Paws & Reward Podcast

In episode 53, Marissa speaks with Emily Strong about a necessary and possibly under-utilized skill for all behavior consultants to exercise and teach their clients- critical thinking. Critical thinking is defined as the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment. Critical thinking is to be done objectively—meaning without influence from personal feelings, opinions, or biases—and focuses solely on factual information. How can we be sure we are thinking critically and what are some common pitfalls? Critical thinking skills are essential if we want to make informed decisions. It impacts all aspects of our lives.

Join Marissa Martino and Laura Monaco Torelli for a conversation about cooperative care. Laura has a ton of experience working with many different species, teaching and training them complex, difficult behaviors. I had the pleasure of working with her on cooperative care techniques with Sully as he aged. Her compassionate approach towards the dog and the caregiver is amazing. During this episode, we discuss what cooperative care looks like, how to support the dog, and how to support the caregiver. 

Join Marissa Martino and Claire Goyer for a conversation about building community. Claire works for Grisha Stewart's Amazing Online Academy, where she builds community and helps people shine. Working in the dog training profession can be isolating at times for a variety of reasons. It's critical to be able to develop a community to support yourself. If you're a trainer, hobbyist, or pet parent, this episode is a must to help you feel less alone in raising and caring for dogs and their people. 

Join Marissa Martino and Sarah Stremming to discuss Marissa's recent solo trip to Peru. They discuss what the street dogs of Peru taught Marissa about life, how both Sarah and Marissa are integrating these concepts, and their invitation to pet parents and trainers. Sneak peek: What is the gift and opportunity in allowing all behavior and emotions? 

In episode 49, Sarah Stremming and I will be talking about the necessary strategies used to strengthen and maintain a healthy relationship between the dogs in your home. Some of the topics we discuss involve proactive management strategies to prevent inter-household aggression, ways to increase your observation skills, and training skills to teach your dogs to achieve harmony. Sarah Stemming is the owner of The Cognitive Canine and podcast host of Cog-Dog Radio. 

Join me as I speak with Andrew Hale (Bsc, ISCP.Dip.Canine.Prac), the owner, principal trainer and behaviorist at Train Positive in the UK, about emotional awareness and how that applies to dog training. 

Both animals and humans have individual emotional care needs. They both need validation, positive reinforcement, and permission to make mistakes. Working with dogs can show us how to be more emotionally available to others. Listen to the episode to learn more about what we can learn from dogs and their emotional experience, switching from a task-oriented approach to a care-oriented approach, and Andrew's acronyms TEA and CAKE! 

In episode 47, Dr. Chris Pachel and I will be talking about The Humane Hierarchy for both our dogs and their people. The Humane Hierarchy is a framework that trainers, behavior consultants, and veterinary behaviorists use when working with their clients. It's an ethical approach, inviting professionals to develop a behavior modification plan rooted in least intrusive, minimally aversive options.   

Since I love listening to Dr. Pachel explain this framework, I knew he’d be the perfect guest for the show. As we discuss each step of the Humane Hierarchy, we provide examples of what it would look like in real life. This episode is for both pet professionals and pet parents.

I am so excited to announce the launch of season 3. The first episode starts with Ursa Acree! She is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, Certified Professional Dog Trainer, and Fear Free Certified Trainer. She is the Training Manager at Behavior Vets in Colorado where she works collaboratively with vet behaviorists and veterinarians specializing in pain. Together they treat the animal holistically addressing the animal’s emotional, physical, and behavioral needs. This is why she was the perfect guest to bring on the podcast to discuss just how often pain is affecting our dogs and their behavior.

Join Marissa Martino in this bonus episode where she talks about her experience with grief as she says goodbye to her best friend of 13.5 years, Sully. This episode is a tribute to the lessons he taught her (even at the last moment) and their special relationship. Marissa hopes all pet parents will find solace and comfort through her words. Sharing our lives with dogs is such a beautiful gift and we can all agree that there isn't enough time.

