UNLEASHED (at work & home) with Colleen Pelar

Choice can be empowering. We all want to be in control of our lives and feel like we have some say in what happens to us. But how often do we apply that to the animals in our life? How often do we–perhaps without even meaning to–limit the ability of our animal companions to exercise agency? How often do we limit our own agency? Today I’m joined by dog trainer Rachael Magee, who believes in a train...

There’s a huge world of dog training out there. Family dogs, competition dogs, working dogs, therapy dogs, search and rescue dogs, scent dogs…they all have unique training needs and Karen Deed has worked with almost all of them! Along the way, she installed computers, trained horses, and discovered positive reinforcement training before it was cool. She joined me today to share the story of the wi...

We often talk about dogs being “man’s best friend,” but very seldom do we stop to ask, “Am I my dog’s best friend?” Changing the way we think about our relationship can change the way we interact with our dogs, and has the potential to make our friendships with them even deeper and more meaningful. This is the philosophy that my guest today brings to her training. Sarah Rutten sees dog training as...

With today’s twenty-four hour news cycle, coupled with the rise of social media, we often feel as though we are constantly being bombarded with headlines, most of them negative. It can be hard to keep any kind of positive attitude at all as we are perpetually reminded of all the things that are wrong in the world. Before long, we find ourselves feeling stuck and hopeless. Vet tech and behavior spe...

A lot of dog trainers have come on the show, but most of them didn’t start out wanting to be dog trainers, or even realize that was an option until later in life. Today, however, the script is flipped as I’m joined for perhaps the first time by a dog trainer who actually grew up wanting to be a dog trainer! Of course, life still had plenty of surprises in store for trainer Kari Joly, and despite b...

The modern world is full of noise. We are constantly surrounded by sound, always hearing something. But there’s a difference between hearing and listening. We may be doing the former, but are we doing the latter? What does it mean anyway, to really and truly listen to the people, the animals, the world around us? Dog trainer and end-of-life doula Kathy Wolff believes in the power of listening deep...

Grief, regret, and loss are not things any of us like to experience but they remain an inevitable part of life, particularly for pet professionals. Grief isn't just about death. It also shows up when we have desires that can't be fulfilled. Sometimes there are relationships that can't be healed, dreams that can't be realized, decisions that can't be changed, animals that cannot be saved, each of t...

When we talk about the “human-animal connection,” most of us tend to think of it in positive terms–therapy animals, childhood pets, and all the many ways that animals enrich our lives. What we don’t often think about, however, is the darker side of that bond–how animal abuse and other forms of domestic and family violence are often interconnected and can even be warning signs of each other. But wh...

Pet professionals, by and large, are giving people. We pour ourselves out in service to animals and their owners, often to the point of forgetting to take care of ourselves (or only giving ourselves enough care that we can keep helping others). All too often, this leads to exhaustion and burnout. My guest today wants pet professionals to know that you are worthy of having a good life. Liz Ford has...

We often think of our human intelligence as being superior to that of animals. But what if we’re wrong? What if the intelligence of animals is equal to ours, only different? How might that change our view of the world around us, and of the animals sharing our planet? My guest today is a pet professional who embraces the view of animals as distinct-but-equal travelers accompanying us on this journe...

Bringing home a new dog is a major life change, bringing home a new baby even moreso. Yet resources designed to help families adjust to having both two and four-legged babies in the house seem to be few and far between and often focused more on dogs and kids as antagonists than anything else. That’s where my guest today comes in. Dog trainer Elysia Ostrander specializes in helping families navigat...

A little kindness can make all the difference to someone- and a lot of kindness can make even more. Especially in a world that seems increasingly negative and toxic, kindness definitely seems to be the one thing you can’t have too much of. My guest today takes that philosophy to heart, always striving to be as kind as possible and then some. Ashley Orcutt is a killer-whale-toy-designer-turned-dog-...

Raised in Germany, educated in England, and currently training dogs in Alabama, my guest today has certainly had an interesting time! Like so many in the dog training world, Frances Dauster began as a force-based trainer, only to have her life changed by the magic of positive reinforcement training. Now she works to take those lessons into other areas of life, and help her clients enjoy their dogs...

“What do you want?” It’s a simple question and it seems like it should have a simple answer. Yet so many of us, especially as we get older and lose ourselves in the business of our lives, seem to lose sight of what should be a very straightforward thing. What do we want? And even if we know (or somehow figure out) what we want, we’re often too uncertain or timid to ask for it. Maggie Marshall is a...

Slow and steady…gets the toenails trimmed? While that may not be my guest’s official motto, it’s one she would probably agree with. Dr. Deb Jones wrote the book- literally- on cooperative care, an approach to animal care that requires patience but yields great rewards. Her years as a psychology professor, dog trainer, and writer have taught her a lot about the importance of hard work and how almos...

Grief is a part of life for all of us, but--as too many pet professionals know all too well--there is a particularly deep strain of it that often runs through work with animals. That grief, and the toll it takes on on us--not just mentally and emotionally, but physically and even spiritually--is the reason so many of us become utterly burnt out. Although she isn’t your typical pet professional, to...

We hear a lot about the importance of “staying positive,” but with depressing headlines bombarding us what seems like every waking minute and the inescapable “doomscrolling” so many of us get sucked into, staying positive can be hard. It can even seem pointless or naive. Isn’t it better to confront reality, no matter how harsh, than be constantly trying to Pollyanna our way out of things? Humane e...

Burnout is an issue that affects almost everybody at some point, and pet professionals are no exception. Often it seems to hit us out of nowhere, but looking back the warning signs were almost always there- we just didn’t see them at the time. Learning to recognise those signs in the moment and respond appropriately can save us from falling into burnout, bitterness, and unhealthy coping mechanisms...

Debbie Martin isn't only a vet tech. She's also a subject matter expert, an author, a public speaker, and a “psychiatric nurse for dogs.” Connecting all these roles together is a love of the relationships formed in each one, with both people and their dogs. Debbie joined me today to talk about the many hats she wears and how each one brings something to her life. Listen in as we discuss the simila...

We often hear that we need to “find our purpose” in life. But so often, that’s easier said than done. What does it even mean to “have a purpose” and how on earth are we supposed to determine something simultaneously so vague and so weighty? How do we know if we’re right or if what we’ve latched on to even is a “purpose” at all? Stephanie Frank has worked in computer technology, then as a business...

Not everybody leaves a successful culinary career to take up dog training almost on a whim. But my guest today, Susan Marett, did just that. Along the way, she’s learned a great deal about everything from self-acceptance to the care and keeping of parrots. Join us today for a conversation about encountering oneself, the best cure for sadness, taking up your rightful space, and even a sidetrack int...

As anybody who has ever loved one knows, animals can help us be better people. Emotional regulation, compassion, and trust are all things that animals help us grow in, no matter our age or circumstances. In fact, it can even be its own form of therapy- literally. Today, licensed professional counselor and self-described “horse girl,” Kim Cardeccia joined me to talk about how she combines her love...

At first glance, there wouldn’t seem to be much in common between interior decorating and dog training. But, like so many things in life, scratch the surface and you find more similarities than you might think. My guest today, Kym Iffert, left the world of interior design to pursue a career in dog training, and found that the skills she used as a decorator gave her a valuable perspective on dogs....

We talk a lot about the importance of “being yourself,” but what exactly does that mean? How are we supposed to do it? And how can we help other people do it as well? Although it may not be what we first think of, one of the most important things we need in order to be our authentic selves- and help others do the same- is safety. Only when we feel safe are we able to really explore ourselves, to b...

The term “free spirit” is frequently used to describe all different kinds of people--hippies, artists, slightly crazy geniuses. Really, almost anyone who lives life a little off the beaten path. But what does that phrase actually mean? Just what, exactly, makes one a “free spirit?” And if you’re not one, can you become one? If so, how? Today on the show, I talked to dog trainer Carol Sumbry about...