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Join Marissa Martino of Paws & Reward catch up with Erin Jones of Merit Dog Training in Christchurch, New Zealand. Erin is a certified professional dog trainer and behavior consultant. She is currently getting her PhD at the University of Canterbury. In today's episode, we discuss her current research focused on the human-dog relationship, humane training, and the concepts surrounding canine consent. Tune in to listen about how our expectations impact our training and relationships with our dogs.

Join Marissa Martino of Paws & Reward interview Juliana Willems of JW Dog Training & Behavior Consulting talk about what it means to be your dog's advocate. We explore our experiences being advocates for our dogs and talk about what makes this job necessary and challenging at times. We offer a list of considerations for our listeners so they can develop their own advocacy plan when engaging with strangers, practitioners, and family members. Find your voice and build trust with your dog today!   

Join Marissa Martino of Paws & Reward interview Nancy Tucker talk about her brainchild, The Good Enough Dog. Join us as we explore why we place so much pressure on ourselves and our dogs, and how reframing our thoughts from "the good" dog to the "good enough" dog is one of the most powerful things we can do for ourselves and our canine companions.  

Join Marissa Martino of Paws & Reward interview Kayla Fratt of Journey Dog Training discuss how to provide your dog with the necessary daily enrichment while also taking into consideration what you need from the relationship as a pet parent. They share 6 different ways you can meet your dog's needs. They also share a list of questions to consider, inviting you to personalize this content to support you and your dog!

Join Marissa Martino of Paws & Reward interview Lori Stevens. Lori is a professional dog trainer, canine fitness trainer, and animal massage practitioner. Lori specializes in supporting the aging dog; however, this podcast is for dogs of all ages! During the episode, we discuss how to proactively take care of your dog's physical body from the start. Lori shares several ways to support our aging dogs gracefully while also preparing us emotionally.   

Join Marissa Martino of Paws & Reward interview Emily Tronetti of Coexistence Consulting in Bellevue, WA. They discuss two of their favorite topics: the human-canine bond and how to care for ourselves so we can support our best friends.  Emily is an anthrozoologist as well as a certified dog trainer. Emily shares the most recent research on the human-canine bond and how these amazing creatures are so in tune with us. Because of that, it's so important to take care of ourselves in order to support the relationship!    

Join Marissa Martino of Paws & Reward interview Sarah Stremming of Cognitive Canine in Washington. In today's episode, they discuss how to work with your dog's emotional threshold during training. In order to make progress in our training sessions, we have to push at our dog's emotional edge in a safe way. But how far is too far and how do you know when we have passed the dog's threshold?  Sarah is a dog trainer, dog agility and obedience competitor, and dog behavior consultant. She travels the globe helping dogs and handlers understand each other better. She also has a well-known podcast Cog-Dog Radio that you should check out.   

Today’s episode includes Marissa Martino of Paws & Reward interview Jackie Johnston, from Believe in Your Dog on separation-related behaviors, such as isolation distress and separation anxiety. Join them as they discuss what separation-related problems are, the best way to treat them, and what the process entails. 

Join Marissa Martino interview one of her favorite mentors in the animal training industry, author of Plenty in Life is Free, Kathy Sdao. During the episode, they discuss what Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is and how we can use these principles when communicating with our canines and our loved ones. This approach resonates so much with Marissa and Kathy as it parallels and complements their shared philosophy when it comes to communicating and training with our dogs.

Join Marissa Martino interview Kirsten Kinsella, a therapy dog trainer that works with children in NYC. Kirsten shares the tips and tricks that she uses to facilitate successful interactions between kids and dogs and the 5 things you can do today to build better bonds. **Please note: If you are a parent navigating the relationship between your kids and a dog that is displayed fear-related behaviors or even threat displays such as growling or snapping toward your children, this episode is not for you. Please visit the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (iaabc.org) website to search for a certified trainer near you in order to address this behavior concern safely.

Join Marissa Martino interview Mara Velez of the Shelter Playgroup Alliance discuss what healthy and safe inter-canine interactions look like. This is a crucial topic for all pet parents to be aware of and pay mind to throughout their dog’s entire life. Mara shares how to facilitate safe interactions, what behaviors to be aware of, and when to intervene to keep play safe and positive.   

The training process, no matter how simple it can seem at times, can be a daunting task for pet parents. Join Marissa Martino interview Dr. Chris Pachel, veterinary behaviorist, share a few strategies to help support our pet parents through the behavior modification process.