Sometimes There's Side Eye

This week we are talking about how environment can effect your dog’s behavior. So often dogs are very comfortable in their homes, but may act really different in new or different environments. Recently Trin and Heather took a trip to compete at a barn hunt event. That event looked very different than what she typically experiences at her home town events. This brought up some unexpected behaviors,...

This week we are talking about patterns. We are addressing when recognizing patterns in your dogs behavior and preferences can be benefitiona. We've both seen several examples of this in our own dogs as well as other dogs. For example Trin does not appreciate dogs towering over her. Jaxon likes to meet strangers at his own speed. Recognizing patterns can help us advocate for our dog in a variety o...

This week we are talking about Heather's favorite subject - puppies! Kristi recently puppy sat for a few days prompting this conversation. Heather talks about what she loves about puppies, and Kristi talks through why she loves adult dogs. We talk a lot about advocating for the existing dogs in your home. This can show up in a variety of ways like management, enrichment, training, separate activit...

This week is all about positivity! We are celebrating the wins when it comes to our dogs. Everything from making medical decisions with love, to how we train and live with our dogs. Heather talks about how she built toy drive and how her recall work paid off recently. Kristi talks about he experience building food drive, as well as recognizing when a dog feels a tool is aversive even if the tool i...

In this episode we are walking through a recent conversation with friends about acquiring an additional dog. This conversation lead us to discuss genetic traits, breed traits, and personality. Additionally we talk through what a dog being AKC registered means, and if that’s enough. We also reflect on our own growth over the years, which has lead to more curiosity and less judgement. Don't forget t...

In this episode we are talking about what we would tell our younger self (all dog related of course). Our goal is always to grow and better ourselves as we age and so we wondered what who we are today would say to the person we were in our 20's. Although we didn't discuss our ideas before recording, much of our advice was complimentary and centered around caring less about what people think, while...

This week we are talking about the "save them all" and "no kill" movements.  We are addressing what risks come along with these movements and how that affects the communities we live in.  We also talk about the idea of save them all versus the reality of save them all.  Where do the aggressive dogs go?  How do we keep our community safe?  Additionally, we address how saving dog...

This week we are talking about the idea of mandatory spay and neuter. We are talking through the pitfalls of mandating spay and neuter as well as ideas to help reduce unwanted animals in our community. We all agree that there are too many animals in rescue, and the reason they end up there can vary drastically. If we require all dogs to stop breeding it may help current populations, however it wil...

This week we are talking about setting you and your dog up for success in new experiences. Jaxon and Kristi recently went on their first kayak trip and Trin and Heather are preparing for their first trip in the next week. We talk through what preparation looked like for each of us, and what we are doing to support each dog during the new experience. Although it's impossible to plan for every s...

This week, we are addressing the importance of mindset regarding our dogs, sports, and training. Maintaining a positive perspective and committing to seeing the best in our dogs allows us to foster a more productive and supportive relationship. In our discussion, Heather shares her personal experiences with Trin as they train and mature together. Additionally, Kristi discusses her commitment to sp...

This week we are talking about when social media looks impressive but there is more to the dog's behavior than meets the eye. We recently saw a video that showed a group of dogs behaving militantly and when a little bit of enthusiasm was shown by one dog it was immediately corrected and shut down. While controlling a large group of dogs may appear impressive initially, once the body language o...

This week we are talking about extremists.  The dog world is full of extremists in a variety of areas.  We talk through a variety of hot button topics that often show up in extremes like breeding vs rescue, doodles, raw vs kibble, vaccines, and training.  As we talk through the issues we come to the conclusion that we (as a society) would do well to lead with curiosity and compassion rather than a...

Currently ranked as one of our most popular episodes! Let's revisit how responsible rescue and ethical breeding go hand in hand. In this episode we are excited to interview Christy Cole, the president of Desert Harbor Doberman Rescue (DHDR).  We are addressing all sorts of topics with Christy; from how she got involved with Dobermans, to how responsible breeders can help end the need for rescu...

This episode we are digging into the common saying "don't punish the growl." What does this actually mean? We better define and explain this saying. We also talk through multiple types of growls and how to address them without punishment. Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/sometimestheressideeye/⁠⁠⁠

This week we are talking about misbehaving dogs. Sometimes it’s easier to label a behavior or lack of behavior in a negative light rather than recognizing that dog behavior differs from human behaviors. Realistically, a lot of “bad behavior” has a lot more to do with our human expectations than any sort of unusual or unnatural dog behavior.  It’s import that we remember that our dog’s behavior is...

This week we are excited to have Kate Rapkoch from Paws and Breathe back on the podcast to discuss all things puppy yoga. Can you ever go wrong with puppy yoga? Actually yes, we think there is both ethical and unethical puppy yoga. While puppy yoga started as a way for rescues to raise much needed funds there are now many commercialized puppy yoga businesses. Unfortunately there are many stories o...

This week we are talking about the welfare of dogs and people in our modern society. We talk about people getting the dog they want, a dog who fits in their lifestyle, who is trustworthy and safe, etc. We talk about some of the reasons we see behavior issues with dogs & what we expect of dogs. The topic of doodles came up, and we talk about the idea that people have to wait for a tragedy to st...

We just got back from Westminster and are recapping our experience.  First and foremost, we observed relationships between handlers and dogs.  Our first day we watched agility and were beyond impressed with both the handlers and the dogs.  The following days we attended the confirmation shows.  With Westminster being a bench show we were able to approach the dogs and handlers in the bench/prep are...

This week we are talking about ways to destress with your pets. We first want to recognize that we are living through some troubling times. We also want to be clear that we are not experts in mental health & recommend professional help if your mental health is suffering. What we do have is experience with our dogs, and we want to share some things we do to help us destress with our dogs. Thing...

This week we are talking about frustration on the human side of the leash.  We are taking a deeper look at what causes frustration including things like comparison, physical health/limitations, motivation, and learning styles. We are also talking about why we want to recognize our own frustrations in order to lessen or prevent them in the future.  We are getting honest about our own experiences an...

We are starting the new year out with a subject we are both passionate about, shelter versus purposely bred dogs.  Are purebred dogs better than rescue dogs?  Are there more behavior issues in one versus the other? We discuss how breed equates to predictability, even if that predictability is not a desired behavior or trait.   It can be common to blame some undesired behaviors on dogs coming from...

This week we are talking about what we are thankful for in regard to all things dogs.  Of course, you our listeners make the shortlist, as well as our dogs and all the comfort and joy they bring.  Tune in to hear our complete list as well as a few dad jokes (which we are also thankful for). Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/sometimestheressideeye/⁠⁠

Is gentle parenting only for gentle dogs? This week we explore if gentler methods can be effective with more unruly or difficult dogs. Or are kinder/force free methods only for easy or sensitive dogs? We explore our own experiences and take an honest look at how we interact and train with dogs who have different personalities. Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/sometimestheress...

This week we are talking through training some of our favorite tricks and cues. Some of those include naming rooms in the house, go around, pick it up, take it with you, sit pretty, relax, etc. We also talk through teaching things formally vs. informally.  So listen along for some fun inspiration and ideas. Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/sometimestheressideeye/⁠⁠

Currently ranked as our 2nd most popular episode! Let's remind ourselves to be kind to both ends of the leash. Are you playing the shame game, like the rest of us? Where does shame come from and how do we combat it? Explore the subject of the shame game, and the equally fun shame spiral, that so many of us find ourselves in when the life we planned with our dogs, goes awry. Dive into the reaso...