Send us a text Happy Spicy Dog Mama Monday (A mini series) Start your week off with a reminder that you are awesome . "Two steps forward and one step back is still one step forward" - Rosa Diaz, Brooklyn 99 Reactivity is hard. You are allowed to be frustrated, tired, discouraged. But keep showing up for you & your dog. Want to join the conversation? Send me a message [email protected] Follow me on instagram Follow Reys journey! Check out my book Rescuing Reese a story about a fearful P...
Nov 18, 2024•3 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Send us a text Ah it's been a while hasn't it. That seems to be how I do things lately. Please join me in an unedited update on my life. (Okay I edited a LITTLE- but I just don't have time for that anymore!) Life is wild... in a good way. And I want to share what's been going on, if you care! Remember... this is a judgement free zone Join the conversation! Send me a message :) [email protected] www.instagram.com/spicydogmama www.instagram.com/mylittlepibble RESCUING REESE - the story of ho...
Oct 31, 2024•28 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Send us a text Happy National Kids and Pets Day! A not at all made up, totally familiar, and obviously nation-wide celebrated as the day to appreciate the relationship between children and their companions... Did you sense the sarcasm? I hope I'm not the only one who just found out about this day, but it's a good excuse for an episode! I'm going to chat about my experiences with kids and dogs and what I'm doing right now to raise one little boy to be so well versed in dog behavior and the most r...
Apr 26, 2024•22 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Send us a text As a spicy dog mama to my beloved bully, Rey, I am all too familiar with breed discrimination and am a huge advocate for "Don't Bully My Breed". For this episode I reached out to dog mom, Sarah (better known on instagram as @MolsonandMyatheMaltese) to discuss the "bullying" or struggles that she goes through as the owner of small dogs who also get too much hate, and what it has been like dealing with reactivity. Her less than 5lb hiking buddies are not toys, nor does their reactiv...
Dec 31, 2023•32 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Send us a text And we're back again! With an honest update of the last few months and what I haven't shared on social media. As our reactivity journey continues with its ups and downs, we cannot help but compare ourselves, our training, our progress and fall backs, with what we see on the dogstagram. We had come so far and then things changed so drastically; we aren't where we used to be while others continue to succeed. And it's hard. Oh and I'm 35 weeks pregnant. Instagram: @spicydogmama / @my...
Jul 26, 2023•21 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Send us a text Another unedited update on our lives and the big changes that we've gone through in the last three months. After a year in our apartment Rey was regressing and her reactivity/anxiety was getting really bad. After a few months we were able to find a house to move into with my partner Devan in January 2023. We have discovered new challenges living in our home and we have been navigating these together. Trying to help Rey with all of these changes has been a journey in itself, dealin...
Mar 14, 2023•20 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Send us a text Your dog wants you to take care of yourself. If you are feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, stressed, frustrated... then your dog is probably feeling it too. You are doing so much, working so hard, putting your all into your dog. That is AMAZING! But you can get burnt out, and you need to make sure that you are also taking the time to take care of YOU. This episode happened by accident when I was talking to Cait (@FreddyandtheStorm) about her relationships & breakups involving dog...
Dec 13, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Send us a text We don't talk enough about the grief that comes with a break up. We also don't truly know the pain of losing a dog until it happens to you. What about losing a dog during a break up...? That is a pain only a few understand. But then there is the other side of it. You keep the dog but they lose a very special person in their life. Perhaps your dog lost a furry sibling. On Part Five of the dogs & dating series we take a turn and talk about something not everyone can relate to bu...
Dec 06, 2022•33 min
Send us a text The fourth part of the dogs and dating series; the dog mom perspective. A collection of experiences, thoughts, opinions and expectations when it comes to dating and owning dogs. Though dog moms & dog dads value, care and love our dogs all the same - there are still some differences when it comes to what we want & need in a relationship! I got to have two interviews, one with Charleigh and one with Ashleigh, both dog moms to non-reactive dogs, though have experiences with r...
Nov 29, 2022•31 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Send us a text Tyler, 'the mostly harmless accounant', share's his experience in the dating world as a single guy in this thirties who does not own a dog. We got to talk about some of his thoughts, opinions and feelings on dating dog moms. He has many stories to share, and unfortunately not all could make the cut, but the parts that made it in could potentially be very valuable to us dog moms especially those who are single and dating. (Or at least some food for thought). Part One : The Dog Fath...
Nov 22, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Send us a text Part two of the Dogs & Dating series I get to talk with my sister Courtney, dog auntie extraordinaire. She is a single woman who does not own a dog and shares her stories, opinions and expectations when it comes to dating men with dogs. She has experience with my three dogs and how very different they were, and has been a huge part of their lives - she also understands so much about dog behaviour and reactivity because of it! As dog owners there could be some things we can lea...
Nov 15, 2022•23 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Send us a text This week was supposed to be part two of the Dogs & Dating Series. But I took a step back because I am lacking the energy and mental capacity to work on that series right now. So instead I thought I would be vulnerable, transparent and honest in an unedited update of the unfortunate events in my life that have brought me to this moment. Owning a reactive dog is hard and it's also a roller coaster. There are highs and lows, and sometimes you ride that high for so long that you ...
Nov 08, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Send us a text Part One of the Dogs & Dating series we get to hear from four different dog dads. Hayden, Eddie, Tyson and Jeff are all single dog dads who share their perspective on what dating is like while owning a dog. What their priorities, expectation, and deal breakers are. You may remember Eddie from Season One, he is a dog trainer at Classic Canine K9 and also a dog handler at a structured doggy daycare. He was on Episode Nine 'Handling Reactivity' where we heard more about his story...
Nov 01, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Send us a text Julia joins us to talk about her one year old Belgian Malinois/Border Collie mix, Kilo. She shares her training journey- getting a mix of two incredibly high energy, high drive working breeds. Breaking stereotypes about the breeds and training in a way that matched her values and works for her dog! He's not a reactive boy. But with experience with reactive dogs and from hearing about others to the dog community. It has affected the way that they train and live their everyday life ...
Sep 27, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Send us a text Dog handler/trainer Eddie from Classic K9 Academy based in Toronto shares his experiences with his first dog, having absolutely zero dog experience and from there what he's learned and how he got to where he is today. Finding a professional trainer is such an important step in your journey with your reactive dog. Do your research into trainers that will suit you and your dog and align with what you want to achieve and also what you believe in. Any experience/training processes or ...
Sep 20, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Send us a text Being face with the same scenarios repeatedly (off leash dogs in on-leash areas, "don't worry he's friendly", and the dirty looks or snide remarks when you ask them to leash their dogs), leave us frustrated and angry. Over time we grow increasingly tired of the same barriers and obstacles that we face while trying to help our dogs with their reactivity, we may find ourselves growing quite reactive ourselves... Or maybe it's just me. The question is, am I more reactive than my dog?...
Sep 13, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Send us a text On our second guest interview we get to talk to Emily, dog mom to Dolly, a rescue potcake from the Bahamas. She shares her story about adopting Dolly, the obstacles that they've faces along the way and what she has learned on their journey to get the where they are today. From thinking that her dog was friendly with all dogs and people, to the realization that she is in fact selective with all dogs and people and how she manages her environments to keep Dolly safe, to trust Emily ...
Sep 06, 2022•31 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Send us a text Adjusting my expectations for the dog and puppy that I thought I was going to have, versus what I ended up with. You dreamed of raising your puppy or adopting a dog into your life that could go on adventures with you and love absolutely everyone and everything, but turns our your dog is not as social as you thought they would be; they don't enjoy all dogs or maybe none at all. It's difficult coming to the realization that you may never have the dog you thought you would, and that ...
Aug 30, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Send us a text The things that reactive dog owners want everyone else to know and do differently. Owning a reactive dog is hard and we are constantly facing obstacles in and outside of our home. But there is something that other dog owners, the 'friendly' dog owners can do differently which would make a huge difference in our ability to train our dogs and feel safe. I was once the unknowing dog owner, who didn't have a clue that other dogs can be anxious or not like other dogs, and what harm can...
Aug 23, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Send us a text What are you first thoughts when you see a dog with a muzzle? Are they aggressive? Should you be nervous? Muzzles have been a huge part of our training journey and have helped us tremendously to get to where we are today. There are so many different reasons why a dog may be wearing a muzzle and I want to dive into that. I want to change the way people see muzzles. Muzzles = a responsible owner. Muzzled dogs are good dogs. Resources for muzzles/muzzle training: www.instagram.com/mu...
Aug 16, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Send us a text On this episode I get to interview my FIRST guest host! A really good friend of mine who I had just met this year at training at Mango Dogs. She shares her story about raising her pup Archer from 8 weeks and where his reactivity started, what they did to overcome it and where they are now. Because it's not 'all in how you raise them'. Instagram Spicy Dog Mama https://www.instagram.com/spicydogmama/ Archer https://www.instagram.com/archer.thesablegsd/ Rey https://www.instagram.com/...
Aug 09, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Send us a text A rescue, a Golden, a Puppy - oh my! In this episode I share where I started in 2018 with my fear-aggressive rescue, what made me decide to get a puppy, and then how I ended up living with my ex and his hyperactive golden, with all three dogs under the same roof. There is SO much more to my story but these are some big moments which include a lot of big mistakes. I'm being very real in this episode and I hope that I can relate to you in some way as I share my journey - all of the ...
Aug 02, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Send us a text In this episode I touch on what reactivity is in dogs, what does it look like and where it may come from. I go into a bit of my story and what reactivity looked like for my rescue Reese who has since passed, and for my puppy Rey. I'm not an expert or professional trainer so I only offer some tips on how to get started on your journey for dealing with reactivity. I also talk about a well meaning phrase "It's all in how you raise them" and how I feel about this phrase and that I rea...
Jul 26, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Send us a text An introduction to me (Cassidy) and my girl Rey, a sweet but pyscho (kidding kind of) Pibble. In 2018 I rescued a dog named Reese who changed everything I thought I knew about dogs and training. In 2019 I brought home my puppy (Rey), and shortly thereafter my now-ex moved in with his hyperactive Golden, Riley. The past four years I have grown so much as a dog mom. I trained these three VERY different dogs and learned so much about dog behaviour, reactivity, and training in general...
Jul 19, 2022•2 min
