Cog-Dog Radio

Are resilience or tenacity fixed? What can we do to enhance resilience or inspire tenacity? Join Sarah as she dives into improving the welfare of dogs via the biopsychosocial model and how it applies to these traits (or states?) in dogs. https://www.physio-pedia.com/Biopsychosocial_Model https://www.companiondogproject.org/ Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join...

Dividing dog temperaments into four different combinations of resilience and tenacity is thought-provoking. Sarah has been doing this thought experiment for years and wants to welcome you to join it. https://www.companiondogproject.org/ 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

How do I get my dog to look at scary stuff to process it? What should I do about my dog resource guarding in agility class? How do I get my lab to stop bringing me stuff? Help! My dog is showing aggression toward my kid! All this and more in the second ever patreon minisode of Cog Dog Radio. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreo...

So many behavior problems in our dogs are simply consequences of their life as captive animals. When we acknowledge this and take an animal welfare focused approach to their care we do best as professionals and guardians. In this dynamic conversation between Sarah and Kim they discuss this reality and what we can do about it. Find Kim’s work at famiydogmediation.com and email questions to info@fam...

Sarah is passionate about harmonious relationships between dogs in homes. Maintaining and fostering peace between highly driven individuals is not simple and something she takes very seriously. One thing that is missing in the thoughts of many professionals and guardians alike is the level of responsibility we should be placing on ourselves as the person who decided to integrate the dogs we acquir...

The first Patreon minisode of 2025! Sarah explores multi-dog household issues, urban border collies, slow thinking, barking during training, 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

Ask ten professionals what to do when your dog is afraid and you will undoubtedly get ten different answers. But the true answer is simple–not easy–and involves three steps we can all follow, every single time. 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 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...

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....

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....

A panacea is a cure-all, a remedy that is said to mend everything. Common in the wellness industry and also in dog training, holding any one program or practice as a panacea is a major red flag. We can learn as consumers to avoid this, and we can also be sure we are not doing it as practitioners. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.p...

Sarah has a teenager! Join her as she walks through some recent challenges and triumphs with her 18 month old border collie, Carson. If you have a teen, work with folks who do, or plan to have one in the future, this one will be vital. Knowing how to respond, what to avoid, and what is normal, will all help! https://sarahstremming.com/products/ Sign up for courses and join the membership here: htt...

In the “Hands off the Cookies!” episode from 10/29 Sarah talked about transactional and conversational communication styles. Here, she dives deeper into those as well as managerial communication, and where each is best utilized with our dogs. https://sarahstremming.com/products/ Sign up for courses and join the membership here: https://cogdogclassroom.mykajabi.com/ Join us on Patreon: https://www....

We talked last week about good coaching and teaching, but what does it look like to be easily coached? What does the client need to bring to the table in order for a behavior modification plan to work? It takes sacrifice, honesty, and commitment for this stuff to work, but what does that actually look like? https://sarahstremming.com/products/ Sign up for courses and join the membership here: http...

Principles of good coaching skills are the same as principles of good dog training skills. How long to train, when to give feedback, and how to bring your best self to a session are all matters of utmost importance. Whether you coach people professionally or receive coaching from others (or both!) this one is for you. https://sarahstremming.com/products/ Sign up for courses and join the membership...

We, the trainers of R+landia, use a lot of food. But there are so many times when we are unwise to do so, and in fact when food can be a damaging part of the equation. If you think slinging treats is always a good idea, or if you find yourself throwing food whenever you are in doubt, this one is for you. https://sarahstremming.com/products/ Sign up for courses and join the membership here: https:/...

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. https://sarahstremming.com/products/ Sign up for courses and join the membership here: https://cogd...

Pain is frequently a component of behavior cases and not often discussed from a behavior consultant’s viewpoint. But pain is not strictly a medical concern and the behavior field at large needs to know how to approach it from our skillset. Scratch the surface on this meaty topic with Sarah as she dives into pain as an individual experience and explores it through the biopsychosocial model. https:/...

When Sarah says to her students “everything bleeds” she means that the dog’s way of solving problems will be universal for the dog; it will bleed into everything the dog does. There are three general types of problem solving that dogs can bring to the table, and some of them are more beneficial to us than others. Walk with Sarah through a discussion on dogs that bring too much behavior to problem...

If you are a behavior consultant, or a person who has sought behavior consulting for their dog, you know that the emotions of the guardian attached to the dog can either help or hinder the process. Join Sarah in conversation with Marissa Martino CDBC of Paws and Reward in a dynamic discussion about the feelings on the human end of the leash. Practical strategies, real life stories, and of course a...

In the third and final installment of the Understanding Reinforcement series, Sarah tackles natural and contrived contingencies. The natural contingency driving your dog’s behavior is important for you to know about and leverage. Many natural contingencies are about avoidance, while our contrived contingencies tend to be about acquisition. Superimposing acquisition contingencies on top of avoidanc...

Behavior consulting skills are vast and way too varied to cover all in one episode. But Sarah and friend of the podcast Lisa Mullinax CDBC of Serenity Canine in Seattle Washington are an ambitious bunch, and they went for it in this episode. From coaching to planning, assessing risk to troubleshooting and so much more, join them in this journey down the behavior modification consultant’s toolkit....

A rich understanding of how reinforcement works to strengthen behavior is vital for behavior change, and yet there are so many areas of this concept that are misunderstood by dog trainers (hobbyists and professionals alike!). Join Sarah as she explores these misunderstandings and offers tips and insights you can use right away. https://sarahstremming.com/products/ Sign up for courses and join the...

In the second installment of three part series exploring the nuances of reinforcement Sarah dives into negative reinforcement. Can negative reinforcement be part of a humane training plan? If so, when is it best utilized? All this, practical application, and more. https://sarahstremming.com/products/ Sign up for courses and join the membership here: https://cogdogclassroom.mykajabi.com/ Join us on...