It's Training Cats and Dogs!

Naomi's off on vacation so this week we're rewinding back to one of the podcast's earlier episodes! Revisit Naomi's chat with the amazing Leslie McDevitt, author of the popular Control Unleashed books and DVD series.

Leslie broke down how she sets up her house to allow for easier introductions and how she uses Control Unleashed games and concepts to keep her cats and dogs living happily together.

[3:59] How Leslie first started working with animals

[7:00] Leslie introduces her three dogs

[12:17] Leslie introduces her two new kittens

[13:11] Leslie’s specific method for introducing cats and dogs to each other

[15:22] How to set up your own kitten paradise enrichment zone

[17:13] Why Leslie likes to use crates to during introductions 

[19:20] How to work with dogs who aren’t familiar with cats

[21:49] The next step after initial introductions

[24:37] Why it’s important to give cats a way out of stressful situations

[28:18] Using food and play as a gauge of comfort levels

[31:59] What to do if you’re worried about cat and dog chases around the house

[33:21] How Leslie handles her border collie’s stalking instinct

[37:10] Why you should reward default behaviors consistently

[43:10] Balancing dogs with young children at home

[46:00] How to go easy on yourself when training a house full of pets

[48:23] Easy mistakes to make when following Leslie’s Control Unleashed methods

[52:50] How the Super Bowls game can teach you about threshold behaviors

[56:35] How to play parallel CU games

[58:19] Using social learning to your advantage

• Follow Naomi on Instagram
• Follow Leslie on Facebook
• 2021 Conference Unleashed Recording
• Control Unleashed YouTube Channel 
• Mochi's Tunnel

Naomi will be back with a new episode next week! But if you enjoyed taking this look back, you can do your own rewind to some of our earlier episodes. Check out another interview with a pet professional! Or maybe a deep dive into a specific topic?

With the 50th episode of the show quickly approaching, we want to celebrate! What would you love to hear on our special episode? DM Naomi on Instagram @praiseworthypets with your suggestions!

Before bringing a new animal into your household, is your resident pet ready? In order to make the initial introduction and integration process go as smoothly as possible, one of the best things you can do is take a long, hard look at the pet(s) you already have!

Doing the prep work before bringing a new pet into the mix will set everyone up for success.

Caroline Mattioli, KPA-CTP joins Naomi to talk about how she introduced her resident dog Onyx to Jack the kitten and Tiki the Chihuahua. She details how knowing Onyx’s history, personality, and behaviors helped her implement the right training, management, and setups for her particular combination of pets. Listen in to hear Caroline's insights and step-by-step approach to laying the groundwork before bringing a new pet home.

[00:39] Introduction and Caroline's "Two Truths and A Lie"

[05:56] Caroline’s Cast of Characters: Onyx the German Shepherd, Tiki the Chihuahua puppy, and Jack the cat.

[11:40] The challenges of doing the KPA training certification program with a reactive dog

[13:45] How Caroline slowly introduced Onyx to a cat (not Jack)

[18:57] How knowing Onyx’s behavioral tendencies allowed for progression from tense interactions to happy snuggles

[25:08] Barrier frustration and setups

[32:43] Allowing your animals to practice conflict resolution without constant human interference (when appropriate and safe)

[36:30] How Caroline introduced Tiki the Chihuahua to Onyx and Jack

[39:55] Managing Tiki’s adolescent energy and Onyx being the "fun police"

[43:24] The difference in behaviors when a human in present or not (and Naomi's theory)

[46:59] The benefits of a group stay

[49:41] Things to consider before and after adding a new animal to your household

[52:31] How to help prepare a dog with a high prey drive to the addition of a cat to the household

Predation Substitute Training: book, webinar

KPA certification program

Naomi's dog Uri in his ex-pen during her KPA program

Onyx, Jack, and Tiki group stay

Quick facts about Caroline Mattioli:

What do you do when your puppy just wants to play and your cats are so terrified they hightail it under the bed? It only takes a few unwanted games of chase to instill enough fear to make keeping your pets in the same space difficult - as Teri found out with Moose, Pumpkin, and Tofu.

With the household divided between Moose’s separation anxiety and the cat’s fear, being able to spend quality time with everyone seems impossible.

In this Dog and Cat Chat, Naomi guides Teri through ways to build the cats confidence and ability to move around the space so they can start combining their household again.

