UNLEASHED (at work & home) with Colleen Pelar

139. Sarah Rutten, Dip CBST, KPA CTP, CPDT-KA

We often talk about dogs being “man’s best friend,” but very seldom do we stop to ask, “Am I my dog’s best friend?” Changing the way we think about our relationship can change the way we interact with our dogs, and has the potential to make our friendships with them even deeper and more meaningful.

This is the philosophy that my guest today brings to her training. Sarah Rutten sees dog training as being less about training the dog and more about training the human to understand and interact with the dog better. She’s even written a book, The Canine Perspective, to help humans understand where their canine companions are coming from a little bit better. She joined me today all the way from Australia to talk about burnout, special “heart dogs,” and doing hard things.

Links worth clicking:

• The Canine Perspective
• @thecanineperspective on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
• Sarah's book, The Canine Perspective: Using Force-Free Methods to Unleash Your Dog's Potential
• Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stressed? Take the burnout assessment to find your level of risk and start your recovery journey.

https://colleenpelar.com/139

138. Tabitha Kucera, RVT, VTS (Behavior), CCBC, KPA-CTP

With today’s twenty-four hour news cycle, coupled with the rise of social media, we often feel as though we are constantly being bombarded with headlines, most of them negative. It can be hard to keep any kind of positive attitude at all as we are perpetually reminded of all the things that are wrong in the world. Before long, we find ourselves feeling stuck and hopeless.

Vet tech and behavior specialist Tabitha Kucera knows those feelings of depression and hopelessness, but she also knows the immense power of having a PMA--positive mental attitude--especially when things are hard. That doesn’t mean falling into toxic positivity, but instead finding the good where it is, recognizing what is in your power to do, and learning to be kind to yourself. Tune in as we discuss the value of finding and providing mentorship, learning to understand yourself, and the importance of knowing your own worth.

Links worth clicking:

• Chirrups and Chatter
• @chirrupsandchatter on Facebook and Instagram
• @behaviorvettech on TikTok
• Tails  from a Vet Tech podcast
• Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stressed? Take the burnout assessment to find your level of risk and start your recovery journey.

https://colleenpelar.com/138

137. Kari Joly, KPA-CTP, ABCT, FPPE

A lot of dog trainers have come on the show, but most of them didn’t start out wanting to be dog trainers, or even realize that was an option until later in life. Today, however, the script is flipped as I’m joined for perhaps the first time by a dog trainer who actually grew up wanting to be a dog trainer!

Of course, life still had plenty of surprises in store for trainer Kari Joly, and despite being the thing she wanted to be as a kid, it wasn’t a straight path to get there, nor does it look exactly like she thought it would.

Join us today as she shares how she went from wanting to train guide dogs to helping train family dogs, as well as a discussion about confidence, humility, and the importance of celebrating the small wins.

Links worth clicking:

• Pawsitive Families
• Family Paws Parent Education
• Guide Dogs for the Blind
• Unleashed (at work & home) episodes with Eylsia Ostrander (Kari's business partner) and Jennifer Shryock (founder of Family Paws Parent Education)

https://colleenpelar.com/137

136. Kathy Wolff, CCDT, CUI, FDM

The modern world is full of noise. We are constantly surrounded by sound, always hearing something. But there’s a difference between hearing and listening. We may be doing the former, but are we doing the latter? What does it mean anyway, to really and truly listen to the people, the animals, the world around us?

Dog trainer and end-of-life doula Kathy Wolff believes in the power of listening deeply to help us connect with the people and animals in our lives, strengthen our relationships with them, and be present with them when they need us most. She joined me today for a conversation about listening, bereavement, and how to spin with dog hair (yes, you read that right). Don’t miss it!

Links worth clicking:

• Mosaic Dog Training
• Mosaic Dog Training on Facebook
• Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stressed? Take the burnout assessment to find your level of risk and start your recovery journey.

https://colleenpelar.com/136

135. Robynn Harris, ODMN, CCFT

Grief, regret, and loss are not things any of us like to experience but they remain an inevitable part of life, particularly for pet professionals. Grief isn't just about death. It also shows up when we have desires that can't be fulfilled. Sometimes there are relationships that can't be healed, dreams that can't be realized, decisions that can't be changed, animals that cannot be saved, each of these situations (and many others) can evoke grief.

Robynn Harris is a non-profit dog trainer, who understands the grief that is part of love, and she works to help support people through it by providing free end-of-life care for animals. Join us today for a discussion about the importance of community, the nature of grief, and how guilt can help us do better going forward.

Links worth clicking:

• Assembly of the Wandering Shepherd
• Assembly of the Wandering Shepherd on Facebook
• Robynn's Facebook profile
• Recommended reading: The Power of Regret: How Looking Back Moves Us Forward, Daniel H. Pink, and No More Dead Dogs, a novel by Gordon Korman about a boy who is tired of being assigned to read books where the dog dies in the end.

https://colleenpelar.com/135

134. Phil Arkow

When we talk about the “human-animal connection,” most of us tend to think of it in positive terms–therapy animals, childhood pets, and all the many ways that animals enrich our lives. What we don’t often think about, however, is the darker side of that bond–how animal abuse and other forms of domestic and family violence are often interconnected and can even be warning signs of each other. But when we treat violence against animals as completely separate from violence against humans, we often miss the chance to help vulnerable individuals of all species.

