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:

#36 - Dr. Susan Friedman: Become a Better Animal Trainer Jan 09, 2023

Show notes

In this week's interview episode, we are joined by Dr. Susan G Friedman Ph.D. For those of you who have had the pleasure of hearing Susan talk before, you know that this is going to be a great episode full of nuggets that you can apply to your animal training, but also just to your life in general.

Susan walks the walk when it comes to implementing what they know about behavior in all facets of life. In this episode, you're going to hear Emily and Susan talk about:

Learners are learners are learners
Do you actually need to teach that behavior?
Unnatural solutions for natural behaviors.

Content Warning

We wanted to provide a content warning for this episode because we do discuss some difficult topics such as ABA practices with human learners and the not so great history of the development of what least intrusive practices have looked like over the past few decades. So this content warning is to empower you, our audience, with the knowledge you need to make healthy decisions about how and if you should consume this podcast content.

Discussion of ABA practices with human learners from 32:11-47:28.
You can find the full show notes here.

#35 - Implementing Predictability for Security Jan 02, 2023

Show notes

Last week we heard from Sara McLoudrey and one of the topics we discussed was care with consent. This week we’re going to dive further into predictability and talk about implementation with the animals in your life.

In this implementation episode, Emily and Allie talk about:

How Emily and Allie met, in which Allie screamed at Emily and Emily decided they would be professional wives. Y’know, totally normal reactions on both ends.
How little, often simple, life changes can result in big predictability outcomes.
Emily’s resource guarding soapbox.

You can find the full show notes here.

#34 - Sara McLoudrey: Care With Consent Dec 26, 2022

Show notes

In this week's interview episode, we are joined by Sara McLoudrey. Sara has such a fresh perspective on cooperative care. Her Care with Consent philosophy is so in line with our work smarter not harder approach to enrichment and animal training and she puts on great emphasis on sustainability for the human.

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

Going from cooperative care to Care with Consent
How Sara trims her dog’s nails
The value of predictability
Building your dog’s team

You can find the full show notes here.

#33 - What Do You Make Behavior Mean? Dec 19, 2022

Show notes

Last week we heard from Marissa Martino and one of the topics we discussed was how your mindset impacts your behavior, and your pet’s behavior in turn. This week we’re going to dive further into what do you make behavior mean and talk about implementation with the animals in your life.

In this implementation episode, Emily and Allie talk about:

How mindset is a topic that needs to be discussed way more in our industry
How to transform harmful stories into helpful curiosity
How helping clients to shift their mindset helped them overcome obstacles that were getting in the way of progress

You can find the full show notes here.

#32 - Marissa Martino: Cultivating Connections for Behavior Change Dec 12, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, we are joined by Marissa Martino. Marissa has dedicated her career to the welfare of both ends of the leash and how exploring ourselves can build a stronger bond with our dogs and other pets. If you are interested in how to connect with your dog on a deeper level, you will love this one.

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

How your stories, thoughts, and relationships impact your training
The layers of complication in human communication
Giving yourself grace while continuing to grow and improve
Why everyone needs a mentor

You can find the full show notes here.

#31 - Creating Sustainable Management Dec 05, 2022

Show notes

Last week we heard from Naomi Rotenberg and one of the topics we discussed was practical management solutions. This week we’re going to dive further into creating sustainable management strategies and talk about implementation with the animals in your life.

In this implementation episode, Emily and Allie talk about:

The theme for this season’s episodes
Set it and forget-it strategies
Simplicity

You can find the full show notes here.

#30 - Naomi Rotenberg: Creating Harmonious Dog & Cat Households Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

Introducing a dog to a cat can be nerve-wracking! Join Emily as she interviews Naomi Rotenberg from Praiseworthy Pets as they dive into all things helping dogs and cats to get along, including:

Why a down stay is probably not the answer when your dog is chasing your cat
How to meet seemingly incompatible needs of dogs and cats in the same household
When herding dogs have cats

You can find the full show notes here.

#29 - Breed Typical Enrichment Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

Last week we heard from Dr. Jessica Hekman, a veterinary researcher and one of the topics we discussed was how breed impacts behavior. This week we’re going to dive further into breed-typical enrichment and talk about implementation with the animals in your life.

In this implementation episode, Emily and Allie talk about:

The nuances surrounding breed-typical enrichment
Seeing with your eyes, not your ideas
How to determine when a behavior is maladaptive

You can find the full show notes here.

#28 - Dr. Jessica Hekman: Does Dog Breed Affect Behavior? Nov 14, 2022

Show notes

In this week’s interview episode, we are joined by Dr. Jessica Hekman, a veterinary researcher. Jessica has a fantastic skill, among many others, of taking really complex topics and distilling them into digestible tidbits of information that the average non-sciency person can understand. Currently, Jessica runs the Functional Dog Collaborative, a non-profit group, which supports the ethical breeding of healthy and behaviorally solid dogs.

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

Undereducation overstates, especially when it comes to super complex topics like nature and nurture
Breed-specific enrichment, and why it may not be as important as you think it is
The nebulousness of science, and why pseudoscience is attractive
Emily & Jessica’s thoughts about long-term solutions for decreasing animal overpopulation

You can find the full show notes here.

#27 - Ellen Yoakum: Enrichment for Separation Anxiety Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, we are kicking off Season 3 of Enrichment for the Real World with our very own trainer and behavior consultant, Ellen Yoakum! Ellen is a Certified Separation Anxiety Pro Trainer and Certified Training Partner through the Karen Pryor Academy. Ellen joined the Pet Harmony team in 2020 after working in a variety of capacities within animal care.

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

Why separation anxiety isn’t that different from other maladaptive behaviors
Should you use food when working on separation anxiety?
How enrichment makes your SA training easier

You can find the full show notes here.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Enrichment for the Real World

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected