Episode 45. Does what we feed our dogs affect their behavior? with Tamara Tokash

I know that when I don’t feel good, I’m not always at my best. Some people – like my husband – even get “hangry” when they’re hungry, their blood sugar crashes and affects their mood. And I’ve learned – usually the hard way – that when I eat junk food, I’ll have that “crash” afterwards when I’m definitely not at 100%. But what about our dogs?

Tamara and I discuss what this looks like for our dogs and how what we feed our dogs affects their behavior.

Tamara joins us bringing her wealth of knowledge and lifetime of experience about what it means to have a happy, healthy dog in mind, body and spirit.

Tamara shares her journey with us and how her career has taken her from learning about training, obedience and behavior to canine nutrition, health and wellness. I love the idea of looking at our dogs holistically in this way!

Tamara also shares the story of Sammy, her rescued laboratory beagle, who is memorialized in the book “Blessed,” the children’s book Tamara wrote in his honor.

Tamara & I discuss:

Her childhood experiences with dogs and with whole foods;
When Tamara decided to follow her passion for dogs as her career;
Tamara’s early days of being a dog trainer;
Learning dog behavior versus training and obedience;
How Tamara made the connection between diet & nutrition and a dog’s behavior;
Tamara’s holistic approach to dog behavior;
What Tamara’s own dogs have taught her about canine health & wellness;
Tamara’s key advice for making a diet change in dogs – Start with treats!;
Having the courage to make the best health decisions for your dog;
Sammy, Tamara’s first rescued laboratory beagle, and their life together;
The politics of rescuing dogs from research laboratories;
Tamara’s children’s book, Blessed – A research laboratory dog;
The 2 most important questions that Tamara asks her new clients;
The importance of putting down our phones & devices and play with our dogs;
Separation anxiety in dogs in this post-COVID world; and
Learning to speak our dog’s language and the importance of learning dog body language

Where to find Tamara:

WEBSITE: Learn more and work with Tamara
FOLLOW: Tamara on Instagram
BOOK: Blessed - A Laboratory Research Dog

Links Discussed:

New Podcast:

Check out my new podcast, The Alternative Dog Moms, discussing news in the fresh dog food community and the pet industry as a whole, with dog blogger Kimberly Gauthier of Keep the Tail Wagging. To learn more about Kimberly, check out Episode 18 of the Believe in Dog Podcast.