In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with Aileen Cronin, the founder of Dogs of Scottsdale and the creator of Baby Pack Leader . We dove into a fascinating discussion about the intersection of dog training and family life, particularly focusing on how to navigate the challenges of integrating dogs into a household with young children. Aileen shares some insightful anecdotes about her experiences with both dogs and kids, highlighting how the dynamics between them can be both rewarding a...
Sep 18, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 120
In this episode I talk about training collars. Are they right for you? And if so, what kind of training collar do you choose for your dog, and just as important... what kind to choose for your dog/owner combination? For those who may be opposed to the idea of a training collar, I still urge you to listen. After training hundreds of dogs I have some ideas to share that might help with your decision on the matter. Today's episode is sponsored by The Swiftest . Instead of doing all of the research ...
May 08, 2024•36 min•Ep. 119
In this episode I talk about natural transitional rewards. Many may not have heard the term, but a lot of you may have used them in the training of your dog whether you realize it or not. If you want to do a real dive into the behavioral part of training, I encourage you to listen to my two episodes on conditioning - Session 73: Skinner's Four Quadrants Part One , and Session 74: Skinner's Four Quadrants Part Two . I'll talk about the conditioning baked into every day interactions with your dog ...
Dec 06, 2023•31 min•Ep. 118
In this episode, I dive into the world of teen puppy training, and exploring the challenges and rewards of raising a well-behaved canine companion. Whether you're a new or experienced dog owner, join me as I discuss some tactics for a successful training journey. The Teenage Phase of Puppy Training During the teenage phase of puppy training, expect your dog to undergo significant changes in behavior and temperament. This phase usually occurs around 4 to 8 months of age and can be characterized b...
Jun 30, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 117
In this episode, I talk about using a modified version of the approach I talked about in session 115 so that you can train a puppy. Just like you'd teach your children differently than you would teach them as an adult, there are incremental parts of the process that apply differently to a puppy. As I mentioned with adult dogs, this is fundamental training that is typically one of the first lessons I teach in person. To review the session for adult dogs, check out session 115 here . The reality o...
Mar 15, 2023•29 min•Ep. 116
We're going to go through a protocol to help train your dog (over 7 months old) to stop jumping on you or others. I'll address the two key scenarios that come up regarding jumping. One scenario, where you live alone and they jump on you. And then another scenario where someone else comes up to visit and your dog jumps on them because they're excited to see them! I'll provide some setup for those of you who may be new to the podcast; the goal is to help you understand the step-by-step process tha...
Jan 27, 2023•46 min•Ep. 115
Session 113 covered some training goals to teach a dog to stop certain behaviors, specifically barking and "counter conditioning". I was surprised to find that Session 113 brought on a record amount of feedback! I got a lot of positive response, but some criticism as well. In this episode I respond to some of that, including a letter from someone who suggested that they were a trainer, and took issue with some of the content in session 113. I wasn't sure where in the show they heard it, but one ...
Dec 27, 2022•38 min•Ep. 114
In this episode I'll cover some training goals to teach a dog to stop doing something. Barking is one of the key areas of focus, as well as a discussion on "counter conditioning". Some may ask if they should do the "lab oriented" counter conditioning or another technique. My approach involves assessing where your dog is on a spectrum, and I'll explain the range. It can also be useful to determine for other areas of training. Some may be driven by a defensive approach, a territorial approach, etc...
Nov 16, 2022•39 min•Ep. 113
In today's episode I'll go over some mistakes some people make in food treat training and how to avoid making your dog hyper when using food in training. I don't typically use food as my standard training method (which you've probably learned if you've listened to my podcast for a while). There are instances where it is helpful, and there are very different methods depending upon your dogs age, personality, and upbringing, etc. I'll talk about instances where I use food for training and areas fo...
Nov 01, 2022•40 min•Ep. 112
Today I speak with Kellee Zenk, who has a very interesting origins that led her to dog training. She's the founder of Dogs Decoded , based in Minnesota. Kellee has a background in training bears and elephants! We discuss how she got started in that area and how it led to where she is today. Kellee got her start at private zoos in Minnesota and loved training bears and really enjoyed marker and clicker training. She talks about some early mistakes and talks about the full range of experiences. Ke...
Jun 15, 2022•57 min•Ep. 111
On this episode I introduce Melissa Stagnaro, the Vice President of American Retteungshunde Sport Association . With the long name, it is commonly nicknamed "RH". They are an organization that does "sport" search and rescue. This is a great sport for your dog that is incredibly unique, and focuses on some pretty high-level activities for fun and exercise. We talk about the origins. FCI, (which is the International Dog Federation) partnered up with a newly formed group called the International Re...
May 23, 2022•38 min•Ep. 110
On this episode I talk with Elaine Rosen , President and CEO of Dog Lodge, based in Texas. She also is the host of the podcast, Dog Lodge Radio . Dog Lodge is a great non-profit that deals with elderly and special needs dogs. It is essentially a senior dog retirement home and hospice care facility. They focus on providing a permanent home to dogs whose futures are particularly bleak. They concentrate primarily on dogs that may have come from shelters, rescues, and some private homes. Elaine and ...
Oct 31, 2021•39 min•Ep. 109
On this episode, I sit down with Brad Bevill , who is an incredibly talented dog behavior expert. Brad's focus for dogs is teaching them to be in a follower mindset and balanced emotionally. Brad's focus for people is teaching them to be fair, and consistent leaders for their dogs, and to teach them how to fulfill their dog's lives more profoundly. Brad and I talk about how he discovered this passion of his, how he transitioned from the corporate world, and what his mission has been since 2013. ...
Oct 15, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 108
Andi Brown is the author of The Whole Pet Diet, an interesting book on dog and cat nutrition. It's been a bit of a theme for the last few episodes. This is the end of that "mini-series" on nutrition for now, but I felt this story was a great way to round that all out. How She Started Andi's story about her interest in pet nutrition that set her on this course starts with a personal account from the 80's of her own cat who had a host of health issues. Told that it was simply a genetic disease tha...
Sep 28, 2021•36 min•Ep. 107
Sean McDaniel interviews Dr. Gary Richter , a veterinarian from Oakland, California. Dr. Richter is an author and a designer of pet nutritional products and has a lot of interesting approaches to veterinary medicine as well as dog and cat nutrition. The Ultimate Pet Health Guide , written by Dr. Richter, was originally approached to focus on the health benefits of fresh, whole food nutrition, but as he wrote it, it soon went into some of the common health challenges that he sees with pets. He ad...
Sep 17, 2021•37 min•Ep. 106
This new book by Michael Wombacher is an incredibly illustrated and interesting book that I felt warranted another conversation! Michael's book has just been released and we sat down to discuss it. Making a photo rich book that used the images as so much of the story was something he really wanted to do, but he talks about the intense challenges that come with it! It was over two and a half years in the making and has just been released . We go in depth about what "integrated dog training" means...
Aug 25, 2021•35 min•Ep. 105
Jen Sotolongo joins us on this episode to talk about her Adventure Dog Camps! What they're about, how she got started, and who the camp is designed for (dogs and humans). Sean and Jen discuss some of the unique things that many don't realize are essential for a dog to learn prior to going on an adventure like this. Jen shares some interesting stories about different types of challenges and wonderful learning and bonding opportunities exist with these adventures. Jen focuses on the following adve...
Aug 09, 2021•45 min•Ep. 104
Mike has trained dogs for over 25 years, including dogs of celebrities, and is an author and lecturer. He is the author of Good Dog, Happy Baby: Preparing Your Dog for the Arrival of Your Child, There's A Puppy In The House: Surviving the First Five Months, and has another coming soon. We discuss how he got started in the dog training business and what methods of training inspired him to explore more in the business. We talk about some key factors for people who are trying to find a good trainer...
Jun 30, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 103
Dr. Lori Cesario is a leader in the field of veterinary oncology. We've spoken before, but you won't want to miss this follow up interview. It's packed full of useful tools - case studies for specific breeds, where to find the best solutions and preventative steps you can take to keep your dog's risk of getting cancer low. Lori talks about steps to take to gain a better understanding of some of the characteristics - where we live, how our dog compares in size to their breed, when and whether the...
Mar 15, 2021•30 min•Ep. 102
We have a new conversation with Eric Letendre, a great trainer based in the Massachusetts area. Last time I spoke to Eric ( in episode 66 ) he'd published his first book, The Deadly Dog Training Myth . There is so much conversation about remote training collars, but specifically a lot of misunderstandings about what they are for and what they can do. And it is important to note that a lot of understanding can be gained with this technology by understanding Skinner's Four Quadrants. I talked abou...
Jan 02, 2021•51 min•Ep. 101
On this, our 100th episode, I am going to give a consolidated answer to a question that comes up a lot. When and why I use food as a trainer, when and why I don't use food, and when and why I do or don't use corrections or dog collars. It's all connected, and it's time we dive in on this particular subject. So much of the confusion about this group of topics is that, like everything, for every trainer there is a different opinion. And it's easy to take one specific episode (of the previous 99) a...
Nov 15, 2020•35 min•Ep. 100
On this episode I talk to Brooke Mihajlovich, a dog trainer who has recently started her practice to Washington state from Indiana. Brooke focuses on remote training collars to help with training without a leash. She and her husband both shared a love of Doberman's, and part of their passion to make sure that their new dogs were well trained. Her participation in training her dog sparked her love and talent for training dogs herself. Brooke's philosophy focuses on changing the relationships with...
Sep 19, 2020•36 min•Ep. 99
In this episode I speak to Dr. Lori Cesario, a board certified veterinary oncologist. We discuss her passion about being a vet as a child, and her appreciation for the role a certain oncologist in her life played that influenced her decision to specialize in that field. Lori talks about some early detection techniques, and what owners can do to find problems before they become serious. There are dozens of possible manifestations that could be symptoms of cancerous cells. Lori also talks about so...
Sep 10, 2020•31 min•Ep. 98
On today's episode I talk with Cat Matloub and Dr. Judi Stella of Good Dog, Inc. We'll talk about some of the reasons that the company was founded, and what the company mission is today. Cat Matloub is the Head of Partnerships and Community Legal Affairs and talks about the overall mission of the project and what their focus is to date. One challenge that they found was that families were having difficulty finding reliable information online when trying to add a new dog to their family. Between ...
Aug 28, 2020•41 min•Ep. 97
In today's episode I sit down with Ian Grant, a fellow dog trainer with Vermont Dog Training, based (of course) in Vermont! Ian also has a podcast called Vermont Dog Trainer Show . Ian's Background Ian has a really interesting story before he became a trainer, having been a professional golfer for a number of years before finding that the world of training dogs was a fascinating study. He shares his story of watching The Dog Whisperer and following some of Cesar Millan's shows with the sound off...
Jun 30, 2020•55 min•Ep. 96
First, I hope that everyone has stayed safe and healthy through what may have been the worst of the stay-at-home orders that you may have been subject to. We went through a sort of "emergency sessions" period where the podcast episodes focused on specific things to do with your dog - and as a result we put some of the interviews we had scheduled on hold. Today is the first episode of one of those interviews. What Is Contrast Training? I sat down with Ruth Elliott and talked about a very unique t...
Jun 03, 2020•51 min•Ep. 95
In this episode we move to phase TWO of the "down" challenge for food motivated and non-food motivated dogs. I'll talk about an interesting discovery from listeners from the Czech Republic and Sweden and how their "crazy stay in place" situation is nothing like that! Life is proceeding pretty much the same there as it was before March. So we we talked about sweeping the leg and your proximity to the floor in the phase one of the training. The goal in this phase is to wean yourself off of that pr...
May 14, 2020•38 min•Ep. 94
In this episode we'll jump to a critical point with the "down" challenge, that uses no food and instead focuses on the "say and show" method. It's not unlike the say and show version of sit; but some there are some angles and positions that are distinctly different. There are two categories of people who may be the best for this type of training; Non-food motivated dogs People with dogs who give signs that they see these lessons as "optional" The idea is that we teach this as a necessary part of...
Apr 30, 2020•38 min•Ep. 93
In this episode we're going to jump into another obedience skills challenge. This one is focused on the 'down' command. This is an important lesson for small puppies as they develop, and even rescue adult dogs in instances where they may not have received much training, or were last trained years ago when they were puppies themselves. Emails I answer an email from Rachael asking about her puppy and (based on her age), whether she should stick to just the introductory training or if she's ready t...
Apr 22, 2020•39 min•Ep. 92
While you're all stuck at home, hopefully you've all stayed safe - and hopefully you've been working on parts one and two of the "sit" command with your dog! In today's episode we'll work on sit by moving toward the "stay" progression; and I'd highly encourage you to go back and listen to the previous two episodes if you haven't already before jumping into this lesson! Here are the links; Episode 89: The Sit Challenge Part One Episode 90: The Sit Command Part Two: Say and Show Method So we'll st...
Apr 08, 2020•28 min•Ep. 91
