November 20, 2024 • 40 mins
In this episode of In The Vet's Office, Dr. Josie sits down with highly acclaimed dog trainer, Nikki Varva. They start with a sad, but common case of the week. They then answer some listener questions like why the heck is my puppy humping everything?! Nikki then tells Dr. Josie what owners should be looking for and what are some red flags when choosing a trainer for their pets. They discuss some of the most common behavioral issues in pets like separation anxiety (especially after Covid), leash reactivity, & situational anxiety. Nikki talks about how owners are often enabling their pets and that boundaries are your biggest friend when training your animals. Dr. Josie quizzes Nikki on some of the most common breeds seen at the clinic. The episode wraps up with PAW & ORDER in which Dr. Josie and Nikki discuss the cons of bell training, walking on a harness, and free feeding your pets.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
You're listening to in the Vets Office with doctor Josie Horchak.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
All right, welcome to in the Vets Office. I am
your host, doctor Josie, and this week we are joined
by a very special guest, my friend Nicki Varva. She
is an amazing dog trainer. She's been training for twelve
years professionally and actually just this past December went out
on her own and decided to open up her own
training program here in Nashville. It's called Always Training Canine.
(00:38):
Her bread and butter is behavior modification, but she really
does it all. She can do doc diving, search and
rescue and is really passionate about training service dogs for
veterans with PTSD.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
So welcome Nicki. I'm so happy to have you. Thank
you for having me. I'm excited to be here. You're welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
And as always, this podcast is BYOD. So we have
mister Sailor here, which is Nicky's dog. Tell us a
little bit about Sailor.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
So, Saylor's about to be He's about to be two.
He's a German Shorthaired poeinner and he is a dog
that I got to be able to. He's like a
demo dog. I can have him around any dogs that
I bring into training, and he can bring them out
of their show. He can also be a great distraction
for them, So he's kind of a what I call
my co pilot. That's amazing. Does he should be on payroll?
(01:25):
You know, he gets to live their rent free, so
I'm pretty sure that's enough for him.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
It's gonna say, Sailor's so handsome. I was just telling
Nicky we've had dogs take poops in the studio. My
dog bit Bobby last season, and Sailor's sitting here like
a perfect angel.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
So we had a long talk on the way. You know,
it's like, hey, behave you're a trainer's dog, you know,
don't embarrass me. The bar is very high, very high. Well,
we'll jump right into our case of the week.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
We always talk about something that I've seen in practice.
A lot of times owners don't really know what's going
on behind the scenes and the trenches, as we say,
and so the case for this week is a sad one,
but I think it's important to talk about because we
do see it from time to time. It was one
of my owners called me and said, hey, you know,
I left a bag of veggie straws out on the counter,
(02:11):
and he had three dogs, and one of them got
up on the counter, got the bag of food, brought
them down. He came home from whatever errand he was
running and it was I think pretty gruesome. There was
blood everywhere. Two of the dogs had ganged up on
the smaller dog and beat them up pretty bad.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Which it's a sad story.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
It's not a great case of the week, but I
think it's an important one to talk about because so
often we think about dogs fighting each other at the
dog park or getting into altercations when they're on the leash.
But I in practice, we'll see dogs that live together
and that are siblings fight and.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Hurt each other all the time.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
So I'm a big proponent of when you're leaving the house,
putting them in a crate.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
What do you think about that? One hundred percent? You
know that, honestly, right there could just saved that fight.
You never know. I told you this. Nobody can ever
guarantee you what your dogs are gonna do when they're
by themselves, whether it's a single dog or multiple dogs.
The safest thing that you can do is just put
them in a crate, right put them in a crate.
And you know, I'm at that. People say that's a
band aid, but honestly, that could have saved a big
(03:18):
fight or losing a dog. Yeah, and to that.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Extent, yeah, and sadly we do see the big dog
little dog. Are altercations where we do lose these dogs.
I mean they can it can be a life or
death situation. And I find that owners feel guilty about
the crate, but it is so important. And I have
found that dogs really like their crate.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
They do. They love it. We put a lot of
human emotion on it, you know, they they call them
a cage or I want my dog to just be
a dog. Well, at the end of the day, they
are a dog, and we can't expect them to live
in a human life and be able to do the
things that we expect them to do when at the
end of the day, they're a dog. And so the
crate honestly is a great way to put you know,
(03:58):
your dog in a safe spot to where they do
feel comfortable. It is like their own room. It's how
we escape too. We like to go to our own
rooms and kind of relax. That's a great place for
your dog to go as well we Cody and I
will refer to our dogs Create as their condo. Yes,
they have their own little condo and they can just relax,
they can take a breath, like they don't have to
be on they don't have to be on alert. So
(04:20):
I think it's important for them to be able to
take a break, just like you and I absolutely absolutely,
you know, if you think about it, when dogs are
they're active twenty four to seven, you know, so they
honestly really enjoy being able to go into their crate
and take a nap and turn off, you know. So
it's great and again it's something that can really I
tell people all the time to prevent things from happening.
Your Create is your number one thing that can prevent
(04:41):
things from happening.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yeah, absolutely, all right, Next up, we will dive into
some of our listener calls.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Hello, doctor Josie, your nephew, Hank is five months old.
He's a Portuguese water dog and he started humping. My
question is is this for sexual reasons or is there
any other reasons why this would be happening and how
can we minimize that?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Okay, that was my brother in law, Tanner, who just
got a puppy and I get this question all the time.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
I'm sure you do too.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
It as a trainer, oh absolutely, where dogs puppies a
lot of times as they're maturing a little bit, and
even adult dogs will hump. And whether they're neutered or
in spade or not, or even a female dog, even
a female dog, we will see humping. And it does not, necessarily,
I would say, the majority of the time, does not
(05:30):
equate to them being sexually aroused. More than not, I
find that it is, and I would love to hear
your opinion too. I find that it's they are excited
and overstimulated and they're kind of displacing that anxiety and
excitement and it turns into humping. But it's not hey,
I'm want to have.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Sex exactly, it is. It happens a lot when dogs
are very overstimulated, so it's an outlet. So it's something
that they can do. Now, some dogs will go into displacement,
they get excited and maybe go right and pick up
a ball because they're just trying to put their energy
into something. And some dogs, of course just start humping.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
You know.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Yes, at times it can be a dominant kind of thing,
you know, where two dogs are sizing each other up,
you know, kind of a little bit. Normally it's it's
always just overstimulation. Yeah, so, brother Tanner, no worries. Hank
Is is good to go. He's probably just really happy
to be alive, exactly. He's not attracted to you. We're good, Yeah,
all right. Next up.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
Hi, My name is Anne.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Then.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
I volunteer at a pet shelter in Delaware, and I
had a question about dogs. We noticed one day all
the dogs were going wild when one man approached. Now
he's worked with these dogs before, but they were very,
very agitated by him this time. And he happened to
be wearing a bright orange almost a hunter orange shirt.
(06:52):
Could this have been something that would have triggered the dogs?
Is that common for them to be triggered by certain colors?
Speaker 2 (06:59):
I have two thoughts when I hear this, The first
of which is dogs are pack animals. I think if
maybe the other dogs had interactive with this person before,
but I think if one starts barking, they can all
sort of trigger each other and then spiral a bit.
The other thought, and not to get too scientific, is
that dogs only have two cones in their retinas. Humans
(07:20):
have three, and so dogs can't really make out red
or green colors. They can really only make out blues
and yellows. And so I feel like orange kind of
falls into that red category, and it can look like
a very dark color to them. So it is very
possible that a big man wearing that color of shirt
could be causing them to be a little bit more
(07:40):
fearful than usual.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yeah. Absolutely, And also so you got to think in
a rescue is my thing would be do you have
a new dog? Has the new dog? Is this the
one that started the barking? Isn't it causes everybody to bark.
So a lot of times when somebody says a dog
or dogs have done something out of the norm, it's
normally not out of the norm. You gotta think about
what triggered it prior. You know, did the guy come
(08:02):
through a different door, did you know? There's all kinds
of different things you go into it, but definitely, you know,
dogs again, I've seen dogs act differently when they've actually
been able to see a color, you know, whether it
be I'm gonna have a chair in the yard, that's
it blue and now the dogs are like, oh my god,
what is that? Yeah, mikes, because I've never been able
to see it before. Yeah, I mean, so it does.
You know, dogs definitely can you know, change to routine
(08:24):
or something that's different in their life and act different
to it. But definitely in a kennel situation, if one barks,
they're all going to explode. Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
And I think one thing that you just said that
I think really rings true for me is routine. Dogs
are such routine, natured creatures, and just like you said,
of anything as different from the usual.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
I can really throw them off absolutely.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
All right, that was our last question of the day,
But if you have any questions for me, feel free
to click that link in the show notes and record
any questions you have. Nothing is off limits, and we're
gonna take a quick break and we'll be right back.
All right, Nikki, I am so excited to learn a
little bit more about you. You know, you don't hear
(09:07):
every day about people being dog trainers. How did you
find yourself on this path?
Speaker 1 (09:13):
This is a million dollar question. I have been asked
as many times and I always just kind of laugh
and be like, because I love dogs, But to actually
know a little bit more about me, it goes deeper
than that. So I've always struggled with anxiety. I had
a reading learning disability, and just growing up, I was
just one of those kids that just didn't know how
to fit in. But I always grew up with a dog,
(09:35):
and you know, I would rush on from school and
be like, where's my dog, just because that's where I felt,
you know that piece And growing up, you know, you
always hear that you need to be a doctor, you
need to be a lawyer. You know, you need to
go to a four year college. So dog training is
really not on your radar that you could do this
as a career. So fast forward twenty fourteen, I moved
(09:57):
to California to go to dog training school, and that
is where I found peace. Dog training really saved my life.
It brought me to where I was like, this is
my purpose. And I think we all thrive to find
our purpose in life, and that's where I found it.
I really just you know, when I talk about anxiety
(10:18):
and stuff like that, I think it's really hard for
people to communicate how we are feeling. So growing up
I never knew like how to communicate with somebody like
how I was feeling. So look at dogs. They can't
talk so they cannot express to their owners how I'm
feeling this situation makes me feel uncomfortable or I'm scared
of this situation. And so that is where really everything
opened up to me, and I was like, I can
(10:39):
be the voice for these dogs. Is I know exactly
where they are. You know, they're nervous and they can't
communicate to why. And so I just dove deep into
it and was like, Okay, I'm going to be your voice.
Like I get you, I totally get you. So now
I'm going to be able to educate your owner to
ways that you guys can actually communicate on a dog level.
(11:00):
And again, so it's just really dog training, you know,
saved my life. So I think, you know, we've talked
about this a little bit. I think that a lot
of the people in the animal field have a background
where they felt, whether it was growing up or at
some point in their life, it was challenging and they
felt that really the only place of comfort.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
And unconditional love came from their animals. I know for me,
like I grew up in a very tumultuous household, there
was addiction and divorce, and my dog was like my
one true outlet and so I think it's so true
where it's like it just goes deeper than just loving dogs.
It's like a it's a vocation. I would say, yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
I mean because dogs are true, they don't judge, they're
happy to see us all the time, you know. So
I think it's where people can really feel themselves, is
around something that is just there to love you so pure.
It is.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
One thing you said, and I have never heard of this.
What is dog training school like?
Speaker 1 (12:05):
So there's really not a dog training quote unquote school.
You know they're in the US. There's not certifications. Anybody
can literally wake up in the morning and say I'm
a dog trainer. That's scary, very you know, very scary.
And so when I went to California, there was a
a business that actually where you could go and pay
(12:27):
and start to learn, you know, about dog training. So
I think anybody, before you are working with clients, you're
a dog enthusiast. When you become a dog professional is
when you've actually are working with clients, you know, and
actually teaching people how to work their dogs. And so
I went to where I could just have my hands
on so many dogs because that's where it comes into
(12:48):
is you can train your own dogs, absolutely, but until
you've had your hands on so many breeds, so many temperaments,
so many personalities and all that, then you really have
cannot like you in your practice. But again it is
very scary because you can have anybody. You can google
dog training near me and there's hundreds and hundreds of
(13:09):
you know, different companies from you know, the franchises or
to somebody like me that is just you know, hey,
I've been dog trainings for you know, twelve years. But
it's all about too is when you're looking for a
dog trainer, you know, red flags are where where your
dog stays? If they won't show you where your dog
is going to be living or proof, you know, show
(13:33):
me what you've done with dogs, not your personal dog.
Because anybody that trains dogs your dogs can look fancy.
I can do all kinds of crazy things with Sailor,
but that doesn't mean that I'm going to be teaching
that to somebody else's to somebody else's dogs. So I
think again, when you are looking for a dog trainer,
you really need to dive deep into your research. You know,
talk to many people if you don't feel comfortable with them,
(13:55):
from the get go, just with a conversation, then that
trainer's probably not for you. But asking all kinds of questions,
you know.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Is it normal for clients to ask for like a
reference or a testimonial, you know?
Speaker 1 (14:07):
I think sometimes you know, you can go on Google
and you can find that. But I always tell people
when I talk to them, is if you want references,
I can give you. Yeah, I'll give you. I'll give
you a whole bunch, you know what I mean. I'm
very with my and if you follow me on Instagram,
you can see that I'm very transparent with what I do.
I'm very honest with what I do, so you can
see that when your dog is with me, all of
(14:27):
my Instagram stories are dedicated to that owner and that
dog because I am training the owner in that moment.
So you get to actually see your dog training through
the process of the time that they're with me. So
it's not like, hey, here's your dog, it's done. This
is what I've done and this is what you have
to do as well.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
I can speak from personal experience. Nicky and I met
through Wags and Walks. What I talk about all the
time on this podcast and one of my dogs. Oakly
the big German shepherd. He is a wags and walks alum,
and like so many other rescue dogs, he came to
me a little bit more timid anxiety, yes, but just
a little bit more timid. Then as he got more comfortable,
(15:06):
he was like, Ooh, I'm gonna bark on the leash
at other dogs and I'm gonna defend our house. And
I was dealing with leash reactivity and so I was
referred to you, and I can speak firsthand. It's just
how amazing you are at what you do. And I
also love your Instagram. That is so unique. I haven't
seen many other people. I don't know if anyone's doing that.
And for my husband and I was so cool to
(15:27):
follow along because all day long you're posting videos of
what you're doing. It helps us understand, Okay, this is
what we need to be doing. And just like you said,
I think that's a level of transparency that when your
dog is going to board and live somewhere else, like
you have to have that.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Oh absolutely, I mean even for my own dogs. I
know I can imagine sending my dog somewhere for a
long period of time and especially not getting updates and
like are they okay or is that going on? Yeah?
So it's great for the owners one, you know, because
you guys can see your dogs thriving, having fun. But
the reason why I do that is there is never
enough time that I can have with you to give
(16:04):
you all of my knowledge you know, on your dog,
because every dog is different. So while your dog is
with me, I tell people you are actually learning like
you are supposed to be watching these Instagram stories because
not only am I telling you what I'm doing, The
key with dog training is telling you the why why
am I doing this? Why is your dog acting that way?
And what do you need to do? And also to
(16:26):
you know I'm doing this, but why am I doing this?
So then when it comes down to whenever the dog
goes home graduation day, you guys have already been watching
for the weeks that you know, I have your dog
what's going on, so you have the knowledge, so then
we can really jump into the hands on that matters.
So you guys have that education while it's going. But
also too, I think it's really cool to see your
(16:46):
dog from day one, to see oh my god, my
dog really can do that. I know it's amazing could
do that. It's amazing. I still follow your stories.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Oakley is now home and thriving and doing great, but
I still follow the stories because I just love to
see the transformation. Yes, it's unbelievable. You do such an
amazing job. I can't say enough great things.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
What are would you say?
Speaker 2 (17:08):
The most common issues that you see are seeing dogs
being brought in for training for.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
Separation anxiety, especially after COVID. Is gonna say, true, that
was everybody, you know, I get it. All the shelters
were empty, everybody was getting dogs, which is great, and
then they were spending so much time with their dogs,
and I think that's just a journal besides COVID that
separate separation anxiety is probably the biggest, biggest thing. But
(17:33):
also to separation anxiety leads into leash reactivity, leads into
destruction behavior. So that is probably my number one thing
is I can't leave my dog alone. They hate their create,
They destroy my home, and sometimes even to owners are
prisoners of their home.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Yes, I see this all the time and practice people
will come in and talk to me about it, and
it's it is rampant, especially after COVID, and I think
that's yes, the dogs are used to having us home,
but also we were used to being home with our pets,
and so I think as owners we are also much
more hesitant to leave our animals versus before it was like,
(18:10):
you know, a little bit more commonplace.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Yeah, you know, it teaches them. You know, a lot
of dogs can't stand on their own four pause. They
just can't. So a lot of times I tell people
that your dog doesn't know how to life without you,
you know, and even too a lot of times too,
they don't know how to life with you, meaning that
you get up to go to the bathroom, here they come,
you know what I mean, You just stand up and
they're like, oh my god, where are we going? And
so they're constantly anxious because they're constantly worried about what
(18:33):
you're going to do. And so we have to teach
them actually how to life with us. And that's something
about my training is it's not about obedience. Obedience is
the easy part. Sit down, stay, that's honestly the easy part.
But what I teach is how you live with your dog,
and I teach your dog how to actually live with
you to where obedience actually comes into play.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
What would you say The hardest issue you find to train.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Is nothing to do with the dog. It is the owner.
We are the problem. It's us, and it's something that
you guys are the problem. And I tell all my
clients this, you know, when they call, I will never
judge you for anything that you've done with your dog,
because you're doing the best that you can with the
knowledge that you have. You're not dog trainers. You know,
the fact that you reached out, I will I'm very
proud of anybody that reaches out because you're trying.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
But it does take us a little bit of like
vulnerability to be like, hey, even as a veterinarian, to
be like, hey, I know everything there is to possibly
know about animals, but I can't train my own dog,
like I need help, right.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
And then a lot of times, you know, it is
a lot of people are like, well, I've had dogs
my whole life, but then they get a dog that
is different and they don't know what to do, you know,
and then reaching out and again is I don't criticize.
I don't go oh my god, you're they're to blame
or anything like that. You know, I talk it through
and I tell people this is this is what's going on.
And again I'm talking for the dog of like, this
is why your dog is acting like this. But the
(19:50):
hardest part to change is change. That's for anybody with
anything besides dog training. It's you know, somebody says, I
want to get into shape, you know, but I don't
want to go to the gym, you know, and all that,
But it's just change and taking away human emotion. That
restricting your dog from getting on the couch or on
the bed is not gonna make your dog hate you,
you know, it is actually going to just all this
(20:10):
training and boundaries, boundaries I cannot express enough and structure
is actually gonna make your dog love you even more.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
And it's so hard as an owner, I think, as
a human, just that boundaries, whether it's with our family
or our friends, yes, and then let alone our dogs
we love more than anything. It just feels so impossible,
But in the end it benefits you so much more
than not.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Oh absolutely, your dogs will little. I mean, I will
love you more and you'll actually see what I love
so much is when dogs come in, we're gonna say
day three, day four, every dog takes a big sigh
relief with me kind of like like you get thank God,
you understand here's somebody that is I can talk to you,
and it's understanding what's going on to where we can communicate.
(20:56):
And then when they go home and they start working
with owners, I feel like the owners then can take
it sigh of relief too and be like, Okay, yeah,
now we find peace in our home because we all
have that, like we have an understanding of rules, boundaries
and structure, like symbiosis it is, you know, I get
so many pictures of like, oh my god, my dog
has never been this relaxed before. My dog doesn't you know,
(21:16):
jump at the doorbell anymore, and you just kind of
what happens again, owners become prisoners of their own home
because they, instead of having their dogs learn how to
live with them we do, owners will constantly do everything
to appease their dog, like I can't stay long at
dinner because I have to go let my dogs out
kind of, and so they become prisoners. So then at
(21:37):
the end of all this training and things, it really
is something that where I can feel that owners are
again they're living with their dogs in in a more
peaceful environment.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
I know for me, it was really helpful just one
thing that you preach is consistency and clear expectations and communication.
And I think that it's nice to have someone guide
you like, Okay, this is what you should be doing,
this is why you should be doing it, and then
just knowing that your dog isn't going to be cured
like whatever they have like that, that is them. But
(22:07):
it's on us to kind of follow through and stick
with it. And it is a lot of work and
we do have to set boundaries.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
But like I said, oh absolutely, and again kind of
touching back on that finding a dog trainer. If anybody
says I can cure your dog and I can fix
your dog, run, Yeah, there is no fix. There's no
cure because if you think about my you know, always
training canines, you're literally for your dog's entire life. You're
always training, you know, and it's just become something that
it's again routine, like putting your dog on place when
(22:34):
you're eating dinner. It becomes a lifestyle of you know,
it's not just like I don't have a magic wand
I can't you know, I don't go and go to
dog your dog is cured and we'll love all dogs
and you know, and we'll do all these things. So
it does take consistency, but I layer that foundation to
where you guys can go home and you have the
tools and the knowledge to just thrive and take your
dog even further. Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
So when we were first introduced, Catherine from WAG she
introduced us and she said, hey, I have this veterinarian.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
She has a wax alum and you were like, oh boy.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
And it made me laugh because there is I think
some misconceptions or maybe it's not a misconception with trainers
and veterinarians. And it's funny because you know, as vets,
we work with animals all day long in a very
different capacity than what you do. And so where do
you think that like, what do you think that tension is?
Speaker 1 (23:25):
And I'm not going to speak for everybody, yeah, of course,
you know, but I do think where I'm going to
speak personally, Yeah, is I have a lot of you know,
I have clients to call me and you know, talked
about their dogs with separation anxiety or behavioral issues and
they tell me my dog is on a lump sum
of trasdone or Elville or ace and all these things.
(23:47):
I'm like, oh my god, so your dog is just
sedated zombie zombie, right, and they're still having issues and
you know. So at my point of course is, you know,
I don't only know how much the client tells me
that the vets, and so I'm like, oh my god,
why didn't you know? Why are they just throwing you
on all this medicine like you needed to, you know,
go to dog training, you know, you needed you know,
(24:08):
a behavior is kind of a thing, and so I
think that's where we kind of get this like, oh veterinarian. Yeah,
And of course it goes deeper into you know, food
or shots, and we could go on this long, you
know kind of thing. But I think the main thing
I get is I want to know behind closed doors.
I know you probably I don't know how many clients,
you know, clients you see in a day, and you
(24:29):
only see that dog for twenty fifteen minutes maybe, and
you get a brief you know, and probably not even
the full story of why the dog has been acting like, yes,
you know, and and again in that moment, yes again.
Safety for a dog is my number one concern. So
if the dog is breaking out of the crateon literally
like you know, hurting, themselves. Sure, okay, give that dog
(24:49):
some trisdone, But also to I want to know, do
you guys recommend that these these dogs go to training.
It's so hard.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
I think I can only speak for myself. I do
you know, you know we see twenty five appointments a
day on a busy day. Every fifteen minutes you're seeing
an appointment, and I'm in there to focus on the
medical side of things. So it's I'm doing my physical exam.
I'm trying to figure out why they're having diarrhea. I
need to update them on their vaccines. And then oh,
by the way, he's trying to kill Fluffy when we
(25:17):
go on walks and I have two minutes left in
my appointment, and so of course behavior modification is so
so so important, but when the owners at their wits end,
I do know, Like for me, I'm like, okay, well
here's a little something to hopefully help at home. I
will say, I think as veterinarians, it's so important for
us to have a list of trainers that we do recommend.
(25:38):
And that is something that I print out for every
single one of my clients when they are having behavioral complaints.
And so what I would say to owners and listeners
out there is if you're having behavioral issues with your dog, yes,
your veterinarian is a great resource, but they're probably not
going to be the first person to go to. So
I would ask them a do you have a trainer
(25:58):
that you recommend. If they don't, then just like Nikki said,
you can find them on the internet and just look
for those prerequisites that we talked about. Where they're transparent,
they have good referrals, they're showing you exactly where they're boarding.
They're not having a ton of dogs all at once,
because I agree, I mean, these it requires so much
more than just a band aid, which a lot of
times is what the medication is.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Right right, So I think, you know, again they these
dogs and they're like, oh, my dog has been them
for six months, has been on a trousdone you know,
and still breaking out, you know of crates and things
like that. But again I understand, I do as you know,
I'm not like, oh my god, these vets, you know
what I mean. Yeah, but of course even two I've
had dogs that I've trained go in that have to
wear a muzzle, you know, because the dog just hates
(26:39):
the vet. I'm sorry. The dog only sees the vet
probably only sees you what once every six months? Yeah?
If that? Yeah, yeah, And specifically I have a dog,
it's my friend's dog named Baker. Hates the vet. He
has to have a muzzle, you know what I mean.
He'll express his antal lands, which I know is one
of your favorite I've been there, but the vet would
(27:00):
be like, your dog needs to see a behavior less
or a trainer, and this dog has been through training tremendous.
This dog is a great dog, just doesn't like the vet.
And so at times I'm like really, And they'll even say,
like has told you know, my friend like we should
probably put him on trasidone and stuff. She's like, no,
he's really just he's only bad at the vet. So
a lot of times it's kind of like, you know,
(27:21):
also to training doesn't fix everything. Again, I can't do
my magic war and have the dog love to have
a thermometer.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Yeah, of course, no, of course. And I hear what
you're saying there, and that makes sense. I will say,
I think in situational instances like that, it isn't a
bad idea to give them a little something before their visit.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Just to take the edge off. Absolutely it's less stressful
for the pet.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
So by no means, I think trasidone absolutely has its
place and can be more safe and less stressful for
the animal and the veterinarian. But again it's not necessarily
that like long term fix for behavioral issues.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
And I think the other thing is, you know, whenever
I was told you were a vet, I was like,
what is your thoughts on training tools? You know, I
mean a lot of times, you know, I do know
that some vets, again I'm not speaking for all of them.
Some vets you know, only recommend all positive training, and
when it comes to serious behaviors, I'm sorry, a hot
dog isn't gonna get to your dog to stop barking,
(28:19):
you know, do the trick. So I think again, I
really do wish, you know, if somebody were to say,
what would be in your perfect world is that veterinarians
and trainers work together. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
Maybe we're going to break the mold exactly, I know,
all right, Yeah, I think there's a place, and I
think I'm sure it happens all the time, but we
probably all could be a little bit better at it,
for sure.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
If you think about all the knowledge you have, the
knowledge I have, how many dogs? I mean at our
goal is you're trying to save dogs and make them
feel better. I'm trying to save dogs and make them
feel better. Why can't we jump on the bandwagon.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Together and dude together, Absolutely, we're going to drive that bandwagon.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
What is your most favorite dog to train? Breed? Wise
Wise has a good question.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
It doesn't have to be a breed either. I guess
it could be like a general.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Just working dogs working I mean your cattle dogs, or
you know, just any any working dog. To be honest,
I mean to be if I was just being just
completely honest, any dog. I love to train any dog
because they're all different, you know what I mean? All different,
and so every dog. Yes, at the end of the day,
I have an end goal result. Every dog brings to
me something different and I learn from every dog. Now,
(29:39):
I think the question probably was which dogs do I
not like to train? Yeah? Which ones do you not
like to train? To be honest is this is probably
gonna make people laugh shit suos. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Morgan, our producer is laughing right now because she has
a shit suh.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
These dogs don't want to do anything. You know, you
could put a mortgage board of reads. They don't care steak,
and you could say sit, and that dog is going
to huff and roll its size and look the opposite way.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
You're Actually, it's so funny you say that. And sorry, Morgan,
not to throw your shit, Toder.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
I still love training them. Just air them, just pick
them up.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Yeah, exactly. They're like little gremlins. I do love them.
They're so cute. But you're right, like our German chupherds
and our pointers in our labs, they're like, we want
to make you happy, We'll do whatever you say. And
the little lap dogs are a little bit more like, eah,
I'm good.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Yeah, I mean I always like the dogs with attitude.
Those are my dogs. Chihuaala's ye give me a good Chiuala.
I'm ready to train all day.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
A whole year, preach into the choir. Okay, I'm gonna
rapid fire some breeds at you. Okay, I'd like you
to like say the first two to three words that
come to mind. And I want to preface this by
saying that we love all breeds. This is not to
stereotype them, but these are the most common breeds that
I see in practice. I'm sure you do too, and
I just like, I think it'd be funny to see
what the first couple words that come to mind are.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Okay, hopefully we can anything out.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
Yeah, no cussing, okay, number one French bulldogs.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
One Golden Retrievers. Good old boy, good old boy.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
Aren't they just the good as the boys pass as
golden doodles?
Speaker 1 (31:13):
Oh? The dudes? The dudes mm hmm, high strung. Maybe
to be honest, they doodles. To be honest, I do.
I train a lot of doodles, great dogs. They just
need training, you know. But I think this is a
lot of time soon we talk about dog breeds. It's
not the breed, it's how somebody has the breed. So
(31:35):
doodles are known to be your I don't have kids,
and this is my first baby, and these dogs come
in spoiled, rotten. That's what a doodle is. Those are
two words I like that touaas love them, perfect, love them.
I'm sorry I was speaking for you. Wag sends me,
you know, all their feisty chihuahuas, and I'm surprised I
(31:56):
have not foster failed yet, not yet. Pit bull sweethearts.
Australian Shepherds feisty, spicy like that. Standard poodles intelligent. If
anybody were to ask me again, if you were like, hey,
what kind of breed would you recommend to people, Toy
(32:17):
poodles or standard poodles are probably your perfect I agree,
perfect dog for anybody to have. A lot of times
people pass them because of the looks. But anytime I've
trained any kind of poodle, they've never had any issues.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Yeah, they as a vet like coming into the clinic.
They are perfect gentlemen or ladies. They just stand there perfectly,
and they're so smart. Yes, I love them. Corky's Fighters,
they are biers. People love Corgies because they're so cute,
and those little butts are so cute that they.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Bite and they bite. They're like rattlesnakes.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
They are cavalier. King Charles Spaniel.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
Perfect dog dog. If you're looking for you live in
an apartment, or you are retired and you're looking for
that that you just a lap dog, choking.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
Cat, cavies, boxers, goofballs.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
I've never been able to see a dog touch its
nose to its tail in so many different directions, and
our goofy and just that face. I love them. They
are goofy miniature Schnauzer. I loveuers. They're one of the
most underrated breeds for me. Yeah, I have just Am.
I'm actually training one right now to be an alert
sound alert service dog for a veteran and he is
(33:30):
a standard Snauzer and just and he's great. Great, They're
awesome great Danes.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
They don't live long enough. I know that wasn't two words.
They don't live long enough. And I'd say scaredy cats,
gentle giant. They're like the elephant that's scared of the
mountain lap dog. Yes, I had a great Dan and
she definitely did not live long enough. I would have
loved her to live forever, but she was scared of
her own shadow. Yeah, the best. All right, that was
so fun. We're gonna take a quick break and we'll
(33:57):
be right back with Pallen Order. All right, this week
on Paw and Order, the first thing on my list
is I would not train my dog to use bells
or chimes to go outside when they have to go potty. Nicky,
I'm sure you can speak to this, but I have
found that they abuse the bells and chimes, and.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
They're just like, give me attention. They use an abuse.
They may just want to go outside and stretch, or
they just want it to get your attention. And then
a lot of clients I have still have accidents. They
may rang the bell twenty five times a day and
stuck off to go to the bathroom. It just becomes
kind of a toy, you know, to get your attention. Structure, schedule.
I when people ask me about potty training, it's my
(34:37):
potty training is I let my dogs know and they
need to go to the bathroom. It's a schedule, one
hundred percent. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
And when they're puppies, I think people think, oh my gosh,
this is great, like they're telling me when they have
to go, But when their puppies like, just no, they
have to go all the time. So every thirty seconds,
every ten seconds, you're taking them out, when they eat,
when they drink, when they wake up from a nap,
after they're done playing that you just need to preemptively
take them outside, and them ringing bells is just teaching
(35:04):
them bad behaviors. I think Nikki used the word it
turns them into little narcissists, which I thought was very funny.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
It does you know it's funny? I mean because they will.
They'll also ring the bells when you're on a zoom
when you're eating dinner, They're just like, hey, I want attention,
I want out, And most of the time they don't
go to the bathroom.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Yeah, they've got you wrapp around their little paul absolutely
all right. Number two, I would not put my dog
that is already pulling me into a harness.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Oh why not?
Speaker 2 (35:30):
You probably do you? Is there any dog you would
put in a harness?
Speaker 1 (35:34):
Elderly? Okay? So I have a fifteen year old Border
Collie Charlie Brown that if I needed to take her somewhere,
you know, the harness does work because she does stumble,
you know, and kind of fall. It kind of helps
give support. But harnesses, yes, the only time I would
recommend them is for puppies. When you first get a puppy,
I don't want anything around their neck because you have
(35:55):
to teach them how to use that call or how
to have leash pressure. So on puppies. All of my
puppies they come home and they're on a harness because
then you can sit on your puppy, which means they
are on a leash and they're in that harness twenty
four to seven, so you're giving them you know, they're
with you, so they don't have free access to the house.
But harnesses for puppies one hundred percent until you get
into that training stage, which would be about like four
(36:16):
months old.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
I agree with that too, and not even coming from
a training background, but more of a medical background.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
They're tiny little necks.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
They're just so fragile, and I've seen dogs really get
hurt with the leash and the collar around their neck.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
So harnesses for sure with puppies. Absolutely, harnesses is just
a great thing to get them used to it. And
then harness is to for dogs. Now I'm a big
advocate on riding traveling with your dogs and crates in
the car, but if you can't, that seat belt harness
because it keeps them from flying around in the car.
So that kind of thing. But if you are wanting
your dog not to pull, do not put a harness
(36:50):
on them. That's what harnesses are for. They are used
to you know, pull sleds or you know things like
that that harnesses are for that. So don't put your
dog on a harness.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
Yeah, you're just setting yourself up to like water ski
behind your dog. Yes, you're just sled dog and it
is what I call it, literally sled dogging it all right.
Number three, I would not free feed. This means leaving
out food all day long for your pets to graze.
I think it's really important to have structured feeding times. One,
if you are potty training, that makes it really difficult.
(37:20):
You've got food and water going in one end and
then coming out the other end. Willy nilly, you just
don't know exactly. And then be you can really create
a monster, you can.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
You know, it's sad. I'm sorry. You see this a
lot of obese beast dogs. It's easy to put on
the weight, it's hard to take it off right. But
then also too is you are missing a phenomenal training
opportunity with your dog. Now, I don't care if it's
in a bowl, but feed that dog from your hand.
Get your dog to sit, to place, to down, to come,
just working on that engagement because your dog, you know,
(37:52):
that's a resource. You know, I want my dog to
understand that food play affection comes from me. And again
you're missing that huge opportunity you know, for just reefeeding.
But Also, I see so many dogs, especially doodles, picky eaters. Yes,
they're very picky. They will cover. They will come to
me in training with three to go bags with if
(38:13):
my dog doesn't eat this, put this on it, and
if it doesn't eat that, then you're gonna need to
put this on it. And I'm like no, because that
all that does is teach our dogs that the longer
I wait, the better things that come.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
Yes, they know they'll wait, and they'll be like, if
I wait a whole two hours, I get cheese. If
I wait five hours, I get filet mignon. Yes, If
I wait twenty four, I'm getting wagoo beef.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
Yes exactly. And I'm getting it hand fed to me
with a four on a silver platter, Yes exactly. So
it's just you know, I that is a big struggle
with people, is you know, if the feeding is my
dog is a picky eater, you're making your dog a
picky eater. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
I think so much we project on our pets, and
the fact of the matter is if they're hungry, they
will eat. So I really recommend two feedings a day,
unless otherwise directed.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
By your vet.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
If they're a puppy, that may be an exception, but
morning and night, lay that food bowl down, give them
ample amount of time to eat.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
My dogs get about fifteen to twenty minutes.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
If they don't finish their meal or they don't eat it,
we pick it up and wait till the next feeding time.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
Exactly exactly, because I believe you know you can quote
me if I'm wrong. As a veterinarian, I don't think
dogs will starve themselves.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
It would be highly unlikely. I haven't encountered one yet, right, right,
I haven't met many. All right, awesome, Well, today's episode
was great. I really appreciate you coming on.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
Thank you for having me. It was a blast.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
You're so welcome, And for all the listeners out there,
please rate, review, subscribe. You can click the link of
the show notes to leave us any questions that you
have and we'll see you next week. L
You're listening to in the Vets Office with doctor Josie Horchak.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
All right, welcome to in the Vets Office. I am
your host, doctor Josie, and this week we are joined
by a very special guest, my friend Nicki Varva. She
is an amazing dog trainer. She's been training for twelve
years professionally and actually just this past December went out
on her own and decided to open up her own
training program here in Nashville. It's called Always Training Canine.
(00:38):
Her bread and butter is behavior modification, but she really
does it all. She can do doc diving, search and
rescue and is really passionate about training service dogs for
veterans with PTSD.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
So welcome Nicki. I'm so happy to have you. Thank
you for having me. I'm excited to be here. You're welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
And as always, this podcast is BYOD. So we have
mister Sailor here, which is Nicky's dog. Tell us a
little bit about Sailor.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
So, Saylor's about to be He's about to be two.
He's a German Shorthaired poeinner and he is a dog
that I got to be able to. He's like a
demo dog. I can have him around any dogs that
I bring into training, and he can bring them out
of their show. He can also be a great distraction
for them, So he's kind of a what I call
my co pilot. That's amazing. Does he should be on payroll?
(01:25):
You know, he gets to live their rent free, so
I'm pretty sure that's enough for him.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
It's gonna say, Sailor's so handsome. I was just telling
Nicky we've had dogs take poops in the studio. My
dog bit Bobby last season, and Sailor's sitting here like
a perfect angel.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
So we had a long talk on the way. You know,
it's like, hey, behave you're a trainer's dog, you know,
don't embarrass me. The bar is very high, very high. Well,
we'll jump right into our case of the week.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
We always talk about something that I've seen in practice.
A lot of times owners don't really know what's going
on behind the scenes and the trenches, as we say,
and so the case for this week is a sad one,
but I think it's important to talk about because we
do see it from time to time. It was one
of my owners called me and said, hey, you know,
I left a bag of veggie straws out on the counter,
(02:11):
and he had three dogs, and one of them got
up on the counter, got the bag of food, brought
them down. He came home from whatever errand he was
running and it was I think pretty gruesome. There was
blood everywhere. Two of the dogs had ganged up on
the smaller dog and beat them up pretty bad.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Which it's a sad story.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
It's not a great case of the week, but I
think it's an important one to talk about because so
often we think about dogs fighting each other at the
dog park or getting into altercations when they're on the leash.
But I in practice, we'll see dogs that live together
and that are siblings fight and.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Hurt each other all the time.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
So I'm a big proponent of when you're leaving the house,
putting them in a crate.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
What do you think about that? One hundred percent? You
know that, honestly, right there could just saved that fight.
You never know. I told you this. Nobody can ever
guarantee you what your dogs are gonna do when they're
by themselves, whether it's a single dog or multiple dogs.
The safest thing that you can do is just put
them in a crate, right put them in a crate.
And you know, I'm at that. People say that's a
band aid, but honestly, that could have saved a big
(03:18):
fight or losing a dog. Yeah, and to that.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Extent, yeah, and sadly we do see the big dog
little dog. Are altercations where we do lose these dogs.
I mean they can it can be a life or
death situation. And I find that owners feel guilty about
the crate, but it is so important. And I have
found that dogs really like their crate.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
They do. They love it. We put a lot of
human emotion on it, you know, they they call them
a cage or I want my dog to just be
a dog. Well, at the end of the day, they
are a dog, and we can't expect them to live
in a human life and be able to do the
things that we expect them to do when at the
end of the day, they're a dog. And so the
crate honestly is a great way to put you know,
(03:58):
your dog in a safe spot to where they do
feel comfortable. It is like their own room. It's how
we escape too. We like to go to our own
rooms and kind of relax. That's a great place for
your dog to go as well we Cody and I
will refer to our dogs Create as their condo. Yes,
they have their own little condo and they can just relax,
they can take a breath, like they don't have to
be on they don't have to be on alert. So
(04:20):
I think it's important for them to be able to
take a break, just like you and I absolutely absolutely,
you know, if you think about it, when dogs are
they're active twenty four to seven, you know, so they
honestly really enjoy being able to go into their crate
and take a nap and turn off, you know. So
it's great and again it's something that can really I
tell people all the time to prevent things from happening.
Your Create is your number one thing that can prevent
(04:41):
things from happening.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yeah, absolutely, all right, Next up, we will dive into
some of our listener calls.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Hello, doctor Josie, your nephew, Hank is five months old.
He's a Portuguese water dog and he started humping. My
question is is this for sexual reasons or is there
any other reasons why this would be happening and how
can we minimize that?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Okay, that was my brother in law, Tanner, who just
got a puppy and I get this question all the time.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
I'm sure you do too.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
It as a trainer, oh absolutely, where dogs puppies a
lot of times as they're maturing a little bit, and
even adult dogs will hump. And whether they're neutered or
in spade or not, or even a female dog, even
a female dog, we will see humping. And it does not, necessarily,
I would say, the majority of the time, does not
(05:30):
equate to them being sexually aroused. More than not, I
find that it is, and I would love to hear
your opinion too. I find that it's they are excited
and overstimulated and they're kind of displacing that anxiety and
excitement and it turns into humping. But it's not hey,
I'm want to have.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Sex exactly, it is. It happens a lot when dogs
are very overstimulated, so it's an outlet. So it's something
that they can do. Now, some dogs will go into displacement,
they get excited and maybe go right and pick up
a ball because they're just trying to put their energy
into something. And some dogs, of course just start humping.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
You know.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Yes, at times it can be a dominant kind of thing,
you know, where two dogs are sizing each other up,
you know, kind of a little bit. Normally it's it's
always just overstimulation. Yeah, so, brother Tanner, no worries. Hank
Is is good to go. He's probably just really happy
to be alive, exactly. He's not attracted to you. We're good, Yeah,
all right. Next up.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
Hi, My name is Anne.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Then.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
I volunteer at a pet shelter in Delaware, and I
had a question about dogs. We noticed one day all
the dogs were going wild when one man approached. Now
he's worked with these dogs before, but they were very,
very agitated by him this time. And he happened to
be wearing a bright orange almost a hunter orange shirt.
(06:52):
Could this have been something that would have triggered the dogs?
Is that common for them to be triggered by certain colors?
Speaker 2 (06:59):
I have two thoughts when I hear this, The first
of which is dogs are pack animals. I think if
maybe the other dogs had interactive with this person before,
but I think if one starts barking, they can all
sort of trigger each other and then spiral a bit.
The other thought, and not to get too scientific, is
that dogs only have two cones in their retinas. Humans
(07:20):
have three, and so dogs can't really make out red
or green colors. They can really only make out blues
and yellows. And so I feel like orange kind of
falls into that red category, and it can look like
a very dark color to them. So it is very
possible that a big man wearing that color of shirt
could be causing them to be a little bit more
(07:40):
fearful than usual.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yeah. Absolutely, And also so you got to think in
a rescue is my thing would be do you have
a new dog? Has the new dog? Is this the
one that started the barking? Isn't it causes everybody to bark.
So a lot of times when somebody says a dog
or dogs have done something out of the norm, it's
normally not out of the norm. You gotta think about
what triggered it prior. You know, did the guy come
(08:02):
through a different door, did you know? There's all kinds
of different things you go into it, but definitely, you know,
dogs again, I've seen dogs act differently when they've actually
been able to see a color, you know, whether it
be I'm gonna have a chair in the yard, that's
it blue and now the dogs are like, oh my god,
what is that? Yeah, mikes, because I've never been able
to see it before. Yeah, I mean, so it does.
You know, dogs definitely can you know, change to routine
(08:24):
or something that's different in their life and act different
to it. But definitely in a kennel situation, if one barks,
they're all going to explode. Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
And I think one thing that you just said that
I think really rings true for me is routine. Dogs
are such routine, natured creatures, and just like you said,
of anything as different from the usual.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
I can really throw them off absolutely.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
All right, that was our last question of the day,
But if you have any questions for me, feel free
to click that link in the show notes and record
any questions you have. Nothing is off limits, and we're
gonna take a quick break and we'll be right back.
All right, Nikki, I am so excited to learn a
little bit more about you. You know, you don't hear
(09:07):
every day about people being dog trainers. How did you
find yourself on this path?
Speaker 1 (09:13):
This is a million dollar question. I have been asked
as many times and I always just kind of laugh
and be like, because I love dogs, But to actually
know a little bit more about me, it goes deeper
than that. So I've always struggled with anxiety. I had
a reading learning disability, and just growing up, I was
just one of those kids that just didn't know how
to fit in. But I always grew up with a dog,
(09:35):
and you know, I would rush on from school and
be like, where's my dog, just because that's where I felt,
you know that piece And growing up, you know, you
always hear that you need to be a doctor, you
need to be a lawyer. You know, you need to
go to a four year college. So dog training is
really not on your radar that you could do this
as a career. So fast forward twenty fourteen, I moved
(09:57):
to California to go to dog training school, and that
is where I found peace. Dog training really saved my life.
It brought me to where I was like, this is
my purpose. And I think we all thrive to find
our purpose in life, and that's where I found it.
I really just you know, when I talk about anxiety
(10:18):
and stuff like that, I think it's really hard for
people to communicate how we are feeling. So growing up
I never knew like how to communicate with somebody like
how I was feeling. So look at dogs. They can't
talk so they cannot express to their owners how I'm
feeling this situation makes me feel uncomfortable or I'm scared
of this situation. And so that is where really everything
opened up to me, and I was like, I can
(10:39):
be the voice for these dogs. Is I know exactly
where they are. You know, they're nervous and they can't
communicate to why. And so I just dove deep into
it and was like, Okay, I'm going to be your voice.
Like I get you, I totally get you. So now
I'm going to be able to educate your owner to
ways that you guys can actually communicate on a dog level.
(11:00):
And again, so it's just really dog training, you know,
saved my life. So I think, you know, we've talked
about this a little bit. I think that a lot
of the people in the animal field have a background
where they felt, whether it was growing up or at
some point in their life, it was challenging and they
felt that really the only place of comfort.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
And unconditional love came from their animals. I know for me,
like I grew up in a very tumultuous household, there
was addiction and divorce, and my dog was like my
one true outlet and so I think it's so true
where it's like it just goes deeper than just loving dogs.
It's like a it's a vocation. I would say, yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
I mean because dogs are true, they don't judge, they're
happy to see us all the time, you know. So
I think it's where people can really feel themselves, is
around something that is just there to love you so pure.
It is.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
One thing you said, and I have never heard of this.
What is dog training school like?
Speaker 1 (12:05):
So there's really not a dog training quote unquote school.
You know they're in the US. There's not certifications. Anybody
can literally wake up in the morning and say I'm
a dog trainer. That's scary, very you know, very scary.
And so when I went to California, there was a
a business that actually where you could go and pay
(12:27):
and start to learn, you know, about dog training. So
I think anybody, before you are working with clients, you're
a dog enthusiast. When you become a dog professional is
when you've actually are working with clients, you know, and
actually teaching people how to work their dogs. And so
I went to where I could just have my hands
on so many dogs because that's where it comes into
(12:48):
is you can train your own dogs, absolutely, but until
you've had your hands on so many breeds, so many temperaments,
so many personalities and all that, then you really have
cannot like you in your practice. But again it is
very scary because you can have anybody. You can google
dog training near me and there's hundreds and hundreds of
(13:09):
you know, different companies from you know, the franchises or
to somebody like me that is just you know, hey,
I've been dog trainings for you know, twelve years. But
it's all about too is when you're looking for a
dog trainer, you know, red flags are where where your
dog stays? If they won't show you where your dog
is going to be living or proof, you know, show
(13:33):
me what you've done with dogs, not your personal dog.
Because anybody that trains dogs your dogs can look fancy.
I can do all kinds of crazy things with Sailor,
but that doesn't mean that I'm going to be teaching
that to somebody else's to somebody else's dogs. So I
think again, when you are looking for a dog trainer,
you really need to dive deep into your research. You know,
talk to many people if you don't feel comfortable with them,
(13:55):
from the get go, just with a conversation, then that
trainer's probably not for you. But asking all kinds of questions,
you know.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Is it normal for clients to ask for like a
reference or a testimonial, you know?
Speaker 1 (14:07):
I think sometimes you know, you can go on Google
and you can find that. But I always tell people
when I talk to them, is if you want references,
I can give you. Yeah, I'll give you. I'll give
you a whole bunch, you know what I mean. I'm
very with my and if you follow me on Instagram,
you can see that I'm very transparent with what I do.
I'm very honest with what I do, so you can
see that when your dog is with me, all of
(14:27):
my Instagram stories are dedicated to that owner and that
dog because I am training the owner in that moment.
So you get to actually see your dog training through
the process of the time that they're with me. So
it's not like, hey, here's your dog, it's done. This
is what I've done and this is what you have
to do as well.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
I can speak from personal experience. Nicky and I met
through Wags and Walks. What I talk about all the
time on this podcast and one of my dogs. Oakly
the big German shepherd. He is a wags and walks alum,
and like so many other rescue dogs, he came to
me a little bit more timid anxiety, yes, but just
a little bit more timid. Then as he got more comfortable,
(15:06):
he was like, Ooh, I'm gonna bark on the leash
at other dogs and I'm gonna defend our house. And
I was dealing with leash reactivity and so I was
referred to you, and I can speak firsthand. It's just
how amazing you are at what you do. And I
also love your Instagram. That is so unique. I haven't
seen many other people. I don't know if anyone's doing that.
And for my husband and I was so cool to
(15:27):
follow along because all day long you're posting videos of
what you're doing. It helps us understand, Okay, this is
what we need to be doing. And just like you said,
I think that's a level of transparency that when your
dog is going to board and live somewhere else, like
you have to have that.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Oh absolutely, I mean even for my own dogs. I
know I can imagine sending my dog somewhere for a
long period of time and especially not getting updates and
like are they okay or is that going on? Yeah?
So it's great for the owners one, you know, because
you guys can see your dogs thriving, having fun. But
the reason why I do that is there is never
enough time that I can have with you to give
(16:04):
you all of my knowledge you know, on your dog,
because every dog is different. So while your dog is
with me, I tell people you are actually learning like
you are supposed to be watching these Instagram stories because
not only am I telling you what I'm doing, The
key with dog training is telling you the why why
am I doing this? Why is your dog acting that way?
And what do you need to do? And also to
(16:26):
you know I'm doing this, but why am I doing this?
So then when it comes down to whenever the dog
goes home graduation day, you guys have already been watching
for the weeks that you know, I have your dog
what's going on, so you have the knowledge, so then
we can really jump into the hands on that matters.
So you guys have that education while it's going. But
also too, I think it's really cool to see your
(16:46):
dog from day one, to see oh my god, my
dog really can do that. I know it's amazing could
do that. It's amazing. I still follow your stories.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Oakley is now home and thriving and doing great, but
I still follow the stories because I just love to
see the transformation. Yes, it's unbelievable. You do such an
amazing job. I can't say enough great things.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
What are would you say?
Speaker 2 (17:08):
The most common issues that you see are seeing dogs
being brought in for training for.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
Separation anxiety, especially after COVID. Is gonna say, true, that
was everybody, you know, I get it. All the shelters
were empty, everybody was getting dogs, which is great, and
then they were spending so much time with their dogs,
and I think that's just a journal besides COVID that
separate separation anxiety is probably the biggest, biggest thing. But
(17:33):
also to separation anxiety leads into leash reactivity, leads into
destruction behavior. So that is probably my number one thing
is I can't leave my dog alone. They hate their create,
They destroy my home, and sometimes even to owners are
prisoners of their home.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Yes, I see this all the time and practice people
will come in and talk to me about it, and
it's it is rampant, especially after COVID, and I think
that's yes, the dogs are used to having us home,
but also we were used to being home with our pets,
and so I think as owners we are also much
more hesitant to leave our animals versus before it was like,
(18:10):
you know, a little bit more commonplace.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Yeah, you know, it teaches them. You know, a lot
of dogs can't stand on their own four pause. They
just can't. So a lot of times I tell people
that your dog doesn't know how to life without you,
you know, and even too a lot of times too,
they don't know how to life with you, meaning that
you get up to go to the bathroom, here they come,
you know what I mean, You just stand up and
they're like, oh my god, where are we going? And
so they're constantly anxious because they're constantly worried about what
(18:33):
you're going to do. And so we have to teach
them actually how to life with us. And that's something
about my training is it's not about obedience. Obedience is
the easy part. Sit down, stay, that's honestly the easy part.
But what I teach is how you live with your dog,
and I teach your dog how to actually live with
you to where obedience actually comes into play.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
What would you say The hardest issue you find to train.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Is nothing to do with the dog. It is the owner.
We are the problem. It's us, and it's something that
you guys are the problem. And I tell all my
clients this, you know, when they call, I will never
judge you for anything that you've done with your dog,
because you're doing the best that you can with the
knowledge that you have. You're not dog trainers. You know,
the fact that you reached out, I will I'm very
proud of anybody that reaches out because you're trying.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
But it does take us a little bit of like
vulnerability to be like, hey, even as a veterinarian, to
be like, hey, I know everything there is to possibly
know about animals, but I can't train my own dog,
like I need help, right.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
And then a lot of times, you know, it is
a lot of people are like, well, I've had dogs
my whole life, but then they get a dog that
is different and they don't know what to do, you know,
and then reaching out and again is I don't criticize.
I don't go oh my god, you're they're to blame
or anything like that. You know, I talk it through
and I tell people this is this is what's going on.
And again I'm talking for the dog of like, this
is why your dog is acting like this. But the
(19:50):
hardest part to change is change. That's for anybody with
anything besides dog training. It's you know, somebody says, I
want to get into shape, you know, but I don't
want to go to the gym, you know, and all that,
But it's just change and taking away human emotion. That
restricting your dog from getting on the couch or on
the bed is not gonna make your dog hate you,
you know, it is actually going to just all this
(20:10):
training and boundaries, boundaries I cannot express enough and structure
is actually gonna make your dog love you even more.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
And it's so hard as an owner, I think, as
a human, just that boundaries, whether it's with our family
or our friends, yes, and then let alone our dogs
we love more than anything. It just feels so impossible,
But in the end it benefits you so much more
than not.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Oh absolutely, your dogs will little. I mean, I will
love you more and you'll actually see what I love
so much is when dogs come in, we're gonna say
day three, day four, every dog takes a big sigh
relief with me kind of like like you get thank God,
you understand here's somebody that is I can talk to you,
and it's understanding what's going on to where we can communicate.
(20:56):
And then when they go home and they start working
with owners, I feel like the owners then can take
it sigh of relief too and be like, Okay, yeah,
now we find peace in our home because we all
have that, like we have an understanding of rules, boundaries
and structure, like symbiosis it is, you know, I get
so many pictures of like, oh my god, my dog
has never been this relaxed before. My dog doesn't you know,
(21:16):
jump at the doorbell anymore, and you just kind of
what happens again, owners become prisoners of their own home
because they, instead of having their dogs learn how to
live with them we do, owners will constantly do everything
to appease their dog, like I can't stay long at
dinner because I have to go let my dogs out
kind of, and so they become prisoners. So then at
(21:37):
the end of all this training and things, it really
is something that where I can feel that owners are
again they're living with their dogs in in a more
peaceful environment.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
I know for me, it was really helpful just one
thing that you preach is consistency and clear expectations and communication.
And I think that it's nice to have someone guide
you like, Okay, this is what you should be doing,
this is why you should be doing it, and then
just knowing that your dog isn't going to be cured
like whatever they have like that, that is them. But
(22:07):
it's on us to kind of follow through and stick
with it. And it is a lot of work and
we do have to set boundaries.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
But like I said, oh absolutely, and again kind of
touching back on that finding a dog trainer. If anybody
says I can cure your dog and I can fix
your dog, run, Yeah, there is no fix. There's no
cure because if you think about my you know, always
training canines, you're literally for your dog's entire life. You're
always training, you know, and it's just become something that
it's again routine, like putting your dog on place when
(22:34):
you're eating dinner. It becomes a lifestyle of you know,
it's not just like I don't have a magic wand
I can't you know, I don't go and go to
dog your dog is cured and we'll love all dogs
and you know, and we'll do all these things. So
it does take consistency, but I layer that foundation to
where you guys can go home and you have the
tools and the knowledge to just thrive and take your
dog even further. Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
So when we were first introduced, Catherine from WAG she
introduced us and she said, hey, I have this veterinarian.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
She has a wax alum and you were like, oh boy.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
And it made me laugh because there is I think
some misconceptions or maybe it's not a misconception with trainers
and veterinarians. And it's funny because you know, as vets,
we work with animals all day long in a very
different capacity than what you do. And so where do
you think that like, what do you think that tension is?
Speaker 1 (23:25):
And I'm not going to speak for everybody, yeah, of course,
you know, but I do think where I'm going to
speak personally, Yeah, is I have a lot of you know,
I have clients to call me and you know, talked
about their dogs with separation anxiety or behavioral issues and
they tell me my dog is on a lump sum
of trasdone or Elville or ace and all these things.
(23:47):
I'm like, oh my god, so your dog is just
sedated zombie zombie, right, and they're still having issues and
you know. So at my point of course is, you know,
I don't only know how much the client tells me
that the vets, and so I'm like, oh my god,
why didn't you know? Why are they just throwing you
on all this medicine like you needed to, you know,
go to dog training, you know, you needed you know,
(24:08):
a behavior is kind of a thing, and so I
think that's where we kind of get this like, oh veterinarian. Yeah,
And of course it goes deeper into you know, food
or shots, and we could go on this long, you
know kind of thing. But I think the main thing
I get is I want to know behind closed doors.
I know you probably I don't know how many clients,
you know, clients you see in a day, and you
(24:29):
only see that dog for twenty fifteen minutes maybe, and
you get a brief you know, and probably not even
the full story of why the dog has been acting like, yes,
you know, and and again in that moment, yes again.
Safety for a dog is my number one concern. So
if the dog is breaking out of the crateon literally
like you know, hurting, themselves. Sure, okay, give that dog
(24:49):
some trisdone, But also to I want to know, do
you guys recommend that these these dogs go to training.
It's so hard.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
I think I can only speak for myself. I do
you know, you know we see twenty five appointments a
day on a busy day. Every fifteen minutes you're seeing
an appointment, and I'm in there to focus on the
medical side of things. So it's I'm doing my physical exam.
I'm trying to figure out why they're having diarrhea. I
need to update them on their vaccines. And then oh,
by the way, he's trying to kill Fluffy when we
(25:17):
go on walks and I have two minutes left in
my appointment, and so of course behavior modification is so
so so important, but when the owners at their wits end,
I do know, Like for me, I'm like, okay, well
here's a little something to hopefully help at home. I
will say, I think as veterinarians, it's so important for
us to have a list of trainers that we do recommend.
(25:38):
And that is something that I print out for every
single one of my clients when they are having behavioral complaints.
And so what I would say to owners and listeners
out there is if you're having behavioral issues with your dog, yes,
your veterinarian is a great resource, but they're probably not
going to be the first person to go to. So
I would ask them a do you have a trainer
(25:58):
that you recommend. If they don't, then just like Nikki said,
you can find them on the internet and just look
for those prerequisites that we talked about. Where they're transparent,
they have good referrals, they're showing you exactly where they're boarding.
They're not having a ton of dogs all at once,
because I agree, I mean, these it requires so much
more than just a band aid, which a lot of
times is what the medication is.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Right right, So I think, you know, again they these
dogs and they're like, oh, my dog has been them
for six months, has been on a trousdone you know,
and still breaking out, you know of crates and things
like that. But again I understand, I do as you know,
I'm not like, oh my god, these vets, you know
what I mean. Yeah, but of course even two I've
had dogs that I've trained go in that have to
wear a muzzle, you know, because the dog just hates
(26:39):
the vet. I'm sorry. The dog only sees the vet
probably only sees you what once every six months? Yeah?
If that? Yeah, yeah, And specifically I have a dog,
it's my friend's dog named Baker. Hates the vet. He
has to have a muzzle, you know what I mean.
He'll express his antal lands, which I know is one
of your favorite I've been there, but the vet would
(27:00):
be like, your dog needs to see a behavior less
or a trainer, and this dog has been through training tremendous.
This dog is a great dog, just doesn't like the vet.
And so at times I'm like really, And they'll even say,
like has told you know, my friend like we should
probably put him on trasidone and stuff. She's like, no,
he's really just he's only bad at the vet. So
a lot of times it's kind of like, you know,
(27:21):
also to training doesn't fix everything. Again, I can't do
my magic war and have the dog love to have
a thermometer.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Yeah, of course, no, of course. And I hear what
you're saying there, and that makes sense. I will say,
I think in situational instances like that, it isn't a
bad idea to give them a little something before their visit.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Just to take the edge off. Absolutely it's less stressful
for the pet.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
So by no means, I think trasidone absolutely has its
place and can be more safe and less stressful for
the animal and the veterinarian. But again it's not necessarily
that like long term fix for behavioral issues.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
And I think the other thing is, you know, whenever
I was told you were a vet, I was like,
what is your thoughts on training tools? You know, I
mean a lot of times, you know, I do know
that some vets, again I'm not speaking for all of them.
Some vets you know, only recommend all positive training, and
when it comes to serious behaviors, I'm sorry, a hot
dog isn't gonna get to your dog to stop barking,
(28:19):
you know, do the trick. So I think again, I
really do wish, you know, if somebody were to say,
what would be in your perfect world is that veterinarians
and trainers work together. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
Maybe we're going to break the mold exactly, I know,
all right, Yeah, I think there's a place, and I
think I'm sure it happens all the time, but we
probably all could be a little bit better at it,
for sure.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
If you think about all the knowledge you have, the
knowledge I have, how many dogs? I mean at our
goal is you're trying to save dogs and make them
feel better. I'm trying to save dogs and make them
feel better. Why can't we jump on the bandwagon.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Together and dude together, Absolutely, we're going to drive that bandwagon.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
What is your most favorite dog to train? Breed? Wise
Wise has a good question.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
It doesn't have to be a breed either. I guess
it could be like a general.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Just working dogs working I mean your cattle dogs, or
you know, just any any working dog. To be honest,
I mean to be if I was just being just
completely honest, any dog. I love to train any dog
because they're all different, you know what I mean? All different,
and so every dog. Yes, at the end of the day,
I have an end goal result. Every dog brings to
me something different and I learn from every dog. Now,
(29:39):
I think the question probably was which dogs do I
not like to train? Yeah? Which ones do you not
like to train? To be honest is this is probably
gonna make people laugh shit suos. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Morgan, our producer is laughing right now because she has
a shit suh.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
These dogs don't want to do anything. You know, you
could put a mortgage board of reads. They don't care steak,
and you could say sit, and that dog is going
to huff and roll its size and look the opposite way.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
You're Actually, it's so funny you say that. And sorry, Morgan,
not to throw your shit, Toder.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
I still love training them. Just air them, just pick
them up.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Yeah, exactly. They're like little gremlins. I do love them.