In Episode 44, Marissa is joined by her friend and colleague Jenna Teti of Think Smart Dog Training to discuss what their roles as dog trainers and behavior consultants entail. What does the title of “dog trainer” encompass? What’s expected of them and how can they meet those expectations? For pet parents, knowing what to expect from a good trainer and consultant is key to finding the right fit for you.

In episode 43 of the podcast, Marissa invites Michael Shikashio on the podcast to talk about inter-household aggression. During this episode, Michael defines what inter-household aggression is, what his favorite management strategies are, and what every pet parent that is experiencing this concern should know. They also discuss how they as behavior consultants determine risk in each case and how to support the pet parent through this challenging situation. 

In episode 42, Marissia is joined by Amy Creaven to discuss the importance of muzzle training for your dog. Amy Creaven is a recovering ICU nurse and has been a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner since 2010. Prior to COVID-19, she worked with all types of canine behavioral cases privately. Currently, she is a work-from-home mother of two non-fur children and one amazing furry sidekick the Marvelous Ms. Moya as well as a multitude of chickens. Amy also teaches positive reinforcement rattlesnake avoidance workshops and a Fear Free Handling and Cooperative Care lab to the veterinary students at Colorado State University.

In Episode 41, Marissa is joined by Dr. Amy Cook as they discuss the best ways to play with our dogs. As many listeners might know, Amy is the creator of the Play Way, a wonderful framework used to help pet parents drop in, connect, and play with their dogs. One might think they don’t need help learning how to play with their dog, but trust me, you most likely do! 

In Episode 40, Marissa is joined by Dr. Jessica Higgins, host of the Empowered Relationship Podcast. They will be discussing resentment in our relationships- both human and canine. Dr. Jessica Higgins holds two graduate degrees in psychology, two coaching certifications, and over 20 years of experience helping clients achieve successful results. She helps people navigate the terrain of long-lasting intimacy more skillfully and mindfully. Through her coaching and online course, clients transform pain into love and connection. That type of connection can be found in all relationships. Many pet parents experience resentment from time to time. What can we do to be proactive in our relationships and heal from resentment?

In episode 39 of the podcast, Marissa and Lisa Mullinax will be talking about how to get through the teenage period with our dogs. Adolescence can be hard on both the dog and the pet parent. Behavior can change quickly from snuggly puppy to energetic teen who loves to push the boundaries. Marissa and Lisa give advice about how to handle this challenging stage without creating a bigger problem for the future.

On today’s episode, Marissa and Terrie Hayward talk about the training process for deaf dogs and dogs with hearing loss. Since Marissa is less experienced in this area, she thought Terrie would be the perfect person to speak to on this subject. Her book "A Deaf Dog Joins the Family" is an invauable resource and Marissa urges anyone with a deaf or hard of hearing dog to check it out!

Join Marissa Martino interview Kiki Yablon about barking! So many pet parents reach out to trainers and behavior consultants in hopes to reduce or even stop their dog’s barking behavior. And, let's face it, barking can be startling to our nervous systems, and according to us, it’s not a socially acceptable behavior, even though, well, they are dogs?! In this conversation, we tackle the reasons dogs bark and how to help them find other ways to communicate with us.

Join Marissa Martino as she interviews her client and dear friend, Liz, aka Titan’s mom. Marissa has been wanting to highlight clients on the podcast and Liz was the perfect choice! Liz shares her experience of the behavior modification process from her lens. They discuss how important our mindset is during this process, specifically, how important it is to celebrate neutral responses from our dogs instead of getting hung up on only looking for positive responses.

Join Marissa Martino interview Dr. Chris Pachel as he shares the process and benefits of teaching relaxation to his canine clients. They start off the episode defining what relaxation is, discuss existing protocols, and why this is such a critical skill for the patients in his behavior practice. Dr. Pachel walks us through specific examples and how he integrates this exercise into the behavior modification plan for individual dogs. It’s a MUST listen!