Border collies are special; they have a highly specialized mind and a supremely athletic body and both deserve care that matches the degree of their uniqueness. Whether you are thinking about adding a border collie to your life or already a border collie guardian, enjoy some food for thought regarding what it might mean to care for this exceptional breed of dog. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by A...
Nov 04, 2025•26 min
Behavior pros, is AI coming for your job? Yeah, kind of. Let’s get real about what’s wrong with this, and what is within our control. https://www.bestlifedogservices.com/ Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay
Oct 28, 2025•10 min
A skill you need to help your dog navigate tough environments is vigilance that doesn’t come with heightened emotions on your part. You’ve got to watch out for potential dangers and challenges while also staying cool about it all; and that’s legitimately hard to do! The good news is, you can learn how. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay
Oct 21, 2025•10 min
Your first dog was fun, easy, and you had a lovely time in dog sports. But for your second you decided you wanted a faster model. You upgraded. Or, did you? Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay
Oct 07, 2025•19 min
As behavior professionals we need to be proficient in the areas of environmental management, enrichment, and also dog training. But we are not a master of all three we might lean too heavily on one or two of them while forgoing the third, sometimes to the detriment of the case. Join Sarah in an exploration of each of these areas through the lens of practical examples. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Musi...
Sep 30, 2025•29 min
Food is a good thing in dog training, right? Like most things, anything that has the power to do good also has the power to do harm, and food is no different. Avoiding use of food as a “rescue” and leaning into use of food as “repair” is one nuanced take on food within unexpected or scary encounters, and Sarah also dives into some basics on when food can and can’t be helpful. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogra...
Sep 23, 2025•17 min
The phenomenon “post-restraint collapse” refers to the outburst types of behaviors that can occur after requests for control or tough situations that require high levels of self-control. We can allow for post-restraint collapse, but we can be smarter by affecting the restraint portion itself to see if we can affect the collapse in a positive way. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pi...
Sep 16, 2025•11 min
You listened to episode 404 about dog training as a hero’s journey; but where do you go from there? Sarah goes more in-depth in this episode regarding finding your own guide in the dog behavior world. To apply for fall mentorship send Sarah an email with the subject like “ready for a guide” to sarah@sarahstremming.com Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay
Sep 02, 2025•11 min
Stop! Before listening, go watch this SNL skit about Surprise Party Sue: www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4R1yybhmHg Ok, now, is Sue a dog you know? Maybe Sue is your dog. Maybe she is a client’s dog. This skit is something Sarah uses to explain to her clients how their dogs are behaving, and from there discussions like “is this ok/normal?” and also “what can we do about it?” can happen. When these questions were posed on social media, the answers were surprising. Listen to hear Sarah’s take on Surprise...
Aug 26, 2025•26 min
Puppy stuff, car aversion, reactivity in apartment complexes, and more! Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay
Aug 21, 2025•21 min
Piggybacking on episode 373, When Your Dog is Afraid, Sarah tells a real life story of applying the principles in an imperfect scenario. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay
Aug 19, 2025•22 min
The adage goes that we can all learn something from everyone. But if you are learning from everyone, are you actually learning from anyone? Sarah posits in this description of dog training education as a hero’s journey of sorts that there are five categories of teachers that matter; and knowing which kind you are being presented with is vital to true growth as a professional or a hobbyists. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patre...
Aug 12, 2025•22 min
With twenty years in the field and half of them being online, Sarah brings a unique perspective to the virtual behavior consulting space. Guardians and consultants can both gleam insight from this episode that is all about what happens behind the scenes for the Cog Dog Coach. How long do clients usually stay? Is everyone successful? What about behavior problems that turn out to be medical? Is there universal information, or is everything tailored? Learn about the format, the life lessons, and th...
Aug 05, 2025•29 min
Attunement is the ability to perceive and respond to the emotions of another and it is vital to good relationships, dog-human or otherwise. This is a magical thing, but also a practical skillset that can be learned. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay
Jul 29, 2025•11 min
Dog trainers are often tasked with helping dogs feel less afraid of things in their daily environments. This can be loud noises, it can be strangers, or it can even be slick floors or novel sights. The well known stimulus-stimulus pairing approach trainers call counter conditioning is not as effective as it has been made out to be, and this complex emotion requires more nuanced planning. Be sure to check out episode 373, “When Your Dog is Afraid” as well! Sign up for courses and join the members...
Jul 22, 2025•17 min
In this special episode of Cog Dog Radio join Sarah and repeat guest Karishma Warr in a discussion about capacity. Capacity for us, for our dogs, and for our clientele. Find out what happens when we recognize where our capacity is, when we operate within community, the difference between a sink and a waterfall, and so much more. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay
Jul 08, 2025•1 hr 10 min
Recalls, radius, and rebounds are the three behaviors you will need to build in your dog if you want them to have off leash freedom. But more importantly, there are tenants these things rely on to be solid. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay
Jul 01, 2025•15 min
Can we obedience our way out of behavior problems? Yes, and no. Therapy for behavior problems requires that we are able to avoid repetition of the problem we are trying to solve, and skills training might be one way to do that. But it isn’t the only way, and there is more to the story. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay
Jun 24, 2025•15 min
Dog trainers LOVE to talk about errorless learning. They either worship at the feet of the concept of an error-free life OR they claim learning free of error is a fallacy. But this isn’t an either-or conversation, and we must be careful not to project our own personal feelings about failure onto our dogs. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay
Jun 17, 2025•15 min
Strange behavior in an agility lesson and a frightened dog on trails. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay
Jun 12, 2025•8 min
Should you approach your young dog’s reactions to an unknown inanimate object the same as a dog or person? If your dog overreacts to a kid on a bike, is that the same thing as trying to chase a rabbit? The way you respond to each type of trigger varies, and is important to keep in mind as you enter the world with your puppy or adolescent (or even newly adopted adult) dog. Social, prey, inanimate, and non-social animate are the four trigger types Sarah covers in this episode. Learn how they are d...
Jun 10, 2025•23 min
Sit down this week with Sarah and Tara Stiwell, a licensed family dog mediator of the working division who co-owns Glimmer Dog where the innovative Forrest School operates. Forrest School integrates natural environments, stable social groups, and support and skill development to solve all manner of behavioral concerns in dogs. Join Tara June 16 for her webinar all about Forrest School, and use the link below or the discount code COGDOG20. https://glimmer.dog/forrest-school-webinar?promo=COGDOG20...
Jun 03, 2025•1 hr 15 min
Opinions abound in both professional and guardian spaces regarding the suite of behaviors we label “reactivity.” Barky, lunge-y, screamy, shouty behaviors, usually directed at social triggers, are some of the biggest reasons guardians seek help for their dogs. Because of this, protocols and programs are not hard to find, but real help sometimes is. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from ...
May 27, 2025•7 min
In the final installment of The False Dichotomy Sarah and Lisa wrap up their conversation about the “balanced vs force free” falsehood in dog training. Find Lisa Mullinax at www.serenitycanine.com
May 20, 2025•59 min
In the second (of three!) parts on The False Dichotomy in dog training, Sarah and Lisa get into the weeds regarding what effectiveness looks like, what it truly means to manipulate aversive or appetitive stimuli, and all the nuances involved. Stay tuned for the final installment in two weeks! Two podcasts on reinforcement: Sarah-stremming – Reinforcement-misunderstandings Sarah-stremming – Coercion-with-adam-skandarani A blog concerning the coercion of R+: thecognitivecanine.com/high-value-vs…ei...
May 13, 2025•1 hr 22 min
In response to the “trainer wars” between the balanced and force-free communities Sarah and past podcast guest (and friend) Lisa Mullinax sit down to talk about the place where ethics meet efficacy. Lisa and Sarah do not claim a label as trainers (neither balanced nor force-free), and have both undergone an evolution in the behavior field that has helped them to arrive at a place free of dogma and full of compassion. Know the opinions expressed here are vulnerable and honest, and there can’t be ...
May 06, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Conceptually, approaching behavior cases with a welfare-first approach makes sense. But what should we do when the dog’s welfare is being affected by multiple factors? Is there a “right” place to start when the behavior bingo card is basically blacked out? https://sarahstremming.com/tennis-racquets-and-doubles-partners/ Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay
Apr 29, 2025•14 min
Is it a phase? Will they grow out of it? Is my young dog cursed for life with reactivity? The good news is that adolescence passes. The bad news is the lessons learned there do not. Learn the four most important things to do while your dog is a teenager do be sure they grow into a balanced adult. https://sarahstremming.com/tennis-racquets-and-doubles-partners/ Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by Ale...
Apr 22, 2025•14 min
In dog sports the dog can’t be an equal teammate because the human is fully in charge. But a dog can be treated like a partner or they can be treated like a tool, and it is important in either case to know what your values are and stick to them. https://sarahstremming.com/tennis-racquets-and-doubles-partners/ Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay
Apr 15, 2025•13 min
Reinforcement confusion in sports, a friendly dog gone wrong, and how to decide what to start with when the dog has a lot of training needs. Sign up for courses and join the membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay
Apr 10, 2025•10 min