My guest today, Phil Arkow, has spent decades studying the link between humans and animals in both its best and worst forms. A pioneer of animal therapy as well as the founder of the National Link Coalition, which works to raise awareness of the link between animal abuse and other forms of violence, Phil has seen both the dark and light sides of the human-animal bond. He came on the show today to talk about his work and share some words to live by.

Links worth clicking

• The National Link Coalition (sign up for their newsletter!)
• AnimalTherapy.net
• Animal-Assisted Therapy and Activities: A Study and Research Resource Guide for the Use of Companion Animals in Animal Assisted Interventions, 12th edition, 2021
• An Unleashed (at work & home) conversation about Adverse Childhood Events (ACE) scores with Samantha Clarke, LCSW
• Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stressed? Take the burnout assessment to find your level of risk and start your recovery journey

https://colleenpelar.com/134

133. Liz Ford, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA, LFDM

Pet professionals, by and large, are giving people. We pour ourselves out in service to animals and their owners, often to the point of forgetting to take care of ourselves (or only giving ourselves enough care that we can keep helping others). All too often, this leads to exhaustion and burnout.

My guest today wants pet professionals to know that you are worthy of having a good life. Liz Ford has learned in her years of shelter work and dog training that sometimes it’s all right to fill your cup just for yourself, and not simply so you can keep serving others. She joined me today for a thought-provoking conversation about learning more, doing better, and not allowing yourself to be blinded by negativity bias.

Links worth clicking:

• Best Friends Dog Academy
• Liz's Facebook profile
• The breathwork episode of Unleashed (at work & home) Liz mentioned
• Breath, by James Nestor I found this book fascinating. For the first time, I understand why people have more breathing issues than most animals.
• Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stressed? Take the burnout assessment to find your level of risk and start your recovery journey.

https://colleenpelar.com/133

132. MaryKaye Kendrick, IAABC-ADT, CSB-D, FPPE

We often think of our human intelligence as being superior to that of animals. But what if we’re wrong? What if the intelligence of animals is equal to ours, only different? How might that change our view of the world around us, and of the animals sharing our planet?

My guest today is a pet professional who embraces the view of animals as distinct-but-equal travelers accompanying us on this journey through space and time. Doing both social work and shelter work means that MaryKaye Kendrick is no stranger to hard situations and the burnout that can result. But from this she’s learned empathy for the vast array of experiences, both human and animal, in the world around her. Join us today as we discuss how small things can have great impacts, putting your focus on the things you can control, and how to hold on to hope without sliding into toxic positivity.

Links worth clicking

• Pet Harmony Animal Behavior and Training website
• Enrichment for the Real World podcast
• Pet Harmony on Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok
• Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stressed? Take the burnout assessment to find your level of risk and start your recovery journey.

https://colleenpelar.com/132

 

131. Elysia Ostrander, CPDT, FPPE

Bringing home a new dog is a major life change, bringing home a new baby even moreso. Yet resources designed to help families adjust to having both two and four-legged babies in the house seem to be few and far between and often focused more on dogs and kids as antagonists than anything else.

That’s where my guest today comes in. Dog trainer Elysia Ostrander specializes in helping families navigate the sometimes choppy waters of parenting both children and dogs. She joined me today from the far frozen north (Calgary, Canada to be precise) to talk about how training dogs helps her be a better mom (and vice versa), the importance of knowing your own capacity, and the necessity of keeping your cup full.

Links worth clicking:

• Elysia's Pawsitive Families website, Facebook, and Instagram
• Jen Shryock's episode on Unleashed (at work & home)
• Family Paws Parent Education
• Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stressed? Take the burnout assessment to find your level of risk and start your recovery journey.

https://colleenpelar.com/131

130. Ashley Orcutt, IAABC-ADT, FDM, FPPE

A little kindness can make all the difference to someone- and a lot of kindness can make even more. Especially in a world that seems increasingly negative and toxic, kindness definitely seems to be the one thing you can’t have too much of.

My guest today takes that philosophy to heart, always striving to be as kind as possible and then some. Ashley Orcutt is a killer-whale-toy-designer-turned-dog-trainer (yes, you read that right) who believes in bringing as much kindness to the world as possible. Join us as we discuss the similarities between dog training and dolphin training, a wish for more patience, and how to get a job at Sea World.

Links worth clicking:

• Canine Cohesion
• Ashley's Facebook and Instagram handles: @horizon.dogs, @thedogdoor, @feelingpawsitivevetbehavior
• Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stressed? Take the burnout assessment to find your level of risk and start your recovery journey.

https://colleenpelar.com/130