Cog-Dog Radio

Why must dogs be off leash in nature to thrive? Is it really as important as Sarah is always saying? In short, yes, they do need and yes, it is that important. Dig into why in this episode. Attend a Worked Up workshop this summer! www.workedup2026.com Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

When the internal system is unstable the external systems must step up to support that system. Meaning, when chronic health concerns or even just a highly specialized mind are part of the dog you are trying to care for, you have to show up with strong external systems of support to help them thrive. Attend a Worked Up workshop this summer! www.workedup2026.com Sign up for courses and join the memb...

Sit down this week with Sarah and Tara Stiwell, a licensed family dog mediator of the working division who co-owns Glimmer Dog where the innovative Forrest School operates. Forrest School integrates natural environments, stable social groups, and support and skill development to solve all manner of behavioral concerns in dogs. Attend a Worked Up workshop this summer! www.workedup2026.com Sign up f...

Do dogs need to tolerate frustration to live successfully in the human world? Do they need to tolerate frustration in order to be successful in sports? What even IS frustration tolerance? Attend a Worked Up workshop this summer! www.workedup2026.com Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

In dog sports the dog can’t be an equal teammate because the human is fully in charge. But a dog can be treated like a partner or they can be treated like a tool, and it is important in either case to know what your values are and stick to them. Attend a Worked Up workshop this summer! www.workedup2026.com Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www...

Throughout all the worked up material the mantra is repeated: calm down first, feel better second. But dogs don’t need to be calm all the time, and calmness is relative. So what does that actually mean, and how do we teach it? Attend a Worked Up workshop this summer! www.workedup2026.com Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdog...

Mental or cognitive flexibility is a vital skill to navigate life and big feelings. But we deliberately breed dogs with inflexible minds and it is our job to teach them how to bend so they do not break. A little breakdown, and some practical skills, and you’ll be off to the races to help your dog and yourself be a little more flexible. Attend a Worked Up workshop this summer! www.workedup2026.com...

Some dogs are just “full of bees”--meaning they are buzzing with energy. What does sensory integration therapy have to do with dogs? It turns out, kind of a lot. If your dog is a little bit too much providing them with sensory outlets–especially the outlets they tend to seek themselves–is not only necessary for progress but vital for good welfare. Learn all about releasing the bees in this episode...

Partnership skills go way beyond the basics of training. To be truly in partnership with your dog you need to be able to tell them how to take a reward, they need to be able to ask you if they can have a reward, and you also need to be adept at handling the dog physically in space. But in addition to those dog training skills (which should be, but are not often, commonplace) you need the skill of...

If you have heard or even used the phrase “over arousal” in reference to a dog, this one is for you. Join Sarah in her explanation of the circumplex model of emotion and what it has to do with our dogs. Should we respond to an angry dog the same way we respond to an excited one? Why is it easy to get frustrated when highly aroused, but not easy to feel joy in the same mindset? Do we have to calm d...

The name “Worked Up” is ten years old now, but the material Sarah teaches under that label has undergone a major evolution. From the 1.0 days of managing dogs’ feelings with food so that handlers had time and space to improve their skills, to the 2.0 material that focused on the dog training that was needed in order for dogs to manage their own feelings, to the current era that draws from neurosci...

Fear of airplanes, failure to get along with another dog, whether or not a head collar is better than a prong collar, and how to fulfill hunty dogs. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Aversive interventions are sometimes necessary, and sometimes the right answer. But within the R+landia space we often don’t discuss them, and it’s time to. Join Sarah as she rehashes her old thoughts from the first episode she did about this four years ago, revises her criteria, and shares new ideas about aversive consequences in dog training. https://sarahstremming.com/podcasts/replay-punishment...

Play has a powerful role in our dogs’ lives (and in ours). It is vital to all development, and it allows the mindbody to repair and restore in ways that rival sleep. So what the hell is it, and how can we make sure our dogs are doing it? Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Have you ever labeled a dog distracted after or during a session? Were you sure that the dog was just distracted, or might the dog have been uncomfortable? How would you know, and are there ways to respond in the two scenarios? Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

What quadrant is this? Or even, “is this punishment?” can be worthwhile questions. Or they can be minimizing questions that fail to keep the full spectrum of relationships and emotions front of mind. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Dog trainers are often tasked with helping dogs feel less afraid of things in their daily environments. This can be loud noises, it can be strangers, or it can even be slick floors or novel sights. The well known stimulus-stimulus pairing approach trainers call counter conditioning is not as effective as it has been made out to be, and this complex emotion requires more nuanced planning. Be sure t...

SAR K9 training, chronic pain, a follow up question about off leash skills, and more! Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

You taught your dog not to pull on leash, and mostly they are good about this rule. But occasionally they still do, so what gives? Why does this behavior have such a strong tendency to resurge and what should you do about it? Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

If you find yourself asking “when do I actually get to train dogs?” in your role as a dog trainer, you are not alone. There is a place for Dog Training in the world of behavior, but it comes after welfare interventions. The best professionals are good at both, and the excellent ones know what to do, when. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www....

One of the biggest buzzwords in dogdom is “arousal.” Join Sarah and guest Megan Foster for this special crossover episode with the Fostering Excellence in Agility Podcast to discuss what arousal is, what behaviors are actually driven by it, and what to do if you believe your dog to be “wrongly” (or “over”) aroused. www.fxagility.com Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming....

If there is a quicker or easier way to get somewhere, why not take that route? So often in dog training we hold ourselves to an unnecessary standard. If the shortcut doesn’t require extra work, doesn’t cause anyone distress, and allows you to get the desired outcome faster, then take it! Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdog...

Dogs want to remain in attachment to us; so when they have a hard time participating in our sports or games sometimes training is the culprit but not always. What if the dogs we label “soft” are actually sick? Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

A young dog that is chasing cars, how to shape a tighter radius on walks, a puppy who isn’t decompressing around other dogs, and more! Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

It is common for fear, anxiety, and a general lack of confidence to be confused in both the professional and guardian space. Understanding the difference between these three, and therefore how to treat them, is vital to addressing these welfare-threatening mindsets our dogs experience. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogra...