Watch
29. Communicating with Our Pets and Understanding Their World
Listen
Episode Details
In this insightful episode of Pets Add Life, hosts Kristen and Chris bring you expert advice and heartwarming stories from the world of pet training and care.
First, we welcome Sarah Hodgson, a celebrated dog trainer, behavior consultant, and author of books like Puppies for Dummies and the forthcoming Dog Anxiety for Dummies. Sarah discusses her approach to force-free training methods and the importance of creating a positive, safe environment where pets can thrive. She also shares valuable tips on improving communication with dogs and cats, helping them develop impulse control, and ensuring their overall well-being.
Next, we chat with Carol Bryant, a Cocker Spaniel aficionado and the mind behind the blog Fidose of Reality. With over 30 years of experience in the pet industry, Carol offers a wealth of knowledge on Cocker Spaniels, covering everything from grooming and health to training and lifestyle. Carol’s passion for Cocker Spaniels shines through as she discusses the unique qualities of the breed and provides essential advice for Cocker Spaniel owners.
Tune in to learn how to build stronger, healthier relationships with your pets, understand their behaviors better, and ensure they live their best lives.
Special Guests:
- - Sarah Hodgson, Dog Trainer, Behavior Consultant and Author
- Carol Bryant, Cocker Spaniel Expert and Blogger at Fidose of Reality
Pet Product Recommendations:
- Button Sniffer Beer for Dogs by JoJo Modern Pets- The Side Car
Q&A Topics:
- - "I recently adopted a puppy and I want to ensure he grows up to be well-socialized. What are some key strategies and activities I can use to help him become comfortable and friendly with other dogs and people?" (Tom from Austin, TX)
"I've been researching healthier food options for my dog and want to move away from commercial pet foods. Can you suggest some nutritious, homemade recipes or organic brands that provide balanced diets for dogs?" (Melissa from Chicago, IL) - Related Links:
- - Jimmy Stewart Reads a Touching Poem About His Dog Beau
- - New genetic test will eliminate a form of inherited blindness in dogs
- - Sarah Hodgson's Website
- - Fidose of Reality Blog
Episode Transcript
Disclaimer: Our podcast is produced as an audio resource. Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and human editing and may contain errors. Before republishing quotes, we ask that you reference the audio.
00:00:00:03 - 00:00:14:06
Voice Over
Pets Add Life. Your guide to the latest in pet trends, products and the joy of the human animal bond, with Kristen Levine and Chris Bonafati, powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog TV.
00:00:14:08 - 00:00:16:00
Kristen
Disclaimer: Our podcast is produced as an audio resource. Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and human editing and may contain errors. Before republishing quotes, we ask that you reference the audio.
00:00:00:03 - 00:00:14:06
Voice Over
Pets Add Life. Your guide to the latest in pet trends, products and the joy of the human animal bond, with Kristen Levine and Chris Bonafati, powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog TV.
00:00:14:08 - 00:00:16:00
Kristen
Hey there Chris.
00:00:16:01 - 00:00:17:11
Chris
How's it going?
00:00:17:13 - 00:00:19:06
Kristen
It's. I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm laughing.
00:00:19:08 - 00:00:26:22
Chris
But it's because I'm hilarious. That's why. Well, you took one look at my face, and you're like this goofball.
00:00:27:00 - 00:00:46:01
Kristen
Okay, here we are. We've got a really fun show today. you know, I think there's a dummies book for literally every topic in the universe. And, we're going to be talking to the author of puppies for dummies, as well as a really good friend of mine, who is, has a blog called Dose of Reality.
00:00:46:01 - 00:00:48:07
Kristen
I don't tell you her name yet. Let's. We'll keep it a secret.
00:00:48:07 - 00:00:49:15
Chris
That's a secret.
00:00:49:17 - 00:00:50:06
Kristen
Yeah.
00:00:50:08 - 00:01:20:06
Chris
Yeah, yeah, that's a secret that only people 10 to 15 minutes from now will be able to, explore. this is going to be a, an awesome, information packed episode. We're going to be handing you guys over some real premium info on being a, an amazing pet owner. now, Kristen, last week I was a little upset with you about mentioning that we're in fall, but I think now that I sit here, I'm ready.
00:01:20:08 - 00:01:40:05
Chris
You're ready for fall. Accepting it. It's here. There's nothing that I can do to stop it. other than move to Florida. And that's. Florida will never get its clutches on me. that much is for sure. but this is going to be an app.
00:01:40:07 - 00:01:45:21
Kristen
No, that's going to be great if you start. If you start missing summer, you just go back to Florida. Sorry. I'm talking all over you. What's going on here?
00:01:45:21 - 00:01:58:00
Chris
I don't know. We're. It's hectic. It's hectic over here. I think something must be in retrograde. If you are an astrologist, what's the fake one? Astrology. Oh, I shouldn't have said.
00:01:58:01 - 00:01:58:16
Kristen
That out loud.
00:01:58:16 - 00:02:06:17
Chris
On Instagram. Yeah. It is. Astronomy is that when you go to college for astrology is the one you get in the newspaper?
00:02:06:19 - 00:02:08:08
Kristen
Yes. That's right.
00:02:08:09 - 00:02:23:18
Chris
So astrology just out there, tell us what's in retrograde that's making Kristen and I interrupt each other, all episode long. But, let's see if we can fix that. We got a whole episode to get it right. So let's go ahead and dive into this episode of the Power podcast.
00:02:23:20 - 00:02:27:15
Voice Over
Kristen and Chris present story time.
00:02:27:17 - 00:02:40:03
Kristen
All right, Chris, it's story time. And I have I'm really I'm really kind of excited about my story this week. It's a little sentimental, so you might want to grab Kleenex. All right. I was.
00:02:40:05 - 00:02:41:22
Chris
Around.
00:02:42:00 - 00:03:00:03
Kristen
I was cleaning out. you know, we moved a year and a half ago, so I've still got boxes that I haven't even touched. So I was going through one of the boxes, and I came across this book. It's called Jimmy Stewart and his poems. for those youngins in the audience, Jimmy Stewart was a famous film actor.
00:03:00:05 - 00:03:24:23
Kristen
probably most famously known for a wonderful It's a Wonderful Life movie. but he also had a great love for dogs. And he, he published a book of poems. Now, the book is not a book of dog or pet poems. It's just random poems. But one of them is about a dog named Bo. And, I'd like to have you listen to him do a little bit of it.
00:03:25:01 - 00:03:51:09
Speaker 3
He never came to me when I would call unless I had a tennis ball or he felt like it. But, But mostly it didn't come at all. When he was young, he never learned to heal or set or stay. He did things his way. Discipline was not his bag. But when you were with him, things sure didn't drag.
00:03:51:11 - 00:04:07:12
Speaker 3
He'd dig up a rosebush just to spite me. And when I'd grab him, he turned, biting a bit. Lots of folks from day to day. The the delivery boy was his favorite prey.
00:04:07:14 - 00:04:15:21
Kristen
Now, I wish we could play the whole thing, but it's it's a little bit long. I'm just going to kind of read the last few stanzas. Is that what we say in poetry?
00:04:15:23 - 00:04:21:03
Chris
Stanzas, I don't know. I'm. I'm not a poet, I guess. Go into a microphone.
00:04:21:05 - 00:04:41:11
Kristen
Well, let me just read the last part of it here. he would wake up at night and he would have this fear of the dark, of life, of lots of things. And he'd be glad to have me there. And now he's dead. And there are nights when I think I feel him climb up on our bed and lie between us.
00:04:41:16 - 00:05:04:16
Kristen
And I pat his head. And there are nights when I think, I feel that stare and I reach out my hand to stroke his hair. But he's not there. Oh, how I wish that wasn't so. I'll always love a dog named Bo. So, I didn't mean to bring you all down. Make you sad, but I think we all can relate to any of us who've had a dog or.
00:05:04:22 - 00:05:23:18
Kristen
Or a cat, even, we can relate to a dog named Bo. And I just think this is a really great gift idea for anybody in your life who loves dogs. And perhaps has lost a dog. because even though it's a sad poem, it makes you laugh and smile and remember all the good times.
00:05:23:20 - 00:05:44:07
Chris
Yeah, and Jimmy Stewart is, just a regular piece of Americana. So for all you Gen Xers out there who are, like Jimmy Stewart or Jimmy Stewart and why they talk so funny, what was that all about? Just get on the IMDb, pick one of the films and watch it. Because sit down. Don't don't turn your phone off for, you know, it's an old they're older movies.
00:05:44:07 - 00:05:48:08
Chris
They're like 80 minutes long. Okay, put the phone down and watch the damn film.
00:05:48:10 - 00:06:10:05
Kristen
You need to, you need to. And by the way, Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, is a day when we remember our beloved pets that have passed away. it was celebrated a couple weeks ago in August. but, yeah, that's just a great way to remember a beloved pet. And, we'll we'll drop a link to the the entire segment where he reads the poem on the Johnny Carson Tonight Show.
00:06:10:06 - 00:06:12:08
Kristen
We'll drop a link in the show notes.
00:06:12:10 - 00:06:25:23
Chris
There we go. All right. I'm going to try and write this ship towards optimism and maybe a little smile. but, Chris, be the science guy is back with more.
00:06:26:00 - 00:06:26:20
Kristen
Thank goodness.
00:06:26:20 - 00:06:41:04
Chris
Next research. Yeah. He's here. you know what I need? I need a lab coat for these segments. I got I got to get myself, like, a, like a lab coat and maybe some eye protection, some goggles. Whenever people are doing science, they're always protecting their eyes. Right.
00:06:41:06 - 00:06:43:14
Kristen
And a pepper and a pocket protector.
00:06:43:16 - 00:07:21:02
Chris
Yeah. Pocket protector. Because, God forbid, ink gets inside of my pocket of my white lab coat. I would drive my dry cleaner. Crazy. So, anyway, on to the actual story. this is a, scientific journal published. some scientists have managed to ad hoc stop a form of inherited blindness in dogs, so. Oh, wow. there is a rare genetic disease called progressive retinal atrophy, which is essentially something that just gets passed down.
00:07:21:04 - 00:07:48:00
Chris
And over time, your dog will lose if they have the disease, will lose their eyesight. And then there are a lot of dogs who carry the marker for the disease that then pass it down. And for a while, a string of genes that actually cause the disease were unknown. but the study's author, Catherine Doctor Catherine Stanbury, out of the University of Cambridge.
00:07:48:00 - 00:08:24:23
Chris
So that's another good one. they have, now have a DNA test. So there's no reason why another dog ever needs to be born with this form of progressive retinal atrophy. Give breeders a way of totally eliminating the disease. So with most genetic diseases, it. You really can't fix it with any type of medicine. It's all about having the awareness of who carries the disease and understanding that if they get matched up with a certain kind of partner, you are increasing the chances of the puppies in that litter of having the actual disease.
00:08:25:00 - 00:08:51:18
Chris
So, now armed with this information, breeders, will be able to take some steps to eliminate it entirely from the gene pool, which is amazing news. so great work by Doctor Stanbury and her team. I applaud you. and remember that, folks out there, there are a ton of people leading the charge to research our animals and their health.
00:08:51:20 - 00:09:15:09
Chris
They don't necessarily get the funding that, folks researching human, diseases do. So if you ever come across any great charities or if you'd like to, look at Highbury, the Human Animal Bond Research Institute, they are, a great charity that helps fund some of these things. it's always great to throw a couple dollars towards science.
00:09:15:09 - 00:09:25:19
Chris
So be on the lookout for some of that stuff, and I'll try my best to raise awareness for some of these studies as we continue to do our humble little show here,
00:09:25:21 - 00:09:30:14
Voice Over
Beyond the Leash exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism.
00:09:30:16 - 00:09:44:23
Chris
All right. We are joined now by the wonderful Sarah Hodgson, who is a renowned dog trainer, behavior consultant, podcaster and author known for her books including puppies for dummies and the upcoming Dog Anxiety for dummies.
00:09:45:05 - 00:10:12:20
Chris
With a deep belief that dogs, cats, and even people need to feel safe and happy to enjoy learning. Sarah emphasizes the importance of communication over control and pet training using force free methods. She helps pet owners understand their pets motivations and develop strategies that leave everyone feeling understood and confident. Her program focuses on assigning words to actions, instilling impulse control, and fostering good manners through fun, fear free and inclusive training sessions.
00:10:12:20 - 00:10:20:01
Chris
So we welcome Sarah to the podcast. Sarah, thank you so much for joining us today. Very excited to talk about this stuff. Hi.
00:10:20:03 - 00:10:28:18
Sarah
I'm so glad to be here. There's nothing I love more than talking about pets and their people and that's helped them get along.
00:10:28:19 - 00:10:48:21
Chris
That's great. And you know we we talked a little bit in the pre show how you know we don't just offer this show to pet parents but a lot of potential parents. Right. People who may be listening in for some advice on how to get started. And I love that you've got puppies for dummies because I'm I'm right there.
00:10:48:21 - 00:11:03:18
Chris
I'm right there. I'm a big old dummy. so so why don't you talk a bit about, some of those basic training methods and how easy it can be and make some of our people feel at ease about how simple and straightforward this can really be.
00:11:03:20 - 00:11:29:03
Sarah
So one of the things I love to share with people is that there are a lot of similarities between our pets and our people and their important differences, which I'll touch on too. But dogs, especially puppies, just like, people and babies, we all have basic needs. We need to eat, drink, sleep, go to the bathroom and play.
00:11:29:05 - 00:12:04:13
Sarah
When those needs are met, we feel content and happy and setting up a routine, setting up a pattern, setting up a plan, structuring just the events of the day are really important now. When dogs have an unmet need, like they might, be overtired or they might need to go to the bathroom. People know that if the puppy were a child, they would cry and they would be able to recognize that with a puppy, the way they express an unmet need is by nipping.
00:12:04:15 - 00:12:26:06
Sarah
So when people begin to understand, oh, we have a lot of similarities, when they feel dysregulated, when they have a need that's not being met, they'll let me know and they'll let me know by nipping. And instead of getting frustrated with that behavior, I can just follow the routine and help the puppy take care of those needs and get on with it.
00:12:26:08 - 00:12:38:17
Kristen
Yeah, that's a great point. You know, I would you say that that's one of the most common challenges that pet parents face is not recognizing the cues that our, our pets are giving to us.
00:12:38:18 - 00:13:03:18
Sarah
Well, it's fascinating you bring that up because I think people bring home a dog, and there's so much excitement in getting the dog and getting the puppy and bringing them home. And then they're like, now what? They don't understand that a puppy, like a baby needs set sleeping. You know, they have sleep and wake cycles and like, I always tell people we're diurnal, we're up during the day, we sleep at night.
00:13:03:18 - 00:13:27:06
Sarah
Some animals are nocturnal. When you bring home a puppy, if you recognize that they need to sleep at night and they also need those two naps. And those two naps are so important because a puppy is growing and without the right amount of sleep and without structured patterns during the day, the puppy can get very dysregulated, which leads to nipping and jumping and hyperactive behavior.
00:13:27:08 - 00:13:50:11
Sarah
When puppy. When puppy people recognize and structure the day, the puppy's actually quite calm. It's not so frantic and just knowing what to do and what to expect, and how the puppy is feeling and relating to their world, gives people a lot of agency over that experience, and they can make it like a family affair. So it's a fun experience.
00:13:50:11 - 00:14:26:16
Sarah
It's not this dysregulated hodgepodge getting up two and three times in the night. One thing people don't recognize is that when puppies first come home, they cry in the middle of the night, not necessarily because they need to be swept out of the crate and taken out to go potty. They're crying for their mom. There's that a couple of day period where deep sleep is hard for the puppy, and when they recognize that a young puppy can easily sleep through the night, this gives them more confidence and kind of orchestrating that process and teaching the puppy how to sleep in their crate and getting right on the crate.
00:14:26:16 - 00:14:29:09
Sarah
Training from day one.
00:14:29:11 - 00:14:44:15
Chris
That's all really great info, Sarah, I mentioned at the top of your intro there you're force free training methods. so can you give us a quick rundown on on what that means and how it may differ from some other training methods that may be out there?
00:14:44:17 - 00:15:13:15
Sarah
Sure. So I think a lot of people think of dog training as almost, a military experience. And this turns a lot of people off to loving a dog and owning a dog, or bringing a dog into their family. there were a lot. I've been doing this for years, and initially there were a lot of methods that, you know, we only really had choke chains and tennis balls in order to motivate dogs.
00:15:13:17 - 00:15:46:20
Sarah
but the past decade has shown and reflected so much biology on the fact that, dogs learn best when they're motivated with joy and treats and toys and positive reinforcement. So in terms of training a dog or bringing a dog in the the methods should make you feel happy and more relaxed, not like you're suddenly running a military school.
00:15:46:20 - 00:15:51:21
Sarah
It's not about dominance so much as it is about cooperation.
00:15:51:23 - 00:16:11:17
Kristen
Yeah. And I'm I'm curious to know, Sarah, how do your training methods or the and how you guide people in training their dogs, how does it differ from, besides housebreaking? How might it differ from bringing a new puppy home to adopting, say, an adult dog from an animal shelter? Rescue?
00:16:11:18 - 00:16:44:21
Sarah
Sure. So I always start with the number one thing a dog or puppy wants to feel is safe. If they don't feel safe, they can't relax. And if they can't relax, they can't learn. All dogs and puppies need to be able to predict what's happening in their everyday life. They need those grounded certainties in order to feel regulated.
00:16:44:23 - 00:17:26:21
Sarah
There have been so many studies done on dogs, so whether we're talking about a puppy or whether we're talking about bringing in an older shelter dog, there have been so many studies done on the balance of emotional and rational thought processes. Let me give you an example. If you walk into a room and the dog or the puppy jumps up very excitedly and you react to that behavior either by pushing the dog down or by patting the dog, the dog learns that when I'm with people, I'm very excited and I'm very happy.
00:17:26:23 - 00:17:56:10
Sarah
Now that's okay. Except if you're like, oh, I don't want my dog to jump. I want my dog to be calm. And what you recognize when when you work with me or people like me that, coach simple shifts in human behavior to modify dogs. And if you walk into a room and the puppy's jumping and you stay present, but you're calm, then the puppy learns to mirror the calmness you're modeling, and then you can just reinforce the puppy when they've calmed down.
00:17:56:12 - 00:18:25:00
Sarah
So regarding whether to because a lot of people want to know, should I adopt a puppy from a breeder or should I go to the shelter? And what is the difference there? The difference is in what the dog or puppy has been, habituated to. When you get a puppy, they simply know. You know, they've had nine weeks with their mother, and you get them home and you get to imprint on that puppy.
00:18:25:00 - 00:18:50:09
Sarah
When you get a dog from a shelter, you're not always sure where the dog has been or what the dog has experienced. And so they have learned different routines that you then have to kind of undo to teach them how, you know, the, the routines of your everyday life. this all boils down to the, the internal experience.
00:18:50:09 - 00:19:20:02
Sarah
And this relates to my book Dog Anxiety for dummies. When puppies feel safe, when they know the routines of everyday life, when they're set up and consistent. then their stress level is down. They, they're adrenaline and cortisol. This isn't good, but it's minor. If we can just kind of go back a minute. when you have a dog, you have two states of mind.
00:19:20:02 - 00:19:37:00
Sarah
One is rest and digest and relax and enjoy experiences with you and, levels of, emotional arousal, which when the dog is emotionally aroused, they have heightened levels of adrenaline and cortisol.
00:19:37:00 - 00:19:59:03
Chris
So, Sarah, you were just talking a bit about how dogs learn best when they're in a nice, relaxed state. And sometimes we'll have a dog who has some really bad anxiety, and that that emotion can override their ability to learn. So can you talk to us a bit about recognizing that anxiety in dogs, and how to get that dog to a relaxed state so that they're going to learn best?
00:19:59:05 - 00:20:34:09
Sarah
Absolutely. Here's the thing to remember. Dogs either model our behavior or their perception is that we're mirroring what they're modeling. So often when a dog gets anxious, there's a rise in adrenaline and cortisol. You can tell because the dog will get very fidgety, they'll move around, they can't focus. They feel very dysregulated. Unfortunately, what people do is feel very dysregulated when their dog acts like that, which feeds the anxiety because they're paying attention and then trying to calm them down.
00:20:34:14 - 00:21:04:18
Sarah
They're doing all the things that are completely normal. If you are dealing with a person, they make direct eye contact, they pet the dog, they crouch down low. But in doing those behaviors, the voice goes up high. They stare directly at the dog, which to dogs is perceived as confrontational. Humans are the only mammals that see eye to eye as comforting, to see a smile as friendly when you're like, oh, it's okay, it's okay to a dog.
00:21:04:18 - 00:21:29:20
Sarah
Their anxiety jumps up and then it becomes this vicious cycle because the dog feels like their emotions are being reflected. They what they need is an anchor. They've done studies now to show within the past two years to show two fascinating points. One, that calm, synchronized breath is very comfort to a dog.
00:21:29:22 - 00:21:31:00
Kristen
Interesting.
00:21:31:01 - 00:21:55:22
Sarah
I make my class do it. They love it. People eat it up because we all do. Class synchronized breathing and their dogs will immediately lie down and they're like, Holy moly, that thing that's fascinating that they've shown is that dogs can sense our moods even before we feel them. They can sense change in our heart rate and our breathing.
00:21:56:04 - 00:22:23:04
Sarah
So there is nothing you can hide from your dog. My effort in being in the world is training people. When you teach a dog, you know it's not a military exercise. It's not a ten minutes a day. Dog training is simply teaching English as a second language. Associate a word to an action, a word to an object. Say outside, go to your spot.
00:22:23:06 - 00:22:47:06
Sarah
Tell them to get busy as they're putting. But what you're doing is you're not labeling your your excuse me? What you're doing is not, commanding them to do something. You're labeling the behavior. And when you do that, calmly and with love in your heart, and you reinforce them in a calm manner, dogs can learn a word to an action within 6 to 10 repetitions.
00:22:47:11 - 00:23:10:07
Sarah
So when I take young puppies in and I bring a dog puppies here for a week or two, we get them house trained, we get them sleep trained. That's a most important window because we stay calm. There's a consistent routine. The sleep patterns are, organized from the time, you know, they leave the litter. The dogs learn like little sponges.
00:23:10:07 - 00:23:40:17
Sarah
They want to learn English, but they're learning it as a second language for a dog. The way they communicate is through posture and moving their tail. They. They can smell how we're feeling. They don't understand how we're feeling. They can smell it. They smell our hormones like perfume. So doing all these things in understanding the biology of dogs is really important if you're getting one, and b if you want to modify your dog's anxiety or motivate behavior.
00:23:40:19 - 00:24:06:16
Sarah
The simplest equation I give people is the following. Every action your dog does is followed by a reaction from you that will either extinguish the behavior or encourage it. And the best discipline I give people when their dog is jumping or mouthing whatever they're doing is, if you like, like it, reinforce it with love and attention and rewards.
00:24:06:20 - 00:24:30:10
Sarah
If you don't like it, simply take your hands and cover your face. And it is interesting. Mind blowing. Everybody who works for me is like, whoa! The dog jumped and I just covered my face and they immediately shut down. And then, you know, as soon as they sit down, you just kneel down and reward them with whatever you don't need.
00:24:30:10 - 00:25:01:17
Sarah
It colors. You don't need to show colors. You don't need to drag dogs around. We have this misconception that leashes give us control, so we hold them tight. But what we don't realize when we're holding an animal tight by the neck or by the body, is that we have them caught in a trap. And when an animal is caught in a trap and that freedom reflex, that pulling reflex gets triggered, their adrenaline and cortisol go up, leading to leash reactivity and leading to more anxiety throughout the day.
00:25:01:23 - 00:25:07:01
Sarah
Dog training is simple, but you have to be willing to be trained yourself.
00:25:07:03 - 00:25:19:02
Kristen
Sarah, I am. I'm so happy soaking this up like a sponge, as you mentioned. And if what if our listeners are feeling the way I am and wanting to learn more from you, how can we go about doing that?
00:25:19:04 - 00:25:43:16
Sarah
I am, a prolific, writer. I'm always working on my next book. I have my next book in the hatch. I also am, on Instagram and Facebook daily. I have a TikTok, and I also help people privately. They're through virtual calls or in person if you're in the Tri-State area. I have group class. This is all I do.
00:25:43:16 - 00:25:47:16
Sarah
I love it, as I just learned, I don't even know how to turn on them.
00:25:47:18 - 00:26:01:10
Chris
Know it's it's clear that you know, exactly, what you're doing. You bring so much passion and information to, to this topic. So we thank you so much for your time and we can't wait to see what you do next.
00:26:01:12 - 00:26:02:03
Sarah
Okay.
00:26:02:05 - 00:26:16:06
Kristen
I wow, I was soaking up that that that passion and energy from her. And I can't wait to try this covering my eyes. Yeah. Next time tulip barks at the U.P.S. driver.
00:26:16:08 - 00:26:31:03
Chris
It's crazy how similar dogs and people are, you know what I mean? Like, you know, the concepts of adrenaline and cortisol and things like that. I mean, it doesn't take a lot of, special technical knowledge. Sometimes it's gets a little bit of empathy and understanding.
00:26:31:05 - 00:26:33:06
Kristen
That's true. Check Sarah out.
00:26:33:08 - 00:26:37:08
Chris
So, Kristen, why don't you go ahead and introduce us to our next guest?
00:26:37:10 - 00:26:56:11
Kristen
I would love to do that because she is a dear friend and someone I've known for a really long time. Her name is Kara Bryant and she's a renowned cocker spaniel expert with over 30 years of experience. And she, was actually introduced once by Gayle King of Oprah Radio as the as a dog lover of the highest order.
00:26:56:11 - 00:27:24:14
Kristen
And that that describes Carole perfectly. She's really dedicated her life to the well-being of cocker spaniels and of course, other canine friends. She is the creator and owner of the trademark My Heart Beats Dog, which I just think is brilliant. and as a pet industry veteran, Carole has been on TV, radio, podcasts like this one, and she's authored hundreds of articles, and on top sites like CNN, Yahoo, dog, and TODAY.com.
