Make It Click - for Dog Guardians

Have you ever found yourself trying to get your dog to come to you and feeling frustrated when they don't? You aren't alone! In this episode, my guest Jill from Jack and Jill Dog Training talks us through some of the myths and truths around teaching our dogs to come when called and common trouble spots we can run into when teaching recall to our dogs. Plus we talk about some of the challenges we trainers have faced with working on recall (hint: we have likely run into the same issues as you!). 

Connecting with Jill

Being the guardian to a reactive dog can be an amazing and life changing experience, and it can also be really freaking hard!

In this episode, Logan Buie from The Misbehaving Mutt joined me to talk about our own experiences not as trainers, but as guardians to our own reactive dogs. We talk about how our lives changed after realizing our dogs needed more support than we anticipated and how working through reactivity impacted our own stress and anxiety. We also talk through some of the strategies we use to support ourselves while also supporting our dogs (spoiler alert: mental health care is an important facet of that for both of us! Shoutout to therapy!).

If you've found yourself struggling with your own thoughts and feelings while trying to figure out how to support your dog through THEIR feelings, we've been there! And we hope this episode leaves you feeling seen and knowing that support is here for you. Enjoy!

Alone time troubles, panic, and stress about leaving your dog at home - let's talk separation anxiety!

In this episode, Jenna Teti from Think Smart Dog Training shares her story of supporting her dog Reuben through separation anxiety that appeared after some life changes, including the onset of the pandemic. We talk about what behaviors Jenna noticed that led her to getting help for Reuben and bust some myths about separation anxiety causes and treatment (spoiler: letting your dog cry it out won't make it better!). We also talk about how both dogs and humans need support when dealing with separation anxiety, and how making space for the human feelings is an important part of the process. I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do too!

To celebrate one whole year of Make It Click (MIC was started in September of 2021!) we are releasing two of our favorite episodes that were previously only available on Patreon!

To celebrate one whole year of Make It Click (MIC was started in September of 2021!) we are releasing two of our favorite episodes that were previously only available on Patreon!

Have you heard the phrase "crossover trainer"? This month, my guest is fellow trainer Holly Boyes. Holly and I are both crossover trainers, which means we at one point used aversives, corrections, and punishment as part of training, and then ditched those techniques and shifted to a force-free positive reinforcement methodology. In this episode we share a bit about our journeys from balanced to force-free, what prompted us to switch to a new method, and how being crossover trainers helps us to tap into a specific kind of compassion for pet guardians who are struggling with their dog’s behavior.

Minor trigger warning for this episode: we do talk a bit about our own time as balanced trainers where we reference some of the corrections and tools that we used at that time, so if that discussion will be triggering for you please feel free to skip this episode or listen to one of our other positive reinforcement focused episodes.

Enjoy!

Chewing and biting and digging, oh my! Having a puppy can feel like pure chaos, but also comes with a lot of joy and learning for both us and our dogs. For this episode, Kelly Fahey from PupScouts of Hunterdon joined me to chat all about puppies, puppy training, and why socialization and safe experiences are so important.

Kelly and I got to talk about a lot of different aspects of puppy life. Kelly shared her thoughts on what to prioritize when bringing a puppy home (spoiler alert: sit and stay aren't the first things on her mind!). We also bust some myths around puppy behavior and talk about what we can learn by observing how our puppies interact with the world. Enjoy!

Kelly owns PupScouts of Hunterdon in New Jersey and specializes in helping puppy parents navigate through the excitement and chaos of puppyhood. She not only works with puppies professionally, but Kelly has also lived with a lot of puppies. Her family has raised 24 Seeing Eye puppies, Kelly has raised her own puppies, she has fostered puppies, and she currently shares her home with her newest puppy Kazoo as well as her adult dog, Toast.

Behavior is nuanced and multilayered for our dogs, and working to accept and get help with that behavior can bring up a lot of feelings in us humans! For this episode, trainer Mallory Kratimenos joined me to talk about the emotional journey she has been on with her own behaviorally complex dogs. We talk about the shame and guilt that can come along with having a dog who needs additional behavior support, especially in a society that has certain views about how a "normal" dog should behave. We also share how accepting our dogs for who they are can help us learn a lot about ourselves, and the importance of finding a support network that will meet you and your dog with compassion and kindness.

About Mallory

Bringing home a new dog is always exciting but can come with some stressors and a lot of questions too! For this episode, certified dog trainer Em joined me to talk about her recent unexpected experience of integrating a new dog into her household with her resident dogs and cat. She shared what her experience has been like with her newest addition, adolescent chihuahua Jinya, and we chatted about some of the common challenges we face when learning how to balance the needs of resident pets, new pets, and the humans! We also shared tips for pet guardians who are considering adding a new dog to their home.

Have you heard the phrase "responsible breeding" and wondered what that really means? In this episode, guest Liza Rader shares knowledge gained from growing up in the dog breeding world and how that knowledge can influence training. We chat about "red flags" and "green flags" to look for when searching for a breeder as well as why breed-specific traits are important for pet guardians to know about.

The final episode of the Pandemic Pet Adoption miniseries is here!

This final episode features Mary, Jim, & Stitch. Jim & Mary were aspiring dog parents for years until they finally moved into a dog friendly home on the south shore of Boston in September of 2020. Stitch came into their lives less than a month after moving in. Even more unexpectedly, Stitch began to show her big feelings towards other dogs and their idea of pet parenthood was totally turned on its head. In this episode they share what those challenges have been like and what being dog parents has taught them.

Welcome to Part 2 of the Pandemic Pet Adoption miniseries featuring Dani & Ellen!

Dani is the guardian to Ellen the dog and Greg the cat. Dani moved to Pennsylvania during the pandemic and brought Ellen home in September of 2021. During her chat with me she shared a bit about what being Ellen’s guardian has taught her and how having a support system is an important component of our journeys with our dogs.

Thank you to Dani & Ellen for sharing their story!

Welcome to Part 1 of the Pandemic Pet Adoption miniseries! Over the next three days we'll be sharing three interviews with pet guardians who adopted dogs during the pandemic. They share what their experience has been like, challenges they've faced, and what they've learned on this journey with their dogs.

Part 1 features Cait & Auggie! Cait lives with three dogs but Auggie is her pandemic pup. During this episode she shares some lovely thoughts about how decompression and choice have become a part of her life with dogs, and how positive reinforcement training has influenced Auggie’s behavior as well as her own mindset about dog guardianship.

During this time of year, many of us are experiencing snowy days or inclement weather that means we spend less time outside with our dogs. So how can we make sure their needs are met when long walks or other outdoor activities are temporarily off the table? In this episode, host Lyz shares some of her favorite indoor activities for dogs and advice on how to choose the right option for your pet.

Mentioned in this episode:

Being a pet guardian is a learning experience, and this also applies to caring for dogs who live with us temporarily. In this episode, dog foster mom and municipal animal shelter volunteer Manisha shares her experience with fostering and volunteering, including what she has learned from living with and training her current foster dog, Bella Bean. She also shared her advice on how to get involved with rescue dogs through fostering, volunteering, and more!

We've all heard about the power of the canine sniffer, but just how good is our dog's nose? In this episode, trainer Lyz dives into the world of canine sniffing to talk about what makes the dog's nose so special, what sniffing can tell us about our dog's emotional state, and how we can channel the power of the sniff to help us out during training.