029 | Ali & Indie, on becoming and being a dog trainer and not burning out

029 | Ali & Indie, on becoming and being a dog trainer and not burning out

Ali was from London but now lives in Maryland

We talk about how she got into the business of dog training, which has a little something to do with her German Shepherd cross Indie.

We talk about the widespread misunderstanding that all dogs should love all dogs and I may or may not tell an anecdote of me hugging a stranger to try and show them that they wouldn’t appreciate being crowded either. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work.

 

Ali also explains something that I think is amazing:

She tells new clients to first take a break from everything (like training) for a week or so, so they can reconnect with all the reasons why they love their dog in the first place.

 

Another tough nut to crack for most of us is that of questioning authority. Ali had fewer difficulties there as asking “Why?” comes naturally to her. My hope is that by listening to Ali talk, more people will feel free to do the same.

 

Ali’s training philosophy is that she wants to provide people with the skills that allow them to be able to tackle possible future setbacks, since it serves us well to take into account that your anxious dog will probably keep showing some anxiety from time to time, despite all the training effort you put in.

Speaking of training and being a trainer, working 80 hours a week is no exception in the dog world and at first it wasn’t for Ali either.

We talk about all things dog professional:

The emotional burden of being a dog trainer, the taking on the setback and emotions of your clients, not earning enough to make a living, and giving away a part of you every time so that there’s less and less of you to go around.

 

So, how did she manage to find that elusive work-life balance?

Upon moving to the USA she completely restructured her business and she explains what that looks like.

Her advice to aspiring dog trainers: Don’t try to be everything to all people.

And finally, there’s Ali’s summary of her thoughts on expectation, frustration and celebration. It’s so on point, that I would be remiss if I didn’t write it down here:

Manage expectation, minimize frustration, maximize celebration

Links:

Ali’s website: https://rebarkable.com/

Find Ali on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/re.barkable/

Ali’s podcast “Ask Ali” on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/ask-ali-a-professional-dog-trainer-answers-your-dog/id1586671078

and on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/49evBFpTbFUdOakjRA6FTV?si=21ad9666aa1d4e27

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025 | Marissa Martino & Sully, on why “fixing” your dog’s behavior as a way out of discomfort won’t work

025 | Marissa Martino & Sully, on why “fixing” your dog’s behavior as a way out of discomfort won’t work

After she had gotten several shoutouts on the podcast already, it was about time I interview the one and only Marissa Martino herself. Or rather, I got lucky enough to have her on the show.

If I were you, I would listen to this show twice. There are so many gems in there.

Listen to it once, just to absorb what Marissa is saying, and then listen again and ask yourself how what she says applies to you and your situation. It will be time well spent.

 

Marissa describes how unlike many others on this podcast her road to dog training did not start with a challenging dog. Her dog training journey started before she ever had a dog.

She now focuses heavily on the human end of the leash, and mindset in particular (can you guess why I wanted to talk to her?). The spark that lit that particular fire was provided by a therapist who managed to point out how strategies Marissa already used with her dog training clients could also apply in her own life.

Once Pandora’s box of parallels had been opened Marissa couldn’t unsee these parallels between the connections with our dog and the connections we have with others and ourselves anymore. The rest as they say is history.

We talk about the power of turning questions around. If I believe my client/dog is not listening to me, how is it true that I am not listening to them?

About how knowledge is both power and very confronting and often uncomfortable. We talk about how that discomfort often leads us to play the blame game and the power of embracing discomfort.

As I keep hearing conflicting opinions on whether LIMA (Least Intrusive Minimally Aversive) as a training philosophy is “good” or “bad”, because the humane hierarchy it is based on mentions positive punishment, I ask Marissa about that too.

Fittingly enough, Marissa is also the first person on the show to describe which feeling the words expectation, frustration and celebration trigger for her.

Of course showing up throughout the story is Sully, who was a senior dog when he recently passed away.

 

Links:

Marissa’s website: https://pawsandreward.com/

Marissa on Instagram: @pawsandreward

Marissa’s book, Human-Canine Behavior Connection: https://pawsandreward.com/book/

Humane Society of Boulder Valley: https://www.boulderhumane.org/

LIMA and the humane hierarchy: https://m.iaabc.org/about/lima/hierarchy/

The Paws and Reward Podcast episode with Chris Pachel Marissa mentions detailing the humane hierarchy: Episode 47: The Humane Hierarchy with Dr. Chris Pachel

Pet harmony offers mentorships for dog trainers: https://petharmonytraining.com/

Sarah Stremming’s website: https://thecognitivecanine.com/

 

If your dog/ living arrangement/partner/ other people change, you'll feel better, right?

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019 | Ruff Around the Edges with Lauren Sisak and Stella, an anxious dog in the city that never sleeps

019 | Ruff Around the Edges with Lauren Sisak and Stella, an anxious dog in the city that never sleeps

Imagine living in New York City with an anxious dog. I was pretty curious as to that experience and so when I found Lauren and Stella on Instagram,  asked them to come on the podcast, and were there stories to tell.

 

First of all we talk about how Lauren ended up choosing Stella, who is a she when she had set out to adopt a male dog. This had everything to do with Sammy her previous dog, who was also a little Ruff Around the Edges.

Then there is so much more, from the practicalities of living in the city, to how Lauren makes sure she meets her personal needs (making them a mandatory requirement).

We discuss the impact living with Stella has had on her relationships and friendships and what her mindset has been around that. There’s a hilarious (in my book) instagram post she made about it that I am linking to here:

And we talk about how medication has helped Stella, and how it’s not the end of the world when there are breaks in training.

There may be some talk about West Elm rugs and candy crush too, but you will just. have to listen to the episode for that.

Also, West Elm, if you’re reading this and you want to sponsor Lauren and Stella, then by all means reach out!

Links

Lauren and Stella on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/sitstaystella_/

https://sammysstraysrescue.org/

 

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