This week, Naomi chats with Laura Monaco Torelli about the importance of developing training and management plans specific to your pet's behaviors, doing research on your pet's breed and learning to make informed decisions on your household's readiness for a new pet.

[02:51] Icebreaker: Two Truths and a Lie

[05:30] Cast of characters

[07:54] How Naomi was adopted by Rio

[11:54] Deciding if it's a good idea to introduce a new animal into the home

[13:49] Bringing in a new animal with no prior planning

[16:12] Management

[17:52] Cat noise - click - treat party!

[21:52] All behavior serves a function

[23:22] The differences between introducing kittens to dogs and older cats to puppies

[24:48] Creating a plan

[28:19] Advancing the plan/training

[30:13] Distant and Immediate antecedents

[33:39] Using pets baseline behavior to create plans and management

[38:58] The importance of considering your existing pets before introducing new ones

[42:07] Preparing for a new arrival instead of reactionary management

[45:04] Your expectations of yourselves, your pets and your trainer

[46:08] The importance of breed research

[49:35] The importance of wellness checkups

[51:40] It's okay if it doesn't work out

[53:28] Trainers need to establish a non-judgemental relationship

Dog and Cat Introductions training video

Laura's Website

This week, Naomi chats with Jackie Moyano about dog and cat's with separation anxiety, different ways of modifying management setups and the differing behaviors from one pet to another in the same household.

[01:46] A game of "categories": multi-colored dog breeds and enrichment options

[07:23] Jackie's pets and their history

[10:42] How Jackie introduced Slinky and Aero

[13:29] What she might have done differently

[16:15] Progress takes time

[18:01] Key behaviors to train

[19:03] The difference between stationing/"go to your place" vs. relaxed settle

[20:35] Recognize good behavior happens more than bad

[23:08] Options for management (especially around cat food!)

[25:46] What can you realistically handle right now? Have multiple options!

[26:45] An easy setup to foster positive emotions

[27:22] Considerations for older pets

[29:09] Predation of outdoor critters vs. indoor pets

[30:53] Specificity (lack of generalizability) of cat/dog testing

[34:57] Tips for animals who don't like being contained

[37:17] Enrichment doesn't always need to come from you!

[38:16] Creating management plans

[41:05] Variations on a relaxation protocol

[44:04] Advice for when you're thinking of introducing another animal

Get on the waitlist for Naomi's upcoming PETS Process course - click here

Dr. Karen Overall's "Protocol for Relaxation"

Jackie's Info:

• website
• Instagram

This week, Naomi takes us into a private office hours session with Kenna and Aaron, members. of the Cat and Dog Coexistence Club who are working on integrating Kenna's grumpy cat (Stella) with Aaron's dog (June) and two cats (Jack and Shanks). They discuss the different training projects each of the animals is working on, and how they will come together in the future.

[00:25] Introduction to the Cast of Characters and their history

[02:19] Progress with Stella

[04:46] Helping Stella learn to move away when stressed

[7:40] Brainstorming where Stella's safe place will be in the living room

[10:26] Coaching through "place" proofing with June (rep by rep)

[16:44] Ways to use treats with cats who snarf food

Instagram

The Cat and Dog Coexistence Club

This week, Naomi speaks with Katherine Davidson about not only managing a cat and dog household but what happens when you add a baby into the mix.

[01:36] Would You Rather

[03:26] Cast of Characters

[06:24] Older dogs and kitten interactions - easier or harder?

[07:34] First introductions

[10:01] Differences between foster cat interactions with dogs and new kitten

[11:39] Prepared management

[12:30] Transitioning from separate rooms

[15:06] Why it's important to continue management

[16:06] Cat's interactions with visiting dogs

[19:15] Older dog and a kitten vs older cat and a puppy

[21:50] Tips for introducing puppies to cats

[23:54] Creating safe spaces for every animal in the household

[25:55] Multispecies households with a human baby in the mix

[28:54] Having less time to train with a baby in the house

[33:01] Struggles with guilt over less time for animals

[35:57] Support for those struggling with pets and babies

[41:58] Thinking of your welfare as well as your animals'

[44:23] Cute pet stories

[47:59] Advice for multispecies households

Katherine's website: doginspired.ca

Katherine's IG: @doginspired.ca

The Cat and Dog Coexistence Club

The PETS Process Guide

This week, Naomi gives you a peek behind the curtain at the Cat and Dog Coexistence Club for a private office hours session with one of its members as they discuss Bridget's dog Bella who is hyper-fixated on her cat Walter.

