What’s more important to you: What your dog does?  Or how your dog feels? This question is at the core of Andrew Hale’s Dog Centered Care approach.

An emerging thought leader in the dog training world, Andrew draws on his background in human psychology to place empathy and a deep understanding of a dog’s emotional experience at the heart of his work. He’ll even share with us his biggest ethical dilemma with the field of dog training.

You might want to have a notebook handy as Andrew breaks down concepts for us such as: his “safety first” protocol, his Learn – Support – Teach mantra, and how the 3 A’s of psychology relate to dog training.

Andrew and I also discuss common challenges faced by pet parents, including the cycle of conflict triggered by a dog's reactivity, and how to emotionally navigate those moments when tough decisions must be made for your fearful or reactive dog, such as an emergency vet visit.

You can find Andrew in his Dog Centered Care Facebook Group or YouTube channel.

Find links and show notes at:

February is Pet Dental Health Month! 

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.

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Have you ever used herbal remedies for your dog? or yourself?  If you started your day with a cup of coffee or tea, then your answer is Yes!

Rita Hogan, the Canine Herbalist, has so much wisdom to share with us.  From being raised on a rural farm to running a holistic pug rescue, Rita has dedicated her life to practicing western herbal medicine for pets and people.

For many of us, essential oils are a common form of herbal remedies that we’re familiar with.  But Rita shares with us why essential oils should NOT be your first choice for healing – and what to use instead.

Rita also discusses her wholistic perspective on the treatment of anxiety in dogs – giving us a sample of what to expect from https://believeindogpodcast.com/episodes-1/episode113

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.

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Want to give your dog the best year ever?  Let your dog be a dog with more canine enrichment activities in their lives!

When Taylor Finton & her husband adopted their American Village dogs – rescued from the island of St. Lucia - Taylor thought it would be fun to document her dogs’ new lives in Canada.  So Taylor started Bindi’s Bucket List as a blog and on Instagram.  When she started sharing her Kong recipes, pet parents around the world took notice!

But as Taylor shares with us, canine enrichment isn’t just Kong recipes – it’s so much more! Taylor’s new book, The Happiest Dog on the Block: Canine Enrichment Activities to Keep Your Dog Young & Healthy, is packed with fun and easy activities that are also backed by scientific research.

Did you know there are 6 different categories of canine enrichment? Taylor shares examples of each type and how to determine which are your dog’s favorites. 

We’ll also learn how to create a canine enrichment plan for our dogs and the #1 thing to avoid when trying new enrichment activities.

Taylor even tells us how to choose or modify enrichment activities for puppies and senior dogs, as well as fearful or reactive dogs. 

Find Show Notes, Links and Photos at:

Interested in more about canine enrichment?  Join Erin the Dog  Mom’s email list for a resource roundup coming soon.

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Have you ever wondered if you’re making the “right” decisions for your dog during an injury or illness?

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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.

Hear Erin on the Rescued by a Dog Podcast

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

***

Have you ever wondered if you’re making the “right” decisions for your dog during an injury or illness?

All Michelle Slater ever wanted was to have a dog of her own with whom she felt a special connection and bond.  And her German Shepherd, Brady, was that dog. 

In fact, Michelle even started learning animal communication to enhance her connection with Brady – something that she kept to herself, concerned her fellow professors in academia wouldn’t understand or would ridicule.

However, after a rollercoaster of adventures, Brady was struck with a life-threatening illness at only 5 years old.  He spent months living at a vet hospital – where Michelle often slept on the floor next to him at night.

Michelle again turns to animal communication to guide her – with Brady’s input – to make the best decisions for his health during this scary time.  And Brady’s profound messages are lessons for all of us.

Exploring topics of grief, loss – both human and animal – and the human-animal bond, Michelle’s book Soulmate Dog is part memoir and part essay.  If you’ve ever been curious about how people have viewed animal telepathy over the years, it’s fascinating!

TW: Themes of grief and loss, both human and animal, throughout.

Find links & show notes at:

If you're anything like me, you enjoy shopping for other people but have a more difficult time telling people what they should get you.  

This episode will give you plenty of ideas for your Holiday Wish List (and your dog), no matter where you are in your Pet Parent journey.

