Episode 1

Introducing a Puppy to Resident Cats with Olivia Healy

What happens when you introduce your two resident cats to the new puppy in your life? How can you keep everyone safe and happy while making sure you’ve time for all the furry members of your family? In our very first episode, Naomi talks to Olivia Healy, a trainer in California who has two high-maintenance cats, about her recent experiences temporarily housing puppies.

In this episode we discuss:

Fostering

  • An introduction to kitten behavior at 2 or 3-7 weeks
  • Fostering can give you an insight into how your resident animals can cope (if management and introductions are done correctly)
  • Why you should be upfront with the shelter or rescue
  • Bringing in a trainer to guide the process
  • Getting to know different personalities and breeds
  • How each new foster will teach you something

Enrichment for active cats

  • How a lack of enrichment for active cats can lead to aggression.
  • How do you figure out what the right enrichment activities are?
  • What is the right amount of enrichment for your cats?
  • How quickly can a lack of enrichment effect behavior?
  • Right away
  • A build up over time
  • Working up to enrichment side by side by using a physical and visual barrier
  • Graduating to a physical but no visual barrier
  • Why Olivia recommends not free feeding.
  • mealtimes for wet food with dry food in puzzles around if they are feeling peckish

Things to consider when adding a dog to a house with resident cats

  • Space to separate and manage
  • Stress and safety
  • Trust in you and your environment
  • Knowing when it’s too much for either animal
  • Having enough time to focus on each animal
  • What are the animals that you already have?
  • Having contingency plans.
  • Puppy vs. older dog?

Developing your own skills

  • Reading body language
  • Clicker mechanics

Teaching the cats skills

  • Why teaching ahead of time is preferable
  • Finding food motivators and practicing reinforcement strategies
  • Targeting and station
  • Directing without physical touch
  • Station (portable)
  • Look At That
  • Creating predictability in schedule and actions

Who's in this episode?

Host - Naomi Rotenberg

https://www.instagram.com/praiseworthypets

https://www.praiseworthypets.com/

Olivia Healy

https://www.instagram.com/clickerkittens

https://www.praiseworthypets.com/    

Resource Links

Canine Enrichment

for the Real World: Making It a Part of Your Dog's Daily Life


Cats vs. Dogs: The

Efficacy of Feliway FriendsTM and AdaptilTM Products in Multispecies Homes

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About the Podcast

Show artwork for It's Training Cats and Dogs!
It's Training Cats and Dogs!
The podcast for cat-AND-dog people.

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About your host

Profile picture for Naomi Rotenberg

Naomi Rotenberg

MA, KPA-CTP
specializing in cat and dog integration

Hi! I'm Naomi, and I'm a "cat-and-dog person" 👋 My goal with this podcast is to speak to people with multi-species households who currently feel alone. There are lots of highs and lows when trying to manage the relationships between your animals. This podcast will give you clear, actionable information and guidance about the unique issues that come up between cats and dogs. And the monthly interviews with my fellow trainers who have cats and dogs will definitely help you realize that you aren't alone!

A bit about me: I'm a certified professional dog trainer (KPA-CTP) and have my MA in Animal Behavior and Conservation. I live in my own multi-species household in Philadelphia, PA with my husband, two human kids, Uri (a mini American Eskimo Dog), and Rio (a domestic shorthair cat). I also LOVE Twizzlers (the original kind, NOT pull-and-peel).

I look forward to getting to know you and your pets on your journey towards a more peaceful and safe coexistence!