The Dog's Way Podcast: Dog Training for Real Life

In this episode I talk about natural transitional rewards. Many may not have heard the term, but a lot of you may have used them in the training of your dog whether you realize it or not. If you want to do a real dive into the behavioral part of training, I encourage you to listen to my two episodes on conditioning - Session 73: Skinner's Four Quadrants Part One, and Session 74: Skinner's Four Quadrants Part Two.

I'll talk about th...

In this episode, I dive into the world of teen puppy training, and exploring the challenges and rewards of raising a well-behaved canine companion. Whether you're a new or experienced dog owner, join me as I discuss some tactics for a successful training journey.

The Teenage Phase of Puppy Training

During the teenage phase of puppy training, expect your dog to undergo significant changes in behavior and temperament. This p...

In this episode, I talk about using a modified version of the approach I talked about in session 115 so that you can train a puppy. Just like you'd teach your children differently than you would teach them as an adult, there are incremental parts of the process that apply differently to a puppy. As I mentioned with adult dogs, this is fundamental training that is typically one of the first lessons I teach in person. To review the s...

We're going to go through a protocol to help train your dog (over 7 months old) to stop jumping on you or others.

I'll address the two key scenarios that come up regarding jumping. One scenario, where you live alone and they jump on you. And then another scenario where someone else comes up to visit and your dog jumps on them because they're excited to see them! 

I'll provide some setup for those of you who may be new to the podcas...

Session 113 covered some training goals to teach a dog to stop certain behaviors, specifically barking and "counter conditioning". 

I was surprised to find that Session 113 brought on a record amount of feedback! I got a lot of positive response, but some criticism as well. In this episode I respond to some of that, including a letter from someone who suggested that they were a trainer, and took issue with some of the content in se...

In this episode I'll cover some training goals to teach a dog to stop doing something. Barking is one of the key areas of focus, as well as a discussion on "counter conditioning".

Some may ask if they should do the "lab oriented" counter conditioning or another technique. My approach involves assessing where your dog is on a spectrum, and I'll explain the range. It can also be useful to determine for other areas of training. Some m...

In today's episode I'll go over some mistakes some people make in food treat training and how to avoid making your dog hyper when using food in training.

I don't typically use food as my standard training method (which you've probably learned if you've listened to my podcast for a while). There are instances where it is helpful, and there are very different methods depending upon your dogs age, personality, and upbringing, etc. I'l...

Today I speak with Kellee Zenk, who has a very interesting origins that led her to dog training. She's the founder of Dogs Decoded, based in Minnesota.

Kellee has a background in training bears and elephants! We discuss how she got started in that area and how it led to where she is today.

Kellee got her start at private zoos in Minnesota and loved training bears and really enjoyed marker and clicker training. She talks about some ...

On this episode I introduce Melissa Stagnaro, the Vice President of American Retteungshunde Sport Association. With the long name, it is commonly nicknamed "RH". 

They are an organization that does "sport" search and rescue. 

This is a great sport for your dog that is incredibly unique, and focuses on some pretty high-level activities for fun and exercise.

We talk about the origins. FCI, (which is the International Dog Federation) ...

On this episode I talk with Elaine Rosen, President and CEO of Dog Lodge, based in Texas. She also is the host of the podcast, Dog Lodge Radio. 

Dog Lodge is a great non-profit that deals with elderly and special needs dogs. It is essentially a senior dog retirement home and hospice care facility. They focus on providing a permanent home to dogs whose futures are particularly bleak. They concentrate primarily on dogs that may have ...

On this episode, I sit down with Brad Bevill, who is an incredibly talented dog behavior expert. Brad's focus for dogs is teaching them to be in a follower mindset and balanced emotionally. Brad's focus for people is teaching them to be fair, and consistent leaders for their dogs, and to teach them how to fulfill their dog's lives more profoundly. Brad and I talk about how he discovered this passion of his, how he transitioned from...

Andi Brown is the author of The Whole Pet Diet, an interesting book on dog and cat nutrition. It's been a bit of a theme for the last few episodes. This is the end of that "mini-series" on nutrition for now, but I felt this story was a great way to round that all out.

How She Started

Andi's story about her interest in pet nutrition that set her on this course starts with a personal account from the 80's of her own cat who ...

Sean McDaniel interviews Dr. Gary Richter, a veterinarian from Oakland, California. Dr. Richter is an author and a designer of pet nutritional products and has a lot of interesting approaches to veterinary medicine as well as dog and cat nutrition.

The Ultimate Pet Health Guide, written by Dr. Richter, was originally approached to focus on the health benefits of fresh, whole food nutrition, but as he wrote it, it soon went into som...

This new book by Michael Wombacher is an incredibly illustrated and interesting book that I felt warranted another conversation! Michael's book has just been released and we sat down to discuss it.

Making a photo rich book that used the images as so much of the story was something he really wanted to do, but he talks about the intense challenges that come with it! It was over two and a half years in the making and has just been rel...

Jen Sotolongo joins us on this episode to talk about her Adventure Dog Camps! What they're about, how she got started, and who the camp is designed for (dogs and humans).

Sean and Jen discuss some of the unique things that many don't realize are essential for a dog to learn prior to going on an adventure like this. Jen shares some interesting stories about different types of challenges and wonderful learning and bonding opportuniti...

Mike has trained dogs for over 25 years, including dogs of celebrities, and is an author and lecturer. He is the author of Good Dog, Happy Baby: Preparing Your Dog for the Arrival of Your Child, There's A Puppy In The House: Surviving the First Five Months, and has another coming soon.

We discuss how he got started in the dog training business and what methods of training inspired him to explore more in the business.  We talk about...

Dr. Lori Cesario is a leader in the field of veterinary oncology. We've spoken before, but you won't want to miss this follow up interview. It's packed full of useful tools - case studies for specific breeds, where to find the best solutions and preventative steps you can take to keep your dog's risk of getting cancer low.

Lori talks about steps to take to gain a better understanding of some of the characteristics - where we live, ...

We have a new conversation with Eric Letendre, a great trainer based in the Massachusetts area. Last time I spoke to Eric (in episode 66) he'd published his first book, The Deadly Dog Training Myth.

There is so much conversation about remote training collars, but specifically a lot of misunderstandings about what they are for and what they can do. And it is important to note that a lot of understanding can be gained with this techn...

On this, our 100th episode, I am going to give a consolidated answer to a question that comes up a lot. When and why I use food as a trainer, when and why I don't use food, and when and why I do or don't use corrections or dog collars. It's all connected, and it's time we dive in on this particular subject.

So much of the confusion about this group of topics is that, like everything, for every trainer there is a different opinion. ...