Wild Awake Ep 4: Training as Meditation

Valerie Naegele
Jul 25
9 min read

Hello and welcome to Wild Awake, a podcast where we discuss how training and business meet personal and spiritual awakening, led by the wisdom of our equine and canine companions. I'm your host, Valerie Naegele. I'm a dog trainer in southern Maine. You can find out more about my dog training business, Venture Doggie, at VentureDoggie.com.

Today, I really want to talk about why working with animals whether you’re a trainer or just a pet owner is especially healing in this day and age.

If you’ve tried to train your dog or your horse or if you do it as a living you know timing is really, really important. But what you might be learning is that having a clear intention of what you want is actually even a step before that. It seems like one of those obvious things, but I think having a clear intention is something we often gloss over.

When you start working with your dog or your horse and realize you’re not very clear about what you want, it often gets reflected in your animal. We can’t ask our animals to do something unless we know what we’re asking them to do. And that’s really challenging especially if you're a dog owner who just started working with a trainer. You might know you want your dog to stop jumping on people, but that might be the very last step. And the trainer might be having you focus on steps before that.

Or maybe you’re trying to work with your horse doing some groundwork, trying to get them softer in their bend or their flexion on the circle. But your horse is taking off and running around, and it’s hard to know: do I work on speed now, or softness? Having that clear intention can sometimes get tricky even though it seems so obvious and simple.

When you start to get confused and doubtful, it shows in your body. And then your animal picks up on that. They’re like, “Okay… what’s going on here? I’m confused too.” That makes them uncomfortable and stressed.

So really, the first cue we ever give our dog, or our horse comes from that initial question within ourselves. If you listened to my last podcast, I talked about Yvet Blokesch. She always says, “The question starts within you.” I really love the way she puts that.

That’s our first cue. We’re asking this clear question from within our body: I would like softness from my horse. I want my dog to sit. Whatever it is, that internal question comes first and then our energy follows.

If we’re very clear and confident, we have this clear, confident energy.

Or maybe there’s an edge of demand. Or doubt. Or authority. Our energy can come through in all these different ways from that one intention.

When we have a clear intention and it’s coming from a place of confidence, clarity, and wanting the best for our animal not from doubt or ego it’s kind of like this unfiltered light shining from us and illuminating the desired answer to our animals. We can be very clear to our animals when we come from this pure place. But often, that light, that intention, becomes clouded. Especially in today’s world where we’re constantly bombarded with stimulation that fills us with distractions and mental clutter. You might be asking your dog a question, but you’re not present. And that clouds what you’re asking.

I’m very visual, so I think of it like this: when I’m really centered, my question is like crystal clear water pouring from a still lake. If I’m doubtful or distracted, that path gets diverted. The water gets muddy.

When it really comes to working with your dog or your horse, I think for me it becomes a meditation. We have to be very self-aware. What’s going on in our mind? Our body? Are we distracted? Frustrated? Unsure of what we want?

We need to be aware of all of that because it affects our intention. And our animals mirror that back to us.

When I first got into training, I was all about learning the skills. Eventually I was doing everything physically right—but still not getting the thing I wanted. And maybe you’re there too. You’re doing everything physically right, but the result isn’t coming. Maybe the question or intention you’re putting out isn’t clear because something inside is blocking it.

When my mind isn’t clear, when something’s unclear within me, it always gets reflected back to me in my horse or my dog. They make you very self-aware. And that’s why I think animal training is so meditative.

It encourages you to take that deep breath before you even see your animal. To check in with yourself and ask, "What's going on within me today?"

You don’t have to be perfect before you train, but it helps to be aware. You might notice,

“Oh, I had a really hard day today. I’m kind of frustrated.” Maybe today isn’t the day to work on that hard skill. Maybe today is a day to do something different all together. Because time spent together is always beneficial but only if it's coming from wholeness and not ego.

If you’re just trying to check the box “I worked my dog today” it might actually set you back. Sometimes it’s better to just sit on the couch and cuddle with your dog than it is to push yourself to train when you know your ego is running the show, or when your heart just isn't in it. That’s not laziness it’s wisdom.

If you try to train when you’re frustrated, not only could you poison the skill you’re working on, but you might chip away at your relationship with your animal even in small ways. And that will set you back too.

It can be one of the most difficult things to look at ourselves and admit, “Today, I’m not going to check the box.” Today, I’m going to slow down and recharge instead. That decision takes courage. It challenges us to pause; to be radically self-aware every time we ask something of our dog or our horse. It’s hard, because it puts the responsibility back on us. It makes us slow down. And that can be the most transformational choice of all. It's the moment you start to realize that if you are asking a question of your animal you have to have a clear intention- and that a clear intention requires a clear mind, body, and heart. So, if you're not clear figure out how you can get clear and then go from there.

This is where training can become truly meditative. Initially you're just learning that self-awareness, then you start to grow capacity for the emotions that roll through you like waves, but don't sweep you away. Then you can bring that presence and focus anywhere. Then you can start to co-create this process with your animal and together you learn how to bring that presence and focus into increasingly more challenging places. Meditation also requires the four levels of competence and is also a skill. It's just an internal and invisible skill. One your dog or your horse can probably teach you more about than you can teach them!

As you grow your internal skill set and your ability to self-regulate no matter what's happening externally you become a safe space for your nervous dog or horse. You become the being your animal gravitates toward when they feel unsure. You keep your focus and calm even when there’s a lot going on.

If you have a very stressed dog or a really stressed horse, you need to be extra present. You need to be a grounding space so they can come to you with their stress, their doubts, their fears. And you can stay centered and give them the guidance they seek. It's not easy, but what an incredible skill set it is!

Maybe you have a dog with human aggression. Or maybe it’s not that extreme. Maybe your dog just barks a lot at people on walks. That can still be really stressful.

Don’t feel bad if your skills fall apart in that moment. It’s not that your skills are bad. They’re probably great at home. But this isn’t necessarily a skill problem, it could be an internal dysregulation you're still learning your way through. And that's ok. It's actually the exact lesson that you need, and your animal is pointing it out to you.

We have to prepare ourselves and our animals. We have to learn how to de-escalate our own stress responses if we want our animals do the same.

We ask it of them. But can we do it ourselves?

I know one of my personal challenges was having better boundaries with people and my dog. He’s not the kind of dog who wants people to pet him. He actually had a fair amount of human aggression and definitely picks his people. I had to learn to say, “No" to other people.

If someone asked to pet him and didn’t listen, I had to say, “Hey, I said No.” and mean it! That was hard. But instead of blaming the other person, I had to learn from it. People aren’t trying to ruin your day when they come up to pet your dog. They might just not know any better.

So take that experience and ask, “What can I learn from this?” Maybe it’s a chance to stop people pleasing. Maybe it’s a chance to get more grounded in a stressful situation. Animals point out our baggage. And that’s a gift.

Even when people are honestly kind of sabotaging your progress, it’s a chance to grow. How can I have better boundaries? How can I set things up so everyone can be successful?

You don’t have to do it all at once. Give yourself the time and space to work through it in stages. There’s no rush.

That’s why I think dog training and horse training is one of the most healing things in our time. We’re all in such a rush. We’re bombarded with stimulation. Animals remind us to slow down. To be present. To notice the little things and find so much joy in them.

There’s only one way forward: Daily consistent practice. There are no shortcuts in animal training. If you try to rush, you end up back at the beginning. You have to start again.

It’s a little relentless, but it teaches you patience. It teaches you self-awareness. It teaches you emotional regulation. And you can use all of those skills in every part of life.

Sometimes people get hung up on things “That runner always passes us on this road. It’s his fault.” It’s not. It’s not the runner’s fault for running. It’s not your dog’s fault for reacting.

Maybe, maybe, it’s a little on us for not teaching our dogs the skills they need. But it’s not about blame. Sometimes you just don’t know what to do. You’re trying your best.

But if you’re feeling lost or confused, getting help is always the best path forward. Actually, that's the ONLY shortcut that exists in life that won't lead you back to the beginning.

And just notice if you’re blaming others, maybe there’s something you don’t want to take responsibility for. That’s hard to hear. And I’m not excluding myself. I’ve had those moments. “Why can’t this just be different?”

Byron Katie calls it “arguing with reality.” And it’s useless. So instead of arguing or blaming, ask: “How can I approach this differently?”

That’s the gift our animals give us. Every day. That reminder to be clear. To be present. To be intentional.

And that success whatever it looks like for you is inevitable if you show up with presence and clarity and just do your best in that moment.

Thanks for listening. I’m so glad you’re here.

Valerie and her other best friend, "Zara"

About Valerie Naegele | Founder of Venture Doggie LLC

Valerie Naegele is a professional dog trainer, behavior specialist, and founder of Venture Doggie LLC. She helps dog owners who feel overwhelmed, unsure, or stuck finally find clarity, confidence, and connection with their dogs. you're tired of second-guessing your training, avoiding walks, or feeling like your dog just isn’t “getting it”—you’re not alone. Val understands what it’s like to love a dog deeply and still feel frustrated, embarrassed, or unsure of what to do next. Her work is designed to give you the tools, insight, and support you need to turn things around—not just on the surface, but in a way that feels good and lasting.

Val’s approach is relationship-based, emotionally intelligent, and rooted in practical science. Whether your dog is overly friendly, reactive, anxious, or just doesn’t listen, she helps you shift the dynamic—not by forcing obedience, but by building communication, structure, and trust. Her own journey started with a deeply sensitive and reactive dog, and that experience opened the door to a lifetime of study in behavior, psychology, and the human-animal bond. With a background in vet clinics, shelters, ranches, and intensive mentorships with leading trainers, Val brings a rare mix of expertise, heart, and down-to-earth support to her work.

She’s not here to judge or pressure. She’s here to walk alongside you—to help you feel more capable, more connected, and prouder of the relationship you’re building with your dog.