How To Train Your Dog With Love + Science - Dog Training with Annie Grossman + Anamarie Johnson PhD (Formerly known as School For The Dogs Podcast)

This is a bonus episode in which Annie reads aloud the preface to Walden Two, BF Skinner's 1948 novel about a utopian community that he imagines could be closely engineered based on what we know about behavioral science, and cooperatively governed based on principles rooted in positive reinforcement. The book was called "fascism without tears" when it was published and also compared to a plan for a dog obedience school for humans. Three decades after writing it, Skinner wrote Walden Two Revisited, which reflected on how society still hadn't done enough to harness the power of non-coercive, non-punitive control in order to better people's lives. Forty-five years hence, has anything really changed? Maybe dog training can help us better understand what Skinner had in mind...Notes: Clubhouse Reading Group on Walden Two: 4/1 at 3PM ET. Need a Clubhouse Invite? Text 917-414-2625Annie imitates a dial up modem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B8KPvp9eewBuy Walden Two: https://amzn.to/3cKdGL83 minute summary of Walden Two, by the Prosocial Progress Foundation ---Partial Transcript:Annie:This is a bonus episode. Woo woo woo wee aw wee aw wee aw! That’s my bonus episode cheer. It happens to also sound a lot like a car alarm. I also do impressions of dial up modems, true story. Look in show notes. Anyway, I have decided to give myself permission as this podcast’s editor and producer to do the occasional episode that is really only tangentially related to dog training. It’s not specifically related to solving dog training problems, but that touches in my mind on dog training in a larger context. And that these episodes may sometimes simply be me reading things that I have found thought-provoking in this arena.Last week, I read the 1913 essay, um by John B. Watson psychology as the behaviorist views it. Which kind of pits the then just burgeoning world of behavioral psychology, behavior analysis, against cognitive psychology kind of as if it were pitting science or a theory of evolution against creationism. And today I read it and see a lot of similarities between the world of science based, positive reinforcement rooted dog training, and the world of dog training that has to do with myth and energy and misunderstood concepts like dominance.Today I wanted to read the 1976 forward written by BF Skinner for his 1948 novel, Walden Two. Which I first read about 10 years ago. And it really, it really affected me. It was sort of the first time that I realized that I had, I had just graduated KPA at that point that I had kind of learned how to use this technology of this field of sciences, field of behavioral science to train dogs. But really the same basic bits and pieces could be used to do things way outside of helping people get their dogs to not pee and poop in the house.And actually, Walden Two, which is, it’s not a book to be read because it’s like fine writing. It’s a book written by a scientist to communicate ideas. And when it came out it was, it was likened to the idea of creating a dog obedience school for humans. And was also called fascism without tears. And it, I mean, I guess there is fascism in his suggestions for how a utopia could be, but also communism, and also a kind of socio libertarianism.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

When David Adams' girlfriend traveled with her dog, she had an issue: The dog only liked to pee in yards. Adams, who had previously build a site for people looking for short-term apartment rentals, had an idea: What if there where people could rent... yards? So, he built SniffSpot.com, which allows people to rent out their fenced-in outdoor spaces to dogs, hourly. Annie and David discuss how this innovative service may revolutionize the way dogs are able to exercise and socialize. Learn more at SniffSpot.com. Like this episode! Please leave a review on iTunes!Support School For The Dogs by shopping at storeforthedogs.com Download our new app to join the conversation at http://schoolforthedogs.com/community Special thanks to Bill and Lizzie of Toast Garden for creating our Season Three intro song! Find them on Youtube.com/toastgarden---Partial Transcript:Annie:All right, David. Thanks for being here. Why don’t you just go ahead and tell me about yourself and your really interesting business.David Adams:Yeah, yeah, definitely. Thanks for having me. So Sniff Spot, maybe I’ll start by telling you how it came about and I can talk about it a little bit.Annie:And if you don’t mind, tell me your full name and where you’re based.David:Yes. So my full name is David Adams and I’m currently living in Boston.Annie:Okay. And Sniff Spot. Is Sniff Spot your baby?David:Yes. Yes. One of them, one of them.Annie:Oh, okay. Well, are there other babies that we’re going to need to know about?David:There are other babies, there are two fur babies named Soba and Toshi, and they came before Sniff Spot and they actually inspired Sniff Spot.Annie:So what is Sniff Spot for those who don’t know?David:Yeah. So Sniff Spot is Airbnb for dog parks. The idea is that anyone can offer their land or their yard as a safe and private space for dogs to play. And people that have dogs can book hourly for private time with their dogs, for exercise, training, whatever they want.Annie:That’s such an interesting idea. So when did you first come up with this idea and tell me about its evolutionDavid:Yeah, so I was living in Seattle at the time. And I had just met this wonderful woman who is now my wife and I had my dog Soba and she had her dog Toshi. And I was going around to dog parks with Soba. I was a first time dog owner and just kept having bad experiences. Soba is high energy, she’s a lab pit mix. And I needed to exercise her, but dog parks, you know, there were dogs there she didn’t get along with. They felt dirty and not hygienic. So I was feeling dissatisfied.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

This is a bonus episode: A recording of a live Q and A.Join Annie Grossman for a live Q and A most Thursdays on Instagram @schoolforthedogs.Get alerted about the next one or ask a question in advance at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qanda.She also sometimes goes live to answer questions on Clubhouse. Find her there: @anniegrossman.Here, Annie talks to an SFTD client who has a young rescue dog who became frightened about going outside after some bad experiences on walks. The owner has been bringing the dog to off-leash time at School For The Dogs in NYC and wants Annie's thoughts on bringing him to the dog park.Mentioned in this episode: Dog Body Language course available at http://schoolforthedogs.com/coursesLili Chin's book Doggie Language https://amzn.to/3cpAO1eSue Sternberg's dog park app Learn more about off-leash offerings at School For The Dogs at SchoolForTheDogs.comDogs under 5 months: https://www.schoolforthedogs.com/services/puppy-playtime/Dogs over 5 months: https://www.schoolforthedogs.com/services/school-yard/---Partial Transcript:Annie:So Katie with her dachshund mix. Katie wrote:I got three-ish months old Sunny on January 13th and he has settled in swimmingly. He’s happy go lucky, playful, but overall, very calm and observant. One standout example. When a stranger came in the house briefly, he all blinked at him. He only barks in the mornings to get out of his crate. He’s crate trained and he sleeps for around eight hours every night.The issue: he was with foster mom on a farm before coming to be in Brooklyn and was increasingly skittish on our initial walks to the park. Note, he was on pain meds from his neutering at first. As days oere on and pain meds wore off this continued. So I started picking him up and walking him to the park. Eventually he didn’t want to go outside at all.We had a couple of unfortunate incidents that may have sped up the snowballing, including spooky home alone, where the passers-by, and one Pitbull that got a little too close sending Sunny between my boots and then yelping like a car alarm. I tried using treats, but after day five of growing anxiety, frankly, on both of our parts, I stuck to a pee pad in our backyard and we’ve since had great success with him going on command on the pads, both inside and outside.My question, how soon is too soon to hit the sidewalk and or the park? He’s had two rounds of vaccinations and we’re going to puppy socialization class at School for the Dogs on Monday.But again, she wrote this like a month ago and she just wrote me a little bit of an update. Let me see if I can find it, but I did also invite her to come on to chat here. So earlier today she wrote...Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Professor John B. Watson's 1913 essay argues that psychology should be studied from a behavioral perspective, echoes some of the same conversations that are had today between dog trainers who are approach dog training as a science and those who approach dog training by making assumptions about dogs' internal feelings and motivations. Read "Psychology As The Behaviorist Views it" in full at http://anniegrossman.com/watsonessayThoughts on this? Join the conversation by downloading the School For The Dogs Community appfind it in iTunes: http://schoolforthedogs.com/appfind it in the Play store: http://schoolforthedogs.com/play---Transcript:[Intro]Annie:Happy Monday morning humans. I am going to take advantage of this quiet moment in my home. Quiet because my daughter’s wonderful babysitter has brought her to the playground. To share with you an essay I just looked up that I actually have not read in several years, but I remember it left quite an impression on me when I did read it.It’s from Psychological Review from 1913 by John B. Watson. I looked this up because I am working on some of the lectures that are going with our online professional course, which, I’m just finishing up these lectures. And I did a lecture on the history of dog training, and the history of dog training and both in universities and in pop culture, I guess is the best way to describe what the lecture is.And I mentioned Skinner and said something about how Skinner was influenced by the work of Ivan Pavlov and John B. Watson. Both of whom were mostly working in the very early 1900s. And I kind of just started looking up stuff about John B. Watson. Again, I got on kind of a Watson kick a few years ago. I read part of his biography, which I’d actually like to look at again. I think Watson has probably due his own episode at some point, and is widely considered the OG daddy of the field of behavioral science as I understand it.Briefly put, he was a psychology professor, I think at Johns Hopkins. His most famous experiment was most likely the baby Albert experiment, where he showed you could condition a child to be scared of all things fuzzy, like rabbits and that kind of thing, by pairing similar fuzzy furry things with a loud scary noise. It’s pretty cruel and weird considering his research subject was a non-verbal 18 month old boy named little Albert. But still interesting as it certainly relates to so much dog training where we see dogs become conditioned to fear seemingly random things.And he ended up leaving academics, I think because of some sort of affair he had with a student. And he ended up at the famous ad agency, J Walter Thompson, where he used what he had studied and learned about human behavior in order to manipulate humans into buying things. He is credited with having popularized the idea of a coffee break, giving people a built-in reason in their day to stop and go drink and buy coffee. So if you are a big coffee drinker, as I am, you might just have John B. Watson to thank for your very stained teeth.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Is all punishment necessarily bad? Nope! There are two kinds of punishment, and one of them is actually frequently used by so called "positive reinforcement" trainers like Annie: Negative Punishment. Here Annie breaks down what Negative Punishment is, talks about how it interplays with positive reinforcement, and explains its role in the "Elevator Game," which is a great exercise you can to do at mealtimes in order to teach a dog to not bum-rush the food bowl. She also reads from Behavior Principles In Every Day Life by John D. Baldwin and Janice I. Baldwin, which talks about a study in which parents used negative punishment at story time in order to discourage children from sucking their thumbs. Behavior Principles In Every Day Life by John D. Baldwin and Janice I. Baldwin, https://amzn.to/3qd8TXfEileen Anderson on Extinction https://eileenanddogs.com/blog/category/extinction-2/Other episodes and blog posts on this topic: Episode 65: Don't let your dog cry it out: On training dogs to be alone https://anniegrossman.com/2020/06/training/episode-65-dont-let-your-dog-cry-it-out-on-training-dogs-to-be-alone/10141/Episode 47: A busy person's guide to operant conditioninghttps://anniegrossman.com/2019/04/training/episode-47-a-busy-persons-guide-to-operant-conditioning/10094/The Big Bang Theory explains Operant and Classical Conditioninghttps://anniegrossman.com/2012/03/funnies/operant-conditioning-as-explained-by-the-big-bang-theory/4094/Dog Training Lessons Learned From Watching Girlshttps://anniegrossman.com/2013/02/training/dog-training-lessons-learned-from-watching-girls-54375/7793/---Partial Transcript:[Intro and music]Annie:So a few years ago near where I live in Manhattan, I saw a woman walking a dog with a shock collar, like a really big shock collar, bright, I think it was like bright yellow. And she had the remote very conspicuously in her hand. And maybe I shouldn’t have done this, but I posted a photo of it, I think an Instagram stories of her with her dog and a shock collar. Like from the back, you couldn’t really tell who she was or who the dog was.Again, maybe I shouldn’t have done this, but turns out she was a client of another dog trainer that has a studio, not that far from a school for the dogs in Manhattan. And I ended up taking the photo down but not before there was some back and forth in comments if I remember correctly on this photo. Maybe it wasn’t in stories, maybe it was in the feed.Anyway, there were comments, kind of along the lines of how we as quote unquote positive reinforcement trainers don’t understand the importance of using all four quadrants of operant conditioning, and that — although I think this trainer referred to them as corners — that we, we really can’t be good dog trainers unless we understand and use all four corners, AKA quadrants.So operant conditioning, is the process of learning by consequence. If you do something, there is a consequence and the consequence can either be punishing or reinforcing. The consequence can be involving adding something or subtracting something. And if you’re adding something, we call it positive.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

This is a bonus episode: A recording of a live Q and A.Join Annie Grossman for a live Q and A most Thursdays on Instagram @schoolforthedogs.Get alerted about the next one or ask a question in advance at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qanda.She also sometimes goes live to answer questions on Clubhouse. Find her there: @anniegrossman. Here, Annie answers three questions: @gussiethehussie asks: "How do you vet the trainers you hire? What sort of continuing ed do they get?"@artielepup asks: "Why is my dog suddenly so reactive" @roxyriddler asks: "My pup is no longer interested in recall unless she sees a treat! Help!"Mentioned in this episode:School For The Dogs' Professional CoursesAssociation For Professional Dog Trainers Certification Council For Professional Dog Trainers Tawzer Clicker ExpoClickerTraining.com---Partial Transcript:Annie:Hi. This is a bonus Q and A episode. I try and go live every Thursday afternoon on the School for the Dog's Instagram account, which is simply @SchoolfortheDogs. If you would like to ask a question in advance or be notified when I am going to go live, you can go to SchoolfortheDogs.com/qanda. I also periodically answer questions on Clubhouse. You can find me there @AnnieGrossman.GussietheHussie says: how do you get the trainers you hire? What sort of continued education do they get?Very good questions. So, a few years ago, we started our professional program training people up to become professional dog trainers. And I think that's Sophie. Hey, Sophie. And part of the reason we did that was because we had trouble finding trainers that we felt like we wanted to work with. It's really hard to find good dog trainers out there. And I'm happy to share some tips on how to find some good dog trainers.But before I do, I should plug that we are putting our professional program largely online. And what's extra exciting about that is a lot of the content is actually totally free because we want there to be more educated good dog trainers out there. We wanted to take away as many of the barriers as possible. So we are just on the brink of launching the full suite of courses, but the first two first two are up and you can get them schoolforthedogs.com/courses.The completely free open-source one which contains most of our professional course online content written content is called Born to Behave. You can find it there, you can sign up there. And there's like a tier one professional course which is the same content as Born to Behave. But you do get a certificate at the end, if you do all the parts and do the quizzes.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

We're posting this as a bonus episode because it isn't really about dog training... but it's something we think you will want to listen to if you love dogs and empathize with people who love them. If you've heard the podcast Dirty John, or seen the dramatization on TV, also called Dirty John, you'll know that it's a story that is... complicated. The hero of the real-life true-crime story is Terra Newell, a soft-spoken dog groomer who was attacked by her sociopath stepfather one night when she and her dog were coming home from a day working at a shelter. Annie and Terra talk about her life with pets, the traumatic experience she and her dog experienced, how her dog impacted her recovery, and more. You can find Terra on Instagram at @terranewellDirty John Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirty-john/id1272970334Dirty John on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80241855Mentioned in this episode: Don't Shoot The Dog https://amzn.to/37Nn7I2 The Human Magnet Syndrome https://amzn.to/3bzBv7G---Partial Transcript:Annie:So I’m posting this as a bonus episode because it’s not really about dog training, but it is about a pretty incredible and traumatic experience that a woman who is a huge dog lover had with her dog. And I explain it in this conversation, which I recorded live on Instagram, why I wanted to talk to Terra Newell, who I first learned about from the podcast Dirty John. She is also portrayed in the dramatization of the story Dirty John, in the TV show called Dirty John.I think I say this in the conversation, but there’s so many things to talk about and think about that are brought up in Dirty John. But of course, with my dog training point of view, all I could think was this woman should become a dog trainer! [laughs] Anyway, I don’t think that is part of Terra Newell’s life plan, but I was happy that she agreed to talk to me.You can find Terra on Instagram @terranewell. I also just wanted to mention that my recording settings were a little off for the first minute of this conversation, but then they were fixed. So you will hear a transition about a minute in.Terra:I had to put you on mute on my computer.Annie:Yeah, I’m putting you on mute here too so I only have to record in one in one place, but I am psyched to get to talk to you, and what a beautiful dog. So is he a mini Aussie?Terra:Yeah, he’s a mini Aussie. He’s technically known for the AKC as a North American shepherd now, because the mini Aussies are considered their own breed because they had to use a Chihuahua or like the smallest of the smallest Aussie to kind of try to breed that breed.Annie:What made you decide to get that, or to get him?Terra:So I was at a pet store, working there, and I was with this guy, in a relationship, and he was obsessed with Aussies. And I was just like, okay, I kind of want a papillon because they have the butterfly ears, and I really liked that, and then I was like, well, they’re kind of cool.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

When Adam Davis came to work at School For The Dogs in late 2019, he was only in his mid-twenties but already had a decade of working with dogs professionally under his belt. In particular, his background involved a lot of hours spent helping city dogs learn to co-exist, and play, off leash. Today, he runs School For The Dogs' unique School Yard program-- a by-appointment, trainer-supervised members-only dog run -- and also oversees puppy playtimes, in addition to working private with clients. He and Annie discuss his early introduction to the world of science-based training, his interest in police dogs, his rescue dog Sonic, and more.Book a session with Adam at http://schoolforthedogs.com/adamLearn more about School Yard and Puppy Playtime at http://schoolforthedogs.com/servicesMentioned in this episode: The Human Half Of Dog Training---Partial Transcript:Annie:So I am here with Adam Davis. Adam, why don’t you introduce yourself with your official School for the Dogs title.Adam:Hi, Annie, thank you for having me on. Yeah, my name is Adam Davis and I am the off-leash manager at the School for the Dogs.Annie:And what does that mean?Adam:So pretty much, we have these really cool services, it’s called our Off Leash services, right? Pretty much it sounds exactly how it sounds you get to come into the school and allow your dog to be off-leash in a highly controlled and constructive kind of way. Our services are great for —Annie:And to be clear that the owners are there.Adam:Yeah. Owners are there, you’re there with your dog. You’re talking to other parents, you’re talking to the trainer, that’s there. Yeah, we definitely want people to be involved with their dog, especially when it’s in an off-leash kind of settingAnnie:And we have two different kinds off leash services, which are?Adam:Yes we do. Yeah. We have the puppy ones, which, you come in it’s puppy play time. You get to learn a little bit about how dogs communicate to one another, when to give breaks. Really, really valuable. I would suggest this to anyone that has a puppy. It’s so valuable to have our puppy socialized in a highly controlled manner. So that’s the puppy side. That’s the cool, that’s the baby side. Right.And then we have school yard, which is a little bit of a step up. It’s for dogs that are 20 weeks and older. Very much a similar kind of structure, but a little bit more laid back, I would say. So school yard is really great for dogs that want to be social, that can communicate well. That can take communication well. And it’s a great space for them to be able to come and socialize in a highly controlled manner. This is for adult dogs. Well, not really adult, but non puppies.Annie:Some of, some of them are adults. We have some. Well, I think the part of the reason it’s maybe like less controlled as you say is because it’s… I mean, puppy playtime often, it’s, someone’s first time there with their dog. Whereas school yard, we have people who come almost every day of the week for years, so they don’t need as much as much instruction.So why don’t you talk about the process of getting into school yard. Puppy play time of course is open to puppies who’ve had at least their first round of shots.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Anna Heyward is a writer and a School For The Dogs apprentice who has been featured on this podcast. She joined Annie and others to discuss her heartbreaking new article in The New Yorker, "Bad Dog," on Clubhouse. Their discussion touched on the complicated world of behavioral euthanasia, the cultural fog about dog training and the rampant misinformation about it, and more. Former School For The Dogs trainer Anamarie Johnson, also previously interviewed on this podcast, was among those who joined the conversation. Find Annie on Clubhouse at @anniegrossman. Looking for a Clubhouse invite? Text 917-414-2625Read Anna's article at NewYorker.com https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/bad-dogAnna Heyward is on Instagram at: @biggirl.worldMentioned in this article: School For The Dogs courses (including a FREE one) for aspiring dog trainers http://schoolforthedogs.com/courses The Freedom Harness https://storeforthedogs.com/products/freedom-harnessLessons learned from foster dogs: A discussion with our apprentice Anna Heywardhttps://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/ejr8ohLet’s talk about classical conditioning with dog trainer Anamarie Johnsonhttps://anchor.fm/dogs/episodes/Lets-talk-about-Pavlov-with-dog-trainer-Anamarie-Johnson-e1goa1/a-a3johvAuthors mentioned in this episode: Sophia Yin https://amzn.to/3smqwoOKathy Sdao https://amzn.to/3sxQkyxLili Chin https://amzn.to/3smqPjsKaren Pryor https://amzn.to/3koAT8UPatricia McConnell https://amzn.to/3aUu0JuJean Donaldson https://amzn.to/3dOaWhU---Partial Transcript:Annie:This is a bonus episode that was recorded on Clubhouse. Clubhouse is an app for iOS devices that is currently open by invitation only. If you would like an invitation text me at (917) 414-2625. And if I have an invite available, I will share it with you. You can find me there @AnnieGrossman.So thanks for being here, everybody I’ve asked Yolanta who is a virtual assistant specializing in dog businesses to be here to help me moderate this room. Cause I’ve never moderated a room before and I didn’t want to get it wrong. And Anna Heyward is here. Anna wrote the wonderful, very moving poignant article, Bad Dog, which appeared in the New Yorker last week. Anna Heyward is a School for the Dogs apprentice and started out with us as a client.I actually interviewed Anna for the podcast a few months ago and then wanted to have another conversation with her for the podcast about her article, but thought it would be fun and interesting to open it up to others who read the article. So Anna, thank you for being here. And if anybody would like to ask Anna a question or discuss the article, just go ahead and use that like hand raising button on the bottom of the screen and Yolanta or I will ping you to to the stage to speak.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

After attending two webinars where people extolled the virtues of positive reinforcement, Annie was left wondering why the term seems to be so misunderstood-- or maybe she is the one misunderstanding it? While she tries to train using positive reinforcement and she believes the world would be a nicer place if people were able to identify positive reinforcement and use it more effectively, she doesn't see it as some kind of sugar-coated panacea. Positive reinforcement can be very mundane! It is why you look at your phone. It's why you put one foot in front of the other when you walk, and why you push the gas pedal to make your car move forward. If a behavior has been encouraged, it has been reinforced. If it has been encouraged because of the addition of something, rather than the subtraction of something, it has been positively reinforced. So why has the term "positive reinforcement" gotten so mixed up with the idea of kindness? Yelling "No!" can positively reinforce a dog for jumping, and hugging a person might do the opposite of positively reinforcing a given behavior. Annie recorded this episode on Clubhouse and was joined by podcast listener Leeyah (@leeyahiredale) and Dallas-based trainer Beth (@rehabyourrescue). If you're on Clubhouse, join Annie on Thursday February 25 at 3PM ET for a discussion with SFTD apprentice Anna Heyward about her article, "Bad Dog," published in this week's New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/bad-doghttps://www.joinclubhouse.com/event/mWVGKyBYIf you need an invite to join Clubhouse (currently available on iOS devices only), text 917-414-2625---Partial Transcript:Annie:I was an attendee in two different webinars earlier this month. One was hosted by the BF Skinner foundation, and the other one was also by a dog training group. But they were both CEU earning webinars, pretty legit. Both were hosted by PhDs.One was not specifically about dog training. It was about I think the title was something like “how kindness helped me navigate the world of applied behavior analysis.” There was something about kindness. And the other one was about race and dog training.So I am a dog trainer and a big behavior nerd and very interested in kind of different takes on behavior, sort of tangential to dog training. So was interested in both of these presentations. But I ended up walking away -- well, they were right after the other, one was one day, one was the next day.And I ended up feeling kind of frustrated with both of them and tried to try to chat to the moderators while it was happening. But there were a lot of people in the room, and I couldn't seem to ask a question or say something in a way that made sense. But the takeaway from both of them was sort of like rah, rah, rah, isn't positive reinforcement a wonderful thing?And in the one about race, it was interesting. It was this black dog trainer who I think is, I think she's a psychologist and she was interviewing kids in, I guess she lives in like Ohio, Midwest in a very white area. And she was basically interviewing children about about her, and like working with her, and what it means to work with someone who is black, or person of color was the term that was used.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Our trainer Maddie Messina, who started out with us as a walker two years ago, is getting a master's at Hunter's Animal Behavior and Conservation, where she is studying canine cognition. She and Annie discuss her early interest in veterinary medicine, the opportunity she had to work with primates as an undergraduate at Bucknell University, her current focus on working with puppies, and doing it all... while being severely allergic to dogs.Book a session with Maddie at http://schoolforthedogs.com/maddieFollow Maddie at Instagram at @onlyfurendswithdogsJoin our new community app, accessible in the iTunes App store, the Play store, or in any web browser at http://schoolforthedogs.com/community. Use hashtag #podcastlistener and we'll grant you a moth of Premium app access.Find Annie on Clubhouse @anniegrossman. Want a Clubhouse invite? Text a request to 917-414-2625Like this podcast? Leave a review on iTunes! Need help? See our guide to leaving a review here. https://www.schoolforthedogs.com/subscribe/ ---Partial Transcript:Annie:So thanks for being here, everybody. I am here with Maddie Messina who's been at School for the Dogs, working with us in various capacities for, gosh, could it be two years now? Is that right?Maddie:It's definitely coming up on that, for sure.Annie:So why don't you talk a little bit about what you're doing right now with us, and then we can talk about what else you've done and what you're doing when you're not wearing your training pouch.Maddie:Okay. Absolutely. So I started at School for the Dogs as a walker, and I came from a training background. So that was my step into the School for the Dogs world. And since then, I've transitioned to working at Day School, which is our adult basic manners drop-off program. And I also mainly focus now on puppy training.I do a lot of first sessions. So people who come to the school, they see me for the first time as their trainer. And then from there, we kind of build out a program for them or lead them into our group classes, which I just started teaching as well. So last week was my first week of teaching puppy kindergarten.Annie:Oh yeah, congratulations. How did it go? I think I was, I was there right when you were starting to set up, I think.Maddie:Yeah, it was definitely a big change because I’m used to kind of handling one-on-one clients. But the one thing I will say is that I also think that I’m skilled in handling chaos. That was definitely just kind of practice in handling more chaos, but it went really well. I think the nice thing about our puppy kindergarten setup is that all the puppies who come, by the time they’re here for their first week, they’ve already kind of met with a private trainer and they know the gist, so I think it’s a little bit less chaotic than it would be if you had a group of puppies and parents who were stepping into the training world for the very first timeFull Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Annie has a toddler, a husband who is a busy guy, and a toddler. It's freezing outside, the dog hates the cold weather, and Annie's mobility isn't great at the moment: She's pregnant and lives in a walkup. All this resulted in a her family's inability to get the puppy, Poppy, on the six or so walks a day that she, as a dog trainer, knows would be needed to teach her to go outside on the city streets. The issue could be solved by hiring a dog walker to come a few times a day, but Annie calculated that this would cost at least a thousand dollars a month. So, Annie came up with a plan to teach Poppy to go on an indoor pottying spot -- one that could ultimately be transferred to the outside -- and to use her roof deck some of the time, while also making sure she goes out on the street at least once or twice a day, even if she isn't "bathrooming" out there. Mentioned in this episode:School For The Dogs (Free!) Community App http://schoolforthedogs.com/community Doggie LawnGet $5 off your first Doggie Lawn order with our affiliate link and code AFFILIATE5 https://bit.ly/3aygtWu---Partial Transcript:Annie:So you’re a dog trainer. You get a dog, you teach the dog to pee and poop outside. End of story. Right? Well, I wanted to talk a little bit today about my experience housetraining my new puppy Poppy, who we got just about five weeks ago. She is maybe like six, six and a half months, a Chihuahua mix. Actually, we just got her DNA results back. She’s a Chihuahua, Chow, Cocker spaniel, pitbull, beagle, boxer, Rottweiler mix, but I think she’s mostly Chihuahua.And she’s been a real dream. She is just a very sweet, affectionate dog, very tolerant of my toddler. Very loving with my toddler. Really the most cuddly kissy dog I think I’ve ever encountered. All she wants to do is sit in someone’s lap. And by and large, she’s a really quick learner. I think when you work with a lot of dogs doing the same exercises over and over and over as I have done, you start to get a sense of how quick a dog is.It must be like that when you’re working with people too. If you do the same task with 5,000 people, you start to get a certain idea of a certain kind of baseline intelligence and whether or not someone is above or below that. And I’d say she’s pretty quick. She’s pretty smart. Loves her crate, goes into her crate no problem and learns new things pretty quickly.But I don’t know if she had ever gone to the bathroom — it’s funny how we say go to the bathroom for peeing and pooping for dogs when they’re not actually going into a bathroom, but let’s go with that euphemism. I don’t know if she’d ever gone outside. She came from a shelter in Alabama. She was dropped off there with her parents and two sisters. Although I think whoever dropped her off just had her parents there to get spayed and neutered and ended up taking the parents back.So I think she must have been in some kind of home up until she was in the shelter. So I don’t know what, what her home life was like. And I don’t think she was in the shelter for very long. She then was brought from Alabama to New York, stayed with a foster here for a little bit. I don’t think the foster had her go outside at all. And the foster reported, she was kind of like a C minus, I think the way she put it, when it came to hitting wee wee pads.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

This is a bonus episode: A recording of a live Q and A.Join Annie Grossman for a live Q and A on Instagram most Thursdays.Sign up for the next one, and/or submit a question in advance, at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qanda.Discussed in this episode: -How do you get a dog to eliminate more than once a day? -My dog likes dogs on TV but not in real life -What do I do if my dog just wants to bark at other dogs in the dog park but not play with them? -How can I keep my dog from stressing out now that I'm going back to work? -How can you keep a dog from counter surfing? Disclosure: These Q and A's give very cursory to questions that are sometimes pretty complex! We encourage dog owners to seek out personalized profession training help whenever possible. Mentioned in this episode: Ruffwear Load Up car harness https://storeforthedogs.com/products/the-ruffwear-load-up-harnessTreating Separation Anxiety In Dogs by Malena DiMartini https://storeforthedogs.com/products/book-treating-separation-anxiety-in-dogsEpisodes on separation anxiety:Ask Annie: Separation anxiety, tips for crate training and an overview of attachment theoryhttps://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/e3c9evSeparation Anxiety Expert Malena DeMartini on Helping Dogs Learn To Be Alonehttps://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/edpqpoFeatured image: Flapjack and Wanda by cseeman is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0---Partial Transcript:Annie:Hi, this is a bonus Q and A episode. I try to go live every Thursday on the School for the Dog’s Instagram account. If you would like to be alerted when I’m going to go live, or if you’d like to answer a question in advance, go to School for the Dogs.com/q and a. Thanks for being here.Annie here. I have some training questions to answer. I was going to be starting this at three, but I’m a little late for a very serious reason, which is that I ordered food. Specifically if you must know, I ordered shake shack lunch, and I was waiting for the delivery to come so I wouldn’t be interrupted by the delivery.I’m actually pregnant. And so I had a real jonesing for French fries. So I ordered shake shack French fries, which for those of you who are not able to be eating French fries right now, I am not going to eat while I am doing this. So I’m sparing you that.So let me see if I can figure out how to get my questions up here while I’m talking. Here we go. I think I have it here. Okay. And I also have a dog owner named Megan who might be joining me live to talk about some housebreaking issues she’s having.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Dogs love bully sticks, and the weird world of dried bull penises (which is what they're made of) has become a bit of an obsession of Annie's. In this episode, she interviews someone else who is obsessed with them: Vaso Karras, the inventor of the Bully Grip. When dogs swallow small pieces of bully sticks, they can cause potentially-fatal intestinal blockages. Karras' puck-like rubber device is designed to slide over a bully stick and lock onto it, making it nearly impossible for a dog to swallow its nub. Annie interviews her about how she dropped everything in order to devote her life to figuring out how to help dogs chewing bully sticks safely. Notes:You can purchase all three sizes of the Bully Grip at StoreForTheDogs.com. https://storeforthedogs.com/products/bully-grip-stick-holder?variant=37868029968580You can purchase bully sticks there, too: https://storeforthedogs.com/products/bully-sticksAnd the Qwizl, which is also mentioned in this episode: https://storeforthedogs.com/products/qwizl-bully-stick-holderInserting a bully stick into the Bully Grip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN2-0bmITnMVisit School For The Dogs Community App to see a video on removing the bully stick from the holder. http://schoolforthedogs.com/communityMore on bully sticks: What is a bully stick? A very detailed answer to an awkward question: https://anchor.fm/dogs/episodes/What-is-a-bully-stick--A-very-detailed-answer-to-an-awkward-question-ekd2phDogs love bull penises, and you will too: https://anniegrossman.com/2012/12/funnies/dogs-love-bull-penises-and-you-will-too-73608/7517/Bully stick holders your dog needs to try: https://storeforthedogs.com/blogs/news/5-bully-stick-holders-your-dog-wants-to-tryA better mousetrap: Building the perfect bully stick holder: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-better-mousetrap-building-the-perfect-bully-stick-holder/id1355439730?i=1000419925025---Partial Transcript:Annie:Hello, Vaso! I’m here with Vaso Karras, the creator of the bully grip. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk.Vaso Karras:Thanks for having me. I'm really excited to be here.Annie:So the Bully Grip -- well, maybe you can explain exactly what it is, but I can tell you that I heard about it through a client some years ago. We've been carrying it in the shop now, oh, I guess for about a year. It is a bully stick holder, and you're actually the second bully stick holder inventor I've had on this podcast. So I guess you could say it's a sub interest of mine. But why don't you describe exactly what the product is and then maybe you can talk about how you came up with this product to begin with.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Anna Ostroff is a Tony-award winning theater producer and the head of a non-profit that brings arts education into New York public schools. Somehow, she also manages to work fulltime at School For The Dogs, where she trains dogs with behavior issues, manages (and teaches) group classes, and generally keeps everyone smiling with her sunny disposition and "can do" attitude. Here, she and Annie discuss her lifelong love of animals, her foster dogs, and her passion for teaching tricks to urban dogs and helping dogs deal with fear and anxiety. Anna's non-profithttp://www.arts-for-all.org/ Anna's theater company: https://infinitytheatre.com/Book a session or class with Anna: http://schoolforthedogs.com/services---Partial Transcript:Annie:So listeners, I am joined today by someone who started out at School for the Dogs as a client, and then became an apprentice and then became a trainer. And along the way became one of my very, very good friends. So I’m happy to have any excuse to talk to her. Anna Ostroff. Hello, Anna.Anna Ostroff:Hi, Annie. Awesome to be here today, and I totally agree. Any excuse to talk to you is also awesome.Annie:Remember when you first started, Anamarie was with us and it was like, Anna, Annie, Anamarie.Anna:We had so many A names at that time. That was crazy.Annie:We had AddieAnna:Alison Joy. We had so many As.Annie:Yeah. So yeah, I of course know how you winded up at School for the Dogs, but it’s a pretty interesting path, I would say, especially because you have a whole other career both in your past and in your current life, which I think probably your current clients would be interested to hear a little bit about. So maybe before you start telling us about your dog life, you could tell us about your non dog life? All the things you were doing and continue to do professionally, not relating to dogs.Anna:Sure. Yeah. So, well, it’s hard to say like my pre-dog life, because I think animals and dogs have actually always been a huge part of my life, even when it wasn’t necessarily a professional part of my life. But what you’re talking about is my theater background. So I actually still, I have a theater company in Annapolis, Maryland that is run with my husband, Alan.The name of the theater company is Infinity Theater Company. And Alan now does most of the day to day on that. And since of course COVID hit, we have not been able to do any productions, which is very sad. So we’ll see what happens and where the world takes us. But before all of that, we had actually just celebrated our 10 year anniversary as a theater company, which is really cool. And we’ve produced shows regionally in Maryland where the theater is that we use every summer. It’s just a summer theater.But we’ve also been fortunate enough to produce on Broadway as well. And have been involved in a couple of shows on Broadway. We were co-producers on the Pippin revival for those who remember that, and actually won a Tony award for that production was incredibly exciting. And we also had a production that started at our theater in Annapolis, which later moved to New York to Broadway called Dames at Sea, which is a really fun musical, lots of tap dance. And we were fortunate enough to be able to be the lead producers on that production on Broadway.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

This is a bonus episode: A recording of a live Q and A.Join Annie Grossman for a live Q and A on Instagram most Thursdays.Sign up for the next one, and/or submit a question in advance, at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qanda.Here Annie addresses questions about socializing dogs during quarantine, using wee wee pads if the goal is to teach a dog to only go outside, getting a dog to like a crate again, using daycares to get a dog some social time, and more. ---Partial Transcript:Annie:Hi, thanks for those of you who came to my little Instagram live demo just now with adorable little Poppy. Hope that was helpful. I did have a couple of questions that came in that I wanted to answer as always. I try and go alive every Thursday at 3:00 PM. Eastern. If you want to ask a question or want to be notified when I’m going live on Instagram, just go to schoolforthedogs.com/qanda, and you can submit a question or sign up to be notified.Oh, hi Duke. Nice to see you there. Okay, so this question comes — I have two questions from a user, JimEVF. First one is, do you recommend taking your dog to daycare to improve his social skills?And in a word, No. [laughs] I don’t. I’m all for improving dogs’ social skills, but I don’t think daycare is the best place for a dog to work on being social. I think you want to try and give your dog opportunities to have good social interactions with other dogs while you are around or at the very least while someone is paying close attention to your dog.Now perhaps there are some daycares where they are doing a great job of paying close attention to every dog. But in general, my experience with dog daycares is they’re a little bit more like — they’re too much like dog parking lots. And it’s just, I don’t think the best set up for dogs to really learn to interact with other dogs. What’s more, your dog might have bad experiences there and you’re not going to necessarily know about them.Years ago we had a kind of heartbreaking situation where a client of ours put their dog in daycare because the dog had really severe separation anxiety. She had to go to work and it was just what she had to do. And you know, anxieties can sometimes be like switching seats on the Titanic. Like, okay, the separation anxiety more or less went away because the dog wasn’t being left alone, but the dog developed a fear of Hispanic men in hooded sweatshirts.I know it’s a very specific kind of fear. But my guess is there was a Hispanic man in a hooded sweatshirt at this dog daycare who either didn’t treat this dog well, or this dog made some sort of misaligned connection with this person. And now the dog owner had this new and very real fear to contend with at School for the Dogs.We run drop off a day school, which is kind of like the ideal form of dog daycare. I think there’s a ratio of one trainer for every three dogs. Sometimes it’s one trainer for two dogs and it’s a half day and they work the whole time. They’re doing training, they’re working on their socialization skills, whether that’s being introduced to new objects, sometimes going to new places. But also just playing with each other in a supervised way with professionals who are looking on and then reporting back to the owners about what’s going on.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

This is a bonus episode: A recording of a live Q and A.Join Annie Grossman for a live Q and A most Thursdays.Sign up for the next one at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qanda.Here, Annie answers two questions, and offers a similar suggestion to help deal with both issues: Train a dog to go in a bag! K9 Sport Sack Dog backpacks: https://storeforthedogs.com/collections/backpacksBoat and Tote: https://amzn.to/3p8bhPm---Partial TranscriptAnnie:Thank you for joining me folks. I have two questions here that were submitted. As always, you can join me for these Q and A sessions live in two places, either in the new School for the Dogs app, which is free and you can get there by looking up School for the Dogs community in the app store or play store, or going to schoolforthedogs.com/community. Or you can join me in webinar format schoolforthedogs.com/QandA. And you can submit a question in advance as some people have done here at anniegrossman.com/ask.So two questions this week and they have a common thread in my answers. First one is regarding Wilson who's currently a School for the Dogs puppy student, and is very excited for prep school at School for the Dogs which is starting next month after graduating from puppy kindergarten. He's very rarely had an accident in our apartment, but given that he was still getting used to going downstairs, upstairs not being a problem, we've always carried him outside to eliminate. We thought we were golden saying, okay, once we made it outside and treating right after he eliminated.Wilson's much more confident walking down stairs now, however. We're in a fourth floor, walk-up in New York City. On foot, he's having about a 50-50 success rate holding his bladder until we get all the way downstairs and out the two front doors. Any tips for how we can help him out because he is getting heavy? They also note that he is eating puppy kibble and and treats. His high value treats are freeze dried duck and boiled chicken.So I think a 50, 50% rate and nearly a hundred percent success rate of getting this puppy to pee and poop outside is actually pretty good. So thumbs up to you guys. Zach and Molly, Wilson’s people.So this is behavior that [inaudible] anything else can be shaking him down 90% of the way, and then letting him walk the last 10% of the way. And if you can have success with that, without him going during that last 10% of the way outside then start carrying him down 85% of the way. And let him walk the last 15% of the way.Two other tips, you know, he’s still a puppy. His bladder is gonna get stronger, he’s still developing. So, it’s possible that the excitement of going out combined with his puppy-ish young bladder isn’t quite ready to handle being able to go all the way down. But again, you can help him build this behavior, the behavior of holding it, little by little.And certainly if you get outside and he has not peed or pooped, you would, should reward that behavior. I mean, being outside might be a reward in and of itself, but sure. Why not also give it a treat, give him a treat.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

A decade ago, Annie and Kate set out to become dog trainers. They ended up with a dog training business. They both knew a lot more about dog training than they did about business management, so they attempted to use what they knew about animal behavior to manage the company... In this episode Annie talks about four business lessons she's learned that stem from what she knows about dog training. She talks about the importance of creating shaping plans (something she is bad at, both when training dogs and when managing staff), the difficulty of using money to reinforce behavior, and how to use environmental environment and antecedent arrangements to change employee behavior (hint: don't). She also talks about how classical conditioning, and focusing on people's conditioned emotional responses, is just as important to think about when dealing with clients as it is when dealing with dogs.Find Aubrey Daniels' books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ii810T---Partial Transcript:Annie:I was recently emailing with a podcast listener who was telling me she is thinking about becoming a dog trainer. And I asked her what she currently is doing for work, and she said she works in human relations. And I said, Oh, well, HR is kind of like human training. So you’d sort of just be moving from one species of animal to another.And I also said that I really never appreciated how important HR people are to businesses until School for the Dogs got to a size where it became quite evident to both me and Kate that we had so many people on staff, that the people on staff needed their own person basically to take care of them. We don’t have a full-time HR person, but we do have someone that we work with on an as-needed basis. And that is something that’s been really, really useful.And podcast listener wrote back, and she said, yeah, you know, I don’t think I really saw the connection between clean dog training and human resources until I started listening to your podcast. But now I see how behavior is unfortunately coerced a lot in businesses. I also see how sometimes rewards aren’t used effectively or appropriately and being a dog trainer yourself, you must be particularly skilled at managing staff. And I wrote back to her and I said, yeah, maybe you would think so, but the reality is, I think management in general is something I really, really struggle with.I’ve talked a little bit before about School for the Dogs’ origin story. Kate and I met about 10 years ago and we were both at a time in our lives where we were trying to figure out how to become dog trainers. I had been a freelance journalist and a journalist on staff at different New York city papers throughout my twenties. And Kate was a graphic designer at an agency.We met through an Association for Professional Dog Trainers message board, I think, and went for a cup of coffee. Turns out, we lived literally across the street from one another. And I kind of proposed to her. I said, let’s figure out a way to start something together. I saw early on that we had talents and skills that complemented each other.And we were kind of both at the same place of starting out. We knew a lot about training, but we both knew we needed to know more. And we both were sort of equally stumped as to how to become professionals and doing it as a team seemed like it would make things easier.Full Transcript available on SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Em Beauprey came to School For The Dogs in 2017 when he was working as a vet tech and running his own dog walking business. He started out as an apprentice, and went on to build SFTD's walking program from scratch, and to helm our professional program. These days, when he isn't putting the finishing touches on Born To Behave, our forthcoming free and open-source course for aspiring professional dog trainers, Em can be found doing virtual training with puppies and walking his cat on the streets of Portland, OR. Em and Annie discuss a youth spent training dogs for conformation trials, why knowledgeable dog walkers are so valuable, cat training, and more. Want to be updated on the launch of Born To Behave? Sign up for our newsletter to be alerted when it launches! https://schoolforthedogs.activehosted.com/f/23Annie's 2005 NY Times article on part-time pets https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/14/fashion/sundaystyles/instant-best-friend-for-the-day.htmlMore on SFTD's Professional Program: https://www.schoolforthedogs.com/professional-dog-training-course/---Partial Transcript:Annie:I am here with the wonderful, peerless Em Beauprey. Em came to us as an apprentice. What was it? Gosh, four years agoEm Beauprey:That was…yeah, I think it was 2016, pretty sure. 27 to 2017.Annie:2017, 2016. Gosh, that is almost four years.Em:It’s, all my years in New York have been kind of just a big blur that involves a lot of dogs. So it’s hard for me to put it at a specific time.Annie:[laughs] Well, why don’t you tell us a little bit about what you’re doing right now? As far as School for the Dogs goes. And then we can maybe work backwards in time and talk about how you got to this point.Em:Yeah, so right now I have a couple of capacities with School for the Dogs. I am an associate trainer with School for the Dogs. So I am seeing clients. I am doing so exclusively virtually because, surprise, surprise, I am currently living in Portland, Oregon. So I am School for the Dogs I believe first fully remote trainer. Fully remote by necessity trainer.Annie:To be clear, we would like to have you be doing actual sessions in Portland, but because of lockdown.Em:Because of the pandemic, right. The eventual plan is for me to actually get some sessions on the ground and be able to do some more one-on-one training, which is great. Portland’s got a lovely dog training community and I’m hoping to get more involved in it once it’s safe to do so.Annie:And then School for the Dogs will be officially bi-coastal.Em:Yeah. We’re going to do School for the Dogs West. But then also I am, as a former member of the apprenticeship program, I have also taken on the job of managing the School for the Dogs apprenticeship program, which I did for the first time at the beginning of this year and has been extremely educational for me. And a really interesting experience.Prior to that, I was doing some other program management. This is the first time that I really had kind of a team of students. And we have had a fantastic team of apprentices this year. So it’s been really a pleasure to see them learn and grow.Annie:How would you describe the School for the Dogs apprenticeship program to those who don’t know about it?Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

This is a bonus episode: A recording of a live Q and A.Join Annie Grossman for a live Q and A most Thursdays.Sign up for the next one at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qanda or join in the School For The Dogs app at http://schoolforthedogs.com/communityIn this episode, Annie discusses why she loves using viscous treats with dogs, and reviews some of her favorite types of lickable treats. All of them can be found at storeforthedogs.com. https://storeforthedogs.com/collections/lickable-and-spreadable-treats---Partial Transcript:Annie:Today, I actually want to answer a question that came to me from my husband. As I mentioned on the podcast last week, we have a brand new puppy. Her name is Poppy, and it’s been a lot of fun. She’s really a wonderful, wonderful girl. And my husband and I were talking and he said what has changed for you? Or, I guess he said, what do you think has changed in the world of dog training since you last had a puppy, which was in 2005, when I first got my dear my dear dog Amos.And it’s a big question to answer for me, because I really knew nothing about dog training when I got him, and really didn’t get into it until he was about five years old. So for me, so much has changed. In the world of training and pet care, I think a lot has changed too, I think for the better.So he asked me this question and I felt like God, there’s almost too much there for me to answer in any kind of concise way. But I thought, there’s definitely one thing that I had no idea about when that when I first got Amos and that I think probably a lot of dog owners still don’t know about.And this is a certain kind of product that I think can make such a huge difference in any training. But particularly when you’re working with a puppy and this is a product under the category heading lickable treats. Not sure the word lickable is actually a word because I feel like whenever I type it, it gets a red squiggly line under it. But that’s what I call these kinds of treats. Treats that can be licked, consumed with the tongue.So I just thought I would talk about some of my favorite lickable treats. Although first, perhaps I should say why I think these are so valuable to us when we’re working with dogs. First of all, as a dog trainer, I feel like I constantly have crumbs in my pockets. I feel like one of the downsides of the trade is that my hands are always kind of gross. And so it’s really nice to give a dog something that is in a tube where you never actually have to handle you know, lamb lung, turkey hearts, lots of things that are frankly, kind of gross. And these lickable treats make that easier to not actually have to physically handle this stuff.Also, licking is very soothing for dogs. That is certainly a bonus. And there are lots of situations where you want your dog to not waste a lot of time chewing and swallowing things. You just want them to kind of enjoy something and keep going. So that’s one nice thing about using these kinds of treats.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Two months after losing her 15.5-year-old Yorkiepoo bestfriend, Annie and her family welcomed a new puppy into their home. In this episode, she talks about the experience of falling in love with rescue dogs on the Internet, conversing with breeders charging top dollar, and, finally, landing the perfect puppy for her family. Go to School For The Dogs' Instagram to see a picture of Annie's new puppy! https://www.instagram.com/p/CJhGbJFn6Ir/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_linkJoin the School For The Dogs Community at http://schoolforthedogs.com/communityEpisode with Anna Heyward: https://anchor.fm/dogs/episodes/Lessons-learned-from-foster-dogs-A-discussion-with-our-apprentice-Anna-Heyward-ejr8ohProducts mentioned in this episode: Squishy Face Flirt Pole https://storeforthedogs.com/products/flirt-polesDIY Flirt Pole https://storeforthedogs.com/blogs/news/dog-flirt-poles-you-can-diyRevol Crate by Diggs https://storeforthedogs.com/products/the-revol-dog-crate---Partial Transcript:[Intro and music]Annie:Hey folks, it’s New Year’s Day. And I only have a short window of time to record this while my in-laws are at the playground with my daughter. I actually had a different episode lined up for today. Kind of like a business lessons, behavior-minded business lessons of 2020 episode I was going to do.But at the last minute I decided instead I wanted to share that there’s some big dog news in my life that’s happened in the last week, which is that I got a puppy. And I thought while this event is still quite fresh, I would talk about it. We got her on Tuesday and today is Friday. So it’s really only been a few days.So as regular listeners might know, I lost my beloved 15 and a half year old Yorkie poo Amos about two months ago, November 3rd, after a swift illness. And I had him for most of my adult life. He really shaped who I am. And so it was a big loss, big loss to recover from.And it didn’t feel right away like, okay, now we need to get a new dog. I just kind of thought, I’m just gonna let this settle, see how I feel. Don’t need to rush into anything. And my husband was like, why don’t we wait a few years? And I thought, I don’t know if I can wait a few years. I mean, this is my life, dogs are my life. The house feels empty without a dog.Plus I realized I’ve only ever had one dog. I mean, I had dogs when I was a kid, but like since being a dog trainer, I’ve only ever had one dog. And when I got into dog training my dog was already five. So I’ve never had a dog who I’ve trained from the beginning. And the more I thought about it, the more I felt kind of like, gosh, am I fake? Am I a failure that I’ve only ever had one dog?I mean, I’ve certainly trained many dogs. I’ve spent extended periods of time with many, many dogs, but I just felt like, I think it will benefit me to be in the trenches with a new dog. That experience can only benefit my understanding of dogs in general.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

This is a bonus episode: A recording of a live Q and A.Join Annie Grossman for a live Q and A most Thursdays.Sign up for the next one at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qanda or join in the School For The Dogs app at http://schoolforthedogs.com/communityHave a question? Visit AnnieGrossman.com/ask or upload a recording at anchor.fm/dogs.In this episode, Annie answers questions from: -A bilingual dog owner who is confused about what language to use with his dog, and who gets angry when the dog goes on the couch -A dog owner whose older dog just died, leaving the younger one, a border collie, sort of depressed... can any thing be done? -A person who lives with a dog who is obsessed with watching TV. Can TV time actually help this dog be less reactive with other dogs? -A Great Dane owner whose dog attacks the door when people come in, or when he can see people through the glass---Partial Transcript:[Intro and music]Annie:Now onto some of these questions. I have four questions here that I am going to try and answer.First question today comes from Luis, whose dog is named Luca. He is a 47 pound one year old American bulldog. They live in Phoenix. You can find them on Instagram, @nomadatemporal. Luis says:I just welcomed a beautiful dog into my life after we met at the shelter and I started listening to your podcast to get ready and train her. I think we are making progress and your tips have been super helpful. I’m having a hard time because my tendency is to get angry. For example, I don’t have a ton of money, and I got a set of couches as a gift from my family. So I’m trying to keep her off the couches.But when she gets on them, I respond in a way that is not helpful to training. I usually say no point to the ground, and sometimes she listens. Other times I have to physically take her down. Also Spanish is my first language. So it’s been hard to give her commands in English when my instinct is to say the first thing and it’s usually in Spanish.I know commands can be whatever. The people around are English speakers or bilingual. So I feel like training twice as much to teach her two commands for each. I love her, she’s American bulldog and we are learning from each other. Thank you for such a beautiful show and I hope I can support your work.That’s very nice. Alright. So a few things here, first of all, I really wouldn’t worry about what language that you’re speaking to Luca. You know, it’s funny with this because I really think that you know, most of the things we say to dogs they interpret like, remember like the parents in Charlie Brown? Like wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa. Sure, I think they understand tone to some extent, but I wouldn’t get too caught up in worrying about which language you’re using.Because you know, you can use gestures, you can teach using visual cues, for example. And when you do start to teach her specific behaviors, then you can start to think about being specific about what cues you use. And you might choose a visual cue instead of a verbal cue if you’re worried about going back and forth from one language to another.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Meet Claire Cario, School For The Dogs’ Private Training Manager. Annie interviews Claire about her journey into the world of dog training, which began with a childhood love of nature shows and eventually led to an array of interesting jobs working with dogs, from training dogs to herd geese in Prospect Park, to working with therapy dog teams at The Good Dog Foundation to evaluating dogs in New York City’s public shelter system and beyond. Claire also talks about the rewards, and occasional challenges, of living in New York with her deaf and partially-blind rescue dog, Otis. Book a session with Claire: schoolforthedogs.com/claireGet a free ebook on three keys to dog training success when you sign up for our free Master Class at anniegrossman.com/masterclass---Partial Transcript:Annie:All right. So I am here with Claire Cario, who I am honored to call an employee. Claire, why don’t you introduce yourself and talk a little bit about what you do at School for the Dogs, and then we can move back in time from there.Claire:Sure. So I have been with School for the Dogs for the past year, and it’s been quite an interesting year for everyone. And I came on board as a private trainer manager and also as one of the behavior therapy consultant trainers as well. Annie and Kate, both of you guys have been colleagues of mine for years. We’ve walked in the same kind of pathway for over a decade. And it just really was a great opportunity and I was excited to come on board.Annie:Well, yeah, I mean, when we hired you, I felt like we have arrived. Like if we have Claire Cario working for us, we’re doing something right. And well I want to talk actually about the first time you and I met, which was like 10 years ago, but I’m interested in, in sort of knowing how you got into dog training to begin with. Cause you know what, I actually don’t really know.Claire:Yeah. Neither do I, Annie. [laughs]Annie:You’re like who am I? What am I doing?Claire:Who am I, well, you figure that out after the fact, I think, generally. Yeah, my story is interesting. I used to work in the film industry as a camera assistant for years. So I was a union camera assistant.Annie:Is that like a, what does a camera assistant do? Is that different than a best boy? And also, I don’t know what a best boy is.Claire:I actually was a best girl on a few jobs as well. That’s working in the electric department, specifically working with anything that’s electrical. But the camera assistant is, I was a first AC primarily. Worked my way up pretty quickly, and at the age of 23, I was walked into the union.Basically, like it’s so arbitrary, that job, and the skill set is so weird. But basically I kept things in focus. That was like my primary goal. And you know, I’m not going to get into, that’s a whole nother podcast about what that means. But that’s important. Like obviously actors need to be in focus.Annie:Did you work on any films that we may have seen, I may have seen?Claire:Yeah, I worked in a lot of independent film back in the day when it was still independent. I think probably the most well-known films that I worked on were Boys Don’t Cry and The Believer, that launched Ryan Gosling’s film career. And Wendigo.Annie:Boys Don’t Cry. I remember that one. That was a big deal.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

This is a bonus episode: A recording of a live Q and A. Join Annie Grossman for a live Q and A most Thursdays.Sign up for the next one at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qanda or join in the School For The Dogs app at http://schoolforthedogs.com/communityHave a question? Visit AnnieGrossman.com/ask or upload a recording at anchor.fm/dogs.In this episode, Annie talks about humping: Why dogs do it, how to get them to not do it, and why everyone should just chill out about it. ---Partial Transcript:Annie:I was going to talk just briefly about humping. Got a question: How do I get my malel neutered dog to stop trying to hump other male dogs to assert his dominance.So let let’s talk about that. The simplest answer to the question is you should work on getting your dog’s attention. You can manage a lot of behaviors if you have the ability to get your dog to come to you, to pay attention to you when you need your dog to do so. And you can do that by practicing getting your dog’s attention in less distracting situations.It’s a process of using classical conditioning to your advantage. I have a podcast episode where I talk about teaching come and drop it using classical conditioning. And, same idea. You want your dog to know that when you say whatever the specific word is, or blow whistle or whatever, that it is worth their while to stop whatever they are doing and to turn their attention to you.So, often with Come, people do this with a whistle, whether it’s an actual whistle or just whistling with your lips, because that’s a noise that’s very specific and could be meaningful. And it’s an easy thing to teach because all you need to do is whistle and then drop some great things at your feet. Drop some treats. And you just need to be really consistent about that.What’s nice about teaching behaviors in this way is, certainly in the beginning, you’re really not asking anything of your dog. You’re just teaching your dog to make the connection between stuff dropped on the ground. I’m sorry, between the sound and stuff dropped on the ground, stuff that is delicious.And I liken it to — I mean, there are so many, so many things that you can liken it to, but it’s kind of like throwing a sale, right? The sale isn’t happening because you are going to the store, but the store having the sale makes you go there because you’ve been conditioned to understand what a sale is.So my suggestion is work on teaching really good recall. It could also be like a break cue. At School Yard at School for the Dogs, we teach dogs that, when we say break, that means they need to stop what they’re doing and turn their attention to us.But also, I don’t know why your dog is having so many opportunities to hump other male dogs, but certainly as the controller of your dog’s social life, you could also limit access to other male dogs unless you’re really ready to be practicing that recall or that break. And then work up to situations where your dog is maybe in a dog park or less controlled situations.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

At School For The Dogs, we are very picky about products we recommend: We try to guide our clients towards products that we feel really work well and are made by US-based, sustainability-minded small businesses. North Carolina-based business 2 Hounds Designs ticks all the boxes. In particular, we are big fans of their Freedom Harness. It is one of only two harnesses that we sell in our Manhattan shop and in our online store. This innovative "no-pull" front-clip harness is one of the best selling items in our shop, and for good reason: it helps dogs learn to stop pulling! Annie interviews 2 Hounds' president, Alisha Navarro, who stumbled upon a little-known harness design nearly 18 years ago, purchased the patent, and now has a factory and 40+ employees who are working to keep up with ever-increasing demand for it. Annie and Alisha discuss why the harness works so well, the design's origins, its diehard fans, how the manufacturing side of the business was impacted by the coronavirus, and more. For a limited time, get 10% all 2 Hounds Design products at StoreForTheDogs.com using code ALISHA. https://storeforthedogs.com/collections/2-hounds-design---Partial Transcript:Alisha Navarro:I’m Alisha Navarro. And I’m the founder and president of 2 Hounds Design.Annie:And how would you describe what 2 Hounds Design is?Alisha:So we make dog colors, harnesses, and leashes. Our harness is a patented no-pull harness. It has a Swiss velvet lining, and it’s all made in the USA. And our collars are pretty high end. We’re known for creating collars with our own ribbon designs.We also use some really high-end materials. Sometimes we’ll use home decoration materials, something that you would see in a luxury home. We’ll use that to put on collars. We’ve also taken wedding dresses apart and make collars out of them to match the bridal party. So we’ve done some really fun stuff on our collar side as well.Annie:So I discovered 2 Hounds because of the Freedom Harness. And so I’m really curious about that, but first I wanted to ask you, why is it called 2 Hounds?Alisha:2 Hounds Design was named after my original two retired racing greyhounds, Iceman and Paradise. I adopted Paradise first in 2001, and I adopted Iceman in 2002, I believe. And then in 2003, I founded my company, and we were trying to come up with a name for it. And the company exists because of them, because I was selling collars for them. So we just named the company after them.Annie:So the Freedom No-Pull Harness is one of our best-selling items both in our online store and in our actual shop. And it is one of only two harnesses that we sell. And it’s definitely the harness that we recommend most. I love it for some reasons you already mentioned, for instance, I love that it has the velvet under the armpits. I love the front attachment.I was first made aware of this style of harness because of the Easy Walk harness, which is a similar harness, that I think is not as good actually. But I’d love to hear the story of how you came to discover this kind of harness. I understand that you didn’t invent it. But you kind of well, tell me, I bet there’s a good story here.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

During the dark days of 2020, Annie has been self-medicating. Her drug of choice? Watching clips from old movie musicals she loved as a kid. It turns out that there are a lot of lessons about behavior in these films, and storylines that unwittingly relate to dog training. In this episode, Annie gives a dog-trainer’s-eye-view analysis of Mary Poppins, The Music Man, and the movie Annie. See the full clips played in this episode when you join our new app: http://schoolforthedogs.com/communityMentioned in this episode: Animals Make Us Human, by Temple Grandin https://amzn.to/2KkyXA8---Transcript:Annie:So there’s something that I think probably a lot of people who know me well, probably don’t even know about me, which is that I love old movie musicals. I grew up with a small skyscraper of VHS tapes balanced atop the TV of Judy Garland movies, Fred Astaire movies, Gene Kelly, Robert Preston. I would watch these movies — I’m trying to think of some of them, 42nd street, GiGi, The Music Man, The Sound of Music, the Easter Parade, Oklahoma.I would just watch these movies over and over. And so much of them I feel like are deeply ingrained in me. And really it sort of informed my early view of what the world was like, which is maybe why adulthood has actually been something of a disappointment. Like it turns out if you’re an unmarried woman in your thirties who loves books, that doesn’t mean that Robert Preston is going to come serenade you in the library while everyone does a choreographed jig around you.I think I kind of put my love of movie musicals aside for many years, you know, occasionally maybe going to one if there was something at the Film Forum. But the existence of YouTube has really made it possible for me to occasionally dive in for an hour or two and watch some old favorite clips. It’s like a drug. It just makes me so happy to see people singing and dancing and these old movies.And during these gray months of 2020, I have started watching some of my favorite old musicals with my daughter, who’s almost two. We have Disney Plus, which is a treasure trove. And I’ve made her some YouTube playlists that we work through of my favorite scenes from old musicals. And of course I can’t help myself from finding little dog training lessons and dog life parallels in, in my old favorite movies.So I thought I would share a few songs today and tell you how I’ve been thinking about them as it relates to dog stuff. I don’t think there are any majorly important dog training lessons in what I’m about to share, but maybe it will just be a little bit of fun to share my thought process with you. And of course, to share these joyous, joyous movie moments.I am going to post the full videos in our brand new app, which you should definitely check out. You can get there at schoolforthedogs.com/community. There is a section there specifically about the podcast and that is where I’m going to post the videos.So, first one that I want to share with you is from Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins was based on the PL Travers books and of course starred Julie Andrews and Dick van Dyke. Two of my all time favorites, both of whom are still alive, fortunately. Julie Andrews, this was the first time she played an amazing babysitter. The second time being in the Sound of Music, which came a few years later.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Shari asks: "A few months ago we had to put our beloved 17 year old dog Lola to sleep. A few months later, when a friend of mine who runs a shelter got a litter of lab puppies, she invited me to come play with them. Not surprisingly, I came home with Jasper, a now 4 month old chocolate lab. Already 50 lbs, Jasper is a big handful. We adore him and we're doing our best at training him, but we have a crazy busy household with three young children, two cats and two adults working very full time jobs from home. To be honest, we're feeling really overwhelmed about training him properly. Would you recommend a board and train program to help give us a leg up?" Annie talks about the cons of board-and-trains, and suggests a couple of alternatives. ---Partial Transcript:Annie:Hello, Annie here. Thanks for joining me. This is my first experiment with going live in our brand new app, which you can find by going to Schoolforthedogs.com/community, or look up School for the Dogs Community in iTunes. It’s pretty great. I’m pretty excited about it. And one cool feature is that I can do this in the app. If you’re able to tune in, say hi, love to see if this is working. You can also join these little Q and A sections online at schoolforthedogs.com/Qanda. And you can ask a question in advance at anniegrossman.com/ask.Okay. Today I have a question from my friend Shari. I actually worked with Shari on Too Cute the Animal Planet show. She was a producer there and I was an associate producer and sort of the resident dog nerd animal trainer. It was a great job for me for about a year. I did it about 10 years ago.Anyway Shari writes:A few months ago, we had to put our beloved 17 year old dog to sleep, Lola. A few months later, when a friend of mine who runs a shelter got a litter of Lab puppies, she invited me to come play with them. Not surprisingly, I came home with Jasper, a now four month old chocolate lab, already 50 pounds.Jasper is a big handful. We adore him and we’re doing our best at training him, but we have a crazy busy household with three young children, two cats, and two adults working very full-time jobs from home. To be honest, we’re feeling really overwhelmed about training him properly. Would you recommend a board and train program to help give us a leg up?So I think Shari is in a very understandable position that I think probably a lot of people are finding themselves in right now. A lot of people have gotten puppies during the pandemic, which is a great thing for a million reasons, but also I’m sure is posing a lot of challenges that are somewhat unexpected. Especially since a lot of people probably didn’t expect that they would have to continue trying to work from home with kids and maybe didn’t factor in what it would mean to have a puppy in that equation as well.My response to Shari is to think twice, though, before jumping to doing a board and train. I get the appeal of a board and train it as far as like what one imagines. It might be, I’m going to send my dog to some perfect person, perfect place, and my dog is going to come back with all the work done for me, and everything’s going to be easy. And all that stands between me and this is money.However, I think that it very rarely works out that way.Full transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Amos Grossman Pedicone died on November 3, 2020. He was 15.5-years old, and lived with Annie Grossman since his puppyhood. He was a black Yorkiepoo who enjoyed playing fetch in the ocean, swimming in fountains, and learning new tricks -- sometimes pretty fabulous ones. But this episode isn't about his accomplishments, or about his braininess or cuteness. It's about death as part of dog ownership, and about how dog ownership can be part of a person's self-care. It's about how people can love a dog that doesn't belong to them. It's about how training can help us be able to enjoy our dogs and spend more time with them, and can help them be happy to be in the role of being the objects of our affection. It's also about how dogs are the opposite of death and heartbreak. But mostly, it's about Amos. He will be missed. Join the School For The Dogs Community app!On the web: http://schoolforthedogs.com/commumityOn iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1355439730In Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.disciplemedia.schoolfordogs---Partial Transcript:Annie:So my dog died a month ago on November 3rd, Election Day. And I have been attempting to record this episode for the last few weeks, but it’s been hard to get myself to sit down and do it. To sit alone in a room and talk about losing my dog best friend over the last 15 and a half years, you know?And it’s not like I have to race cause someone else is going to scoop the story. It’s not like I have an editor breathing down my neck. I mean, I could just choose to not record a podcast episode about losing my dog.But this is a podcast about living with dogs, loving dogs, teaching dogs, learning from dogs. And unfortunately death is part of pet ownership. So I sort of feel like I would be chickening out if I neglected to talk about this part of my experience of this relationship. Also, this is School for the Dogs Podcast, of course, and Amos was a big part of how School for the Dogs came to be in existence.You know, some people I know have become dog trainers because they were really interested often from an early age in animal behavior in general, and dogs are a relatively easy animal to focus on if you’re interested in animal behavior, since you can study them and work with them without having to go scuba diving or camping out in a tree.I know quite a few dog trainers who consider themselves, I think animal trainers first, dog trainer second. And I also know a lot of people who got into dog training because they had a really difficult dog. But I don’t think I fit into either of those two categories for me. I think my dog training life started with a love of dogs in general and then a great love for one dog in particular. I didn’t become a dog trainer to change Amos in any way. I became a dog trainer because I wanted to figure out how to be a better person to my dog, how I could spend more time with him.I think I mentioned this in an early episode of the podcast, but I went through this real soul searching period during the last major economic downturn, like in 2008, 2009, 2010, where I was really thinking hard about how I could make a living doing something different than I had been doing. And I spent a lot of time with Amos in the dog park, writing lists of things I liked and things I could imagine spending my time doing.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Join Annie Grossman for a live Q and A most Thursdays. Sign up for the next one at schoolforthedogs.com/qanda.Have a question? Visit AnnieGrossman.com/ask or upload a recording at anchor.fm/dogs.In this episode, Annie talks about using a crate with a new dog. Among the questions answered: Where should you put a crate? What kind of crate should you get? Do you have to use a crate? How can a crate help with housetraining? What can you put in a crate? How can you get a dog to like being in a crate? What work-to-eat toys work in a crate? Can a dog be alone in a crate right away? Should you cover a crate? What training exercises can make a dog enjoy being in a crate? What behaviors can you teach in a crate?Mentioned in this episode:Slow Food Bowlshttps://storeforthedogs.com/collections/dog-bowls-and-treat-dispensersRevol Dog Cratehttps://storeforthedogs.com/products/the-revol-dog-crateRevol Crate Coverhttps://storeforthedogs.com/products/revol-crate-coverGroov Training Aidhttps://storeforthedogs.com/products/groov-training-aidLickable Treatshttps://storeforthedogs.com/collections/lickable-and-spreadable-treats?sort_by=best-sellingSusan Garrett's Crate Games https://amzn.to/3lCYnpK---Partial Transcript:Annie:I have been getting a lot of questions about crate training. A lot of people getting dogs this year, which is pretty cool. The upside of global pandemic seems to be that people bring dogs into their homes. Who knew that that would be a silver lining.And crate is often one of the first things that people purchase right when they’re getting a dog. I think sometimes people get confused about how to use it, why they should use it or not use it. So I want to just sort of talk to y’all about the way I think about a crate.A crate is, of course, a great management tool. The three pillars of the dog training triad — management, timing and rewards. Management is all about setting the stage, setting a stage where our dogs are going to perform in ways we are going to be likely to like, and are not going to have a chance to do a lot of the stuff we might not want them to do.I think particularly a crate can be a very good management tool for house training.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Meet Liz Zarro, a young designer at Oregon-based dog gear company, Ruffwear, which specializes in making products that help dogs and humans have outdoor adventures together. Liz and Annie discuss how Ruffwear's innovative products are developed, the thinking that goes into designing gear meant to please both dogs and humans, and how the products we use can affect how dogs are trained. You'll learn about the though process behind everything from treat pouches to dog seatbelts and more.This episode contains an Easter egg: a 25% discount on all Ruffwear products from now through 11:59PM ET on Monday 11/30. Find all the Ruffwear products mentioned in this episode, and more, at StoreForTheDogs.com!Follow Liz Zarro on Instagram: @liz_zarroTake Annie's Master Class and get a free e-book on the three keys to dog training success! http://anniegrossman.com/masterclass---Partial Transcript:[Intro and music]Liz Zarro:My name is Liz Zarro, and I’m a product designer and developer at Ruffwear in Bend Oregon. Ruffwear is an outdoor dog gear company. We basically design and develop the items that you would need to take your dog out on adventures with you and enable those outdoor pursuits. So things like dog boots, harnesses, backpacks, we kind of specialize in that area.Annie:And you studied in Bend, right? Isn’t Ruffwear in Bend. Am I right?Liz:Yes. Ruffwear is in Bend.Annie:And when you were going to school there in Oregon then, was Ruffwear kind of a spot that you thought, wow, that would be a great place to work as a dog lover and designer?Liz:Yes, I did. Yeah. When I was in college, actually, I sent an email to Ruffwear to see if they needed an intern or any extra help on their design team. And at that time I got an email back that was basically saying that at this time we don’t really need any help in that area.But fast forward a few years, after I had graduated and I was working as a freelancer. Ruffwear came back, and they did need a little extra help. And so I was able to freelance with their team, before I was offered a full-time job, and being able to move to Bend and join the team to make great performance dog gear. That was definitely like a dream come true,Annie:Ruffwear as a brand, it sells at REI. Do you think that’s how a lot of people discover it?Liz:I do. I think that, who I would consider our sort of core base, so outdoor and dog lovers, that sort of cross section. To me, that’s a total REI customer. For those people shopping at REI for other things, and then seeing Ruffwear, I think that is a big way that we become known.Annie:Yeah, it’s interesting because REI doesn’t carry a whole lot of pet gear. So it’s like the gear that they do carry, I guess, seems like it would have some kind of great stamp of approval on it. Because like I was saying, you know, you guys have huge fans, we carry it at my online store, storeforthedogs.com. We carry a lot of different brands and I don’t think any sort of thing, any specific brand has as big of a fan group. Have, have you, have you experienced the Ruffwear fandom?Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

This bonus episode is a recording of an Instagram Live Annie did, which can be seen here.https://www.instagram.com/tv/CH8i617n2mi/The treats discussed here are main ones trainers use at School For The Dogs. They are: Happy Howies food rolls Carnivore Crunch by Stella + Chewy's Crumps Freeze Dried Beef Lamb Lung Tricky Trainers You can find them all at StoreForTheDogs.com https://storeforthedogs.com/collections/go-to-treats---Partial Transcript:Annie:Hey, this is a recording of an Instagram live I just did about five of our go-to brands of dog treats at School for the Dogs. The first minute or two didn’t record. But the first treat I am talking about is Lamb Lung. We have our house brand of lamb lung. And a listener wrote in and suggested that I would have a good voice for a ASMR. So I attempted to talk about lamb lung in my best whispery, breathy voice.[whispering:]I never thought I would think so much about the lungs of lamb. It’s really a disgusting thing. When you think too much about the lamb lungs that are enjoyed by our dogs, but at least one of these animals is having a good life. I don’t know about the poor lambs. It makes me quite sad. Which it actually is one of the reasons why we started carrying a lot of vegan treats at School for the Dogs, because I think it’s actually a good idea to feed your dog vegan food, because it means fewer dead lambs, but that said the dogs do like the lamb lung.[whispering:]So this is the lamb lung that we carry. It’s our house brand. [crinkling plastic sound] Oh, it’s a crinkly noise to go with the whisper noise. So many good noises. So I like it cause it breaks up into really, really small bits. Really small, and they’re not greasy. And the dogs love them.[whispering:]So when I'm using a clicker, I will often have the treats and the clicker all together in one hand. And I will either have the lamb lung in small pieces, or I'll have one big piece, and then click, give a treat. You can like break off a treat while you like click and then just break off a little bit. So lamb lung is a real go-to at .[speaking] Oh my God, I don't think I can keep doing it. Doing the whisper is going to hurt my voice too much. [laughs]God, those whispering people on the internet have a lot of stamina.Okay. The second treat today is tricky trainers. We carry these in a bunch of different flavors kind of butter, cheddar cheese. This one is liver. I think liver is probably our most popular, and these are like the err dog treat. I think they're great.There's a couple of dog treats that come in, kind of brands that have treats in this kind of shape and size is like pencil eraser type treat size. It's great. Cause you can break one of these up into like one, two, three, four, right? I think I've got six pieces here. They're super low calorie. They’re three, three calories per treat. And like I said, one of these treats is really basically like 6 treats. So that's half a calorie per treat.They're made by Cloud Star, which is a small company in Missouri. You've probably seen their stickers. They have the slogan Wag more bark less. They make stickers that people put on their cars and whatever. Anyway, I'm a big fan of wheat and corn free Tricky Trainers. And look how cute is their little logo. It's a dog riding a bicycle. I love it.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Sasha Prasad moved to New York City with her three rescue dogs last year in order to get a masters degree in Animal Behavior and Conservation from Hunter. She began working at School For The Dogs right away, and has been with us ever since, doing everything from walking to client relations to social media. Her passion is helping all animals live happier lives; dogs are just one of the creatures she wants to work with. She and Annie discuss how she built her own dog walking company, Freedom Tails, in Boston, her shelter-based education in dog behavior, and her current work: researching how to make koi fish live happier, more enriched lives. Learn more about Sasha at http://SashaPrasad.comArticles by Dr. Becca Franks: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zBb257kAAAAJ&hl=en---Partial Transcript:[Intro and music]Annie:So I think I’ve said this before and I don’t want to sound self-congratulatory, but I have to say Kate and I have really great people working for us at School for the Dogs. I am. So just thrilled, thrilled to have a team of people who have these special talents and interests. I’m thrilled to have these people working towards the same goal altogether under the School for the Dogs umbrella. The goal of helping dogs and people live happier lives together.And I feel especially I don’t know, sort of sappy about it. I think just because this has been such a difficult year for pretty much everyone in the world. And one thing, one blessing, one silver lining has been that I feel like it’s brought our staff closer together and just made me all the more grateful.So today I am sharing with you a conversation I had with Sasha Prasad. Sasha has been with School for the Dogs for over a year now. But you maybe haven’t met her at the studio because especially lately, she does a lot of behind the scenes stuff. She does a lot of our Instagramming, the wonderful roundups we do on the weekend. And she also is the person who answers a lot of emails that come into our info box.But Sasha is an animal trainer in her own right. Currently working with fish, actually. So I’m excited to share this conversation she and I had.Annie:Hi.Sasha:Hello. The lighting where you are as beautiful. You are glowing.Annie:I’m right in the window.Sasha:Yeah, amazing.Annie:So I am psyched to get to talk to Sasha Prasad and to see your little dog there.Sasha:Yeah. Chloe is here, Lilo’s down here. Jackson will probably make himself heard at some point. So the gang’s all here.Annie:You’re a three dog, three dog household in New York City.Sasha:Yeah. Not on purpose, but here we are. So.Annie:Aw. And I know one of them, one of them has been in hospice care — at home hospice care. Is that right?Sasha:Yeah. It’s been a pretty wild ride. So Lilo, she’s 17. We brought her to the emergency vet sometime in late August and they told us she was in kidney failure and that she had a couple of days to a couple of weeks left. But here we are going on a month. Behaviorally, she’s a little slower and I have to do a lot more coaxing to get her to eat, but she’s eating full meals. She’s still doing the things that she likes to do. She’s going for walks. And so, I don’t know. We’re really grateful and we’re taking it one day at a time.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Join Annie Grossman for a live Q and A most Thursdays.Sign up for the next one at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qanda.Have a question? Visit AnnieGrossman.com/ask or upload a recording at anchor.fm/dogs.In this episode: Annie talks about some of the awesome handmade products for sale at StoreForTheDogs.com and answers questions about a young dog who "submissive pees" and bites the leash on walks. She also talks about a friend who was receptive to Annie's dog training advice when it came to her kid throwing tantrums when it was time to get dressed. Find all the items mentioned in this episode at StoreForTheDogs.comhttp://storeforthedogs.com/collections/handmade---Partial Transcript:Annie:So today I thought I would show you guys some of the really cool handmade things that we sell at School for the Dogs as as a lot of you know we really try and have items that are, first of all, things that we really like that we recommend. We have like a pretty limited amount of space. So we want to fill it with things that we truly think are great.We also try and support other small businesses, particularly small local businesses. And we have quite a few people who make really lovely goods by hand, and I wanted to show you just a couple of them. These are all available at storeforthedogs.com and also in our East Village shop.This is a toy that just came in. It’s pretty hilarious. I think it’s like a tomato with a baby tomato, I guess. I don’t know what’s going on here. It’s made by the company at the furry folks, we carry their whole line on our online store. But what’s cool about this is, you pull out the tiny, tiny baby tomato and this, I don’t know, yellow pulp stuff comes out, and you can hide treats in the pulpy part, in this like yellow fabric thing with holes in it.I’m trying to figure out how I would describe this to someone who can’t see it. It’s kind of like a big, weird stocking that comes out of this tomato. That’s like crackling. [crinkling sound] And we all know dogs like things that crackle. It has this really sturdy fabric on the outside. So anyway, you put dry food, treats, kibble, whatever in the yellow pull-out part and then stuff it in here. If you have the kind of dog who really loves to pull things apart, really nice toy that comes in this very cute little like tomato style box, like you would see at green market.Also by DogNMat, is this sushi snuffle toy. I’m a big fan of this because I think it’s just so cute. it comes like this rolled up like a sushi, totally made of fleece, machine washable. You unroll it and it has like avocado in it. What is this? The egg stuff? I never liked that stuff in my sushi rolls. Salmon. And, again, you just hide treats in the little bits here, roll it up, has a little Velcro closure, and you have a sushi snuffle roll!Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

When he wasn't revolutionizing the world of mid-20th century jazz music, Charles Mingus was home training his cat, Nightlife. Specifically, he was really into training Nightlife to go on the toilet. Indeed, he was something of an evangelist on the subject. Here, Annie reads from "The Charles Mingus CAT-alog for Toilet Training Your Cat," his 1972 brochure that outlines a step-by-step process. You can find the full text herehttps://www.charlesmingus.com/mingus/cat-traning-program?utm_content=buffer97a50Train your own cat with a modern invention: The Litter Kwitterhttps://litterkwitter.com/Music: Full of Love from Album Stay Tonight, by Till Paradiso (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)https://freemusicarchive.org/music/till-paradiso/stay-tonight/full-of-love-tp-031mp3---Partial Transcript:Annie:There are two things I love that I rarely talk about on this podcast. One is cats. The other is jazz music. Well, that's all going to change today. A few weeks ago in a Q and A I did, I mentioned this little known fact in the history of jazz, which is that jazz titan Charles Mingus was very interested in cat training.Specifically, he was interested in training cats to pee and poop on toilets, and he actually wrote a guide to how to do that. So today I thought I would just share with you a reading of this guide paired with some jazz music. Here is Charles Mingus is the Charles Mingus CAT-atalog for toilet training your cat.First, you must train your cat to use a homemade cardboard litter box if you have not already done so. If your box does not have a one-piece bottom, add a cardboard that fits inside so you have a false bottom that is smooth and strong. This way the box will not become soggy and fall out at the bottom. The grocery store will have extra flat cardboards, which you can cut down to fit exactly inside your box.Be sure to use torn up newspaper, not kitty litter. Stop using kitty litter. When the time comes, you cannot put sand in the toilet.Once your cat is trained to use a cardboard box, start moving the box around the room towards the bathroom. If the box is in a corner, move it a few feet from the corner, but not very noticeably. If you move it too far, he may go to the bathroom in the original. Do it gradually.You've got to get him thinking, then he will gradually follow the box as you move it to the bathroom. If you already have it there, move it out of the bathroom, around, and then back. He has to learn to follow it. If it is too close to the toilet to begin with, he will not follow it up onto the toilet seat. A cat will look for his box. He smells it.Now as you move the box, also start cutting the brim of the box down, so the sides get lower. Do this gradually. Finally you reach the bathroom, and eventually the toilet itself.Then one day, prepare to put the box on top of the toilet.At each corner of the box, cut a little slash you can run string around the box through these slashes, and tie the box down to the toilet so it will fall off. Your cat will see it there and jump up to the box, which is now sitting on top of the toilet. Get the sides cut down to only an inch or so.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

If two dogs are playing, and you're unsure if your dog is into it, there is a simple "test" you can perform. The Bully Test, which was coined by Dr. Ian Dunbar, is a great way to tell how your dog feels about his or her playmate. Annie looks at how she herself behaved when faced with childhood mean girls, and how voters reacted when bullied by the Bully-In-Chief. Also: Is "bully" an inherent quality in a dog? Or a kid? Is there a term that we could come up with that doesn't vilify one of two puppies when performing this "test?" And: Why you shouldn't expect dogs to just "working it out" during play. Lastly: Annie explains how to use FOMO to train dogs to love going in crates.Master Class: http://anniegrossman.com/masterclass Community App Early Invite Signup: http://schoolforthedogs.com/podcastcommunity---Partial Transcript:[Intro and music]Annie:Here is a pretty simple thing that any dog owner can do if their dog is playing with another dog and they're not sure if both the dogs are enjoying themselves. What you do is you gently restrain whichever dog is the more outgoing, the more aggressive one. I think a lot of the time, in play with dogs, just like with kids, one person is the chaser. Hold back, restrain in whatever gentle way you can, the more aggressive of the two dogs and see what the other dog does.If the dog comes right back and goes up to the dog, who's being restrained and is like, come on, I thought we were doing this. Then that dog probably was into it. Right? That dog was probably feeling good about that place session. If the dog goes to the other side of the room that tells you that that dog was most likely happy that he has the chance to take a break and that perhaps he was feeling bullied.This is called the bully test. I believe it was named, if maybe not also developed, by a Dr. Ian Dunbar, a trainer of great renown and also a veterinarian. It's such a simple thing. It makes so much sense. And if it can help you make sure that two dogs aren't enjoying playing with each other, there's really no downside. And by the way, the dog who is the possible bully -- if the dog who wasn't being restrained does take the chance to go to the other side of the room -- that does not mean that one dog is a bad dog. It just means that in that situation, maybe the intensity was too much.Maybe there’s a size difference between the two dogs that is making one of them uncomfortable. Maybe it has nothing — one dog might just be extra fearful for any reason, or no reason. Could be mix-matched play styles. So this isn’t, you know, see which dog is the good dog and which is the bad dog. It’s just a way to diagnose the healthiness and the happiness of play that is happening.So I wanted to mention this because I think it’s a really easy tool to have in your dog training dog-owning toolbox to use with dogs who are off-leash. And I think off-leash play is very important for most dogs, much better than on leash play. But I also think one-on-one play is often the best kind of play. However, this technique could be used in a dog park situation too, or with more dogs.Another reason why I was thinking about the bully test recently and wanted to mention it was because I was going through some stuff in my mom’s basement recently. And I found a letter. I wrote it to my mom from summer camp when I was nine. And it was about this girl who I was in grade school with at that time.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Join Annie Grossman for a live Q and A most Thursdays.Sign up for the next one at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qanda.Have a question? Visit AnnieGrossman.com/ask or upload a recording at anchor.fm/dogs.In this episode: A young labrador no longer wants to go to Fiesta Island with his walker. Is he being lazy? Peaches the Chihuahua doesn't understand why her human wants her to pee on the patio. Is it wise to get a second dog if a finicky dog seems more interesting in eating meals when other dogs are around? ---Partial Transcript:Annie:Hey everyone. This is a bonus Q and A Episode. I try and answer questions live every Thursday. You can sign up to come to my free live Q and A at schoolforthedogs.com/QandA and you will see the next one I’m doing. I then am trying to take recordings of those Q and A’s and post them here to the podcast feed. If you have a question, you can email me directly [email protected]. You can also go to anchor.fm/dogs and record your question there. Thanks for being here.This is Annie Grossman here. I am doing a Live. We had some technical difficulties, but you you can join now at schoolforthedogs.com/Qanda. Or you can just hang out here. I have some great questions here. We have Max and Melissa in the room with us right now. Max has a two year old standard poodle named Lolo. I’m not sure I met Lolo, but how is Lolo doing?Anyway thanks for sticking with me. There were some technical difficulties just now. But I have some great questions. I am not sure if those who ask these questions are in the room, but if you are, do say hello. All right.Our first question is from Michelle Adams who has a Labrador, 70 pounds, lives in San Diego. And Michelle writes me this:Hooper has been going to Fiesta Island, a large off-leash park where he can chase a ball and play with other dogs, for about three months now. He has been going with a dog walker who also has other dogs. He absolutely loves Fiesta Island this week.This week he has decided he does not want to leave the house when they show up to take him. He is home by himself and simply needs to go out the doggy door. Rather, he sits on the sofa and looks at them through the window. If they come into the house, he will go with them. He then has a blast while he is at the park, pictures to verify (I guess she’s saying they take pictures to verify this).The first time he refused to go, they asked him if he wanted a treat and he went right out the dog door. The second time he refused to go, they again tried asking him if he wanted a treat and he still refused to go. They had to go into my home to take him. I am not certain if he is just being lazy, it’s not really his style. Or if I should listen to him and realize that he doesn’t want to go?Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Erin Whelan was a professional French Horn Player. Then she adopted a beagle mix named Oliver and enrolled him in Puppy Kindergarten at School For The Dogs. Then she did the School For The Dogs Professional Program. Now, she is a trainer and manager at School For The Dogs. Annie, who was once her dog trainer and is now her boss, is a big Erin Whelan fan. Annie and Erin discuss switching careers, Cesar Millan's best book, what it means to teach dogs virtually, human body language, and more.Sign up for a session with Erin, at our studio or virtually, at https://www.schoolforthedogs.com/erin/ Sign up for our master class at http://anniegrossman.com/masterclassGet invited to our new community app at http://schoolforthedogs.com/podcastcommunity The Like Switchhttps://amzn.to/2I5LVklCesar's Ruleshttps://amzn.to/3p4hBrn---Partial Transcript:Annie:If you work at School for the Dogs, you might, at some point be approached by our boss, with your boss, asking if you would be willing to be interviewed for the School for the Dogs podcast. In this scenario, I am the boss and the person I’m interviewing today is Erin Whelan. Erin started out with us as a client and ended up doing our professional program and is now a trainer and a manager with us. She is wonderful.I asked some of her coworkers to find adjectives to describe Erin. They said gregarious, honest, humble, fearless, compassionate, down to earth. Witty, Innovative, zealous. Funny, loyal, team player, empathetic, warm, goofy, creative.I hope you’ll enjoy this conversation with Erin. You can book a session with Erin, either at our studio or virtually at schoolforthedogs.com/Erin.[Intro and music]Annie:Hello. I am here with Erin Whelan. Did I say it right?Erin:You did. That’s very good.Annie:I know the H has to be sounded there.Erin:It doesn’t have to, but as long as it’s not wheelin, I’m happy.Annie:Whelan. And I am super psyched to be talking to you. I’ve known you for quite a while now, actually.Erin:Yeah it’s been over six years.Annie:So I, gosh, there’s so much to talk about, but why don’t you just kind of tell the story of how you ended up at School for the Dogs? And we can go from there. And actually, why don’t you start off by just explaining what you’re doing now at School for the Dogs, because you’ve been on both sides, the client and staff side, and you’ve worn a lot of hats on the staff side too, so.Erin:Well, yeah, so right now at the moment, I am both an associate trainer and interim day school manager at School for the Dogs. So I work at day school, puppy day school. I do private sessions for puppies and basic manners, adolescents, and day training. I also teach prep school and puppy kindergarten.Annie:Oh my goodness. Describe what day school is for people who aren’t familiar.Erin:So for day school and puppy day school, those are drop-off training programs. We have day schools for adult and adolescent dogs, and puppy day school. It’s in the name guys, it’s for puppies. And during both of those programs, the dogs go through some relaxation. They have the opportunity to play with other dogs...Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Join Annie Grossman for a live Q and A most Thursdays.Sign up at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qanda.Have a question? Visit AnnieGrossman.com/ask or upload a recording at anchor.fm/dogs.In this episode, Annie answers questions about how to deal with a young puppy who is scared to relieve himself outside when it is pouring, suggests how to keep dogs occupied inside, and discusses why dogs lift their legs when they pee, and more. ---Partial Transcript:Annie:So I am going to be answering some questions. I have at least one that’s on my agenda. Hi Lily. Hi Yolanta. But I think I’m probably gonna keep this pretty short because I’m not feeling great, but I took an aspirin, and I had a drink. [Laughs] And then I have another drink here that I’m sipping. So this isn’t a drinking problem, I have, it’s a drinking solution.Lily, where are you joining from? Yolanta as we know is in the borough of Staten Island. Yolanta, I’m curious, if you–last week we talked about you paying your neighbor to help you. I’m curious how that worked out. And I’m curious if you saw the movie The King of Staten Island. Cause I thought it was kind of like a sweet ode to Staten Island, but then I wondered how actual Staten Island people felt.Oh, Lily is in Kips Bay. Well then we are neighbors. Okay, Lily, since you’re here and you’ve already asked me a question, let’s start with you. So Lily asked:My puppy is six months and hasn’t learned how to pee with his legs standing up. Will he ever learn?Great question. I don’t know. Some dogs are always going to prefer peeing in a squat. My dog, sometimes squats, sometimes lifts his leg. Some female dogs prefer lifting their leg to squatting. I think there will probably be a day where all of a sudden out of nowhere he’ll lift his leg and you’ll feel very proud, but I wouldn’t worry about it.I think that I think that one of the reasons, I don’t think I’m making this up. I think I’ve read about this, but I think one of the reasons we think dogs lift their leg is so that they appear bigger. Isn’t that interesting. Like, you know, one reason probably why little dogs have big ferocious barks is because they want dogs that are far away to think they’re bigger than they are. And one way to make dogs who might never meet you think that you’re more ferocious and should be treated with respect is if they smell you, and they smell your pee way up there.I should also apologize. My husband is also on a call right now for work. He is helping wealthy kids get into expensive colleges in the other room. So if you hear that in the background, apologies.So yeah, I wouldn’t worry if he isn’t lifting his leg, but I’m curious if maybe he will. I don’t remember when my dog started lifting his leg, but six, seven, eight months. It sounds like it might be happening.And then we have a question here that came in from Mary Jane who is in Concepcion, Chile. She has a dog named Kenny, a mixed breed about 30 pounds. And Mary Jane says:I am having trouble teaching my dog to wear a harness and collar. I put a plate with bits of chicken to lure her as soon as she puts her head through it and the harness rests on her neck, but then she backs off. She is very touch sensitive. We’ve been four months together, and just a month ago she allowed me to pet and touch her across her body.Full transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Sit in on an initial virtual private dog training session with Annie Grossman and NYC resident Kari. Kari lives near School For The Dogs with an 8-month old Shepherd mix named Yoshi. Yoshi likes to jump on people when they're walking down the street, and he is quick to rollover on his back when people greet him. Annie gives Kari tips on keeping his attention while walking outside, suggests how to set up practice sessions with people approaching him, and gives Kari some fun and easy exercises she can work on with Yoshi in their home. Book a private session: schoolforthedogs.com/services - Get a free thirty minute private session when you purchase our Good Dog Training Course: schoolforthedogs.com/courses - Liquid Treat Dispenser: SchoolForTheDogs.com/ltd---Partial Transcript:[Music]Annie:This is a recording of a private session we did with a client. You can book a virtual or in-person private session at schoolforthedogs.com. And for a limited time, you can get a free 30 minute virtual consult when you buy our Good Dog Training course available at schoolforthedogs.com/courses. The trainer in the session is me, Annie. The client is Carrie who lives in Manhattan with her adolescent rescue dog, Yoshi.Hi. Hi Kari. Nice to meet you.Kari:Hello. Hold on. Let me just adjust the volume. I don’t use zoom so I know nothing about this. Okay.Hi.Annie:Hi. So is this Yoshi?KariOh yeah. I gave him an antler to keep him busy, so he’s right behind me.Annie:Oh, yummy antler. Well, that sounds smart. So tell me a little bit about how Yoshi came into your life and then let’s figure out how we can deal with… Doesn’t sound like you’re having major issues, but maybe a couple of things that we can improve upon.Kari:Okay. So we adopted him early August. He was an instant foster fail.Annie:And remind me, do you live in New York city?Kari:I’m literally three blocks south of School for the Dogs.Annie:Oh, awesome. Okay. Where did, where did you adopt him from?Kari:True North rescue. So we’ve always wanted a dog for a long time, but I’ve never really pulled the trigger. I’d scroll Petfinder for a long time. We decided to, but you know, pandemic happened and I was home a lot and I’m like, I think it’s time. And we decided to foster at first because I wasn’t really sure or 100% ready to commit to a dog. So I said, let’s start fostering.The rescue that we got him from said that they were getting dogs from Puerto Rico. So that’s where he’s from. He’s from Puerto Rico. They flew him to Florida. He saw a vet there and then they loaded them to a truck and ended up in New York. So, I picked him out of a bunch of photos. I knew nothing about him. He was six months when we got him and all they told me that he was a shepherd mix. We don’t really know what kind of mix he is. I don’t know if that matters. I wasn’t really keen on finding out right now.So we got him, he was six months. He didn’t really have any problems. apart from, of course within the first week he was sleeping a lot. He was probably really exhausted. And of course he was scared. I think he was more scared of us than anything else. So I had very little trouble. I didn’t even have to crate train him. He would go into his crate, no problem. Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, you'll learn about two products, each invented by a woman. The first is something you've probably encountered: the retractable leash. The second is a new brand of treats called Shameless Pets, which makes yummy stuff for dogs from pre-consumer food waste. The former can be quite dangerous, but Annie suggests a way to make it safer; the latter is a successful version of a Seinfeld-esque business plan that Annie's neighbor came up with in the 1990s. In between tips about using a retractable leash and the story of Shameless Pets, you'll hear a hilarious piece of standup by comedian Drew Lynch. Drew Lynch on retractable leashes - Mary Delaney's patent - Shameless Pet Treats - Free guide to house training---Partial Transcription:Annie:Do you need some help teaching your dog where you want him to pee or poop, and when? If so, I hope you’ll check out our brand new totally free house training guide. You can find it at schoolforthedogs.com/house. It’s filled with lots of really good tips on how to train a dog to potty in the right spot. But it also is going to explain to you how to teach your dog to do it on cue. So go check it out. Schoolforthedogs.com/house.[Intro music]Hi, thanks for being here, humans. There are two parts to this episode. One part is about retractable leashes and the other part is a conversation I had with Alex Waite, who is one of the founders of Shameless, which is a really cool brand of treats that you’re going to learn a lot about. They’re doing things differently in a very interesting way.Just a reminder that if you liked this podcast, please go to iTunes and leave a review and support us by shopping in our online store storeforthedogs.com. I think we have the greatest stuff in the world there, for people who love their dogs. Enjoy.So here’s something you might not know if you’ve never worked with a dog trainer or you don’t hang out with dog trainers. Most dog trainers, at least the ones that I know, don’t like retractable leashes. And there are a bunch of reasons for this. For one, we want our dogs to ideally be walking on a loose leash. I always say a leash should be there the same way a seatbelt is in a car. You don’t wear the seatbelt and then feel like, okay, now I can drive like a madman. It’s there in case of an emergency.Ideally your dog should be able to walk in a vicinity that is acceptable, but the leash should be there in case of an emergency. And if you have a leash that is always taut, your dog can get used to feeling that the leash has to have some kind of pull on him at all times. So often dogs on retractable leashes are dogs who have learned to pull.Another reason is that the cord that attaches the class to the plastic chunky part of the retractable leash is very thin. And if you, if you get it wound around a finger or your leg or a dog, it can really do some damage. Actually, if you go to Google and you start typing in retractable leash, at least on my computer, the first suggested thing that comes up for you to be Googling is retractable leash injuries. Thanks to the magic of Google images, you can see what retractable leash injuries look like, and they’re pretty awful.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

In this bonus episode, Annie talks to one of her best friends, Daisy Carrington, who she has known since high school. After Daisy recently came in second place at a Moth story telling event, Annie asked her to share her story on this podcast. Her story doesn't really have to do with dogs, so Annie drilled her about her childhood with dogs to justify having her on as a guest. Daisy remembers her screenwriter father, who lived in Malibu with a stolen Staffordshire Terrier named Zeb who he loved "as if he were an ex-wife," and talks about the time in tenth grade when Annie "ran away" to her apartment with her Wheaten Terrier, Zeke. Annie and Daisy met when they were seven, became friends in high school, and later both became journalists. Their children were born ten weeks apart. They discuss both of their transitions away from journalism into new careers. But the best part of the episode is when Daisy tells the story of how, as an 8-year-old living in Malibu, she became a loan shark to a famous British con man, Count Guiy de Montfort.Learn more about Guiy de Montfort here - Daisy's dad was screenwriter Robert Carrington, who wrote, among other things, the Audrey Hepburn movie Wait Until Dark - Learn more about Daisy Carrington at DaisyCarrington.com - Paris Themmen - What ever happened to the Oompa Loompa actors?---Partial Transcript:Annie:This is a bonus episode in which I am talking to one of my very best friends about her life with dogs and some other things, too. This is a conversation with Daisy Carrington. We’ve been friends since we were kids. We both grew up to be journalists and are now both working in other areas. I hope you enjoy our lively conversation.I miss you.Daisy:I miss you too, my love. Won’t be gone for too long. I mean, I know it’s a couple months, but it will fly by.Annie:So I feel like I, since I’m going to record this, I feel like I need to explain to anyone listening, why I wanted to talk to you, as you are not someone who has a dog or works with dogs. Or I don’t think you have even very strong feelings about the things that I do as a dog trainer. But, as you know, you are one of my oldest and best friends, and I will take any excuse to chat with you.But, a few months ago back when people went out and did things, you told me that you went and did a story at The Moth. And I was sad that I didn’t get to go see it. And also sad that you didn’t win, that you came in second because you are such a great and hilarious storyteller that I’m sure that you should have won.Daisy:I did feel robbed.Annie:I’m sure you were robbed. And we just haven’t had a moment where I could be like, sit down and perform it for me. So I thought, all right, well, if I can like, have you on the podcast, then it’ll be more of an occasion. And you will be forced to tell me your story, which I guess I’ve heard, because I’ve just known you for so long, but I haven’t heard the perfect telling of it. So I don’t if you’re up for it, but in order to warm up and to justify having you here, I thought we should talk a little bit about dogs first.Full transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Join Annie Grossman for a live Q and A most Thursdays.Sign up at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qanda.Have a question? Visit AnnieGrossman.com/ask or upload a recording at anchor.fm/dogs.In this episode, Annie answers questions about attending the Karen Pryor Academy. She suggests how you can deal with someone who seems to be needlessly yelling at their dog. A listener asks about Temple Grandin's use of e-collars and prey drive, and also asks about training using the beeping and vibrating function of a shock collar. Also: Can you train a dog to not pee near a water source? And can you pay the neighbor's kid to train your dog? ---Partial Transcript:Annie:Hey everyone. This is a bonus Q and A episode. I try and answer questions live every Thursday. You can sign up to come to my free live Q and A at schoolforthedogs.com/qanda, you will see the next one I'm doing. I then am trying to take recordings of those Q and A's and post them here to the podcast feed. If you have a question, you can email me directly [email protected]. You can also go to anchor.fm/dogs and record your question there. Thanks for being here.Hello. Can you hear me? If you're here, please tell me if you can hear me this. Can you hear me? And hello, Kathy. Hello, Yolanda, Kathy. Where are you joining us from? Oh, great. You can hear me. Yolanda sent me thank you so much for the super sweet email you sent me Yolanta. Actually it was so sweet. Could I read it? Would you mind if I read it? Let me know.And I should tell you Yolanta. I just heard from -- so I took Amos, my dog to Blue Pearl yesterday, an animal hospital in New York City. And they did a needle biopsy of this mass that he has on his liver and it came out that it doesn't look like it's cancer. So, I mean I figured the chances of it not being cancer were like tiny. I was really not prepared for that good news. So I'm thrilled.I mean, they said his heart’s a little big, like he clearly is an old dog with the beginnings of some issues. But it’s possible he just had this really big mass on his liver for a long time. So overall just feeling quite glad about that. And my computer, which I spilled water on this time last week is working. I don’t want to jinx life, but the two terrible things that happened last Thursday are now a lot less terrible than they were. And I spent a lot of time over the last week, just like mourning him, even though he’s not gone yet. Just really had a lot of emotions, thoughts, feelings about life, death, time, et cetera. I’ve been a little emotional.And I am having a doctor who does acupuncture and like Chinese herbs stuff come, actually later today, see if maybe we can get his appetite going. And yeah, I feel also just so grateful to my two friends who are vets who have just gone above and beyond to help me through this scary week. Dr. Andrea Tu who’s with Behavior Vets, they used to rent space from us. They used to operate kind of outside of our studio for a long time. There are very few behavior vets in the country and she is, she and Dr. Christiansen are just such spectacular people.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Did you know there is a woman running for president? Her name is Jo Jorgensen, she is the Libertarian candidate, and the only third party candidate who is going to be on the ballot in all 50 states. Dr. Jorgensen has a PhD in organizational and industrial psychology and teaches at Clemson University. She has a Basset Hound named Gertrude, and she has trained her to not beg at the table... but that's not actually why Annie wanted to talk to her. Annie wanted to talk to her because she has been trying to figure out if a world view and values informed by behavior-based dog training have turned her into a Libertarian.After she became a dog trainer, Annie started thinking about something that had never taken up much brain space for her before: Government. We can govern our pets' worlds, and produce good behaviors, using environmental management and conditioning. If we can do all that without punishment or coercion, couldn't it be possible to -- at least to some extent! -- govern people that way as well? Isn't "freedom" just the ability to make choices that will be positively reinforced, rather than doing things because of coercion?When Karen Pryor first started using a conditioned reinforcer to operantly condition dolphins to do tricks, she was using literature that had been given to her from the lab of Harvard Professor BF Skinner. He was experimenting on training animals in labs, but he was also writing about how humans could be conditioned. Last week, Annie looked at examples of people conditioning other people in some recent documentaries and biopics; this week, Annie speaks with the Libertarian presidential candidate about what it could mean to give people choice and to ease up on the use of coercion and punishment.Notes: Ukulele version of America The Beautiful By Roy Sakuma - Jo Jorgenson's Campaign Site - Annie's dad Robert Grossman's illustration of Ronald Reagan as Mickey Mouse - Walden Two by BF Skinner - Beyond Freedom and Dignity by BF Skinner ---Partial Transcript:Annie:Today’s episode is a little bit different. It’s an interview with a presidential candidate, Jo Jorgensen. She is the libertarian candidate for president this year. She is a professor of psychology at Clemson University. She has been an entrepreneur. She, her specialty is industrial and organizational psychology, and she is the only candidate other than Biden and Trump who is going to be on the ballot in every state. She’s also the best looking candidate that’s going to be on the ballot in every state. I guess that’s debatable, but I could say she looks more like me than anyone else running for president this year. I’m about to share with you a conversation I just had with her.But let me back up a little bit, because I feel like I need to explain that. First of all, I don’t actually think I’m a libertarian. And second of all, I feel like I need to explain why I’m having this conversation with this person on a dog training podcast.I mean, I’m sure she is a much better dog trainer with her dog than Biden is. And of course, Trump doesn’t have a dog, so that makes her the best dog trainer in the race, but that’s sort of over simplifying why I was interested and talking to her. I really have never considered myself a political person. My father was a political cartoonist and growing up politics to me like politics and cartoons went hand in hand.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Join Annie Grossman for a live Q and A most Thursdays.Sign up at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qanda.Have a question? Visit AnnieGrossman.com/ask or upload a recording at anchor.fm/dogs.In this episode, Annie talks about her epically bad day. She describes how a teenager has trained people to stop leaving her voicemails. She talks to Joan, a Manhattan woman who has MS and an out-of-control adolescent shepherd in downtown Manhattan. She wants the dog to be a service dog, and also wants to breed him. She also talks to her longtime friend, New York Times columnist Ronda Kaysen, about her recent search for a non-shedding puppy.---Partial Transcript:Annie:Hey everyone. This is a bonus Q and A episode. I try and answer questions live every Thursday. You can sign up to come to my free live Q and A at schoolforthedogs.com/qanda, and you will see the next one I’m doing. I then am trying to take recordings of those Q and A’s and post them here to the podcast feed. If you have a question, you can email me directly annie@schoolforthedogs. You can also go to anchor.fm/dogs and record your question there. Thanks for being here.I was going to wear sunglasses for this episode, but I think I can’t see properly.Hey Yolanda, nice to see you and Joan is here. Hi, Joan. I just, I need a second to recover. It’s been a bad day. I would say this has been a really bad… first of all, well second of all, second of all, I just posted a podcast episode, like just bonus…well bonus sounds like it should be like a nice cherry thing. It didn’t feel like a nice cheery thing, but anyway, but I felt like I needed to post this episode. And as I posted it, like the microphone has like a little thing on it ….. Anyway as I… it’s actually, the second part is funny. The second part is right as I posted this episode, just now I like spilled an entire bottle of seltzer on my laptop.Like not a little bit, like the entire bottle of water just went over on my laptop. Fortunately, I have like a desktop PC, so I have a computer, but it was like, anyway. And the first thing that happened today, which was much worse, thing is I just learned that my dog is dying. It was like that phone call that you don’t ever want to get. Well, I got that call this morning where that said that he has something in his liver that’s inoperable most likely. I mean, I guess I could get a second opinion, but it sounds like, sounds like this is probably it. And he’s been in really good health up until pretty recently when a couple things started to seem off. He’s 15 and a half-yesterday was his 15 and a half birthday. And you know, they don’t live forever.It’s just just processing. He’s doing really well, he’s doing pretty well. We’re going to give him something to help his appetite, but he’s been his perky self, mostly. My daughters and him are so sweet together and I’m really glad that like she had the experience of having him as a dog, even though she probably won’t remember it, but like, he’s just been such an important part of my life for so long. And obviously now I have her and it’s different, but I’m glad that they had a little bit of overlap in my life.Full transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Sit in on an initial virtual private dog training session with Annie Grossman and NYC residents Aquilla and Briana and their new rescue greyhound, Heidi. Heidi doesn't want to sit and is trying to get to Aquilla and Briana's food whenever they eat while sitting on the couch. Annie offers some practical solutions and shows them how to shape Heidi to lie on a mat. Annie also shares Norwegian writer/dog trainer Turid Rugaas' thoughts on why we shouldn't train dogs to sit at all. Book a private session: http://schoolforthedogs.com/services - Get a free thirty minute private session when you purchase our Good Dog Training Course. https://storeforthedogs.com/products/726834 - Turid Rugaas: http://en.turid-rugaas.no/sit.htmlMentioned in this episode: The Treat n' Train: https://storeforthedogs.com/products/treat-train - SFTD training mat: https://storeforthedogs.com/products/school-for-the-dogs-training-mat Also see these pertinent episodes: On dog food: https://www.schoolforthedogs.com/podcasts/episode-63-a-pet-food-killed-my-dog-susan-thixton-the-truth-about-pet-food/ On shaping a dog to go to a mat: https://www.schoolforthedogs.com/podcasts/episode-33-how-to-shape-your-dog-to-go-to-a-mat-and-to-be-a-polite-thanksgiving-guest/---Partial Transcript:Annie:This session is a recording of a private session we did with a client. You can book a private session schoolforthedogs.com. And for a limited time, if you purchase our online good dog training course available at schoolforthedogs.com/courses, you can do a complimentary 30 minute virtual private training session with a school for the dog strainer.The trainer in this session is me, Annie. Aquilla, Brianna and their dog Heidi are clients of ours who live in New York city. Heidi is a rescue dog that they just adopted.Annie:Hi, hi, Pretty rainbow collar.So how did Heidi come into your life, your lives?Brianna/Aquilla:We got Heidi almost a month ago now. I think a month tomorrow on the 19th, we rescued her from a Greyhound rehab. The organization’s called Greyhound Rescue and Rehab, and they take greyhounds that are retired from the tracks, rehab them and foster care and then adopt them out. So she was a racer for a couple of years. She’s three years old. So far we’ve done…we started on the 21 day training. Right. That’s where we started. She is really good with “look,” pretty okay with “touch” still working on that in distraction areas. So like when we go to the park depending on whether or not there’s a squirrel, she’ll respond or if there’s a lot of stimulus, she loves people. So people are a big distraction for her. Like, she’ll stop walking if she sees a person, which in New York, it’s like every three feet just so she can get pets from other people.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Creepy Episode alert! It's all about sociopaths and cult leaders today. Some are both cult leaders and sociopaths! And one is a president. And one is the Unabomber. Annie talks about animal behavior manipulation methods observed in the following shows: The Vow (https://www.hbo.com/the-vow), Filthy Rich (https://www.netflix.com/), The Social Dilemma (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaaC57tcci0), Manhunt (https://www.netflix.com/). And then she looks at how the President is curing the Coronavirus with positive thinking, and looks at the differences between positive thinking, positive psychology and positive reinforcements. And... Annie offers ideas on how to train people to wear masks.If you like this episode, think positive thoughts about it. Or positively reinforce Annie for doing it by leaving a review on iTunes.Annie on Instagram: @Annie.GrossmanSchool For The Dogs on Instagram: @schoolforthedogs Annie on her parents and Positive Reinforcement Vs Positive Thinking: http://anniegrossman.com/2013/03/training/positive-reinforcement-vs-positive-thinking-and-why-pollyanna-wouldve-sucked-at-dog-training-93401/7820/Woof Mask by Found My Animal and School For The Dogs: https://storeforthedogs.com/collections/found-my-animal-1/products/woof-mask-by-found-my-animal Unabomber quotes https://www.quotetab.com/quotes/by-theodore-kaczynski---Partial Transcript:Annie:I have a couple of quotes here I just wanted you to hear and think about whether they make sense to you. I'm going to come back to them in a little bit.The first is this one.“Imagine a home for a dog that subjects the dogs to conditions that make the dog terribly unhappy, then gives the dog drugs to take away the happiness. Instead of removing the conditions that make the dog depressed, the dog owner gives the dog antidepressant drugs. In effect, antidepressants are a means of modifying the dog's internal state in such a way as to enable the dog to tolerate social conditions that the dog might otherwise find intolerable.”Second quote.“Many dog owners tend to regard as a sickness, any mode of behavior that is inconvenient for the people in the home. And this is plausible because when the dog doesn't fit into the home, it causes pain to the dog and to those in the household. Thus the manipulation of a dog's behavior to adjust him to the system is seen as a cure for a sickness and therefore as a good.”**intro**Annie:Humans, friends, listeners. I need to talk to you about some things that have been on TV recently which I've just been thinking about so much because there's so much dog training in these two particular shows that I've watched recently. You know, never, ever did I think that becoming a dog trainer would make me think so much about cult leaders and also like sociopaths. One of these stories is about cult leader. The other is about a sociopath, actually, they might be both cult leaders and sociopaths in their own ways.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Alternative titles Annie thought of for this episode: -Toddlers are hilarious and death sucks-And the dog dies in the endAnnie is doing a Q and A. Join at schoolforthedogs.com/qanda If you like this podcast, go leave a review on iTunes please. Thanks! Instagram: @annie.grossman, @schoolforthedogs---Partial Transcript:Annie:So, I think I'm posting this as a bonus episode because I already have an episode ready to go for tomorrow.But a couple of things happened in the last 24 hours I wanted to share three are silly and just funny. One isn't.So like the first three things are all funny mom/dog training-related things.My friend, Lori, sent me a text message, well she sent it to this mom group that I'm in on WhatsApp. She's been trying to wean him at night, wean him, so he won’t nurse at night.Actually, her son is one day older than Magnolia.So she wrote, Elliot is obsessed with morning and the sun because I told him we nurse in the morning when the sun comes up but not at night. So now, any old time, he says, “morning, sun, nursing, nursing.” And outside, he will suddenly point at this sky and say, “Sun, nursing, boobs.”So he's making long speeches where the only recognizable words are “sun,” “boob,” “nursing, “morning.”Just thought it was a funny example of classical conditioning, how he has this need to nurse now when he sees the sun. It’s kind of funny.Oh then I was thinking about it, a lot of animals must associate signs of morning with, “hey, its time to eat,” “hey, mom- person, feed me.”One of the other funny things have happened was I got a new like pop socket for my phone to hold on in the back and the pop socket thing comes on this piece of cardboard that's kind of like the size and shape of a phone, and she grabbed onto this thing, and has been using it as a phone for the last couple days. And one of the very first things she did was to hold it up to her toy dog as if she was showing her dog to someone.And I sent it to Alix Kris, head of marketing, she wrote back, “dog momager in the making,” which I thought was pretty funny.She doesn't have a lot of words yet but one word she does have is “shoes,” which she says, “oohg”. And she's always talking about “oohg”, and whenever we're on the phone with her with her grandparents or whoever, and we try and get her to say the words, her big word right now which is shoes. You know, we ask her to say it when she's doing Facetime so as she was holding up the phone to her toy dog, she was holding it in front of him and saying, “oohg, oohg.”put it up on my Instagram and stories, made me laugh.And then the other thing that made me laugh so hard and Jason wasn't around, it was just me so I couldn't even share it with anyone but I was like cracking up, it seemed so funny to me...Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Join Annie Grossman for a live Q and A most Thursdays.Sign up at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qanda. Have a question? Visit AnnieGrossman.com/ask or upload a recording at anchor.fm/dogs.Here, Annie takes the following questions: How can you train a dog to not freak out if strange dogs, off leash, appear out of no where? What work-to-eat toys can you use with wet or fresh food? Can you train a dog to stay away from the litter box and the cat food? A dog likes playing fetch but doesn't like going on walks. Is fetch going to be enough exercise for him? A new rescue dog barks all night at nothing in particular. Why? And how can you get him to stop barking? How can you get a dog to pee on a curb instead of on trees? ---Partial Transcript:[Intro]Annie:Hey everyone. This is a bonus Q and A episode. I try and answer questions live every Thursday. You can sign up to come to my free live Q and A at schoolforthedogs.com/qanda. And you will see the next one I’m doing. I then am trying to take recordings of those Q and A’s and post them here to the podcast feed. If you have a question, you can email me directly at annie@school for the dogs. You can also go to anchor.fm/dogs and record your question there. Thanks for being here.You know, I was just thinking about how, when, when I used to work at an office, which was not for very long, but in my early twenties, it was so wonderful to have like an IT person, like just someone there, like when something doesn’t work, you can be like, excuse me. I remember this one great IT guy’s name was Ramon would just be like, Ramon, my mouse won’t click won’t make the right clicky sound, or whatever, like whatever little thing, and Ramon would be there and he would fix it or he’d like, go to get me like another computer or whatever. Like, don’t you like, I mean, I haven’t had that for a long time because I’ve been, I was just thinking that I bet right now in the, in the moment of COVID everybody working from home, that a lot of people are missing their… people are missing their IT people. That’s the moment of greatest appreciation for IT people.I say that because every time I have to do anything, I feel like I need a friking IT person. It’s like, it’s see right now, I’m trying to like record on in Audacity, which is what I record the podcast in while recording on whatever else, this thing is that I’m recording in. And, and it’s like, doesn’t want me to do it. Like it’s….I mean, the amount of stuff you have to figure out as an adult person is just beyond, like, there’s just like, like life involves so much paperwork and so much figuring things out. All right.Hi, Annie Grossman here I am answering dog training questions. I have a few lined up. This went well last week. So it went well. I mean, getting some questions in the chat area here I’m doing this on Instagram live at the same time and you…if you want to ask the question, do it through the computer at schoolforthedogs.com/qanda...Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Here's a cool approach to dog training: Teach your dog that you are a benevolent god. A superhero, if you will. That is UK-based trainer Dominic Hodgson's approach. In this episode, Annie interviews Dom about his journey from actor to tobacco salesman to dog walker to dog trainer to pet business consultant through his company, Grow Your Pet Business Fast. Annie learns about several dog business areas she never considered, and gets some great business advice from this titan in the field. Join Annie for a FREE Q and A next week! Sign up at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qandaHead over to Dom's Podcast, The Poodle To Pitbull Pet Business Podcast, to hear Dom interview Annie! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-poodle-to-pitbull-pet-business-podcast/id1395354685 How To Be Your Dog's Superhero! https://www.amazon.com/How-Your-Dogs-Superhero-Transform-ebook/dp/B01IE1KTIOFree offer from Dom: 33 marketing ideas for pet business professionals http://www.growyourpetbusinessfast.com/33ideas Enjoy this podcast? Please leave a 5-star rating and review on iTunes! Learn more about School For The Dogs at schoolforthedogs.com ---Partial Transcript:Annie:There’s this thing that dog trainers sometimes say, which is that the only thing two dog trainers can agree on is that the other person is doing everything wrong. And, you know, I kind of hate that kind of way of looking at things. It’s not how I see things. I do think that there are some good dog trainers out there and bad dog trainers. There’s maybe two large categories of dog trainers, but there are so many good dog trainers who are doing so many cool things and I’m always excited to learn about what they’re doing.Today’s conversation is with a dog trainer who is indeed doing so many cool things. I am speaking to Dom Hodgson who went from being an actor to being a tobacco salesman to starting his own dog-walking business, realized he needed to learn about dog training in order to be a better walker. And now he is a pet business coach and he has his own podcast called the Poodle to Pit Bull pet business podcast. I am on his podcast this week and he is on mine. And this meant that we got to have two really great conversations recently. So if you want to learn more about me, head over to his podcast, if you want to learn more about him, keep on listening. I’m thrilled to be able to share this conversation with you.*Intro*Dom:Hello, and thank you for having me on the show, Annie. My name’s Dom Hodgson. I am a dog trainer, a pet business coach and a regular dog owner slash lover. And I live in Sunderland, which is a city in the Northeast of England, probably near Newcastle. That’s probably where most of your listeners will maybe be familiar with the nearest.Annie:What is your business called?Dom:So there are two, well, three, two main kind of arms to the business. So my original business, was Pack Leader Dog Adventures...Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/Podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe

Join Annie for a live Q and A most Thursdays. Sign up at http://schoolforthedogs.com/qanda. Have a question? Email [email protected] or upload a recording at http://anchor.fm/dogs Here, Annie takes the following questions: A new young rescue dog seems to be nervous about some men but not others. Why? A dog is barking: Do you need to say "quiet" and do you reward even if the dog is barking? What do you do when a Shih Tzu won't go to the bathroom in the yard? Why didn't an adolescent male become less aggressive after being neutered? My dog is going crazy because the neighbor's dog is in heat! This puppy will not stop biting my feet! Why! How do I teach my Pomsky not to pull?The following products are available at StoreForTheDogs.com:Ruffwear Front Range Harness - Freedom Harness - Liquid Treat Dispenser - K9 Sport Sack - Flirt Poles---Partial Transcript:Annie:Hey everyone. This is a bonus Q and A episode. I try and answer questions live every Thursday. You can sign up to come to my free live Q and A at schoolforthedogs.com/qanda. And you will see the next one I'm doing. I then am trying to take recordings of those Q and A's and post them here to the podcast feed. If you have a question, you can email me directly annie@schoolforthedogs. You can also go to anchor.fm/dogs and record your question there. Thanks for being here.Hey guys, Annie Grossman here. I am live answering dog training questions today, and we're starting with this one from Rachel.“So my husband and I had just started listening to your podcast. When we adopted our puppy, Penny. She's a total sweetheart and very passive. When you go to get her, she just rolls over and wants belly rubs. We brought her home a few days ago and she met our neighbor and loved him. However, after a day of settling in, she began barking at him whenever we were outside or going for walks. Also on our walk, she started barking at all older men. She met another neighbor who was a younger man, and she did not bark at all. She's only six months and we are hopeful we can get her comfortable with some training, any advice or guidance with this. Thank you, Rachel.”Annie:So great question, Rachel, and I'm glad that you're dealing with this on the sooner side because you know, so many behaviors that can develop into, you know, behaviors that are really difficult and dangerous stem from fear. And it sounds like you're noticing that Penny is a little bit fearful of your neighbor. Now, you know, it's possible that, you know, it looks like you're noticing a pattern that it's men. It's possible she had some kind of bad experience with a man in the past and that's causing this behavior. It's possible also that she just wasn't really exposed to that many men before this who knows, but rather than worrying too much about what's causing her to be this way, I would just really focus on how you can help her feel good about whatever men are around her.Full Transcript available at SchoolfortheDogs.com/podcast Get full access to Don't Be a Dick to Your Dog at dogtraining.substack.com/subscribe