Sometimes There's Side Eye

This week we are talking about dog relationships and how they differ between individual dogs.  We talk through a recent play group at Heather's house that included 6 dogs of varying sizes and personalities.  There were several different play styles among the group and different interest levels between the individual dogs.  We discuss how dynamics can change when adding or subtracting individual do...

In this episode we are continuing our conversation with dog trainer Sunny Bravo about service dogs. In our continued conversation we talk about what to look for when selecting a dog for service work. We also talk through who should be involved in the dog selection process. Once a dog has been selected Sunny likes to start the training process simply with body language, then adds leash pressure, to...

This week we are talking with dog trainer Sunny Bravo who specializes in training service dogs. Sunny has been in the dog training industry for 26 years and has worked with a large variety of breeds. She has worked with everything from basic family dog training to human focused dog aggression cases. Sunny helps define the differences between emotional support animals, a therapy animal and a servic...

This week we are addressing some of the complexities of dog behavior.  Often, we are told things like ears pinned back or hackles up mean aggression, and while this may be true for some dogs it is not true for all dogs.  Often dogs will raise their hackles due to excitement, surprise, or a number of other reasons. While there are guidelines on what a behavior might normally mean, each dog is an in...

This week we have Katherine Burbach on the episode talking about her relationship with her dog Dos over the years and how it has grown and changed.  Dos can have big feelings about people and dogs when he's on walks, and Katherine realized early on that she needed a plan that she could easily implement with positive results.  Stinky treats were the key to helping refocus Dos and helping him learn...

This week we are talking about different perspectives for the same event.  This was inspired by a recent agility class that Kristi and Jaxon went to.  Kristi had an apponion on what happened, the trainer had a different oppinion, and Heather had a third opinion about the same event and behaviors.  As humans we often create a story and interpret behavior through the lens of the story we have create...

What is Drive? In Episode 52 we talked a lot about drive, but never really defined it.  Drive can look very different between dogs.  Often we talk about drive in reference to prey and food, but drive can show up in a variety of forms such as people drive, owner drive, etc.  Even drive within the same area can look really different.  For example Heather has three dogs with food drive, but how that...

This week we are talking about unexpected consequences of desired dog behaviors.  We often have certain behaviors we are looking for when purchasing or adopting a dog, however many desired behaviors have an unforeseen flip side to them.  Something as simple as dog sociability can lead to reactivity if socialization needs are not being met.  Of course, there is nothing wrong with wanting an athleti...

We are talking about a recent study that says 99% of dogs have behavioral problems.  While we disagree with that number, we do agree that behavior problems are increasing.  We also agree with a recent post Heather found stating that training has become more about educating people and less about hands on dog training.  There are likely too many factors contributing to an increase in behavioral issu...

*It is our 50th episode!!!! * This week we are talking about our recent experience ata dog show cluster from both a newbie's point of view and a more experiencedpoint of view.  We talk through how much is expected of the dogs in thissituation, and how much we appreciate our dogs being able to perform and behavedespite endless distractions in a new/strange environment.  We arerecapping our high...

What happens when an experienced foster falls in love with an "easy dog"?  Typically they give the dog up to another home so that they can take on a more difficult dog. In this episode we are pushing back on the idea that experienced dog people should take on more difficult dogs just because they can. We also know that everyone defines "difficult" differently, so a difficult do...

In this episode, we are talking all about dog balls. Unneutered males have a reputation of being aggressive, marking, humping and overall having a variety of behavioral issues.  Because of this it is often thought that neutering a dog will solve any unwanted behavior in male dogs, however we are challenging that thought process.  Recent studies show health benefits for later spay and neuter surger...

In this episode, we wrap up our sports series.  We talk through what we've learned from our guests, some common themes we saw, and our own outlook on sports. Dog sports provide such a unique way to bond with your dog; in addition to providing positive outlets for physical and mental stimulation.   Sports can be great for the average pet owner just looking to have fun with their dog, as well as for...

This week we have Molly Purcell on to share her adventure of adopting a rescue puppy named Juniper, who has become an all-around sport dog.  Molly and Juniper came to Heather for puppy training and Heather quickly saw the potential for Juniper to be a sport dog. Additionally, Heather was able to see that a confident, high energy, intelligent dog like Juniper was going to need a constructive outlet...

This week we are talking with Amanda McGavin who shares her home with a pack of Brittanys. She currently trains and competes with her three Brittanys; Glory, Lyra, and Cherry Bomb, in agility. She also has experience in conformation, hunt tests, and field trials. Amanda started training agility in 2010 with her foster Brittany, Cooper who needed a positive outlet for his energy. We talk about some...

In this episode we talk with Eve Hoehle of Von Major Sheds Kennel about shed hunting.  Eve lives with, competes with, and breeds German Short Haired Pointers.  Shed hunting gets its name from the antlers animals such as deer, elk and moose "shed" each year.  Shed hunting is scent work, but out in the open, off leash, and specifically for medium white tail deer antlers (if you are competing).  The...

In this episode we are talking about dog parkour.  Parkour combines elements of human parkour and dog obedience to create a fun and unique sport.  Parkour, just like any sport, has different levels starting with Novice and going to Expert.  They even have a Training level for dogs under 18 months since it's important to protect those growing pups' bodies.  There are also specialty divisions that d...

This week we are talking with Cady Jones about the sport of dock diving. Cady and her husband compete with their 12 dogs in a variety of dog sports including dock diving. Dock diving consists of a dog jumping off a stationary 40-foot dock for one of three events.  Distance Jump is the most popular event.  This is where dogs run from the end of the dock and jump for a toy that is being thrown for t...

This week we are talking with Tina Vickrey, who is an ORT (Odor Recognition Test) judge and an active competitor in the sport of scent work.  Scent work is relatively new and only became a dog sport in 2005.  There are two major organizations you can compete with in scent work, which are AKC and NACSW. While both have the same goal and are considered the same sport, the organizations take very dif...

This week we have Danielle Cyr on the podcast to discuss weighted pull and canine fitness.  Daniel has a number of titles and certificates including Judges' Liaison and Treasurer for United Dog Sports of Northern New England, Founder/President of Dirigo Working Dogs, UKC Weight Pull Judge, APA Weight Pull Judge, Iron Dog Weight Pull Judge, W3PO Weight Pull Judge, CGC Evaluator, SPOT Evaluator,...

This week we are talking about barn hunt with special guest Heather Bilodeau.  Barn hunt is a relatively new sport and was created in 2012 to give dogs an outlet for their natural scent and hunting skills.  Dogs use their natural abilities to sniff out rats that are in protective tubes within a preset course of stacked straw bales. There are several levels for people and dogs to compete at which w...

This week we are talking with Jessica Stricker who has 2 Australian Shepherds, Ivy and Riddler.  She competes in a variety of sports including disc, dock diving, barn hunt, agility, scent work and fastCAT. Additionally, she is a Canine Good Citizen and Trick evaluator for AKC as well as being a trick evaluator, canine conditioning and fitness coach, animal actors evaluator, and stunt dog judge for...

This week we are talking with Marissa who is known on socials as  @kotaspen .  She is a dog mom and sport handler of two adopted dogs, Kota and Aspen.  Marissa has experience in Dock Diving, Barn Hunt, Rally/Obedience, Agility and FastCat with her dogs.  Additionally, she co-teaches group training classes on the weekends along with offering some day training.  We wanted to bring on this well-round...

This week we are introducing our upcoming series on dog sports.  We'll have a variety of guests from newer competitors to seasoned competitors, in a variety of dog sports.  Heather obviously loves dog sports, while Kristi loves training for sports, but never competes.  So even if you never plan to compete with your dog, we believe this series will be useful in giving you structured enrichment...

In this episode we have an in depth conversation with special guests Cindy and Khrisann about their life with a seeing eye dog. Cindy is legally blind and June is her current seeing eye dog. CIndy gives us the inside scoop on guide dogs including the process of getting one, going to school to be matched with your dog, retiring a guide dog, and what happens when a dog is not a good fit. Cindy also...