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Kids & Family

Enrichment for the Real World

You’ve dedicated your life to helping animals- just like us.

Emily Strong was training praying mantids at 7.

Allie Bender was telling her neighbor to refill their bird feeder because the birds were hungry at 2.

You’re an animal person; you get it.

We’ve always been animal people. We’ve been wanting to better animals’ lives since forever, so we made a podcast for people like us.

Join Emily and Allie, the authors of Canine Enrichment for the Real World, for everything animal care- from meeting animals’ needs to assessing goals to filling our own cups as caregivers and guardians.

Latest Episodes:

#96 - Renato Zanetti with Isa Dadauto: How to Make Dog Daycares Enriching Nov 04, 2024

Show notes

We're excited to bring you an extra special interview episode this week! In our first bi-lingual episode, we are joined by Renato Zanetti, a Zootechnician who has a master's degree in veterinary medicine and animal welfare. He is a Brazilian pioneer in the use of management, free of aversive and punitive stimuli, focusing on the emotions of animals. His philosophy is: “A dog should leave the daycare better than when it arrived”.

And a very special thank you to Isa Dadauto, for connecting us with Renato, and being our interpreter for this episode!

In this episode, you’re going to hear Emily and Renato talk about:

In group settings, the individual still matters.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Assessing and adjusting as you go sets everyone up for success.
Healthy communication, a growth mindset, and enrichment for everyone are the foundations for successful team management.
Renato and Emily both love to smell animals.

You can find the full episode show notes here.

#95 - How to Identify Your Own Ladder of Escalation Oct 28, 2024

Show notes

Last week we heard from Ryan Cartlidge and one of the topics we discussed was Building Community Through Crucial Conversations. This week we’re going to dive further into how to identify your own ladder of escalation and talk about implementation with the animals in your life.

In this implementation episode, Emily and Allie talk about:

The single biggest problem in communication
Oso’s ladder of escalation
The Silly Putty Situation. Trademark pending.
Emily seeing deep into Allie's soul to call out Allie's startle response
Shout out to Emily’s penguin

You can find the full episode show notes here.

#94 - Ryan Cartlidge: Building Community through Crucial Conversations Oct 21, 2024

Show notes

In this week's interview episode, we're joined by Ryan Cartlidge, the founder of the Animal Training Academy, ATA. He has been working internationally since 2007, as a professional trainer across Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the US. He now works with both teams and individual trainers around the world, supporting those who work with both domestic pets and exotic animals. His goal is to help all trainers enhance their skills and make their biggest possible positive impact in the work they do.

In this episode, you’re going to hear Emily and Ryan talk about:

You are not alone.
Community is critical.
“Crucial Conversations” is universally applicable.
How Ryan made eggs for buzzards.

You can find the full episode show notes here.

#93 - When You Can’t Be Your Own Consultant Oct 14, 2024

Show notes

Last week we heard from Thea Harting and one of the topics we discussed was Rabbit Speed Dating. This week we’re going to dive further into When You Can’t Be Your Own Consultant and talk about implementation with the animals in your life.

In this implementation episode, Emily and Allie talk about:

When should you and when shouldn’t you be your own consultant
How Allie's therapist just tells her things that she already knows and she loves her for it
Why this episode is happening
You don’t want a yes person
Humans are cute little energizer bunnies

You can find the full episode show notes here.

#92 - Thea Harting: Rabbit Speed Dating Oct 07, 2024

Show notes

Thea Harting, also known as the Badass Bunny Rescuer, is a rabbit behavior consultant based in Brooklyn, NY. Thea is passionate about improving companion rabbit well-being and welfare, focusing on pair bonding, enrichment, low-stress handling techniques, and cooperative care. As an active volunteer for shelters and rescues for over a decade, her favorite activity is facilitating rabbit 'speed dates' to determine partner compatibility. Her approach to rabbit bonding emphasizes agency, mutual consent, and enrichment.

In this episode, you’re going to hear Emily and Thea talk about:

Bunny enrichment ideas
What do bunny speed dating and dog park design have in common?
You can’t be your own bun-havior consultant
Why bunnies need our help
Thea and Emily’s elevator pitch for why to adopt or foster bunnies

You can find the full episode show notes here.

#91 - Transform Your Relationships Through Good-Faith Conversations Sep 30, 2024

Show notes

Last week we heard from Tiffany Chen and one of the topics we discussed was Empathy, Education, and Efficiency in Social Media. This week we’re going to dive further into transforming your relationships through good-faith conversations and talk about implementation with the animals in your life.

In this implementation episode, Emily and Allie talk about:

Emily tattling on themselves
Well, and Allie tattling on herself too
How Emily and Allie have had knock-out, drag-down, good-faith conversations with one another and poor Ellen being an innocent bystander
When should you enter into a good-faith conversation and when should you not

You can find the full episode show notes here.

#90 - Tiffany Chen: Empathy, Education, and Efficacy in Social Media Sep 23, 2024

Show notes

In this week's interview episode, we're joined by Tiffany Chen, the owner and founder of Pawsistant, LLC, a business dedicated to helping dog professionals grow their businesses via social media and content marketing.

In this episode, you’re going to hear Emily and Tiffany talk about:

Why social media marketing isn’t usually the best thing to try to DIY
The importance of meeting our learners where they’re at
How to distill complex concepts into clear and simple messages
Self-care on social media

You can find the full episode show notes here.

#89 - 5 Tips for Successful Puppy-Raising Sep 16, 2024

Show notes

Last week we heard from Scotti Harvey and one of the topics we discussed was being a mindful puppy-raiser. This week we’re going to dive further into successful puppy raising and talk about implementation with the animals in your life.

In this implementation episode, Emily and Allie talk about:

Babies, and also, puppies
It’s unrealistic for puppies to learn that everyone will greet them all the time
To sit or not to sit
Teenagers are any species are hard

You can find the full episode show notes here.

#88 - Scotti Harvey: How to be a Mindful Puppy-Raiser Sep 09, 2024

Show notes

In today's interview episode, we're joined by Scotti Harvey. Scotti specializes in canine neonatal development and learning. Through her studies on puppy socialization, Scotti strives to mitigate behavioral issues through the careful implementation of strategic early-life experiences. By focusing on developing processing, coping, and communication skills, Scotti aims to foster courageous, inquisitive, and versatile learners.

In this episode, you'll hear Scotti and Emily talk about:

The importance of making hands safe and comforting
Puppy raising across the developmental periods
Clicker training communication skills
How to simplify life with a puppy
How to survive the puppy blues

You can find the full episode show notes here.

#87 - Corinne Collier: Creating Connections Sep 02, 2024

Show notes

To help us kick off Season 8 of Enrichment for the Real World, we're joined by our very own Corinne Collier, a behavior consultant and Client Experiences Manager at Pet Harmony.
In this episode you're going to hear Emily and Corinne talk about:

Corinne and Emily fangirling over our own team
Leadership and teaching aren’t zero-sum games
Connection is the throughline to everything we do
Data tracking helps you bring in more clients

You can find the full episode show notes here.

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