Reward Your Dog Podcast

Jesse and Verena dive deep into what dog parks can and can't do for your dog and offer some practical tips on how you can decide if your dog is a good candidate for going to the dog park. Spoiler alert: When in doubt... don't.

Our shoutout in this episode goes to this awesome nail scratchboard from Lovintry.

We would appreciate your support for the Reward Your Dog Podcast by liking, rating, reviewing, and sharing. It helps us so much!

You can also:

Join the RYDP Patreon (no paywalls unless you *want* to subscribe)

Buy us a coffee

And of course you can reach out to Verena help with your dog. More info on Verena and Reward Your Dog Training can be found here:

Website

Blue Sky

Facebook

Instagram

It's a hot, smoky day in Portland, OR (USA) - and this calls for a (climate) emergency podcast.... Jesse and Verena share some tips for entertaining, occupying and exercising dogs who are stuck inside the house during inclement weather.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Frozen Kong/Toppl etc. fillings
• Trick tutorial by Kikopup

We would appreciate your support for the Reward Your Dog Podcast by liking, rating, reviewing, and sharing. It helps us so much!

You can also:

Join the RYDP Patreon (no paywalls unless you *want* to subscribe)

Buy us a coffee

And of course you can reach out to Verena help with your dog. More info on Verena and Reward Your Dog Training can be found here:

Website

Blue Sky

Facebook

Instagram

In this second episode on stress, Jesse and Verena dive deep into chronic stress: what it is, why it's bad, and - most importantly - what you can do about it... while dropping quite a few truth bombs (sorry not sorry).

Our shoutout in this episode goes to the Emily Priestly and her company Wild at Heart Dogs.

We would appreciate your support for the Reward Your Dog Podcast by liking, rating, reviewing, and sharing. It helps us so much!

You can also:

Join the RYDP Patreon (no paywalls unless you *want* to subscribe)

Buy us a coffee

And of course you can reach out to Verena help with your dog. More info on Verena and Reward Your Dog Training can be found here:

Website

Blue Sky

Facebook

Instagram

Jesse and Verena tackle a biiiig topic: stress and how it impacts behavior. In this first installment of the "Stress Series", they look at the stress response and introduce the two main types of stress, eustress and distress. Expect to get science-y and nerdy... and to learn about yourself as well as your dog.

Our shoutout in this episode goes to the Cog Dog Radio episode about Surprise Party Sue.

We would appreciate your support for the Reward Your Dog Podcast by liking, rating, reviewing, and sharing. It helps us so much!

You can also:

Join the RYDP Patreon (no paywalls unless you *want* to subscribe)

Buy us a coffee

And of course you can reach out to Verena help with your dog. More info on Verena and Reward Your Dog Training can be found here:

Website

Blue Sky

Facebook

Instagram

Jesse and Verena share their secret tips and tricks to exercise your dog - without crowds.

Want to submit a question as well? You can do so right here:

https://www.rewardyourdogtraining.com/podcast

We would appreciate your support for the Reward Your Dog Podcast by liking, rating, reviewing, and sharing. It helps us so much!

You can also:

Join the RYDP Patreon (no paywalls unless you *want* to subscribe)

Buy us a coffee

And of course you can reach out to Verena help with your dog. More info on Verena and Reward Your Dog Training can be found here:

Website

Blue Sky

Facebook

Instagram

It can be very hard to navigate urban living with dogs who struggle with people - because urban spaces are often rather people-y. Verena and Jesse dive into dog sociability and the different social types and then discuss how to help your dog in and out of the home.

Here's the blog post on greeting (or not greeting!) people.

Our shoutout goes to Verena's Confidence Building for the Shy Dog Class and Sit Down & Beyond in SE Portland.

We would appreciate your support for the Reward Your Dog Podcast by liking, rating, reviewing, and sharing. It helps us so much!

You can also:

Join the RYDP Patreon (no paywalls unless you *want* to subscribe)

Buy us a coffee

And of course you can reach out to Verena help with your dog. More info on Verena and Reward Your Dog Training can be found here:

Website

Blue Sky

Facebook

Instagram

Dogs in most Western countries are domesticated - meaning they live as pets in our homes. That comes with significant perks but also with the loss of choice and control over ... a lot of things in their lives. Jesse and Verena chat about the important topic of agency: How can we provide more of it? What to do if we can't provide it? And how can we avoid sending our dogs into a state of learned helplessness?

Our shoutout goes to Rubi Sullivan at Heal Animal Massage Therapy.

We would appreciate your support for the Reward Your Dog Podcast by liking, rating, reviewing, and sharing. It helps us so much!

You can also:

Join the RYDP Patreon (no paywalls unless you *want* to subscribe)

Buy us a coffee

And of course you can reach out to Verena help with your dog. More info on Verena and Reward Your Dog Training can be found here:

Website

Blue Sky

Facebook

Instagram

What a treat to sit down with Emily Strong of PetHarmony Training to discuss how to figure out what is actually good information about dogs on the Internet - and what isn't.

Learn more about Emily's business PetHarmony here for dog guardians and here for dog pros.

The Instagram accounts Emily is recommending are:

PetHarmony Training (for dog guardians)

PetHarmony Pro (for behavior professionals)

Ken Ramirez and the Karen Pryor Clicker Training

JW Dog Training

Kristina Spaulding (Science Matters LLC)

Functional Dog Collaborative

Bosun Dog Project

Perry Hekman (and her website The Dog Zombie)

The shoutout goes to the Enrichment for the Real World Podcast - which is hosted by Emily herself.

We would appreciate your support for the Reward Your Dog Podcast by liking, rating, reviewing, and sharing. It helps us so much!

You can also:

Join the RYDP Patreon (no paywalls unless you *want* to subscribe)

Buy us a coffee

And of course you can reach out to Verena help with your dog. More info on Verena and Reward Your Dog Training can be found here:

Website

Blue Sky

Facebook

Instagram

Going into 2026, Verena and Jesse examine how habits can be a powerful force in our lives - and our dogs' lives too. Listen to find out more about how to use this power for good training, emotional support and to avoid common pitfalls.

The articles referenced are:

The Neurobiology of Habits

How to Break Bad Habits: A Realistic Guide for ADHDers

The shoutout goes to the Southwest Washington Humane Society, where we adopted our sweet new kitty Zeno from.

We would appreciate your support for the Reward Your Dog Podcast by liking, rating, reviewing, and sharing. It helps us so much!

You can also:

Join the RYDP Patreon (no paywalls unless you *want* to subscribe)

Buy us a coffee

And of course you can reach out to Verena help with your dog. More info on Verena and Reward Your Dog Training can be found here:

Website

Blue Sky

Facebook

Instagram

Verena and Jesse dig deep into why having a dog who barks, lunges, growls and pulls on the leash around triggers like dogs, people, skateboard, bikes etc. while living in the city is so tough... and what you can do to help.

The shoutout goes out to Verena's Urban Dog Reactivity Online Program, which opens its door again for enrollment on January 5, 2026. It offers an effective and kind blueprint that helps you as a guardian with a leash reactive dog living in the city have better, more connected and fun walks.

We would appreciate your support for the Reward Your Dog Podcast by liking, rating, reviewing, and sharing. It helps us so much!

You can also:

Join the RYDP Patreon (no paywalls unless you *want* to subscribe)

Buy us a coffee

And of course you can reach out to Verena help with your dog. More info on Verena and Reward Your Dog Training can be found here:

Website

Blue Sky

Facebook

Instagram