The SubWOOFer

This week, I sat down with Melissa Bishop to discuss bonding with your dog through sports. Melissa has been our agility instructor for a few months now, and she has been an amazing influence on us. She teaches with such natural ability and ease, and has been competing in this sport for decades - but beyond that, she focuses on making the experience on both ends of the leash fun and enjoyable during each and every class.

Listen and d...

Y'all aren't ready for this week's guest. It's the one and only Denise Fenzi!

There are so many topics that I want to pick Denise's brain about, it was hard to pick just one. I was inspired by a recent live video she did about genetics vs. environment and how each influences dog behavior, so we sat down to talk more about her perspective and experience on this subject. 

Listen and discover...

Hannah and this week's guest, Amy Creaven, dive into a topic that often comes with a heavy stigma: muzzles. 

If you’ve ever looked at a dog wearing a muzzle and felt sorry for them, or automatically assumed that the dog was muzzled because they are a bite risk, you’re certainly not alone. I’ve thought those things before. I think most people have. But like most things in life, there is more to a muzzled dog than meets...

If you’re new to dog grooming, this episode is for you! Hannah has been lucky enough to find not just a good dog groomer, but a national certified MASTER groomer who Otto sees every couple months for his haircut - Kelsey Conley.

In this episode, Kelsey provides her expert insights on:

• What it takes to become a high-quality dog groomer
• How she makes dogs feel at ease throughout the grooming experience
• When and how to intro...

If you’re not a dog trainer, you might not be aware of the current divide in the force-free community. But it’s a really important thing for people other than trainers to understand, and I can’t imagine anyone better to discuss this subject with than Sailor Jerri the Dog Trainer.

Listen in as we discuss:

• Current points of contention in the force-free community
• The scientific definitions of reinforcement and punishment
• How groups ar...

This week, Hannah switches things up and interviews Nick Sanville, Office Manager at Summit Dog Training. Nick is not a dog trainer, but he holds one of the most important jobs on his team. He's the first touchpoint for all of Summit's clients and is adept at answering their questions, listening to their needs, and using what he learns to start them off on the right foot with training their dogs. Day in and day out, he ac...

Shay Cline and Meredith Decker (dog trainers and Adventure Camp Counselors, Summit Dog Training) are our local puppy gurus. In part one of this two-part interview, they share their individual journeys into the professional dog world, what drew them to puppy training in particular, what challenges puppy parents often fail to anticipate, and dive into the various stages of puppyhood. 

Discover:

• Surprising parallels between puppy ra...

Angela Murray (dog trainer and behavior therapist, Summit Dog Training) is about to blow your mind. She shares her wealth of knowledge in this conversation with me about how important it is to understand dog body language, why it’s far more nuanced than we think, and how we can use our observations of our dogs to support our relationship with them. 

Discover:

• How working with dogs from a young age shaped Angela’s approach to huma...

Amber Quann (CEO and Head Trainer at Summit Dog Training) expertly addresses the hot topic of dog parks and other off-leash adventures in this conversation with me. We explore the place and purpose of environments like dog parks and how to evaluate whether they best suit you and your dog's needs, as well as best practices for working toward successful off-leash adventures with your dog or puppy. 

Discover:

• Why &quo...

Sarah Stiles (certified dog trainer and behavior therapist, Summit Dog Training) opens my eyes about what canine enrichment really means. We talk about how everything outside of primary needs for survival is considered enrichment, what enrichment can look like based on our dogs' unique ancestry, and how intentional enrichment can help them cope with challenges and big feelings. 

Discover:

• What enrichment can look l...

Dagny Kaspar (owner of The Pals Academy, Michigan's Top Dog Trainer of 2023, and my cousin) sits down with me to explore the crucial role socialization plays in a dog's life. We talk about how to create positive social experiences, manage expectations, and understand your dog's unique personality ... and discuss parallels between dog and human socialization. At the end of the day, we're all just meat sacks tryin...