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

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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

Life with a struggly dog can be really hard. Behavior modification training is often the long game and takes a toll on everyone. How can you as the guardian of a difficult dog with big feelings keep yourself sane as you live with your tricky fur friend? Jesse and Verena send out some empathy for you while discussing some strategies to help you cope with this complex situation.

The shoutout goes out to Dog Adventures NW. DANW offers off leash adventures, training, boarding and petsitting in Portland and Salem in Oregon as well as in Atlanta and Denver.

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

One of the toughest things to deal with when you have a reactive dog: an approaching off leash dog! Jesse and Verena share strategies for how to handle this sticky situation.

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

Jesse and Verena sit down with Suzanne Clothier of Relationship Center Training to discuss what's behind the label "reactive". "Reactive" has become a catch all term for dogs with big feelings these days, but what does it truly mean when we use it? We look at different kinds of reactivity all the while Suzanne reminds us to remember that each dog is a unique individual.

The shoutout goes out to Suzanne's wonderful work. For dog trainers, she has the upcoming course "Reactivity Repair Kit" (check this page for announcements). For dog guardians, she recommends "RCT Skills for the Reactive Dog" and her unmissable classic "The Auto Check In."

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 the latest installment of the RYDP, Jesse and Verena discuss how you can make sure that you're utilizing your dog's training sessions fully, covering everything from having a coaching mindset while advocating for yourself to how much time you need to budget for your dog's training transformation.

Our shoutout in this episode goes to Woof Cultr!

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

More info on Reward Your Dog Training can be found here:

Website

Blue Sky

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Jesse and Verena sat down for a chat with the amazing Lorenzo JW Fox to discuss when and how dogs like to be touched, how to keep people from reaching for your dog in public, and what enthusiastic consent looks like.

You can learn more about Lorenzo JW Fox through his work at Synergy in Portland, OR or on his Instagram.

So many resources for you:

My blog on consent checks

A great consent check video

Pooch Parenting

Family Paws

Trailblazing Tails

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

More info on Reward Your Dog Training can be found here:

Website

Blue Sky

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In this episode, we explain where we have been all summer long... and the answer is Germany and Austria! We bring you some interesting observations around the dog-human relationship from our travels. You can take the dog trainer out of the country, but she'll still be wearing her dog trainer hat, y'all!

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

More info on Reward Your Dog Training can be found here:

Website

Blue Sky

Facebook

Instagram