From 1st time Pet Parent to the Dog-Obsessed and everything in between, click here for the list:

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

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Holiday Giving Campaign:  Let’s help Cara Achterberg (Episode 75)  provide her newest book Who Will Let the Dogs Out: Stories & Solutions for FREE to America’s shelters and rescues!

What If you could solve your dog’s biggest behavior challenge TODAY? Dog trainer Juliana DeWillems says that while immediate results usually aren’t possible in dog training – they can be when we use management techniques. 

In her new book Manage It! Hacks for Improving Your Dog’s Behavior, Juliana shares how us Pet Parents can easily solve many of our dog’s behavior challenges by changing our environment.  

Juliana explains different approaches to managing our dog’s behavior when greeting holiday visitors at your home as well as dealing with reactive dogs.  Her book even includes charts, worksheets, photos and videos (via QR code) to help you find the best hacks for your unique home, life and challenges.

We’ll discuss the difference between training and management – and when to use each one (or both!).  Juliana & I also share some of our favorite management tools and techniques that we use with our own dogs.

Find Show Notes, Links and Photos 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.

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In this solo episode, Erin is celebrating one year since their family adopted Nessie – which hasn’t always gone according to plan.

Erin shares the story of how Nessie joined their family and what she wishes they had done differently in the meet & greet process.

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.

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Has your dog ever helped you through a hard time in life?  Your answer  is most likely a resounding YES, right?

Author Christopher Dale credits Vector, his rescued “sato” dog from Puerto Rico, with helping him start a new chapter in life after going through hard times.  Like really hard times.  Like life-changing medical diagnosis turned depression turned addiction turned nearly blowing up his marriage-type hard times.

Chris became curious if other people were having a life-changingly special relationship with their rescue dog too.  In his book “We Saved Each Other: How Rescue Dogs Help Us Through Hardship,” Chris mixes in his own memoir reflections with profiles of other rescue dog adopters to explore experiences such as trauma, grief, addiction and mental health challenges and examine the role of their dogs in their journey. (Trigger warning for ongoing discussion of these themes throughout the episode.)

"Courageous Vulnerability" is the phrase I kept thinking while reading "We Saved Each Other".  I admire Chris and all those who share their stories for the vulnerability it takes to share some of the messier parts of life.  And I thank Chris for holding space for me to share a part of my life that I don’t usually talk about, as well.

Chris also shares with us what he’s learned about the condition of sato dogs in Puerto Rico, the work of The Sato Project nonprofit organization and what he knows about Vector’s early life.

My hope is for this episode to be a reminder that despite our differences, we’re all going through the same types of challenges in this human experience.

Find photos, 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.

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Have you ever thought about your pet parenting philosophy? Maybe you have an idea in your head of what you want your relationship with your dog(s) to look like, but how would you describe it?

A few months ago, on an Amazon recommendation & a whim, I bought Debby McMullen’s book How Many Dogs?! Using Positive Reinforcement training to Manage a Multiple Dog Household.  And I loved the book so much, that I had to find Debby and bring her on the podcast.

Debby is known for sharing her life with multiple dogs. Working as a dog trainer since the late 1990s, Debby developed a niche in the dog training world helping families introduce & integrate new dogs into multi-dog households.

Debby shares – what I will call – her “ pet parenting philosophy” and it’s the closest explanation I’ve seen to how I feel about my relationship with my dogs.  We discuss what this looks like through setting boundaries and the importance of routines & predictability for establishing trust with a new dog in your home.

So are you ready to introduce a new dog to your family?  Whether you are or aren't, Debby identifies important body language and training cues that are helpful for any & every pet parent.  We also discuss how to teach your dog good behavior without needing a clicker!

Debby & I also dive into the dynamics of multi-dog households – from navigating meal times to giving individual time & attention to refereeing playtime to dealing with any problems that arise.

So how many dogs is too many dogs?  While that answer changes from family to family, Debby reveals factors for you & your family to consider when making this decision.

Find photos, 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.

Has your dog ever shown fear, anxiety or reactivity?  If your dog hasn’t, I’d be willing to bet that you know someone whose dog is dealing with one of these issues.

Returning guest Dr. Zazie Todd is a psychologist who digs into the science of dog behavior to help us make the best decisions for our dogs. https://believeindogpodcast.com/episodes-1/episode105

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.