My Training Journey, Part II

05/11/23 • 68 min

Today's Topic: Ask any positive dog trainer that has any experience working with leash-reactive dogs, and the one thing that many of them will have in common is their LACK of videos of dogs that they've trained exhibiting leash-reactive behaviors.
And the reason for this is simple: when a positive trainer sees a dog exhibiting leash-reactive behaviors, they see a dog in distress, and the LAST thing they want to do is pull out a camera to capture video footage of this moment, just like a therapist would never pull out a camera to record their patient who is going through an emotionally difficult, or psychologically stressful, moment.
Rather, their instinct is to drop everything, immediately jump into action, and help in whatever way they can.
But that poses a problem, of sorts. While a prospective client of a therapist would never ask for a "Before & After" video of a client that underwent a transformational change in their mental health, as a way to find the best therapist for themselves, prospective clients of dog trainers increasingly demand it.
It's not hard to see why. As a society, we love to see transformation stories, whether it's stories about weight loss, entrepreneurial success, etc., largely because we want to see that transformation is possible.
That's why we invited the founder of Dogs Made Simple, a content platform dedicated to sharing creative enrichment recipes and DIY dog stimulation games, and the dog mom of Diesel, a leash-reactive Golden Retriever, Jessica Sims, to the podcast, to discuss the transformation journey she will embark on to train her leash-reactive dog using our, "Help, My Dog Is Reactive On Leash!" course.
In part II of our discussion, we recap who Jessica and Diesel are, what this project is about, and why, what Jessica has learned about Diesel during this process, how much Diesel has improved in his leash reactivity, and what she plans on doing between now and our final episode on their training journey!
Guest Bio: About two years ago, Jessica knew she was ready to get a puppy. She didn’t have much planned in terms of training besides perhaps a puppy group training class, mostly since every Golden Retriever she had growing up never needed any training.
However, from the moment Jessica brought him home, she noticed signs of food aggression and resource guarding. He was also skittish and very nervous around groups of people. His behavior started to get worse. Jessica paid thousands of dollars in dog training, met with numerous trainers, and nothing seemed to be helping.
She felt hopeless - until she decided to take matters into my own hands. Jessica immersed herself into the world of dog training.
In May 2021, she decided to start sharing her journey with the public by creating her page: Dogs Made Simple.
Jessica's goal with this page was to share relatable content. She wanted to give hope to dog owners like herself who were struggling. She tries to be as transparent as possible by sharing honest content - the good and the bad.
As her page grew in popularity very fast, she realized that there was one piece of content specifically that people loved, and that was mental stimulation games for their dogs. Since then, she shares a ton of creative enrichment recipes and DIY dog stimulation games.
Stay tuned! By April 2023, Dogs Made Simple is launching its first ever product line with never-seen-before enrichment toys, bound to disrupt the dog industry.
Connect With Jessica Sims:

Previous Episode

Doodles

Today's Topic: There is no breed of dog (or, more precisely, a grouping of mixed-breed dogs) that has captured the hearts and minds of many, more fully, in recent years (for good and for bad), than doodle dogs. And it's not hard to understand why. The combination of their (purported) hypoallergenic and shed-free coat, their uber-cuteness, and their sociable and high-energy nature (which can be a plus or a minus, depending on who you ask) make them an attractive option for many. But what else should you know before you make the (expensive) plunge to get a doodle of your very own, or to help you manage the doodle that you've already brought into your life?

That's why we invited the owner and head trainer of The Doodle ProTM, a dog training company dedicated to helping doodles live happier and safer lives, and the host of the top-ranking and award-nominated, The Doodle ProTM Podcast, Corinne Gearhart, to the podcast, to discuss how she became an owner of a dog walking and a dog training company as someone who's allergic to dogs herself, whether all doodles are truly hypoallergenic and shed-free, how raising a doodle can be difficult for even the most seasoned and knowledgable of dog parents, how her training approach to doodles differs to that of other trainers, her advise on what to look out for when looking for a reputable breeder, what not to do when trying to deal with a hyperactive doodle, and so much more!
Guest Bio: Corinne Gearhart is the host of the highly-rated and popular, The Doodle ProTM Podcast, that has most recently ranked #1 on Australia and New Zealand's charts and #3 on the genre's US, Canada, and UK's Apple charts.
As the owner and head trainer of "The Doodle ProTM", she has more direct professional experience with Doodle mixed dogs and a variety of Doodle mixes than any other trainer. She has grown to be the international expert on Doodles, and uses her expertise to support Doodle Parents via her online training courses and membership.
Her Fear-Free and positive-reinforcement education on dog training shines through in her approach to doodle parents as well -- treating all pet parents with the same respect and compassion she shows their dogs. She is driven to "Bridge the Doodle DivideTM" that exists in the Pet Care Industry.
Connect With Corinne Gearhart:

Miscellaneous Links:

Next Episode

Pet Parenting Styles, Part II

Today's Topic: For many of us, we're keenly aware of how the parenting style of our own parents (whether it was an authoritarian, authoritative, permissive or uninvolved style) influenced -- and continues to influence -- how we behave and view the world as an adult.
As such, we've ALWAYS wondered how our individual pet parenting style (whether we're aware of it or not) toward our dogs influences their behavior and how they view the world.
In Part I of our discussion on pet parenting styles, we dove into this subject headfirst with pediatric psychologist, parent coach, and the owner of A New Day Pediatric Psychology, PLLC., Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart, to see if there are any insights we could glean from her understanding of the different types of child parenting styles, and their effects, but also where they came from.
What we came away with from that episode was a sense that many of us view our children very similarly to how we view our dogs, and how the modern parenting literature is eerily mirrors that of modern positive dog training literature.
In this episode, we got the opportunity to continue this conversation on pet parenting styles with one of the authors of the research paper, Does Pet Parenting Style Predict the Social and Problem-Solving Behavior of Pet Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)?, Dr. Monique Udell, to see what the data says when she investigated the effects of different pet parenting styles on a dog's social and problem-solving behavior using three behavioral tests: The Secure Base Test, a Sociability Test and the Solvable Task.

Guest Bio: Dr. Monique Udell is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and an Associate Professor of Animal Sciences at Oregon State University, where she directs the Human-Animal Interaction Lab. Much of her work focuses on the development of human-animal bonds and the impact that these bonds can have on the behavior and success of both species. She also studies the social behavior and cognition of a variety of species including cats, dogs, wolves and sheep, with a special interest in the influence of domestication and lifetime experience on behavioral development, welfare and learning. In addition, Dr. Udell is the Co-director of an animal assisted intervention program dedicated to improving the quality of life of children with and without developmental disabilities and their family dogs and cats.
Connect With Dr. Monique Udell: