Robyn Carlson, of Kudos 2 Canines in Salt Lake City, shares years of insight and wisdom from running a highly successful dog training facility while balancing a family life and dog rescue work. Robyn talks about her journey of listening to her rescue heart and trainer brain to find the right balance. Her business website is www.Kudos2Canines.com

Get the inside scoop from the participants of the first-ever Feral Dog Immersion Program. Hear their experiences, what surprised them, and what they learned that will make a difference in the lives of the four dogs who were with us in the program, and help them with all other dogs too. The dogs that participated got a super experience that propelled them towards becoming dogs with a human companion.

To learn more about the Feral Dog Immersion Program, check out my website for 2026 dates at www.hart2heartcanine.com and check out my YouTube channel "What Dogs Have Taught Me" for a film of the program.

If you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall listening to two great minds discuss dogs and Pit Bulls in particular, then you are in luck. My guest, Diane Jessup, is an author and a legend and author in the world of pit bulls and titling dogs. Her dog Dread had the most titles of any dog of any breed. She competed in many dog sports when not doing her day job as an animal control officer. Diane's shares opinions about pit bulls, sound temperament, safe dog rescue practices, and how her dog Dread acted in a scene with a child movie star.

Here is some background info about Diane Jessup taken from her book The Working Pit Bull and her website that lists her Cairn terriers and Dobermans she meticulously breeds, DanBar Ranch.com. Diane worked for 20 years in animal control ,which itself is an amazing accomplishment. But she also was the director of the Canine Aggression Outreach center where she did consulting services for animal control and public services on canine human interaction. Diane and her pit bulldogs traveled to give seminars on dog behavior and law enforcement.

Diane competed extensively with her pit bulls and her banddog Dread had the record for holding the most titles in the most sports of any dog of any breed. Diane competed in shutzhund, weight pull, tracking obedience, conformation, and guard work, and herding with Dread and her other dogs. This is all while using positive marking methods for training her dogs. She has written three books, The Working Pit Bull, Colbys Book of the American Pit Bull Terrier, and The Dog Who Spoke with Gods.

Her dogs have been in five films and many other media and she has been featured in many TV shows including Oprah and CNN. She is currently retired from official work, but breeds and cares for Dobermans and Cairn Terriers. We are so honored she is joining us today to share her love and knowledge of pit bulsl and other things dog.

What can we learn and observe from wolves that may teach us about our dogs? In this episode I interview Dr. Nathan Varley, co-founder of Yellowstone Wolftracker. Nathan has studied wildlife for his entire life, and specifically was invovled in the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park. Learn what insights he has that relate to wolves and our semi-domesticated little wolves that live in our homes, plus lots of other cool information about the wolves in Yellowstone. Nathan's company website is www.wolftracker.com

Hear real examples and case studies of the dogs that Phyllis and I have trained, illustrating the principle that sometimes less is more. One case is how Phyllis took a dog aggressive pit bull and taught her to live with her pack of dogs. We emphasize the importance of keeping things simple. We start with the foundational elements, which are often rushed when training dogs. We analyze whether a dog follows our lead, how to build trust, and what clients truly need from their training experience. This podcast offers numerous examples of how we have guided clients to change their behavior in order to improve their dogs' performance in lieu of over-training the dog

However, this podcast isn't just for dog trainers. Dog owners will also find valuable tips to enhance their relationship with their pets.

Phyllis Smuland has been training challenging dogs for nearly four decades. Her clients often become loyal supporters, frequently returning to her for help with multiple dogs across generations. She relied on referrals for nearly 35 years without a website or formal marketing until about five years ago, yet she managed to build a successful income based solely on word-of-mouth recommendations.

In this engaging and insightful conversation with fearful and feral dog expert, Julie Hart, we explore the nuances of working with fearful and feral dogs. Julie shares her journey, beginning with her early experiences fostering dogs and how she transitioned into specializing in canine rehabilitation. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing a dog’s innate ability to adapt and learn through natural social interactions rather than relying solely on food rewards and obedience training. Julie shares personal stories, including her deep bond with Chardonnay, a foster dog she ultimately kept, and how each of her dogs has played a role in shaping her understanding of canine behavior. This podcast is from A Dog's Eye View Podcast also available on Spotify

The reason we make dogs sit is usually to gain control over them and help them calm down. But does this method actually work, and are there better alternatives? Which dogs succeed with sitting as a calming technique, and why? Also, are there any dogs that should not be asked to sit? Sitting is offered as a natural behavior by dogs for many reasons such as watching, waiting, and submission or acquiescing. So how can we tell if asking a dog to sit is achieving the desired behavior? Join me and my mentor, friend and guest, Phyllis Smuland of Canine Counselor Inc. as we dissect the common practice of dog sitting, why we do it, and if we need to.

There are several photos we reference during this talk. To view the photos please go to my Facebook page Hart to Heart Canine Dated 1-27-25 https://www.facebook.com/share/19gQocof5H/

Also I will post this podcat on my Youtube channel - What Dogs HAve Taught Me - and insert the photos into the audio for you to see. https://www.youtube.com/@juliehartdogrehab/videos

Phyllis' website is www.caninecounselorinc.com

I am so lucky that my guest today moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico last year and now I get to hang out with her on a regular basis. Kelly Engel had years of involvement with dog shows, rescue, and animal control before opening her business, Know Thy Dog in Montana. Her facility offered real-world lifestyle training and behavior counseling. Kelly excelled at helping challenging dogs live more fulfilling lives with their families. Currently living with 17 dogs of various shapes and sizes, Kelly believes in the healing power of a pack of dogs and outdoor adventure to bring dogs back to balance. Kelly shares great stories, wisdom from training aggressive dogs for many years, and her thoughts on the challenges dogs and their humans face and how to help them. She also has a Venn diagram for the ultimate balance of skills for dog trainers. With experience, one realizes we can only learn the tippy-tip of knowledge about another species and why it is important to be aware of the many grey areas in dog training.

While taking a five-year sabbatical from training, she delved into feral dogs when she moved to New Mexico. This is when Kelly and I came up with the idea of a joint immersion workshop with feral dogs. Find out more information on this 2 and 6-day workshop at my website www.hart2heartcanine.com/store

Kelly is opening a new business in Santa Fe in 2025. This area can really use Kelly's expertise and I am excited to see her business succeed. When she launces her website the address will be www.kellyengel.com

Martha Hoffman shares her depth of knowledge and insights about dog temperament, especially when evaluating for hearing dogs, dog behavior, and observations from living in Bali and observing the Bali Heritage Dogs. This one is not to be missed!

To learn more from Martha:

Her book is Lend Me an Ear: Temperament, Selection and Training of the Hearing Ear Dog

Martha's Patreon is https://www.patreon.com/c/faunabotanica/posts

Facebook is https://www.facebook.com/martha.hoffman2

The dog photos on the promo for this track are Bali Dogs taken by Martha Hoffman

Anyone that has trained dogs and their people for over 40 years has to have lots of wisdom for us newbies and dog owners. Trish Wamsat of Homeschooled Hounds in California shares her successful mindset, training programs, and what she learned by working at a veternarian's office for over 15 years. Trish and I also talk about challenges of navigating an "always and never" dog training mentality and how it feels to be a moderate. Trish has tried not to stand out by being a tall blade of grass until now. I am honored to have Trish be part of my podcast and share her wisdom with you.