In episode 56 of the Paws & Reward Podcast, join Marissa Martino and Sarah Stremming as they dive into the nuances behind the different scenarios for setting up training sessions for leash reactivity. Trainers and behavior consultants routinely use setups as part of their approach when treating reactivity, but the details and considerations are rarely discussed.

In episode 55 of the Paws and Reward Podcast, Marissa and Bobbie Bhambree-Wirkmaa, director of behavior services and a certified dog behavior consultant at Behavior Vets, discuss the Resilience Rainbow and cultivating resilience in our dogs. Resilience is the ability to adapt successfully to, or recover quickly from, stressful events, situations and conditions. What are the 7 domains of resilience conditioning and why are they important for our dogs to learn?

On episode 54 of the Paws and Reward Podcast, Marissa speaks with Grisha Stewart about attachment styles and the human-canine bond. Grisha is an author, international speaker, dog trainer, and online dog school facilitator based in Oregon. Grisha specializes in dog reactivity which led her to design and launch her book Behavior Adjustment Training, also known as B.A.T to help dog owners work on these issues in a more comprehensive and humane way. Recently, she's been working on B.A.T 3.0, focusing on attachment theory and how a secure or insecure attachment impacts our relationship with our dogs.

In episode 53, Marissa speaks with Emily Strong about a necessary and possibly under-utilized skill for all behavior consultants to exercise and teach their clients- critical thinking. Critical thinking is defined as the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment. Critical thinking is to be done objectively—meaning without influence from personal feelings, opinions, or biases—and focuses solely on factual information. How can we be sure we are thinking critically and what are some common pitfalls? Critical thinking skills are essential if we want to make informed decisions. It impacts all aspects of our lives.

Join Marissa Martino and Laura Monaco Torelli for a conversation about cooperative care. Laura has a ton of experience working with many different species, teaching and training them complex, difficult behaviors. I had the pleasure of working with her on cooperative care techniques with Sully as he aged. Her compassionate approach towards the dog and the caregiver is amazing. During this episode, we discuss what cooperative care looks like, how to support the dog, and how to support the caregiver. 

Join Marissa Martino and Claire Goyer for a conversation about building community. Claire works for Grisha Stewart's Amazing Online Academy, where she builds community and helps people shine. Working in the dog training profession can be isolating at times for a variety of reasons. It's critical to be able to develop a community to support yourself. If you're a trainer, hobbyist, or pet parent, this episode is a must to help you feel less alone in raising and caring for dogs and their people. 

Join Marissa Martino and Sarah Stremming to discuss Marissa's recent solo trip to Peru. They discuss what the street dogs of Peru taught Marissa about life, how both Sarah and Marissa are integrating these concepts, and their invitation to pet parents and trainers. Sneak peek: What is the gift and opportunity in allowing all behavior and emotions? 

In episode 49, Sarah Stremming and I will be talking about the necessary strategies used to strengthen and maintain a healthy relationship between the dogs in your home. Some of the topics we discuss involve proactive management strategies to prevent inter-household aggression, ways to increase your observation skills, and training skills to teach your dogs to achieve harmony. Sarah Stemming is the owner of The Cognitive Canine and podcast host of Cog-Dog Radio. 

Join me as I speak with Andrew Hale (Bsc, ISCP.Dip.Canine.Prac), the owner, principal trainer and behaviorist at Train Positive in the UK, about emotional awareness and how that applies to dog training. 

Both animals and humans have individual emotional care needs. They both need validation, positive reinforcement, and permission to make mistakes. Working with dogs can show us how to be more emotionally available to others. Listen to the episode to learn more about what we can learn from dogs and their emotional experience, switching from a task-oriented approach to a care-oriented approach, and Andrew's acronyms TEA and CAKE! 

In episode 47, Dr. Chris Pachel and I will be talking about The Humane Hierarchy for both our dogs and their people. The Humane Hierarchy is a framework that trainers, behavior consultants, and veterinary behaviorists use when working with their clients. It's an ethical approach, inviting professionals to develop a behavior modification plan rooted in least intrusive, minimally aversive options.   

Since I love listening to Dr. Pachel explain this framework, I knew he’d be the perfect guest for the show. As we discuss each step of the Humane Hierarchy, we provide examples of what it would look like in real life. This episode is for both pet professionals and pet parents.