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The Rooted Podcast
Welcome to The Rooted Podcast, where Alison and Michael Nezbeth—founders of Grassroots K9—talk dogs, business, and the joys of barely keeping it all together.
Expect real talk about training, running a business, and surviving life with working dogs (and each other).
It’s blunt, practical, and occasionally funny—like a conversation with someone who doesn’t have time for nonsense.
Tune in if you like your advice straightforward and your humor as dry as your dog’s kibble.
The Rooted Podcast
Episode 6 - Cause and Effect: How Dogs Learn They Have Power
When a dog stops believing its behavior makes a difference, everything unravels — drive, confidence, focus, all of it.
In this episode of The Rooted Podcast, Alison and Mike dig into the core of every successful training program: cause and effect.
They break down how dogs learn that what they do actually changes what happens next — and how that belief builds confident, independent, reliable partners.
They get into:
- The science of cause and effect (and why your timing makes or breaks it)
- How reinforcement builds belief — not just obedience
- The difference between fair pressure and confusion
- What “truth in action” really looks like in training
- How handlers accidentally destroy confidence without realizing it
Plus, they dive into real listener questions about tools, aggression, genetics, and the psychology behind modern training — straight from your comments on last week’s episode.
Whether you train pets, police dogs, or sport dogs, this conversation will make you rethink how your dog learns, works, and believes.
Because when dogs understand cause and effect… they stop guessing and start performing.
🐾 Sponsored by Worthless Handler
This episode is powered by Worthless Handler — the lifestyle brand built for real handlers and working-dog people who do the work, not the trend.
Check them out at worthlesshandler.com
and tag #worthlesshandler to show you’re part of the crew.
🎧 Listen on:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Amazon Music
🔗 Join the Conversation:
Drop your thoughts in the comments, tag us in your training clips, and use #TheRootedPodcast and #GrassrootsK9 to get featured in future episodes.
