relevant hashtags

Check out Muttley Crew Dog Training’s video.

09/03/2026

What a great question…. Let’s have some ideas who would your pet bring?

07/03/2026

Ooo thank you.

Look forward to new listeners and new adventures!
www.dogsandsprogs.co.uk

🐶👧🏻Two friends from Cwmbran have started a podcast exploring the similarities between supporting children with additional needs and training reactive dogs. Dogs and Sprogs is hosted by teacher Sarah, who works with children with additional Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, and dog‑behaviour specialist Chrissy Blake.

Sarah found herself with her own “zero‑to‑100mph” dog.

“I was really struggling with the dog and I reached out to Chrissy to help,” she said.

Chrissy, founder of Muttley Crew Dog Training & Behaviour, said the connection between their work quickly became obvious.

“I'm a reactivity specialist and so we started working together on a one-to-one basis...the similarity in psychology with children and dogs, I see this a lot."

Sarah said: “We just banged about a load of ideas about how we can make the dog's brain and the child's brain, they're very different species, but the brain is the same and has similar kinds of aspects to it."

Chrissy discovered dog training during lockdown, completing online courses before starting a degree in canine behaviour.

“ADHD hyperfocus, I went down a rabbit hole,” she laughed. “I thought, ‘I could do this.’ So Muttley Crew was born.”

The pair describe the podcast as “two mates having a laugh, having a chat”, but with a serious aim.

Chrissy said: "I think it's good to spread awareness, so while we're saying dogs are not children, children are not dogs, like the old school kind of ways of teaching and training dogs is very much punishment first. Times are changing, and that's just not our ethos and so more importantly, it's just to spread awareness and educate."

Sarah said: "And having a different perspective on child development and noticing the small things, let's say a specific example of a child reacts in the coffee shop that we're in right now, what has happened to the child beforehand for that child to react right now and a similar experience with a dog for example, that will sit nicely with you now, spot a leaf or somebody with a hoodie coming through and then you've lost her.

"You don't know what's gone on beforehand, for the reaction to happen."

They’re encouraging listeners to get involved by sending in stories and questions. Listen to the Dogs and Sprogs podcast on Spotify (link in comments)

Email [email protected]

07/03/2026

Why Adult Regulation Matters

If nervous systems influence each other…
then ours matters too.

We often focus on the behaviour we can see.

The dog pulling on the lead.
The child shouting or melting down.
The moment that feels chaotic or overwhelming.

But nervous systems are constantly reading the room.

A rushed morning.
A tight grip on the lead.
A raised voice.
A tense posture.

All of these send signals to the brain that something urgent is happening.

And when a brain senses urgency, it prepares for action, not calm thinking.

For dogs, that might look like barking, pulling or reacting more strongly to the environment.

For children, it might show up as shouting, refusing, or becoming overwhelmed by emotions.

Sometimes the fastest way to change behaviour isn’t to give more instructions.

It’s to change the emotional tone of the environment.

Slowing your breathing.
Softening your voice.
Reducing urgency.
Creating space.

Because nervous systems talk to each other.

And often the calmest one in the room sets the tone.

🎙️ We talk about this in Episode 2 of Dogs & Sprogs
Borrowed Calm – Why Regulation Comes Before Behaviour
Now live on Spotify.

06/03/2026

Dogs and Sprogs have signed up to this….please donate if you can!

Thanks for visiting my fundraising page. I’m doing the Stand Up To Cancer Walkies Challenge to help raise money for Cancer Research UK. Please show your support and help fund life-saving research by donating to my page.

06/03/2026

One half of the team is now ‘award winning’. Congratulations Muttley Crew Dog Training & Behaviour Ltd

We won an award!!
This is a huge milestone for us and we’re incredibly grateful.

Our work has always been about looking underneath behaviour, understanding the nervous system, emotions, and learning that shape dogs and the humans who love them.

To have that approach recognised means the world.

Thank you to every client who trusted the process, every dog who taught us something, and everyone who supports what we do.

We’re just getting started. 🐾