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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:

#56 - Darian Fambro: Cold-Blooded but Warm-Hearted Sep 25, 2023

Show notes

In this week's interview episode we are joined by Darian Fambro. Darian, a zookeeper and educator, specializes in reptiles, invertebrates, large mammals care and education programs.

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

Insect personalities
Why you have to train your dragon
Grumpy tortoise faces
Selfies with hyenas

You can find the full show notes here.

#55 - Enrich Thyself Sep 18, 2023

Show notes

Last week we heard from Valerie Bogie and one of the topics we discussed was how your self-care is enrichment. This week, we're going to dive further into self-care as enrichment, our own enrichment journeys, and implementation for real life.
In this implementation episode, Emily and Allie talk about:

How their therapy sessions are often just realizing how they can apply what they teach to their clients for themselves
Watching birds and drinking tea as flight cues
Support groups vs. echo chambers

You can find the full show notes here.

#54 - Valerie Bogie: Your Self-Care is Enrichment Sep 11, 2023

Show notes

In this week's interview episode, we're joined by Valerie Bogie. Valerie is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) with a Veterinary Social Work focus through the University of Tennessee Knoxville, where she completed their Veterinary Human Support Certificate in 2022. Valerie is also an Educator for Emotional CPR, which teaches the skills of helping others through active listening.

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

The difference between a counselor, therapist, and social worker
Toxic positivity
Exhaustion, burnout, and compassion fatigue
Types of grief

You can find the full show notes here.

#53 - Are Necessary Evils Really Necessary? Sep 04, 2023

Show notes

Last week we heard from Kyle Hetzel and one of the topics we discussed was finding alternative solutions to old problems. This week we’re going to dive further into whether necessary evils are actually necessary and talk about implementation with the animals in your life.

In this implementation episode, Emily and Allie talk about:

Pruney shame fingers
Is this for us or for them?
Getting to the root of your goals

You can find the full show notes here.

#52 - Kyle Hetzel: New Alternatives to Old Solutions Aug 28, 2023

Show notes

In today's interview episode, we're joined by Kyle Hetze, the Assistant Curator of the Children's Zoo at an AZA accredited zoo on the west coast. He has been an animal trainer for 12 years, working with a wide range of species from birds of prey to walrus, giraffes, goats, and everything in between. He has utilized the Constructional Approach training animals for the past 9 years, specializing in assent with disabled animals.

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

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should
How training saved $24,000 and got management buy-in
A giraffe that loves to be right and giraffe hugs

You can find the full show notes here.

#51 - Tracy Harachi: Caring for the People Who Care for Pets Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

To kick off Season 5 of Enrichment for the Real World, we are joined by our very own Tracy Harachi. Tracy is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed, Certified Canine Fitness Trainer, and Fitpaws Master Trainer. She joined the Pet Harmony team in 2022 and applies years of experience focused on improving the well-being of families through evidence-based interventions to the science behind training and behavior change now focused on dogs.

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

Swaddling a paraplegic dog
Predictability with a capital P
Building security
Caregiver burden

You can find the full show notes here.

#50 - Q&A: Species-Typical Behaviors Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

We get a lot of great questions from the fabulous folks in our Enrichment for the Real World Facebook group, and some of those answers deserve a whole lot more than what we can say in a Facebook message. So, we are ending this season with another Q&A episode!

In this Q&A episode, you’re going to hear Emily, Ellen, and I answer your questions, including:

Clarifying the “species-typical behaviors” enrichment category
How breed relates to species-typical behaviors
Button communication

You can find the full show notes here.

#49 - Why You Need to Video Your Pets Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

Last week we heard from Lili Chin and one of the topics we discussed was essentially how to creep on your pets to learn more about them. This week, we’ll dive further into why you need to video your pets and talk about implementation with the animals in your life.

In this implementation episode, Emily and Allie talk about:

Emily’s love of infomercials
How we watch videos and what we are looking for
A couple of interactions where sound was getting in the way

You can find the full show notes here.

#48 - Lili Chin: Behind the Scenes with Doggie Drawings Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

This week, we are joined by Lili Chin, the illustrator behind Doggie Language and Kitty Language. Even if you’re not familiar with her name, you’ve likely seen one of Lili’s illustrations if you’ve spent some time down the dog training rabbit hole. She started off with the Boogie illustrations- her Boston Terrier at the time- and now illustrates all sorts of animals! We’ve been using her infographics for years to help teach our clients and we're so excited that we got to sit down and chat with her.

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

How familiarity makes observation easier
An intersection of expertises
Penguins
Staring obsessively at your pets

You can find the full show notes here.

#47 - Phrasing Feedback to a Vet May 29, 2023

Show notes

Last week we heard from Dr. Micaela Young about When Medical Problems become behavioral problems. This week we’re going to dive further into phrasing feedback to your vet and talk about implementation with the animals in your life.

In this implementation episode, Emily and Allie talk about:

Including everything
Your vet knows more about your individual pet than Google does
A little floof with a big reaction

You can find the full show notes here.

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