Dog Life With No Spoons

Have you wanted to hear more about our guests' personal experiences with and thoughts on being neurodivergent as a kid, throughout their career development, and in their business now? Miranda is the perfect guest for you (we know, we know, the episode got a bit long but it's well worth the listen)! We hope this is a relatable episode for other neurodivergent guardians and trainers, and an educational one for neurotypical ...

content warning: explicit language

Our guest today is Max Siefert, fellow ND horse and dog trainer to teach us (and you), more about horse training, his transition through training methods over time, his experience with being ND, and even a little bit about emotional regulation for humans. The added complexity of learning to emotionally regulate while also learning to train or change methods is seldom mentioned, so we&apo...

Have you wondered whether offering day training would be a good option for your business? Ash is here to help you figure it out! Marketing to generate consistent client inquiries and then keeping up with answering those inquiries can feel like an impossible task for ND business owners. Relieving the stress of constant client generation can be one of the many benefits of a day training program, along with flexible hours and lots of ...

Our guest this week is Laura Gendron of Miss Behavior Training, here to discuss cooperative care, perfectionism, and memberships. Laura shares about her transition from the veterinary world into the training world, and then into virtual training and behavior consultations with a membership. We discuss the impacts of ADHD and perfectionism on cooperative care and other training, and include a few solutions about communication betwee...

On this episode of Dog Life With No Spoons, we explore the importance of confidence in selling services and programs, the benefits of having a specific niche, and the balancing personalization vs standardization with business coach Jenesis Rose Long. We also discuss the importance of self-acceptance and being true to yourself in business, compared to the cold-selling tactics and their impact on creating power dynamics and lack of t...

Dog training advice can seem like some kind of formula - apply this solution for this problem and if it doesn't work, you did something wrong (or identified the wrong problem). Join us with Brian Fleming to discuss how chaos theory can be used to broaden your understanding of behavior and modifying behavior. Behavior is complex, and situations with a complex environment or many relationships within the home do not lend themsel...

Join us with Rain Jordan to reframe fear aggression and the ladder of aggression into self defense and the ladder of distress, and learn more about the Fearful Dog Project and their anti-aversive approach. We thought the discussion was a great example of how to navigate sticky conversations, taking the time to thoroughly define terms, and normalizing asking for clarification that the discussion is still targeted at the belief and i...

Join Rene to interview Dr Kristina Spaulding on stress and resiliency in dogs. Learn what we know, and more importantly what we don't know about good stress vs bad stress, and how adolescence affects stress. Building resiliency may be more important than avoiding stress, so no you have not ruined your puppy because they had one or two terrible experiences!

Dr Kristina Spaulding (CAB) has a PhD in biopsychology and is...

Join Jade and Rene for their thoughts on the recent, infamous podcast episode featuring Michael Shikashio and Ivan Balabanov. Join Jade and Rene to hear their related thoughts, learn what a strawman argument is, and an alternative definition to what it means to “learn from the other side”. Keep in mind people are as much shaped by their environment and past experience as dogs are, we all interpret the world slightly differently, an...

 Owning a dog with intense predatory behavior can be scary, and thinking of leaning into that predatory as a solution even scarier. Tracey recounts how her experiences with her own dogs and being aware of the dog's emotional experience has shaped her approach and research. Listen along to learn more about how Tracey thinks of the predatory motor sequence, and how leaning into the piece of the sequence your dog finds most reinf...

We are excited to introduce Michael Shikashio as our guest on the first episode of 2023. Join us for a conversation about reframing "client compliance" with a little more compassion for the human side of behavior modification. Just like dogs, clients rarely have no reason for not doing their homework, and need creative solutions tailored to their individual needs. Learn more about the everyday barriers neurodivergent indi...

Join Jade in reviewing Training Dogs with Science or with Nature? An Exploration of Trainers’ Word Use, Gender, and Certification Across Dog-Training Methods (2022) by Johnson and Wynne. Whether you're marketing your own dog business or trying to find a professional to work with, being aware of the language commonly associated with different methodologies is crucial. Johnson and Wynne also explore the difference in word use be...

Going on a trip and having to board your dog is stressful for everyone, but for people living with dogs with behavior problems, leaving them can feel like an absolutely impossible task. Collin Funkhouser, pet sitter and podcast host, joins us this episode to talk about how to find a pet sitter suitable for your needs by asking the right questions. It is equally important for pet sitters to be safe going into situations where a dog ...

This sound file gave us some problems, but we hope you're able to enjoy anyway! Join us in welcoming Miranda Hitchcock, co-founder of Every Dog Behavior and Training based in Austin, TX. Every Dog offers discounted or free individual or group training and behavior support for families in need. This is an essential service to work alongside rescues in the nonprofit dog world to keep dogs in homes, so we interviewed Miranda to d...

One of the most common questions people have when it comes to finding a harness is "What style of harness should I get?" Almost everyone has strong opinions about which is best and why, often revolving around an argument to avoid any restriction in the dog's shoulder and leg movement. Rachel Bentley, canine physiotherapist, was not satisfied with this argument without evidence to back it up. Joins us today to discuss...

Join hosts Jade and Rene to discuss the difficulties of managing kids and dogs in the same household, share a few tips for both consultants and families, and start a series of episodes discussing "client compliance".
Michelle is a part of Pooch Parenting, a service for both consultants looking to feel more comfortable consulting on cases with kids, and families needing support.

Blog articles mentioned
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Review the paper Pain and Problem Behavior in Cats and Dogs by Mills et al. (2020). It is well known and document that pain affects behavior, but the small indications of pain such as gait and posture changes often still go missed or dismissed. The specific behavior problems that can result from a direct or indirect relation to pain the animal experience is also not well documented. Join Jade to review the case studies presented in...

Join hosts Jade and Rene while they connect with dog trainer Anthony De Marinis, owner of De Marinis Dog Training and Behavior, over a recent blog article written on objective learning. Learn what objective learning is, how it can benefit you, and how Anthony applies this ideal in his education around dog training and behavior.
De Marinis Dog Training and Behavior: https://demarinisdogtraining.com
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