[01:01] Different types of attention

[02:18] Predatory sequence in dogs

[04:28] Ways to train in the orient stage

[05:14] Two ways to "unstick" a dog

[06:46] Finding the sweet spot to do training

[07:56] Miscalibrations are understandable

[09:20] Practicing while Eyeing bakes tension into the behavior

[09:46] Working on a true relax in place behavior

[11:23] Why routine in management is so good

[12:45] Training the cat as well for enrichment

[13:41] Training cats makes them more relaxed

[14:00] Progress

[15:08] Relax on the Mat protocol

[16:46] Body language is a great starting point

The Cat and Dog Coexistence Club

The PETS Process Guide

This week, Naomi chats with Dawn about living with stressed-out pets during stressful times and the different forms of management that can help find some peace.

[01:39] Cast of characters

[03:17] Background on the existing household pets

[04:35] Odin's backstory - not the dog they were looking for

[06:24] Adding Odin, the reactive puppy, to the family

[08:23] Early management setup

[09:46] The start of the stress

[11:06] Separation anxiety

[12:02] Things that could have been improved

[13:15] The flittering game

[17:40] Safety concerns

[21:08] Ritual conflicts

[22:31] Accidentally reinforcing unwanted behavior

[25:36] Living separately in the same house

[28:00] Medication

[30:33] Less base stress, means easier training

[32:03] Not using food?

[33:46] De-stressing for the humans

[35:46] Enrichment and bonding with each animal

[38:40] Prioritization and triage

[41:31] When the stress got really bad

[44:24] Dawn's advice

[49:14] Positive interactions

The PETS Process Guide

Dawn's Instagram: @odin_pup

In part two of my chat with Lauren Rubin, we talk more about the differences in dog and cat body language, the importance of management, and just how important support is in your coexistence journey.

[03:13] The difference between cat and dog body language

[05:29] Cat testing

[08:35] Coexistence doesn't mean unsupervised

[09:32] Rehoming is sometimes necessary

[12:05] Don't ever let them just work it out

[14:37] Space issues

[18:56] What to do before bringing a new pet into your existing setup

[21:24] Physical and behavior management prep

[24:46] Cat and dog body language is different part 2

[27:56] You're not alone in your struggles

Part One

The PETS Process Guide

Cat Tail Twitching

Cat Tail Swish/Thump

In part one of my chat with Lauren Rubin, we talk about the challenges of dog and cat coexistence when they don't understand each other's body language and how sometimes you just need to keep your pets seperated.

[01:13] Two Truths and a Lie

[03:18] Cast of Characters

[08:27] Trainers make mistakes too

[10:40] Integration and management with introducing established dog to puppy

[15:18] Practicing small stress behaviors

[16:41] Alternative behavior

[17:33] Differential reinforcement: Introducing dog to cat

[20:02] Keeping animals permanently separated

[24:50] Accidentally reinforcing unwanted behavior

[27:49] Breaking down predictable interactions

[31:01] Management is not sexy but it is necessary

[34:45] Dogs and cats speak different body languages

[36:08] Case study - A failed case of coexistence

The PETS Process Guide

In part two of my chat with Ran, we talk further on the side effects of punishment-based training, cat and dog body language, cat testing and getting professional help.

[00:37] More talk on punishment-based training side effects

[03:14] Coping mechanisms don't mean your cat and dog are "getting along"

[06:52] Cat testing

[08:42] Cat and dog body language

[10:10] Cat testing - part two

[13:33] Behavioral triggers and training

[16:35] Cat and dog body language - part two

[20:00] Getting professional help and finding community

[24:26] Naomi's one-on-one training and membership club

Part One

Dog Behavior Institute

Humane Hierarchy

Ran's Instagram

The PETS Process Guide

What happens when the perfect dog for you isn't the perfect dog for your household? ⁠

⁠How can a reactive dog bursting with energy and constantly under stress succeed in a home where the resident cats *literally* keep her up at night?

That's exactly what happened when @rantalksdogs brought home Lenny. In the first part of this two-part interview, Ran took us through the intricacies of Lenny’s cat-related distress and what steps they took to try and bring some peace and coexistence to the household.

[1:26] Our cast of characters

[5:29] Ran's history with animals and first finding Lenny

[7:11] Introducing Lenny into the household and the problems that started

[13:27] The decision to rehome and how it fell through

[15:43] What is a Functional Analysis?

[22:09] When there's too much stress in the household preventing any form of training

[26:15] Training with punishment and the side effects, clearly defined criteria

[37:50] Break down of why the procedure was effective

[41:00] The importance of professional support when using punishment-based training

[43:08] Genetics and behavior predisposition

Dog Behavior Institute

Humane Hierarchy

Ran's Instagram

The PETS Process Guide