Episode 35
"Force Free" Pet Training and Parenting - with Nicole Soule
Naomi chats with Nicole Soule of How to Train a Dream Dog about the similarities between being parents of young children and animal trainers, raising children alongside pets and her own adventures of moving her own multi-species household in with her fiancé and his dog - all while being pregnant with their first child!
Key Moments
[00:34] Guest introduction
[01:19] Icebreaker: Two truths and a lie about Nicole
[04:22] Training Service Dogs
[05:29] Cast of characters: Charlie the human, Voo the cat, and Copper and Olive the dogs
[07:30] Voo’s resistance to change/problems with UTIs through stress
[08:34] Changes for Voo: A new man-human, a new doggy roommate, and a new baby on the way
[10:11] Voo: a resource guarding cat
[10:40] Voo vs. Charlie - the incident
[12:06] Challenges surrounding Charlie’s different background in handling animal behavior
[12:37] Voo's extreme behavior around food
[14:48] Management to prevent conflict around food
[17:01] Being proactive not reactive
[18:31] The iceberg model of behavior
[20:44] Current state of affairs between Charlie and Voo
[22:11] Olive passing away and the effects on Voo and Copper
[22:57] Getting Voo and Copper ready for the new baby
[25:04] Preparing for changes in behavior when the baby started walking/moving about on her own
[28:07] "Inviter not invader": teaching baby to respect the pet’s space
[30:39] The similarities between managing dog/cat interactions and pet/baby interactions
[31:14] When to start teaching children how to interact with pets
[32:12] Researching and preparing ahead for children's interactions with pets (at different stages of their development)
[34:33] Can you be a force-free animal trainer while being a with less-than-force-free parent?
[39:08] Self-reflection/self-criticism as parents and as animal trainers
[40:39] How a background in animal training has helped in parenting
[43:18] The importance of “apologizing” to your pets and kids
[43:57] Understanding the need for positive interaction after conflict to reset the relationship
[44:28] Working through choices and no-choice situations with kids and pets
Resources Discussed:
