Cog-Dog Radio

Did we throw useful stuff out with the dominance theory bathwater? A vital shift in dog behavior occurred when trainers and behavior consultants everywhere, from all walks, threw out the outdated and debunked theory that dogs are always striving to dominate us. But when we stopped thinking about dogs as living in packs with humans we also stopped talking about them as living in family units with h...

For the final four episodes of Cog Dog Radio in the year 2024 we are focusing on overlooked or misunderstood areas of healing in the world of dog behavior. Unsurprisingly these are concepts our society and culture could stand to better embrace. For the first in this series we will explore adult friendship, whether dogs need friends or not, and what it might mean to decide for them that they don’t....

We live in a fast-paced society and therefore, so do our dogs. As a consequence of selective breeding, training, and just plain captivity, our dogs do not access “calm” states well. We all need a little slow school from time to time. So take a deep breath, sit down, and listen to this one. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon....

The research is clear: being outside is good for us. And it is good for our dogs, too. When we know this to be true–with or without empirical data–why do we still find it so hard? Are there solutions to this? Is this actually worth doing? Isn’t a quick stroll around the block better than nothing? Vow in 2025 to go outside more with your dog; you will not regret it. Sign up for courses and join the...

Disordered eating is normalized in our society and it is normalized in our dogs, too. Dogs should want to eat. Their GI should function normally. These are not radical statements, and yet most dogs Sarah sees in her private behavior work have some kind of damaged relationship to food. Dig into why this happens and what we can do about it. Then eat, drink, and be merry yourself on this holiday. Sig...

There are essentially three ways to be with a dog in the human world. You can regiment them either physically or mentally, or they can be free. They want to be free, but the situation, the dog’s skills, the dog’s mental stability, and the human’s skills all need to be taken into account. When should we choose physical regimentation over mental or vice versa? When can they actually be free, and wha...

Have you heard the rule “never punish a growl”? Dog training has come a long way since the yank and crank days, but some of the adages birthed from the changing tides, like “never punish a growl,” deserve a deeper look. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

In the episode about border collies Sarah referenced the concept of the “mental prison.” In this episode she elaborates on that thought, on what dogs get trapped in prisons of their own making, and on ways to help them escape. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

In this crossover episode with the Functional Breeding Podcast Sarah and friend of the pod Dr Hekman discuss a recent paper revealing some interesting differences between the brains of herding dogs and “normal” dogs, particularly Sarah’s beloved border collies. The paper is "Genomic evidence for behavioral adaptation of herding dogs." and you can find it here: https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1...

Border collies are special; they have a highly specialized mind and a supremely athletic body and both deserve care that matches the degree of their uniqueness. Whether you are thinking about adding a border collie to your life or already a border collie guardian, enjoy some food for thought regarding what it might mean to care for this exceptional breed of dog. Sign up for courses and join the me...

Behavior pros, is AI coming for your job? Yeah, kind of. Let’s get real about what’s wrong with this, and what is within our control. https://www.bestlifedogservices.com/ Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

A skill you need to help your dog navigate tough environments is vigilance that doesn’t come with heightened emotions on your part. You’ve got to watch out for potential dangers and challenges while also staying cool about it all; and that’s legitimately hard to do! The good news is, you can learn how. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https:/...

Your first dog was fun, easy, and you had a lovely time in dog sports. But for your second you decided you wanted a faster model. You upgraded. Or, did you? Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

As behavior professionals we need to be proficient in the areas of environmental management, enrichment, and also dog training. But we are not a master of all three we might lean too heavily on one or two of them while forgoing the third, sometimes to the detriment of the case. Join Sarah in an exploration of each of these areas through the lens of practical examples. Sign up for courses and join...

Food is a good thing in dog training, right? Like most things, anything that has the power to do good also has the power to do harm, and food is no different. Avoiding use of food as a “rescue” and leaning into use of food as “repair” is one nuanced take on food within unexpected or scary encounters, and Sarah also dives into some basics on when food can and can’t be helpful. Sign up for courses a...

The phenomenon “post-restraint collapse” refers to the outburst types of behaviors that can occur after requests for control or tough situations that require high levels of self-control. We can allow for post-restraint collapse, but we can be smarter by affecting the restraint portion itself to see if we can affect the collapse in a positive way. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: s...

You listened to episode 404 about dog training as a hero’s journey; but where do you go from there? Sarah goes more in-depth in this episode regarding finding your own guide in the dog behavior world. To apply for fall mentorship send Sarah an email with the subject like “ready for a guide” to sarah@sarahstremming.com Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on...

Stop! Before listening, go watch this SNL skit about Surprise Party Sue: www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4R1yybhmHg Ok, now, is Sue a dog you know? Maybe Sue is your dog. Maybe she is a client’s dog. This skit is something Sarah uses to explain to her clients how their dogs are behaving, and from there discussions like “is this ok/normal?” and also “what can we do about it?” can happen. When these questi...

Puppy stuff, car aversion, reactivity in apartment complexes, and more! Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Piggybacking on episode 373, When Your Dog is Afraid, Sarah tells a real life story of applying the principles in an imperfect scenario. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

The adage goes that we can all learn something from everyone. But if you are learning from everyone, are you actually learning from anyone? Sarah posits in this description of dog training education as a hero’s journey of sorts that there are five categories of teachers that matter; and knowing which kind you are being presented with is vital to true growth as a professional or a hobbyists. Sign u...

With twenty years in the field and half of them being online, Sarah brings a unique perspective to the virtual behavior consulting space. Guardians and consultants can both gleam insight from this episode that is all about what happens behind the scenes for the Cog Dog Coach. How long do clients usually stay? Is everyone successful? What about behavior problems that turn out to be medical? Is ther...

Attunement is the ability to perceive and respond to the emotions of another and it is vital to good relationships, dog-human or otherwise. This is a magical thing, but also a practical skillset that can be learned. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://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...

In this special episode of Cog Dog Radio join Sarah and repeat guest Karishma Warr in a discussion about capacity. Capacity for us, for our dogs, and for our clientele. Find out what happens when we recognize where our capacity is, when we operate within community, the difference between a sink and a waterfall, and so much more. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com...