Cog-Dog Radio

If a dog dislikes dogs or people they might be in need of some social behavior change. Social behaviors are best healed socially, or through community. But often dog professionals try to cut to the chase and dig right into helping dogs like social situations they actively dislike, or worse, by digging straight into traumas or wounds. Instead, help dogs achieve neutrality, then friendships, and fin...

Sound sensitivity, sound reactivity, sound phobia, is it all just word soup? What’s what? How do these problems develop, and how do we help our dogs? Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

This past summer Sarah joined forces with Tara Stillwell to teach a three day workshop all about off leash freedom. A small group of humans and dogs gathered to learn what it means to truly get dogs outside, off leash, and integrated into social groups. Sarah and Tara sat down to reflect on the experience. https://offleashfreedomsummit.com/forrestschoolfordogs.com https://forrestschoolfordogs.com/...

Is it a phase? Will they grow out of it? Is my young dog cursed for life with reactivity? The good news is that adolescence passes. The bad news is the lessons learned there do not. Learn the four most important things to do while your dog is a teenager do be sure they grow into a balanced adult. eileenanddogs.com/dogs-and-sound-welcome/ Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstrem...

Modern homes are designed for people, not dogs. But there are a few ways you can make whatever space you live in more friendly. Doing so helps reduce unnecessary stressors in your dog’s life and help them be more comfortable in their day-to-day. eileenanddogs.com/dogs-and-sound-welcome/ Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogr...

Have you ever heard the advice to give your dog a decompression walk, and wondered how on earth it would be possible? Join Sarah in tackling some common problems faced by dog owners trying to provide decompression-type exercise. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: 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: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

How are we supposed to support our painful dogs with off leash time in nature or other enrichment activities when their bodies might not allow for much movement? When a gold standard can’t be met, what standard should we settle for? Concrete steps, and some hope, for guardians of painful dogs. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/...

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. www.phy...

Being someone your dog thinks is worth listening to can’t be boiled down to dog training alone. Being reliable yet unpredictable, fun and also very clear on un-fun things, and more like a dog than the dog expects, are all ways you can be worthy of your dog’s attention. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by Alex...

Dog trainers commonly refer to “fallout” in relation to certain tools or procedures for behavior change. This is not untrue or unreasonable, fallout definitely occurs often in behavior change. But rather than the dichotomous thinking that leads us to believe some things cause fallout and others don’t, Sarah suggests in this episode that all things cause side effects and we should always pay attent...

Elevating the ability of dog trainers, behavior pros, and dog guardians, Join Sarah in conversation with friend of the pod Tara Stillwell (https://forrestschoolfordogs.com/) as they reveal a thrilling opportunity for dog welfare enthusiasts, the Off Leash Freedom Summit. offleashfreedomsummit.com Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.c...

Ok, so dogs need to be off leash. But how? What do they need to know? More importantly, what does the person need to know? Attend a Worked Up workshop this summer! www.workedup2026.com Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Why must dogs be off leash in nature to thrive? Is it really as important as Sarah is always saying? In short, yes, they do need and yes, it is that important. Dig into why in this episode. Attend a Worked Up workshop this summer! www.workedup2026.com Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

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. Attend a Worked Up workshop this summer! www.workedup2026.com Sign up for courses and join the memb...

Sit down this week with Sarah and Tara Stiwell, a licensed family dog mediator of the working division who co-owns Glimmer Dog where the innovative Forrest School operates. Forrest School integrates natural environments, stable social groups, and support and skill development to solve all manner of behavioral concerns in dogs. Attend a Worked Up workshop this summer! www.workedup2026.com Sign up f...

Do dogs need to tolerate frustration to live successfully in the human world? Do they need to tolerate frustration in order to be successful in sports? What even IS frustration tolerance? Attend a Worked Up workshop this summer! www.workedup2026.com Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

In dog sports the dog can’t be an equal teammate because the human is fully in charge. But a dog can be treated like a partner or they can be treated like a tool, and it is important in either case to know what your values are and stick to them. Attend a Worked Up workshop this summer! www.workedup2026.com Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www...

Throughout all the worked up material the mantra is repeated: calm down first, feel better second. But dogs don’t need to be calm all the time, and calmness is relative. So what does that actually mean, and how do we teach it? Attend a Worked Up workshop this summer! www.workedup2026.com Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdog...

Mental or cognitive flexibility is a vital skill to navigate life and big feelings. But we deliberately breed dogs with inflexible minds and it is our job to teach them how to bend so they do not break. A little breakdown, and some practical skills, and you’ll be off to the races to help your dog and yourself be a little more flexible. Attend a Worked Up workshop this summer! www.workedup2026.com...

Some dogs are just “full of bees”--meaning they are buzzing with energy. What does sensory integration therapy have to do with dogs? It turns out, kind of a lot. If your dog is a little bit too much providing them with sensory outlets–especially the outlets they tend to seek themselves–is not only necessary for progress but vital for good welfare. Learn all about releasing the bees in this episode...

Partnership skills go way beyond the basics of training. To be truly in partnership with your dog you need to be able to tell them how to take a reward, they need to be able to ask you if they can have a reward, and you also need to be adept at handling the dog physically in space. But in addition to those dog training skills (which should be, but are not often, commonplace) you need the skill of...

If you have heard or even used the phrase “over arousal” in reference to a dog, this one is for you. Join Sarah in her explanation of the circumplex model of emotion and what it has to do with our dogs. Should we respond to an angry dog the same way we respond to an excited one? Why is it easy to get frustrated when highly aroused, but not easy to feel joy in the same mindset? Do we have to calm d...

The name “Worked Up” is ten years old now, but the material Sarah teaches under that label has undergone a major evolution. From the 1.0 days of managing dogs’ feelings with food so that handlers had time and space to improve their skills, to the 2.0 material that focused on the dog training that was needed in order for dogs to manage their own feelings, to the current era that draws from neurosci...

Fear of airplanes, failure to get along with another dog, whether or not a head collar is better than a prong collar, and how to fulfill hunty dogs. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay