If you have a senior dog in your home, when’s the right time to bring a new dog into the mix? For longtime dog trainers Kathy Callahan and Helen St. Pierre, the answer isn’t simple – it depends – on your dog, your household and your bandwidth.

Kathy & Helen share with us what inspired their collaboration on their new book Old Dog, New Dog: Supporting Your Aging Best Friend and Welcoming a New One and open up about the deep emotions that come with caring for senior dogs – including that fear of finding yourself in a “zero dog house.”

We’ll speak candidly about how to be honest with ourselves about the emotional toll of aging pets, and how to prepare realistically if you're considering adding a puppy (or another adult dog) to your home.

Kathy & Helen weigh in on setting appropriate expectations, building a support system, and what to watch for when it comes to changes in your senior dog’s health and behavior. We’ll also learn the best practices for introductions that will give both your old and new dog the best chance at a harmonious relationship.

Whether you're currently living with a beloved old dog, recently said goodbye, or are contemplating what comes next, Kathy & Helen offer guidance, perspective and compassion for wherever you are on the journey.

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If you can name a Dog Sport, Melissa Stagnaro has most likely tried it at some point over the past 20 years.  And today we’re so fortunate to have Melissa sharing tips and insight from her years of experience.  I loved her canine enrichment idea for dogs recovering from an injury!

But did you know that you can learn the sport of Search & Rescue?  If you’ve ever wanted your dog to learn how to find someone in the woods or track a scent trail, there’s a sport for that! 

Commonly referred to as “RH,” the dog sport of Search & Rescue is open to dogs of all ages, breeds and backgrounds.

Melissa shares with us all about RH and how to get your dog started.  I’m always curious about how to start teaching your dog the more advanced skills and Melissa gives us a great breakdown of how to approach training sessions.

Plus, I got to meet Melissa and many other Search & Rescue competitors at a recent Mock Trial and I’m sharing everything I learned at the event.

Find Links & Show Notes at:

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REPLAY:

Have you ever been around a dog who doesn’t “dog” like other dogs?  Maybe you’ve experienced a dog who is reactive or has separation anxiety or a noise-phobia?

Sharon Vincuilla and I explore how dogs (and people!) can experience the world differently and how neurodiversity shows up in a dog’s behavior.  And Sharon has experienced this first-hand with her dog, Muggins!

Sharon found that life with Muggins was even triggering her own trauma.  Seemingly ordinary life events like walking the dog or having a friend stop by her house would turn into stressful ordeals with Muggins.

Leaning on her work as both a dog trainer and an Occupational Therapist, Sharon shares with us the strategies she developed that allow both her and Muggins to thrive.  And she teaches us strategies we can incorporate into our lives with our dogs who might “dog” a little differently.

Find Links & Show Notes at:

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Have you ever thought about your time with your dog as a chapter of your life?

For teacher, speaker, and lifelong journaler Patricia Eagle, her story is told in ten chapters – with each devoted to a dog who changed her life.

In her new book, Dog Love Stories: The Canines Who Changed Me, Patricia reflects on the love, lessons, and legacies each dog left behind. While some chapters are long and others short, all are deeply meaningful.

In this episode, Patricia & I explore the many ways our dogs support us – especially through life’s hardest times. She shares how creating rituals around loss has helped her honor and heal from the passing of her dogs, and how these moments can also become celebrations of joy and connection.

We also talk about the silly songs we make up for our dogs (yes, Patricia sings one!) and what it means to be a respectful Pet Parent – especially around those in our lives who may not be dog lovers.

Trigger Warning: This episode includes themes of pet loss and grief, as well as mentions of the deaths of a spouse and child, and childhood sexual abuse.

Find links and show notes at:

Get your free checklist: Join Erin the Dog Mom's email list to receive the 12 Changes in Your Dog to Never Ignore checklist.

Teef: The easiest way to improve your dog’s dental health is with a spoonful of Teef powder in their water.  Save 20% on your Teef orders when you use the code: ADM.

Support this podcast, subscribe on your favorite app and leave a rating or review.

What does leadership in animal welfare really look like when the going gets tough?

Like losing most of your staff in a single day—or raising twins, running a shelter, and opening a spay/neuter clinic all at once?

We’re back with author, advocate, and nonprofit founder Cara Achterberg (Episode 75, Who Will Let the Dogs Out), along with shelter directors Courtney Cross (Huntington Cabell Wayne Animal Shelter) and Ruby Fooks (Butler County Animal Shelter), for Part 2 of our Shelter Roundtable discussion.

In this episode, you'll hear more about Ruby’s and Courtney’s personal journeys into animal sheltering—and how their unique skill sets have helped them face the challenges of the job.

Courtney opens up about navigating the sudden loss of 12 staff members, while Ruby shares honestly about work/life balance, imposter syndrome, and even has to step away briefly during the recording to handle an urgent situation at her shelter—giving us all a real-time glimpse into the realities of this work.

Have you ever imagined what a dream animal shelter would look like for your community? Courtney and Ruby are already bringing their visions to life—and they share what they hope to do next.

Find links and show notes at:

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What does it really take to save lives in a shelter where the need never stops?

For leaders like Courtney Cross (Huntington Cabell Wayne Animal Shelter) and Ruby Fooks (Butler County Animal Shelter), it means getting scrappy — not just in strategy, but in spirit. Across the country, life-saving work is happening in shelters not powered by excess resources, but by relentless grit, creativity, and the strength of community.

In this episode, we’re joined by Cara Achterberg — author, advocate, and founder of the nonprofit Who Will Let the Dogs Out (Episode 75) — along with two remarkable shelter directors who are redefining what animal sheltering can look like when it’s rooted in community and driven by purpose.

Cara’s newest book, Who Will Let the Dogs Out, shines a light on shelters making extraordinary impact, often with limited means. She shares three core pillars of life-saving work: strong leadership, community engagement, and spay/neuter programs — all of which Ruby and Courtney embody.

You’ll hear how Ruby scrapped plans for a new shelter building to open a spay/neuter clinic instead — because that’s what her community truly needed. And how Courtney created space for community at a new shelter property while reducing a 50% euthanasia rate to just 3%.

Leaders like Courtney and Ruby aren’t just running shelters — they’re building trust, rewriting systems, and saving lives.

Find links and show notes at:

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Whether you’re looking for something fun to do with your dog or if you need help with a behavior issue, Control Unleashed might be exactly the training class you’re looking for.

Today, I’m joined by Angie Haines Madden of DogSpeak Training — the trainer my dogs & I have been working with through online Control Unleashed classes over the past several months.

A former zookeeper, Angie shares what drew her to the Control Unleashed methodology (developed by Leslie McDevitt) and how it shapes her approach to dog training.

I'll be honest — I was skeptical about taking an online training class at first. But it didn’t take long to see why Angie’s style of teaching works so well. Together, we talk about the power of learning from others, why recording your training sessions is so important (hint: it’s all about body language!), and how transformative these skills can be.

While my original goal was simply to find something fun to do with Nessie, I quickly discovered that Control Unleashed offers so much more than just games. Angie and I discuss how adaptable the Pattern Games are for a variety of real-world situations, and I share some of the ways we’ve incorporated them into our daily lives.

You'll also get to hear an impromptu coaching session, as Angie helps me work through a challenge Nessie and I are still facing — and why teaching your dog to relax is more important than you may realize.

Find Links & Show Notes at:

Get your free checklist: Join Erin the Dog Mom's email list to receive the 12 Changes in Your Dog to Never Ignore checklist.

Teef: The easiest way to improve your dog’s dental health is with a spoonful of Teef powder in their water.  Save 20% on your Teef orders when you use the code: ADM.

Support this podcast, subscribe on your favorite app and leave a rating or review.

