Canine Adolescence is the transition from puppyhood to adulthood. This fascinating conversation with Sarah Stremming, who is a dog behavior coach and the host of the Cog Dog Podcast, addresses this pivotal age of young dogs. Sarah, Emily, and Libby discuss adolescent canine behavior and how to most effectively observe and address behaviors to nurture confident, healthy dogs. This is the second part of their conversation, so make sure you listen to Part 1 before diving in here. The trio also discusses: Breed-specific behaviors in adolescents and how they can express under stress The top ski ..read more

Canine Adolescence is the transition from puppyhood to adulthood. This fascinating conversation with Sarah Stremming, who is a dog behavior coach and the host of the Cog Dog Podcast, addresses this pivotal age of young dogs. Sarah, Emily, and Libby discuss adolescent canine behavior and how to most effectively observe and address behaviors to nurture confident, healthy dogs. They also discuss: How dogs’ responses to environments and caregivers can change during this transitional period Some of the difficulties this transition period can create for adolescent dogs How to best support the ..read more

This is a replay of our 2021 interview with aggression expert Michael Shikashio. We are thrilled to present today’s guest, Michael Shikashio. Michael is a world-renowned expert on dog aggression and has an incredible dearth of information he generously shares, which is helpful for owners, rescuers, and trainers alike. In this conversation, Michael, Emily and Libby define aggression, discuss the ways aggression can present in different dogs (and the different levels of assessing their aggression), and so much more. Make sure to listen to the full episodes, as Michael drops important gems throug ..read more

It is no secret that shelters can prove to be extremely stressful environments for dogs - even the friendlist, most easy-going dog can experience severe stress or fear in a shelter environment. In this incredible conversation, Emily, Libby and Tom Candy discuss how we can best support shelter dogs in and out of the shelter environment to build confidence, trust, and a sense of play. In this episode, they cover: How to work with dogs who display fearful behaviors in the shelter and kennel environments How to distinguish a dog’s shelter-based fear from their general fear The positive bene ..read more

“What supplies do I need for fostering a dog?” “Should you use training tools on rescue dogs?” “What kind of harness should I get for my dog?” You have questions about fostering or adopting a dog, and we have answers! These are the tools and supplies we recommend for rescue dog fosters and adopters.  Emily and Libby are professionals who have been working in foster-based rescue for a long time, so they have accumulated a lot of “stuff” over the years. Don’t be intimidated by this list! While these are our favorites, there are many affordable options for good-quality supplies. Many items c ..read more

If you try one training method with your new rescue dog, try this one! This week, Emily and Libby speak with Kathy Sdao, world-renowned dog trainer, speaker, writer, and educator. Sdao’s accessible training technique, SMARTx50, is a powerful tool that distills behavior science into the lay person's terms, making it accessible for our human learners: dog rescuers, fosters and adopters. They discuss how to use SMARTx50 to help our dogs fit into our human world, and this conversation is lively and full of both science and heart; evidence and experience. Some topics discussed are: How to t ..read more

Puppy socialization is critical for a dog’s healthy development, but what happens if there is a highly contagious respiratory illness being passed around the dog community? Emily and Libby address this current situation by re-airing this episode so you can make a good decision by weighing the costs and benefits of puppy socialization, and how to have healthy play with other puppies amidst illness. Some topics discussed are: The first 12 weeks of a puppy’s life are the "critical window" for socialization  What proper socialization is, and is not Why exposure alone is not socializati ..read more

When SDR rescued a dog with hearing impairment, they turned to Tiffany Baker for her expertise on the most effective ways to work with deaf dogs. We hear about Blue throughout the episode as SDR’s case study, and in this episode Emily, Libby and Tiffany also cover topics like: How she uses control unleashed for deaf dogs Pattern games and why the framework of predictability is important for all dogs - especially deaf dogs “Up Down” Tactile cues for deaf dogs Pairing deaf dogs with hearing dogs Tiffany Baker is a Certified Canine Behavior Consultant and the founder and owner of Boss ..read more

Libby and Emily sit down with Annie Phenix, an award winning author and trainer who is known for her methods that train for behavioral concerns without using fear, force, pain, or intimidation.  This conversation is underlined by the importance of trust, joy, and love in our relationships with our animal friends. They also talk about: Building trust with our dogs How we can use somatic therapy on our dogs Ways to work with new and foster dogs to reduce agitation, stress, and separation anxiety Bringing joy into the ways we train our dogs “Sample days,” or case studies, into diff ..read more

Have you ever dealt with a dog who experienced separation anxiety? Separation anxiety can present in dogs in myriad behaviors, and this can have a major impact not only on the dog but on the humans caring for those dogs. In this episode, Libby and Emily dig into this issue with Jenni Pfafman. Jenni is a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer with years of experience working in-person and virtually with dogs who deal with separation anxiety. The conversation opens with a case study about a recent SDR rescue pup, and how Jenni walked Emily through the process of managing - and decreasing - the do ..read more