All tagged behavior
What does it mean to understand animal behavior? As pet care professionals, we need to make sure we are communicating well to our clients and are prepared for emergencies. Arden Moore, author and radio host, joins the show to discuss confounding behaviors for both dogs and cats. She also dives into how to make sure we have a great first aid kit and how emergency preparedness is all a mental game. Arden gives her best tips for pilling cats and discusses the importance of being a poop-ologist.
How do we empower our clients to live better lives with their cats? As cat care becomes a larger part of pet services, more clients are looking for help. Molly Kelsey, The Cat Counsellor, joins the show to give us insights into feline behavior. Cat communication is all about body language, so not only must we understand it, but we also must be willing to teach out client’s about it. Molly has advice for troubleshooting common cat issues but ultimately, we have to realize it’s up to the owner to decide how much work they’ll put into it.
Are you great at communicating with your clients? Chrissy Neumyer Smith, host of the Creating Great Grooming Dogs podcast, sheds light on what it takes to ask great questions of our clients. Chrissy explains the importance of using the right words and definitions for clear communication so we can give the right care. She also gives us the four questions we should ask everyone before we start services with them, and how it's ok to assume the dog may have issues that need to be addressed. Chrissy shares the relationship between behavior issues in dogs and burnout in the pet care industry, and what we can do about it!
Tami Guy, owner of Creatures Pet Care in Kalamazoo, uses her background in zookeeping, and educating, to teach her clients all things pet care. Tami shares how she continues to learn from her staff when it comes to running her business. From equipping them with knowledge to providing membership opportunities, she dives into what it means to help pet parents live their best life with their pets.
Do you speak dog? Garrett Stevens has spent his life trying to understand what the animals around him are saying. Garrett owns Stevens Family Kennels and Dog Language Center, and questions everything when it comes to dog training and behavior. The use of touch is extremely important in a dog’s control of their environment and gives us clues as to what they need. Garrett gives advice on assessing whether a dog is mature and how to foster a better relationship with them. Your clients are looking for family members, not robots, which means we get to help them find balance.
Reactivity and aggression in dogs can take many forms. From resource guarding to separation anxiety, as pet professionals, we should be mindful of the context and history of the pets we are working with. Rene Smith, owner of Street Dog Rehab, started off with a passion for dogs, but got in over her head. After learning how to be a dog trainer, she’s dedicated her life to helping dogs stay in their forever home. Rene shares common signs of aggression, ways we can help clients and their pets through aggression, and why consistency is key. We discuss how to help dogs self-regulate and what it means to build a sacred bond between the pet and their owner.
Beth Pasek is passionate about cats. So passionate that she runs her entire business taking care of them. Beth shares why being certified fear free is so important, why there are so few cat behavioral specialists, and how pet sitters can up our game in cat care. She also discusses the biggest misconception around cats and what we can do about it.
Alicia Obando, owner of Pitter Patter Parenting, joins us to share her mission to keep dogs and kids safe together. Whether it’s a brand new puppy meeting a baby, or a pet sitter bringing their kids to a drop-in, we all have a role to play in keeping kids safe and the dogs happy.
