Sometimes There's Side Eye

This week we are talking about patterns. We are addressing when recognizing patterns in your dogs behavior and preferences can be benefitiona. We've both seen several examples of this in our own dogs as well as other dogs. For example Trin does not appreciate dogs towering over her. Jaxon likes to meet strangers at his own speed. Recognizing patterns can help us advocate for our dog in a variety of ways and help us prevent behaviors we don't want to see and encourage behaviors we want to continue. You can use patterns to customize your dogs training and enrichment and provide them a more fulfilled life.

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This week we are talking about Heather's favorite subject - puppies! Kristi recently puppy sat for a few days prompting this conversation. Heather talks about what she loves about puppies, and Kristi talks through why she loves adult dogs. We talk a lot about advocating for the existing dogs in your home. This can show up in a variety of ways like management, enrichment, training, separate activities, scheduled breaks, etc. We also talk about how much you can tell about a puppy at such a young age. For example, Trin's breeder knew within weeks that she was going to be Heather's puppy. Kristi talks about the toy drive, confidence, and curiosity she saw when puppy sitting. We also talk about the kindness and understanding that we show puppies that does not always transfer to adult dogs in the same way. Are you a fan of puppies or do you gravitate more to adult dogs?

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This week is all about positivity! We are celebrating the wins when it comes to our dogs. Everything from making medical decisions with love, to how we train and live with our dogs. Heather talks about how she built toy drive and how her recall work paid off recently. Kristi talks about he experience building food drive, as well as recognizing when a dog feels a tool is aversive even if the tool is not traditionally considered adversive. We also talk about being proud of your dog in situations most of us take for granted. Additionally, we both agree that sharing positivity is the best! So when you see your friend or a fellow competitor putting in the work with their dog or doing something well go ahead and tell them what a great job they're doing.

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In this episode we are walking through a recent conversation with friends about acquiring an additional dog. This conversation lead us to discuss genetic traits, breed traits, and personality. Additionally we talk through what a dog being AKC registered means, and if that’s enough. We also reflect on our own growth over the years, which has lead to more curiosity and less judgement.

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In this episode we are talking about what we would tell our younger self (all dog related of course). Our goal is always to grow and better ourselves as we age and so we wondered what who we are today would say to the person we were in our 20's. Although we didn't discuss our ideas before recording, much of our advice was complimentary and centered around caring less about what people think, while still caring deeply about people. We talk about giving grace to others, not being so opinionated, and the joy of finding positive people you can count on. Join us as we talk through some solid advice for our younger selves and maybe learn from our experiences.

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This week we are talking about the "save them all" and "no kill" movements.  We are addressing what risks come along with these movements and how that affects the communities we live in.  We also talk about the idea of save them all versus the reality of save them all.  Where do the aggressive dogs go?  How do we keep our community safe?  Additionally, we address how saving dogs who are not fit for adoption either leads to a dog living out it's life in a kennel with low to no quality of life, or it leads to a dog who is adopted out and puts humans and/or other animals at risk.  These types of placements can and often do have long term consequences that indirectly put more dogs at risk when the community does not feel safe adopting dogs who need homes.

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The Perils of Placing Marginal Dogs by Trish McMillan

Losing Lulu - Behavioral Euthanasia Support

This week we are talking about the idea of mandatory spay and neuter. We are talking through the pitfalls of mandating spay and neuter as well as ideas to help reduce unwanted animals in our community. We all agree that there are too many animals in rescue, and the reason they end up there can vary drastically. If we require all dogs to stop breeding it may help current populations, however it will eliminate future dogs all together. We would have to be banking on some people not following the law to provide future generations of dogs, which creates additional concerns. We talk about mandatory licensing for breeders, and have a very real and unfiltered disagreement in the usefulness of this idea. However, we both agree both financial and educational resources are needed for our communities.

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This week we are talking about setting you and your dog up for success in new experiences. Jaxon and Kristi recently went on their first kayak trip and Trin and Heather are preparing for their first trip in the next week. We talk through what preparation looked like for each of us, and what we are doing to support each dog during the new experience. Although it's impossible to plan for every situation, we can prepare for most situations if we really think through things like weather, safety, how our dog learns, and even what things our dogs actually enjoy doing. We also talk through the benefits of building routines, so our dogs understand what's expected even in new situations. Supporting our dogs in the moment is just as important as supporting our dogs through building routines and training/preparation.

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This week, we are addressing the importance of mindset regarding our dogs, sports, and training. Maintaining a positive perspective and committing to seeing the best in our dogs allows us to foster a more productive and supportive relationship. In our discussion, Heather shares her personal experiences with Trin as they train and mature together. Additionally, Kristi discusses her commitment to speaking kindly about Jaxon since his adoption. We also examine how mindset influences the treatment of dogs within competitive sports. Our goal is to continue striving for kindness toward both our dogs and ourselves, and we remain committed to strengthening our mindset to achieve this.

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This week we are talking about when social media looks impressive but there is more to the dog's behavior than meets the eye. We recently saw a video that showed a group of dogs behaving militantly and when a little bit of enthusiasm was shown by one dog it was immediately corrected and shut down. While controlling a large group of dogs may appear impressive initially, once the body language of the dogs is taken into account it is obvious the dogs are all lacking joy. We talk through having a relationship that leads to better behavior versus forcing a dog to behave regardless of what that takes. A joyful and obedient dog is not about control, but is instead about the relationship. So next time you see something you think looks impressive online take a second look and consider if that is the type of relationship you want with your dog.

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