Love ’Em & Lead ’Em

About Love ’Em & Lead ’Em

Hosted by Melaney, a former Military Police K9 handler, and Cory, a former special education teacher focused on behavior disorders, the duo behind Dog Training Camp USA in Louisville, Kentucky. We’ve helped hundreds of families ditch the gadgets, skip the hot dogs, and build better relationships with their dogs—through leadership, structure, and a whole lot of heart.But this podcast isn’t just about dogs. It’s about the people holding the leashes. We talk about mental health, burnout, running a small business, friendship, and yes, being bird nerds. You’ll hear the real-life highs and lows behind the scenes as dog trainers, moms, business partners, and best friends.Each episode delivers practical training tips, unfiltered client stories, and raw conversations about the wild journey of living (and learning) with dogs. Whether your dog is a dream or a full-blown dumpster fire, we’ve been there—and we’ve got your back.New episodes every other week. Subscribe, laugh, and learn with us—becau...

Publisher

Melaney Brown and Cory Dahlkamp

Category

kids & family

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

11 Feb 2025

Latest episode

21 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

30 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Oct 2026

   Episode 27: Dogs in the Bed: No Problem, 'Til It Is.

   Should your dog sleep in the bed with you? Honestly? We don’t care. If your dog sleeps curled up next to you every night and everybody’s happy, carry on. But when you’re dealing with resource guarding, biting, fighting between dogs, or a dog who’s starting to think they run the place, that bed, or couch, chair, or even your lap, might matter more than you think. In this episode, we’re talking about why space matters to dogs, how proximity and elevation can influence behavior, and why access to your personal space can be one of the most powerful rewards you have. We share stories of dogs who needed to get off the furniture, little dogs who needed to get out of their owners’ arms, and why sometimes a simple change in boundaries can make a big difference. This isn’t about making a rule that dogs don’t belong on the furniture. Hell, Mel’s dog sleeps in her bed every night. It’s about recognizing when something that isn’t a problem… becomes one. Plus: body pillows, Amazon drivers, catbirds, fall migration, ridiculous graphic T-shirts, and somehow, crab rangoon. Dogs in the bed? No problem, ’til it is.

2. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Episode 26: Your Dog Isn't Giving You a Hard Time

   What if the weird, frustrating, or downright annoying thing your dog is doing isn't about you at all? In the second half of our conversation about The Things Our Dogs Know, Cory and Melaney talk about what can happen when we stop assigning human motives to our animals and start paying attention to what their behavior is actually telling us. Dogs aren't spiteful. They aren't sitting around plotting their revenge. And when a dog who has behaved one way for years suddenly starts acting differently, instead of asking, “Why is my dog doing this to me?” it may be time to ask, “What changed?” From a four-year-old Springer Spaniel who suddenly begins resource guarding, to scent behaviors that make perfect sense to a dog—even when they make absolutely no sense to us—Cory and Melaney talk about instinct, genetics, medical changes, stress, and why knowing what's normal for your dog matters. And because apparently dogs weren't enough, the conversation expands to birds that seem to know when danger is coming, a Cooper's hawk that silences an entire backyard, Cory becoming an accidental killdeer wizard, and a Disney lion documentary that may owe the water buffaloes an apology. Your dog isn't a tiny human in a fur coat. They're an animal with their own instincts, communication, senses, and way of experiencing the world. Pay attention. Learn their language. And give them the respect of getting to know who they actually are.

3. 

   23 Sept 2026

   Episode 25: The Things Our Dogs Know

   How well do you really know your dog? Not how well they sit, stay, heel, or follow directions. We mean: Do you know what they're telling you? Do you notice when something feels different? Do you understand who they are beyond the behaviors you'd like to change? This week, Cory and Melaney get a little philosophical—and maybe a little woo-woo—about what happens when we stop trying to control every little thing our dogs do and start actually paying attention to them. Inspired by a C.S. Lewis quote about free will, they talk about why the smartest, most incredible dogs can also be some of the hardest to live with—and why good training isn't about creating a perfectly obedient robot. It's about building communication with another living creature who has instincts, preferences, abilities, and an entire experience of the world that we may never fully understand. From dogs who seem to know things before their humans do, to subtle behavior changes that turned out to signal something much bigger, Cory and Melaney share stories that make you wonder just how much our animals are telling us that we simply aren't noticing. Because yes, sometimes your dog is doing something annoying. Sometimes a behavior absolutely needs to be trained, managed, or changed. But sometimes it's worth asking another question: What is my dog trying to tell me? Plus, Sardine Summer comes to a gloriously fishy end—with sourdough, hidden sardines, a mango allergy, and the discovery that there is definitely a limit to how much tinned fish two people should consume in one day.