Cog-Dog Radio

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 Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

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/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

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 Pixabay

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 [email protected] 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

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 Party Sue. 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

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

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

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.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

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 the mistakes too, all in this episode. 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

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

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 membership here: sarahstremming.com Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

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

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

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

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

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

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 different and how your responses to them should be too. 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

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 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

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 Pixabay

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

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…einforcement/ Find Lisa at serenitycanine.com and shelterbehavior.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

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 enough time for all nuance to be present in all conversations. Neither Sarah nor Lisa represent anything other than themselves in their thoughts expressed herein. 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…einforcement/ Find Lisa at serenitycanine.com and shelterbehavior.com 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

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

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 AlexGrohl from Pixabay

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

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

Dogs don’t get jet-lagged. GI distress is normal during trial weekends. It’s ok if your dog goes off food during travel. These myths and more, and the truth about the welfare of our competition 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

“But Sarah, my dog needs to go fast!” Yes, your dog probably does need to go fast. And striking the balance between fast and slow schools, and curating your program to the individual dog you are working with, is key. 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

What do gentle parenting, emotional down-regulation, and dog training all have in common? They’re all part of slow schooling your dog. 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

Ok, what is slow school? It’s a little bit somatic therapy, a little bit self-regulation, and a lot of skill building. It is vital for the dogs who find it hard to access decompression, and their guardians benefit too. 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

How do dogs make friends? How do we even begin to find dogs for our dogs to be friends with? And, does protective aggression actually exist? 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

If you stopped doing your sport tomorrow, would your dog’s life still be good? How much do you pay attention to the behavioral diversity in your dog’s life? This episode is for all folks who participate in dogs sports. 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

A recent paper (The Prevalence of Behavior Problems in Dogs in the United States) claimed that over 99% of pet dogs have behavior problems. That number is staggering! But what does the data really say? In this crossover episode with the Functional Breeding Podcast Dr Perry Hekman and Sarah Stremming break down this spin on the data and what we might actually gleam from the numbers. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S155878782400090X?fbclid=IwY2xjawInPzlleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHcN5aqgAU3VxnSfQ9zu0eaChX-3Xgq8c-ziu6Zood32n19XHF09IINVAyA_aem_03njisr3yKUuPBrduLaE2A www.functionalbreeding.org https://vetapps.vet.upenn.edu/cbarq/ https://functionalbreeding.org/events/

Congratulations, you’ve taken the red pill. Now adjust your mind, then your behavior, and finally society to better serve the animals in our care, including ourselves. If you listened, let us know: what are your “red pill moments”? 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

The field of animal welfare science is expanding into and affecting the industry of pet dog behavior, and that is a good thing. But this science is not enough, and it is important to appraise what it can and can’t do before we as behavior professionals or guardians of captive dogs hang up our hat and claim we’ve done our best. Explore modern egg farming as a metaphor for keeping dogs and lean into this continued conversation 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

In the first of a three part series about dogs as captive animals Sarah explores how we can better care for our dogs by encouraging them to “dog more” and respond to stress in breed-typical ways a little less. Does the border collie staring at cats have a better life than the one who doesn’t fixate on anything at all? Do terriers need to kill or fight to be happy? Are guardian breeds better off yelling or silent? Explore these questions 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

In this patreon question minisode Sarah addresses balancing chronic pain with high drive needs, a barking dachshund, a scared puppy, 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

Are resilience or tenacity fixed? What can we do to enhance resilience or inspire tenacity? Join Sarah as she dives into improving the welfare of dogs via the biopsychosocial model and how it applies to these traits (or states?) in dogs. https://www.physio-pedia.com/Biopsychosocial_Model https://www.companiondogproject.org/ 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

Dividing dog temperaments into four different combinations of resilience and tenacity is thought-provoking. Sarah has been doing this thought experiment for years and wants to welcome you to join it. https://www.companiondogproject.org/ 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

How do I get my dog to look at scary stuff to process it? What should I do about my dog resource guarding in agility class? How do I get my lab to stop bringing me stuff? Help! My dog is showing aggression toward my kid! All this and more in the second ever patreon minisode of Cog Dog Radio. 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

So many behavior problems in our dogs are simply consequences of their life as captive animals. When we acknowledge this and take an animal welfare focused approach to their care we do best as professionals and guardians. In this dynamic conversation between Sarah and Kim they discuss this reality and what we can do about it. Find Kim’s work at famiydogmediation.com and email questions to [email protected] 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

Sarah is passionate about harmonious relationships between dogs in homes. Maintaining and fostering peace between highly driven individuals is not simple and something she takes very seriously. One thing that is missing in the thoughts of many professionals and guardians alike is the level of responsibility we should be placing on ourselves as the person who decided to integrate the dogs we acquired. Learn specifics about what this looks like and then some. 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

The first Patreon minisode of 2025! Sarah explores multi-dog household issues, urban border collies, slow thinking, barking during training, 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

Ask ten professionals what to do when your dog is afraid and you will undoubtedly get ten different answers. But the true answer is simple–not easy–and involves three steps we can all follow, every single time. 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

The research is clear: being outside is good for us. And it is good for our dogs, too. When we know this to be true–with or without empirical data–why do we still find it so hard? Are there solutions to this? Is this actually worth doing? Isn’t a quick stroll around the block better than nothing? Vow in 2025 to go outside more with your dog; you will not regret it. 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

Disordered eating is normalized in our society and it is normalized in our dogs, too. Dogs should want to eat. Their GI should function normally. These are not radical statements, and yet most dogs Sarah sees in her private behavior work have some kind of damaged relationship to food. Dig into why this happens and what we can do about it. Then eat, drink, and be merry yourself on this holiday. 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

We live in a fast-paced society and therefore, so do our dogs. As a consequence of selective breeding, training, and just plain captivity, our dogs do not access “calm” states well. We all need a little slow school from time to time. So take a deep breath, sit down, and listen to this one. 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

For the final four episodes of Cog Dog Radio in the year 2024 we are focusing on overlooked or misunderstood areas of healing in the world of dog behavior. Unsurprisingly these are concepts our society and culture could stand to better embrace. For the first in this series we will explore adult friendship, whether dogs need friends or not, and what it might mean to decide for them that they don’t. 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

A panacea is a cure-all, a remedy that is said to mend everything. Common in the wellness industry and also in dog training, holding any one program or practice as a panacea is a major red flag. We can learn as consumers to avoid this, and we can also be sure we are not doing it as practitioners. 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

Sarah has a teenager! Join her as she walks through some recent challenges and triumphs with her 18 month old border collie, Carson. If you have a teen, work with folks who do, or plan to have one in the future, this one will be vital. Knowing how to respond, what to avoid, and what is normal, will all help! https://sarahstremming.com/products/ Sign up for courses and join the membership here: https://cogdogclassroom.mykajabi.com/ Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cogdogradio Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay