Paws and Reward Blog

In episode 67, Marissa Martino interviews Karin Pienaar, of the The Centre of Applied Pet Ethology (COAPE). During the episode, Marissa asks Karin about her new book, Mood Matters: MHERA: An Innovative Assessment Approach to Animal Emotionality in the Treatment of Behaviour Problems. Karin defines emotions and the 7 emotional systems. Karin shares her framework, MHERA, which is an acronym … Read More

In episode 65, I talk to my dear friend, Kathy Sdao, about a necessary topic for pet parents and pet professionals, and that is listening. Some questions that are addressed during the episode include: Watch our conversation on my YouTube Channel.   Kathy Sdao, she/her, is the owner of Bright Spot Dog Training in Tacoma, WA. She is one of … Read More

In episode 64, I speak with Naomi Rotenberg about resolving conflicts between your dog and cat. Some questions that are addressed during the episode include: Watch our conversation on my YouTube Channel.   Naomi Rotenberg, she/her, is the owner of Praiseworthy Pets and focuses on the cat-dog interspecies relationship. She helps pet clients all over the world enjoy a household where … Read More

On episode 63, Lisa Mullinax and I discuss the risk assessment of canines and the many variables we consider when working on a case. Determining whether a dog will be at risk of doing harm to another can be a difficult process and one that needs a compassionate, nuanced, and multi-tiered approach. Our risk assessment perspective gives us a comprehensive … Read More

In episode 62 of the Paws & Reward Podcast, Belinda Breen, a dog behavior professional currently earning her doctorate in clinical psychology, and Marissa Martino talk about an important topic: grief. It shows up in so many different ways in our relationships with our dogs and therefore it’s important that we shine a gentle light on it.  Whether we are … Read More

In episode 61 of the Paws & Reward Podcast, I am joined by my clients and colleagues, Kelly Ferber, Tiffany Chen, and Jenni Pfafman, all of whom recently took my Reflective Relationship Program. A 3-month program where we explore ourselves through the relationship with our dogs. This program cultivates the necessary human end-of-the-leash skills for successful training sessions, sustainable behavior … Read More

In episode 60 of the Paws & Reward Podcast, Tara Stillwell, a licensed family dog mediator, and I are going to be discussing a challenging topic on the podcast today, rehoming your dog. Our goal is to shine some light on the topic of rehoming dogs to avoid the shame that we keep, experience, or unfortunately, even receive from others … Read More

In episode 59 of the Paws & Reward Podcast, Lisa Mullinax, certified dog behavior consultant, and I discuss compassionate communication and how to have those hard conversations in the most empathetic and effective way. What kind of issues lead to these difficult topics? How can we be better listeners? And what if we come up against our own ethical boundaries? … Read More

In episode 58 of the Paws & Reward Podcast, I chat about the Fear Free Movement with Tabitha Kucera, a registered veterinary technician and certified positive reinforcement behavior consultant. We discuss why keeping data about our pet’s emotional experience is so important for their well-being and how we can do it accurately. Watch our conversation on my YouTube Channel.   … Read More

In episode 57 of the Paws & Reward Podcast, I speak with Liza Radar about their canine exercise framework and their unique approach toward exercise and physical enrichment. During the episode, Liza introduces their exercise framework. The framework includes four elements: 1) Physical Exercise, 2) Mental Exercise, 3) Low Intensity, and 4) High Intensity. We discuss the details of each … Read More