How are you enriching your dog’s life today? This Canine Enrichment Round-Up episode features segments with three amazing guests who are leading the way in canine enrichment. Each guest shares ideas to help you bring more joy to your dog’s life and celebrate their dog-ness.

First, we’ll hear from Michelle Baker of Fur Kids, Inc. in Tampa, FL. Michelle shares her inspiration for modernizing the world of doggy daycare. We’ll learn about a typical day at Fur Kids, the training and education their staff receives, and how they honor the needs of each dog in their care.

Next, we welcome back Tori Mistick of Wear Wag Repeat. As a Certified Canine Enrichment Technician, Tori reveals the enrichment you’re probably already doing without even realizing it!

Tori’s philosophy is that enrichment should be fun, easy & affordable. She shares games, tricks, and activities to easily incorporate into your routine, making your dog’s life more exciting. Be sure to check out Tori’s Canine Activity Pack for even more inspiration.

Last, but certainly not least, we meet Michelle Morrow of Paws with Me K9 in Concord, NH. Michelle tells us about the dog who inspired her to become a trainer and enrichment specialist.

Michelle’s enrichment classes, designed with shy, anxious, and reactive dogs in mind, are packed with fun activities like obstacle courses and sniffaris that challenge your dog’s mind and body while boosting their confidence.

Find link, photos and show notes at:

Get your free checklist: Join Erin the Dog Mom's email list to receive the 12 Changes in Your Dog to Never Ignore checklist.

Teef: The easiest way to improve your dog’s dental health is with a spoonful of Teef powder in their water.  Save 20% on your Teef orders when you use the code: ADM.

Support this podcast, subscribe on your favorite app and leave a rating or review.

What if it’s our end of the leash that needs to change?  When we’re struggling with our dog’s behavior, Sylvie Savage wants us to consider that it might be the human end of the leash that needs to evolve.

In her new book Unleash: How to Evolve from Dog Training to Dog Parenting, Sylvie encourages us to examine our guilt, judgments, expectations and dysregulation – and how these human traits impact our relationship with our dogs. 

As a Human-Canine Relationship Specialist, Sylvie is quick to tell us that she’s not a dog trainer – and she doesn’t want you to expect more from your dog.  Instead, Sylvie gives us a crash course in how to truly see, appreciate and honor our dog’s own individuality.

Have you ever thought about your values as a Pet Parent?  And whether your actions align with your values?  

Sylvie vulnerably shares with us the mistakes she made with her dog, Mollie, when she wasn’t acting in alignment, along with the exercise she developed to help us avoid harming our bond with our dogs.

Find links and show notes at:

Get your free checklist: Join Erin the Dog Mom's email list to receive the 12 Changes in Your Dog to Never Ignore checklist.

Teef: The easiest way to improve your dog’s dental health is with a spoonful of Teef powder in their water.  Save 20% on your Teef orders when you use the code: ADM.

Support this podcast, subscribe on your favorite app and leave a rating or review.

Have you ever struggled with your dog’s reactivity?

 Whether your dog is reactive to other dogs, people or something in the environment, Grisha Stewart’s Behavior Adjustment Training (BAT) may be what you’ve been looking for to help your dog lead a more comfortable life.

Grisha developed BAT training while dealing with her own dog, Peanut’s, reactivity.  Despite doing everything “right” – according to the dog training advice available at the time – she was she still struggling.

Grisha shares with us the principles of BAT and how BAT is based on positive reinforcement, but without the use of food.  Focusing on resiliency and empowering your dog, BAT builds your dog’s confidence, communication and trust.

What about those times when we face a setback and our dog does get reactive?  We’ll learn about the choices we can make to best support our dog from the human end of the leash, as well.

Find links, photos and show notes at:

Get your free checklist: Join Erin the Dog Mom's email list to receive the 12 Changes in Your Dog to Never Ignore checklist.

Teef: The easiest way to improve your dog’s dental health is with a spoonful of Teef powder in their water.  Save 20% on your Teef orders when you use the code: ADM.

Support this podcast, subscribe on your favorite app and leave a rating or review.