[00:23] Introducing Pumpkin and Tofu the frightened cats, Moose the puppy with severe separation anxiety

[02:41] Examining current management strategies and talking about some new options

[06:49] Moose’s current on-leash interactions with the cats in their upstairs space

[08:05] Ways to build the cats’ confidence upstairs when Moose is around

[15:21] Planning interactions and creating a sense of safety for the cats

[18:10] Summarizing the action plan

If you want to join me on the podcast for a Dog and Cat Chat, head on over to praiseworthypets.com/chat to book in a session!

Our pets' body language is often baffling! Behaviors that look like intense affection can mean something else entirely. When your cat and dog refuse to leave each other alone, how can you tell what is a positive interaction or not?

This is the struggle Abigail is having with her elderly cat Titus and her puppy Totchka. Is Titus’ intense greetings and grooming of Totchka not the prosocial interaction it appears to be?

[00:24] Introduction and Cast of Characters: Titus the elderly cat who tackles and forcibly grooms Totchka the puppy

[05:30] Examining an interaction - the duration, the body language, the environment and the human response.

[09:27] Why separating the pair before and after the interactions might not be the best plan.

[11:17] Using management and setups to safely teach Titus and Totchka to interact appropriately with each other safely.

[15:41] How reinforcing natural behaviors can help pets offer appropriate behaviors during problem interactions.

[17:35] Next steps: Recognizing progress and what to do next.

If you're awesome like Abigail and want some guidance regarding your pets' interactions, come join me on the podcast for a free Dog and Cat Chat! Just go to praiseworthypets.com/chat to book a time.

While reaching for the cookies is a common go-to for reinforcement, there are other forms that are just as powerful - sometimes even more so than food!

Listen to this episode to learn the basics of possession-based play skills so you can have a fantastic alternative to food in your reinforcement toolbox.

This bite-sized episode is a peek into one of Naomi's Cat and Dog Coexistence Club Masterclasses.

Time Stamps:

[00:55] Introduction: The Power of Play

[01:15] What is Reinforcement?

[02:34] The Three Main Types of Reinforcing Events

[06:19] The Easiest for Reinforcing: The Completely Controlled Events

[07:54] The differences between Play-based Reinforcement and Food-based Reinforcement

[09:55] Teaching Toy Skills: Types of Play

[11:03] Teaching Toy Skills: The Framework of Possession-based play

If you want access to these Masterclasses live, you can join the Cat and Dog Coexistence Club! Membership is included in all of my private training programs so head over to the Praiseworthy Pets website and take the quiz to find out which program would suit you best!

Resources

Read the transcription or watch the section of the Masterclass from this episode

Episode 33: Treat Options for your Non-food Motivated Pet

Sometimes you just don't know what to do when your cats and dogs don't get along.

Feeling stuck isn't uncommon, but that doesn’t stop it from being frustrating!

Sometimes it takes a second set of eyes to look at what’s going on and identify find those areas where a little change could make all the difference.

Yasmin’s two old lady cats, Zelda and Pangea, are struggling with the young canine member of the family, Fenna. Fenna chases the cats the moment they even try to find a bit of space from her.

What can Yasmin do to calm Fenna down enough for Zelda and Pangea to tolerate her company? Naomi helps her identify a few next steps in this Dog and Cat Chat.

Time Stamps:

[00:29] Introduction and Cast of Characters: Zelda and Pangea the elderly cats and Fenna the young dog

[01:03] Getting the lay of the land - the current behaviors, the physical management and any sticky spots.

[06:02] Talking management: It’s not just baby gates and leashes!

[07:32] Setups for a space-reducing dog and space-seeking cats

[11:34] Tracking progress: knowing what to look for in your pets behavior during setups and when to change things up

[13:31] Doing setups with a very timid cat

Want to do a Dog and Cat Chat with me on the podcast?

1. Follow me on Instagram @praiseworthypets
2. Go to praiseworthypets.com/chat to schedule

Looking for more in-depth help with your cats and dogs?

Go to praiseworthypets.com/contact to start the process!

Overseeing a multi-species household can be as challenging as it is rewarding. Cats and dogs, pets and children, different breeds and different ages - with all the combinations comes a variety of behaviors and personalities. So, how can you find coexistence between so many moving parts?

Jen Shyrock of Family Paws has hands-on experience living in a household of cats, dogs and kids (and even a couple of guinea pigs!). She shares her thoughts on teaching kids to interact with pets from a young age, considering the needs of everyone in your family, and the importance of respect when it comes to any interaction - human and animal alike.

[00:33] Introducing Jen Shyrock via Two Truths and a Lie

[03:37] Cast of Characters: The dogs - Oliver, Sadie and Rudy. The cats - Jagger, Rocky, Harrison, Zoe and Nora.

[05:22] Jen’s integration process: How it began and where it is now

[08:19] Navigating the variety and the importance of monitoring any shifts of relationship dynamics in a multi-species household

[11:55] Preparing your animal to transition from separation to integration

[16:39] It’s not just dogs who can be pushy and not just cats who like their space

[20:27] Working with a highly-reactive, easily over-aroused cat

[23:03] General management and carrier training for cats

[27:27] Teaching kids how to be part of a multi-species household

[30:34] Prepping your cat for the arrival of a new baby

[34:06] Cat enrichment

[40:50] The dangers of pet social media on animal behavior and child/pet interactions

[43:33] Challenge, tips and tricks for pet/kid households

If you have any suggestions on who you'd love to hear me chat with next, head on over to my instagram and drop me a DM!

The Purrfect Fence

Enrichment for dogs: @bindisbucketlist and @petharmonytraining

Enrichment for cats: @twosphynxboys and @chirpycats (and @cat.school who was a guest on the podcast back in episode 20)

familypaws.com

[email protected]

Instagram: @praiseworthypets

Website: praiseworthypets.com

We can all get a little cranky as we get older and that goes for our pets as well. When animals start dealing with ailments such as arthritis that cause pain and discomfort, is easy for them to find triggers in things that were no problem before.

That’s the situation with Lara’s dog Bowie, who’s arthritis has caused some steps backward in his relationship with Neptune the cat. Before, they were coexisting peacefully and now, Bowie wants Neptune to stay away from his space!

So what can Lara do to help Bowie relax again and see Neptune as something completely unrelated to his aches and pains?

Key Moments

[00:32] The Cast of Characters: Bowie and Luna the dogs, Neptune the cat

[04:04] The theory: Bowie associates Neptune’s presence with pain

[06:15] Setting up a more relaxing environment for Bowie

[10:22] Helping Bowie remain calm when Neptune is around

[14:40] Can’t we just treat the pain?

[16:29] The next stage: Setups!

Resources I Mentioned:

Super Bowls - Leslie McDevitt

Intro to Super Bowls - my version

If you want to be awesome like Lara and book in for a Dog and Cat Chat, click here to reserve a timeslot!

It's an almost universal roadmap to coexistence:

1. management
2. enrichment
3. setups

But what should you actually DO within this general process to help YOUR specific animals learn to live together peacefully? What steps will take you from point A to point B?

Sometimes you need someone to show you the way.

Want more in-depth personalized guidance and support from Naomi? Itching to get your cat(s) and dog(s) moving on the path towards coexistence?

Take this quiz to determine what phase of the journey you and your pets are currently in, and which training programs would be best to get you where you want to go!

Naomi chats with Josie in this Dog and Cat Chat about her adolescent dog Kinai and his wildly different interactions with her two cats. How much of this behavior can be attributed to general environmental stress or something else entirely?

Time Stamps:

[00:31] Introduction

[01:13] The cast of characters: the dogs (Nimeria and Kinai)

[01:37] Background of relationship between Kinai and the cats

[02:06] The cast of characters: the cats (Anya and Prudence)

[02:48] Background of reactive interactions between Kinai and Anya

[03:59] Background of Kinai’s high prey drive towards Prudence

[04:30] Kinai inconsistently redirecting reactive behavior onto Prudence

[05:47] Why saying a dog is “good with cats” or vice versa is misleading

[06:40] Current history of Kinai’s reactivity to environmental contrasts and changes, surprises and strange animals

[08:22] Changes in behavior after neutering/during adolescence

[10:10] Trigger stacking effects on reactivity

[10:43] The cat’s response to Kinai’s reactive behavior

[11:21] Disentangling multiple cases within the same group of animals

[12:10] Stressors that can affect behavior indirectly

[14:30] Developing a plan for Kinai’s reactivity to stressors

[14:36] Decrease environmental stresses

[15:12] Record keeping - behavior tracking

[15:36] Developing a plan for Kinai’s anxiety with Anya

[16:22] Developing a plan for Kinai’s interactions with Prudence

[17:41] Some behaviors aren’t as scary as they look

[18:38] Record what the difference in behavior when humans are present and not

[20:26] The importance of who is initiating interactions/contact

[23:02] Working on Kinai’s redirection cues

[24:37] The importance of video footage of behaviors

[25:37] Adjusting your environment

[29:06] Benefits of relaxation protocols/training

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