Paws & Reward Podcast

In the last episode of Season One, Marissa interviews Amber Quann of Summit Dog Training in Fort Collins, CO and Charissa Carvell of Alpine Behavior and Training in Glenwood Springs, CO about preparing your dog for the great outdoors! This is one of Marissa's favorite topics since she fell in love with hiking and being outside through her dog Sully. They discuss why taking your dogs out in nature is important, what skills you should teach your dogs to be safe while on the trail, and how being in the moment can strengthen the human-canine bond.

Join Marissa Martino interview Michael Baugh as they discuss what a LIMA-based (least intrusive, minimally aversive) behavior consulting approach looks like for our human and canine learners. Marissa and Michael also discuss why they avoid using punishment-based behavior modification strategies since they can lead to fear, frustration, and/or aggression from the dog, remove necessary warning signs, and create a fractured relationship between the dog and the pet parent.  

Join Marissa Martino interview Matt Beisner of The Zen Dog in Los Angeles, CA, and the Nat Geo WILD and Disney Plus show Dog: Impossible. Together they explore the gifts the process and experience of training dogs and their people have to offer, from being a part of the dog's learning process while offering them agency, to co-creating solutions with our clients, to being brave enough to observe ourselves during this process and making the necessary changes to shape into the people and behavior consultants we long to be. 

Join Marissa Martino interview Licensed Veterinary Technician, Debbie Martin on her journey of getting a new puppy. We discuss when the time is right, how to integrate the puppy into a household with other dogs, and how to plan ahead before the puppy arrives. Having a puppy is a lot of work and there is a lot to prioritize. Debbie shares what she is working on and why she has chosen this training plan for her border terrier, Chip! 

Join Kayla Fratt and Marissa Martino talk about puppy blues, what it is, why it happens to many pet parents, and how to take care of everyone involved during this very important time of your dog's life. It's very common for people to be so excited about getting a puppy and it's even more common for that excitement to quickly turn into overwhelm. You are not alone! Listen to this episode for efficient strategies during this time. 

Join Marissa Martino and Sarah Stremming interview Emily Nagoski, co-author of Burnout: the secret to unlocking the stress cycle. Burnout is the book for people who feel overwhelmed and not enough, despite all their efforts. Marissa and Sarah really resonated with this book on so many levels and wanted to talk to Emily about the parallels in the book and the work they do with their dogs and clients. 

Join Marissa Martino and her dear friend Lisa Mullinax discuss what to do when your dog bites someone. In episode #9: Living with your Difficult Dog, Lisa and Marissa briefly mention their individual experiences where their dogs escalated to biting. During this episode, they go into detail about their personal experiences, what they learned, and how they moved forward with their dogs. They also share many ideas for pet parents to consider after they experience their dog biting someone.    

As we start to see a small light at the end of the Covid tunnel, and as things slowly resume to our "new normal" and people leave the house more and more, Malena and I thought it would be helpful for our listeners to hear ways to prepare your dog (and yourself) for more alone time.

Join Marissa Martino of Paws & Reward interview Rachel Laurie Harris of A Good Feeling Dog Training about reactivity. Marissa and Rachel talk about the many, necessary skills both the pet parent and dog need in order to be successful in navigating this behavior concern. Some of these skills include training mechanics, reading body language, staying connected during the walk, and teaching the dog to eat in the presence of scary stimuli. And some of these skills (we think the most important ones) include self-love and compassion for both you and your dog, especially during moments of regression. 

Having dogs in our lives can be such a gift, and at times, it can be hard. Whether you’re raising a puppy and living off very little sleep, or walking a dog that barks and pulls on leash, or living with a dog that suffers from anxiety. These situations can cause a lot of stress for everyone involved. In today’s episode, Allie Bender and Emily Strong of Pet Harmony Animal Behavior & Training, and I are going to explore what enrichment is and how you can mend a fractured relationship through these activities.