Has your dog played the sniffy game yet today?

Today we’re joined by Dianna Santos, founder of Scent Work University, to explore one of the most powerful — and fun — activities you can do with your dog: scent work.

We’ll dive into why scent work is especially beneficial for reactive and fearful dogs, including how it has helped my own nervous senior guy. Dianna explains how scent work provides the kind of mental stimulation that can actually tire dogs out faster than physical exercise, making it a great option for any lifestyle.

You’ll also learn simple ways to get started at home with easy games, plus tips for introducing scent work to puppies, seniors, and even dogs with special needs.

Did you set goals for you & your dog this year?

Back in February, I shared the goals I set for myself & my dogs in 2025 — and now that we’re [a little more than] halfway through the year, it’s time for a check-in!

I’m sharing our progress (and setbacks!) not just to update you, but for my own accountability.

If you have a senior dog in your home, when’s the right time to bring a new dog into the mix? For longtime dog trainers Kathy Callahan and Helen St. Pierre, the answer isn’t simple – it depends – on your dog, your household and your bandwidth.

Kathy & Helen weigh in on setting appropriate expectations, building a support system, and what to watch for when it comes to changes in your senior dog’s health and behavior. We’ll also learn the best practices for introductions that will give both your old and new dog the best chance at a harmonious relationship.

Whether you're currently living with a beloved old dog, recently said goodbye, or are contemplating what comes next, Kathy & Helen offer guidance, perspective and compassion for wherever you are on the journey.

Have you ever thought about your time with your dog as a chapter of your life?

For teacher, speaker, and lifelong journaler Patricia Eagle, her story is told in ten chapters – with each devoted to a dog who changed her life.

In her new book, Dog Love Stories: The Canines Who Changed Me, Patricia reflects on the love, lessons, and legacies each dog left behind. While some chapters are long and others short, all are deeply meaningful.

What does leadership in animal welfare really look like when the going gets tough? Like losing most of your staff in a single day—or raising twins, running a shelter, and opening a spay/neuter clinic all at once?

We’re back with author, advocate, and nonprofit founder Cara Achterberg (Who Will Let the Dogs Out), along with shelter directors Courtney Cross (Huntington Cabell Wayne Animal Shelter) and Ruby Fooks (Butler County Animal Shelter), for Part 2 of our Shelter Roundtable discussion.

In this episode, you'll hear more about Ruby’s and Courtney’s personal journeys into animal sheltering—and how their unique skill sets have helped them face the challenges of the job.

What does it really take to save lives in a shelter where the need never stops?

For leaders like Courtney Cross (Huntington Cabell Wayne Animal Shelter) and Ruby Fooks (Butler County Animal Shelter), it means getting scrappy — not just in strategy, but in spirit. Across the country, life-saving work is happening in shelters not powered by excess resources, but by relentless grit, creativity, and the strength of community.

In this episode, we’re joined by Cara Achterberg — author, advocate, and founder of the nonprofit Who Will Let the Dogs Out — along with two remarkable shelter directors who are redefining what animal sheltering can look like when it’s rooted in community and driven by purpose.

Whether you’re looking for something fun to do with your dog or if you need help with a behavior issue, Control Unleashed might be exactly the training class you’re looking for.

Today, I’m joined by Angie Haines Madden of DogSpeak Training — the trainer my dogs and I have been working with through online Control Unleashed classes over the past several months.

While my original goal was simply to find something fun to do with Nessie, I quickly discovered that Control Unleashed offers so much more than just games. Angie and I discuss how adaptable the Pattern Games are for a variety of real-world situations, and I share some of the ways we’ve incorporated them into our daily lives.

What if it’s our end of the leash that needs to change?  When we’re struggling with our dog’s behavior, Sylvie Savage wants us to consider that it might be the human end of the leash that needs to evolve.

In her new book Unleash: How to Evolve from Dog Training to Dog Parenting, Sylvie encourages us to examine our guilt, judgments, expectations and dysregulation – and how these human traits impact our relationship with our dogs. 

As a Human-Canine Relationship Specialist, Sylvie is quick to tell us that she’s not a dog trainer – and she doesn’t want you to expect more from your dog.  Instead, Sylvie gives us a crash course in how to truly see, appreciate and honor our dog’s own individuality.

Have you ever struggled with your dog’s reactivity?

 Whether your dog is reactive to other dogs, people or something in the environment, Grisha Stewart’s Behavior Adjustment Training (BAT) may be what you’ve been looking for to help your dog lead a more comfortable life.

Grisha shares with us the principles of BAT and how BAT is based on positive reinforcement, but without the use of food.  Focusing on resiliency and empowering your dog, BAT builds your dog’s confidence, communication and trust.