They're so cute. But you're right, like our German chupherds
and our pointers in our labs, they're like, we want
to make you happy, We'll do whatever you say. And
the little lap dogs are a little bit more like, eah,
I'm good.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Yeah, I mean I always like the dogs with attitude.
Those are my dogs. Chihuaala's ye give me a good Chiuala.
I'm ready to train all day.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
A whole year, preach into the choir. Okay, I'm gonna
rapid fire some breeds at you. Okay, I'd like you
to like say the first two to three words that
come to mind. And I want to preface this by
saying that we love all breeds. This is not to
stereotype them, but these are the most common breeds that
I see in practice. I'm sure you do too, and
I just like, I think it'd be funny to see
what the first couple words that come to mind are.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Okay, hopefully we can anything out.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
Yeah, no cussing, okay, number one French bulldogs.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
One Golden Retrievers. Good old boy, good old boy.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
Aren't they just the good as the boys pass as
golden doodles?
Speaker 1 (31:13):
Oh? The dudes? The dudes mm hmm, high strung. Maybe
to be honest, they doodles. To be honest, I do.
I train a lot of doodles, great dogs. They just
need training, you know. But I think this is a
lot of time soon we talk about dog breeds. It's
not the breed, it's how somebody has the breed. So
(31:35):
doodles are known to be your I don't have kids,
and this is my first baby, and these dogs come
in spoiled, rotten. That's what a doodle is. Those are
two words I like that touaas love them, perfect, love them.
I'm sorry I was speaking for you. Wag sends me,
you know, all their feisty chihuahuas, and I'm surprised I
(31:56):
have not foster failed yet, not yet. Pit bull sweethearts.
Australian Shepherds feisty, spicy like that. Standard poodles intelligent. If
anybody were to ask me again, if you were like, hey,
what kind of breed would you recommend to people, Toy
(32:17):
poodles or standard poodles are probably your perfect I agree,
perfect dog for anybody to have. A lot of times
people pass them because of the looks. But anytime I've
trained any kind of poodle, they've never had any issues.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Yeah, they as a vet like coming into the clinic.
They are perfect gentlemen or ladies. They just stand there perfectly,
and they're so smart. Yes, I love them. Corky's Fighters,
they are biers. People love Corgies because they're so cute,
and those little butts are so cute that they.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Bite and they bite. They're like rattlesnakes.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
They are cavalier. King Charles Spaniel.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
Perfect dog dog. If you're looking for you live in
an apartment, or you are retired and you're looking for
that that you just a lap dog, choking.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
Cat, cavies, boxers, goofballs.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
I've never been able to see a dog touch its
nose to its tail in so many different directions, and
our goofy and just that face. I love them. They
are goofy miniature Schnauzer. I loveuers. They're one of the
most underrated breeds for me. Yeah, I have just Am.
I'm actually training one right now to be an alert
sound alert service dog for a veteran and he is
(33:30):
a standard Snauzer and just and he's great. Great, They're
awesome great Danes.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
They don't live long enough. I know that wasn't two words.
They don't live long enough. And I'd say scaredy cats,
gentle giant. They're like the elephant that's scared of the
mountain lap dog. Yes, I had a great Dan and
she definitely did not live long enough. I would have
loved her to live forever, but she was scared of
her own shadow. Yeah, the best. All right, that was
so fun. We're gonna take a quick break and we'll
(33:57):
be right back with Pallen Order. All right, this week
on Paw and Order, the first thing on my list
is I would not train my dog to use bells
or chimes to go outside when they have to go potty. Nicky,
I'm sure you can speak to this, but I have
found that they abuse the bells and chimes, and.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
They're just like, give me attention. They use an abuse.
They may just want to go outside and stretch, or
they just want it to get your attention. And then
a lot of clients I have still have accidents. They
may rang the bell twenty five times a day and
stuck off to go to the bathroom. It just becomes
kind of a toy, you know, to get your attention. Structure, schedule.
I when people ask me about potty training, it's my
(34:37):
potty training is I let my dogs know and they
need to go to the bathroom. It's a schedule, one
hundred percent. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
And when they're puppies, I think people think, oh my gosh,
this is great, like they're telling me when they have
to go, But when their puppies like, just no, they
have to go all the time. So every thirty seconds,
every ten seconds, you're taking them out, when they eat,
when they drink, when they wake up from a nap,
after they're done playing that you just need to preemptively
take them outside, and them ringing bells is just teaching
(35:04):
them bad behaviors. I think Nikki used the word it
turns them into little narcissists, which I thought was very funny.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
It does you know it's funny? I mean because they will.
They'll also ring the bells when you're on a zoom
when you're eating dinner, They're just like, hey, I want attention,
I want out, And most of the time they don't
go to the bathroom.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Yeah, they've got you wrapp around their little paul absolutely
all right. Number two, I would not put my dog
that is already pulling me into a harness.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Oh why not?
Speaker 2 (35:30):
You probably do you? Is there any dog you would
put in a harness?
Speaker 1 (35:34):
Elderly? Okay? So I have a fifteen year old Border
Collie Charlie Brown that if I needed to take her somewhere,
you know, the harness does work because she does stumble,
you know, and kind of fall. It kind of helps
give support. But harnesses, yes, the only time I would
recommend them is for puppies. When you first get a puppy,
I don't want anything around their neck because you have
(35:55):
to teach them how to use that call or how
to have leash pressure. So on puppies. All of my
puppies they come home and they're on a harness because
then you can sit on your puppy, which means they
are on a leash and they're in that harness twenty
four to seven, so you're giving them you know, they're
with you, so they don't have free access to the house.
But harnesses for puppies one hundred percent until you get
into that training stage, which would be about like four
(36:16):
months old.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
I agree with that too, and not even coming from
a training background, but more of a medical background.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
They're tiny little necks.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
They're just so fragile, and I've seen dogs really get
hurt with the leash and the collar around their neck.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
So harnesses for sure with puppies. Absolutely, harnesses is just
a great thing to get them used to it. And
then harness is to for dogs. Now I'm a big
advocate on riding traveling with your dogs and crates in
the car, but if you can't, that seat belt harness
because it keeps them from flying around in the car.
So that kind of thing. But if you are wanting
your dog not to pull, do not put a harness
(36:50):
on them. That's what harnesses are for. They are used
to you know, pull sleds or you know things like
that that harnesses are for that. So don't put your
dog on a harness.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
Yeah, you're just setting yourself up to like water ski
behind your dog. Yes, you're just sled dog and it
is what I call it, literally sled dogging it all right.
Number three, I would not free feed. This means leaving
out food all day long for your pets to graze.
I think it's really important to have structured feeding times. One,
if you are potty training, that makes it really difficult.
(37:20):
You've got food and water going in one end and
then coming out the other end. Willy nilly, you just
don't know exactly. And then be you can really create
a monster, you can.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
You know, it's sad. I'm sorry. You see this a
lot of obese beast dogs. It's easy to put on
the weight, it's hard to take it off right. But
then also too is you are missing a phenomenal training
opportunity with your dog. Now, I don't care if it's
in a bowl, but feed that dog from your hand.
Get your dog to sit, to place, to down, to come,
just working on that engagement because your dog, you know,
(37:52):
that's a resource. You know, I want my dog to
understand that food play affection comes from me. And again
you're missing that huge opportunity you know, for just reefeeding.
But Also, I see so many dogs, especially doodles, picky eaters. Yes,
they're very picky. They will cover. They will come to
me in training with three to go bags with if
(38:13):
my dog doesn't eat this, put this on it, and
if it doesn't eat that, then you're gonna need to
put this on it. And I'm like no, because that
all that does is teach our dogs that the longer
I wait, the better things that come.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
Yes, they know they'll wait, and they'll be like, if
I wait a whole two hours, I get cheese. If
I wait five hours, I get filet mignon. Yes, If
I wait twenty four, I'm getting wagoo beef.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
Yes exactly. And I'm getting it hand fed to me
with a four on a silver platter, Yes exactly. So
it's just you know, I that is a big struggle
with people, is you know, if the feeding is my
dog is a picky eater, you're making your dog a
picky eater. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
I think so much we project on our pets, and
the fact of the matter is if they're hungry, they
will eat. So I really recommend two feedings a day,
unless otherwise directed.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
By your vet.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
If they're a puppy, that may be an exception, but
morning and night, lay that food bowl down, give them
ample amount of time to eat.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
My dogs get about fifteen to twenty minutes.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
If they don't finish their meal or they don't eat it,
we pick it up and wait till the next feeding time.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
Exactly exactly, because I believe you know you can quote
me if I'm wrong. As a veterinarian, I don't think
dogs will starve themselves.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
It would be highly unlikely. I haven't encountered one yet, right, right,
I haven't met many. All right, awesome, Well, today's episode
was great. I really appreciate you coming on.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
Thank you for having me. It was a blast.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
You're so welcome, And for all the listeners out there,
please rate, review, subscribe. You can click the link of
the show notes to leave us any questions that you
have and we'll see you next week. L
Host
Bobby Bones
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Crime Junkie
If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.