00:27:24:16 - 00:27:51:13
Kristen
But through her blog fied dose of reality. Isn't that a great name? Five dose of reality Through her blog, Carole provides well-researched information, expert commentary, and hands on tips to help the modern dog parent make informed decisions about their pets. And with that introduction finally over, it was a little bit long, but there's so much great, great stuff to talk about you, Carole, you've just you're fantastic.
00:27:51:13 - 00:27:52:23
Kristen
Welcome.
00:27:53:00 - 00:27:58:02
Carol
Oh, thanks. I'm so excited to be here. This is just a treat for me. I can't wait.
00:27:58:04 - 00:28:18:19
Kristen
Yeah I was excited when I saw your name on on the list of, of our next guests. And, let's just talk about. Let's kick it off. Since we met originally as bloggers, let's, let's kick off by talking about what inspired you to create Five Dose of Reality, and how has your mission, kind of evolved over the years?
00:28:18:21 - 00:28:26:14
Carol
Absolutely. So I think you and I are the OG vloggers. We're like gangster vlogs back in the day when people were like, what is a blog?
00:28:26:16 - 00:28:27:05
Kristen
Right?
00:28:27:07 - 00:28:46:04
Carol
You know, I couldn't find the answers I wanted. Always talking to my veterinarian. It's not a replacement for my vet, but I wanted things that like I could help people. What questions to ask their vet, or I go looking for something and somebody would tell me here and somebody would tell me. I thought, why don't put that all together into what's this blog thing that's going on?
00:28:46:04 - 00:29:08:04
Carol
And I literally on a wing and a prayer, just like built my first blog by myself. And at the time I thought, I love reality shows and dogs, so let's call it five Dose of Reality, because that's normal. and it evolved into really like reality based real truth. You know, none of this nonsense talking about dogs and that evolved.
00:29:08:04 - 00:29:25:16
Carol
You just can't be that dog blogger. You need to have the niche or the niche, I'll say it. And, cocker spaniels have my heart. I love all dogs, but that's I'm drawn to that breed. They seem to find me. And I decided to make the blog dedicated to cocker spaniels for their health and wellness.
00:29:25:18 - 00:29:37:15
Chris
That's absolutely awesome. And I, I've, had the pleasure of meeting a few cocker spaniels in my days, but I'm curious what it is about the cocker spaniel. That really just makes that that heart skip a beat for you.
00:29:37:17 - 00:29:57:11
Carol
Yeah, they're everything in this medium sized package for me. They're curious, they're fun, they're nosy men. Stop me. And they say, is that a good hunting dog? And women say, can I pet him and kiss him? And that's kind of. And they're very much like me. They're very curious, but fun and loyal, as all dogs are. But it's just something about the breed.
00:29:57:11 - 00:30:17:06
Carol
That. And I like this. I'm really kind of sick in this way. I like when they cling to me. I find them joyful and, like, you know, it's just I have more separation anxiety when I go out than he does. Like, I missed the dog. so that's it. I mean, I feel like in a past life, I might have been a cocker spaniel because I was so happy, Mr. nose.
00:30:17:08 - 00:30:20:17
Carol
yeah, but I could also be serious when you need me to be.
00:30:20:18 - 00:30:30:15
Kristen
What? What is, some of your favorite topics to write about? Cockers. And what kind of feedback do you get from your readers who are obviously cocker spaniel lovers?
00:30:30:17 - 00:30:57:08
Carol
Yeah, I, I love to write about health in conjunction with experts. So being that Christian, both of our dogs suffered and passed from, one of the worst cancers. They're all bad on the planet. writing about my own personal experience. So then having people find me in a Google search and saying, I read that. And then I had this test on for my dog, or I read that now my vet's doing ultrasounds, things that are on my blog that they're finding when they come back to me.
00:30:57:08 - 00:31:20:13
Carol
I have a, a gal who her dog's gums were pale, so she rushed him to the vet because of something she read on my blog, and she said I saved the dog's life because she never would have fought at night to bring that, to look at the dog's gums. And so it's those kind of things that, I mean, if I could just live on blogging and just the non-monetary aspect of it, I would, because the joy I get from it.
00:31:20:13 - 00:31:30:23
Carol
So writing about health, wellness, and I've really evolved into my grief articles have been very successful for me because I think we all have that in common.
00:31:31:01 - 00:31:55:15
Kristen
Right? And, you know, I currently, I have, two people in my life that are important to me who have lost pets. And, you know, it just kind of brings back memories of, of, you know, those experiences that, that I've had that our families had. And and as you said, we have that thing in common where boat we lost both of our, our dogs about within a couple of months of each other, to humans, you know, sarcoma.
00:31:55:17 - 00:32:15:23
Kristen
But I think one thing that's always been really important for me when a pet passes is finding ways to honor their memory and what they meant to us. so I assume you you write about you write about that, too, about, like, different ways to honor these pets, cats. It's part of the grieving process, right? It helps us process it.
00:32:16:01 - 00:32:37:06
Carol
Absolutely. number one was I just was so blindsided by this. And I thought, if I'm blindsided, there are others who don't see it coming. I've had dogs my whole life, and I have had them suffer for like long periods of time where you see the condition taking them slowly. And I don't know what's worse. I really don't have it happen quickly or prolonged.
00:32:37:06 - 00:32:55:08
Carol
I mean, it's it's it's sad either way. And that's the deal we make. It's kind of an ordeal when we bring a dog into our life because it's like we you kind of know how the story's going to end, but you still pick up another book, right? You still start another book, you start another chapter. And losing him, I changed my thinking.
00:32:55:08 - 00:33:13:20
Carol
How I honored decided after my heavy grief, going to a grief counselor, joining a pet loss support group. I was in shock. I think the first three months I. I thought this did not happen. I really, truly, for as far as I've come in my life and I consider myself an intelligent person, I could not process that. That happened.
00:33:13:22 - 00:33:29:23
Carol
and friends and family said, you know, it's you need you actually need to get help. You're telling everybody else how to do this, and you need to go talk to someone. That was my first thing. Don't be ashamed. Like, to honor him, I had to take care of myself. Because you don't realize. Well, I do know how much that dog means to you.
00:33:29:23 - 00:33:54:10
Carol
I mean, he was really my soul dog, you know? Yeah. You met him, and we all have that one. and so what I did was, like, I decided to shift my mindset. you can't on die, but you also can't on live. This is why I tell myself. So his legacy is going on through me. So he might have only at 13 years, but I'm going to do things in his name so people don't forget him.
00:33:54:10 - 00:34:16:21
Carol
People don't forget the life force he was, because I don't want his life to be about how it ended and so how I honor him. It's all the things from candles to jewelry to pictures to I donate. I now I'm involved with him and know sarcoma. That's got to go. I get more awareness about it. And so I think for everybody I like, there's no one right way to grieve.
00:34:16:23 - 00:34:36:07
Carol
And so I don't have the ultimate answer. But it also inspired me. I'm writing a book about it so many people aren't into will journal your thoughts or, you know, light a candle and think about your pet. That's great. And then but not everybody didn't work for me. That's my right. It didn't work for me, you know?
00:34:36:07 - 00:34:37:12
Kristen
You know, what I found is.
00:34:37:14 - 00:34:39:12
Chris
I think it's different for everybody.
00:34:39:13 - 00:34:53:07
Kristen
It really it really is. It was most helpful to me it just to talk about him, you know, and my husband and I to this day we we we remember chili. We tell us, you know, I remember when he used to do this and we laugh and, and so if you have someone.
00:34:53:09 - 00:34:54:13
Carol
Like, I'm like.
00:34:54:15 - 00:34:55:06
Kristen
Yeah.
00:34:55:08 - 00:34:57:01
Carol
Yeah, you're Chili's, you're Chili's.
00:34:57:01 - 00:35:21:20
Kristen
Mom, if you if you're listening and you have someone in your life who has lost a pet recently, call him up and just ask him to talk about them. You know, what are some of your asked what their favorite memories are? It's really therapeutic to talk about, about that pet. and it's always really a great feeling when someone else recognizes what that animal meant to you.
00:35:21:22 - 00:35:22:18
Carol
00:35:22:19 - 00:35:47:12
Chris
Yeah. I think more and more in society we're becoming aware of how important pets are. I mean, a lot of companies nowadays will give you bereavement days when your pet passes. and that was not the case even ten years ago. so, you know, I'm a typical male when I have grief, I tend to internalize it and let it chip away at me until I have a total meltdown.
00:35:47:14 - 00:36:01:20
Chris
so my advice to all of the men out there who think that they have to be tough and strong after the pet passes for the sake of their family, it's okay to be sad and it's okay to talk about it. and it's okay to go to a group or it's okay to write or it's okay to do art.
00:36:01:22 - 00:36:21:20
Chris
all of those things are acceptable. The one thing you can't do is let it chew away at your soul. So just let it out. Whatever healthy medium that may be, whether you're writing a blog or hopping on to a podcast and yelling into a microphone for 45 minutes a week, it doesn't particularly matter. But that would be my advice.
00:36:21:22 - 00:36:24:11
Carol
Straight. That's great.
00:36:24:14 - 00:36:34:07
Kristen
So, you know, let's let's turn things around a little bit. On a more uplifting note, how is Sir Alvin doing your your newest congressman, Daniel?
00:36:34:09 - 00:36:53:03
Carol
Yes, he. I definitely believe Dexter had a sense of humor sending me. I hadn't raised a puppy puppy in a long time, Kristen. And like, I now know my neighbors who go to work at 5 a.m.. We're out there at 1130 at the curb going, go, go, go potty. You know, he's awesome. He's brought, like, such a joy back.
00:36:53:03 - 00:37:10:17
Carol
And that's the thing. I wasn't going to do this again. Really. Working in the pet space, I thought, never again. I could never not do this again. He brings such joy. A friend of mine said to me, why would you deny yourself the thing on earth that gives you the greatest joy ever? And once I looked at it that way, I'm not cheating on my dead dog.
00:37:10:17 - 00:37:26:14
Carol
I'm like, actually honoring him by bringing another, you know? And he's excellent. He's just like, cool, bonkers and everything that a two year old cocker spaniel should do. He's on my leg right now. I wish I could, like, turn the camera. He's literally chewing my leg.
00:37:26:16 - 00:37:28:12
Chris
That that sounds like a cocker spaniel.
00:37:28:12 - 00:37:40:10
Kristen
Okay, we're going to wrap up soon, but, before we go, can you tell us about some of the, most memorable experiences you've had advocating for cocker spaniels?
00:37:40:12 - 00:37:58:18
Carol
Yeah. Oh, my God, what a really good question. we've done I formed a group called Legal Bot Warriors, and we, to raise money, you know, if you could say, hey, help the homeless dog, but if you say, hey, come to my dog's wedding, hey, dress your dog up, and we're all going to go to a pet friendly amusement park and ride the rides together.
00:37:59:00 - 00:38:18:12
Carol
Or you say, we're going to go to a pet friendly winery and drink wine with our dogs, and we're going to dress up and make it a big event. People are like, take my money! And so we've raised over $100,000 in five years for for cocker spaniels in need. We've helped dozens get home because people like to have fun, and it's normal to want to take your dog out.
00:38:18:12 - 00:38:30:08
Carol
And now there's more pet friendly wineries, too. Yeah, so I love that because they banned the kids, but they let the dogs. So it's like the old I know if I'm having my kid, I'm just very pro dog.
00:38:30:10 - 00:38:42:10
Chris
There we go. Yeah, yeah I like that saying not anti kid. It's very pro dog I love that. so before we let you go, Carol, you're all over the internet where can folks find you to read more of your stuff?
00:38:42:12 - 00:38:54:00
Carol
Yeah, you literally could Google Carol Bryant dogs and like, that's me. Or you can go to find Dose of reality.com and come on over and follow my blog. I also write a lot about anything I write about. So applicable to all dogs.
00:38:54:02 - 00:38:56:01
Chris
So yeah.
00:38:56:03 - 00:38:56:14
Kristen
That's right.
00:38:56:19 - 00:39:05:11
Chris
Well, thank you so much for taking the time out of your day. Yeah, this this is great. I, I managed just managed to hold back the tears.
00:39:05:11 - 00:39:07:00
Carol
So good.
00:39:07:01 - 00:39:08:00
Chris
Perfect dose.
00:39:08:06 - 00:39:08:17
Carol
Let it out.
00:39:08:18 - 00:39:18:19
Chris
Stress let it out. Thank you. Well thanks a lot for for for your stories and your time. and I look forward to seeing you at global next year because you mentioned you'll be there. So I will.
00:39:18:23 - 00:39:20:01
Carol
Looking forward to it. So.
00:39:20:02 - 00:39:20:18
Chris
All right. Take care.
00:39:20:18 - 00:39:22:12
Kristen
Thanks, Carol. Thank you.
00:39:22:14 - 00:39:24:16
Voice Over
Pets Add Life.
00:39:24:18 - 00:39:40:18
Chris
That was emotionally exhausting in, like, a good way. it is tough to sort of think about, some of the pets that may not be here anymore, but you know it. It's very true about that connection that you make with other people over that, that shared experience.
00:39:40:20 - 00:39:56:03
Kristen
Yeah. Every everybody who's listening has either, you know, been through it once or maybe more than once. So, I think everybody can relate to that. And finding ways to honor that pet's memory, is just super healthy and, you know, helps you move on to be with another animal.
00:39:56:03 - 00:40:17:07
Chris
Yeah. I mean, that's you have to move on, right? You eventually do have to, and I like to think that all of our furry friends up there across the Rainbow Bridge want us to very badly. So, it is just one of the many ways that we can continue to honor our pets even after their passing. So, on that note, though, I think we're going to go ahead and get back into the fun.
00:40:17:07 - 00:40:19:08
Chris
So we'll go ahead and dive into that next.
00:40:19:12 - 00:40:22:05
Voice Over
The product of the week.
00:40:22:06 - 00:40:41:00
Chris
Well, I'll go ahead and kick us off with my pop up product of the week. The product of the week. I've got I've got something fun here with fall coming up last week we talked about paw tober Fest, the the, Octoberfest and fall based beers are all getting brewed at the breweries.
00:40:41:00 - 00:41:05:11
Chris
I love myself a nice maple stout or a nice American amber or a marzen beer. but you know who can't have beer? Dogs. Dogs can't have beer. And this makes me sad. This makes me very, very sad. so luckily for us, the proud folks of Jojo Modern Pets thought, what if a dog could have beer?
00:41:05:16 - 00:41:26:02
Chris
And they have developed a line of dog friendly beer called bottoms Sniffer, which is hilarious. I mean, we're already off to a great start. Everybody knows that a good beer brand should be a little bit edgy, a little rambunctious, but they, you know, you could go right onto their website. I'm of course, going to include the, the link.
00:41:26:04 - 00:41:50:18
Chris
And obviously there's no alcohol. it is nonalcoholic, non-carbonated because, animals shouldn't have, any extra gas thrown into that thing at any time, believe me. and it's, I mean, I always make fun of some, like, bad beers being, like, bread flavored seltzer water. That's kind of what you're getting here for the dog. But dogs don't get bread like they do.
00:41:50:21 - 00:42:08:01
Chris
They they like it. It's it's vegan. it's, it's actually, quite healthy. They, they give a couple, put a couple supplements in there, sneak them in there. it's not a whole lot of carbs or fibers or anything like that. It's a great little treat. It's just fun. You know what I mean?
00:42:08:03 - 00:42:12:16
Kristen
It's not like. I mean, I did that. The dogs really like it and drink it.
00:42:12:18 - 00:42:32:19
Chris
Yeah. I mean, I've seen I've seen, this brand at, Global Pet Expo before and I've seen, folks with, with their dogs at the show stop and they'll pour little out and they'll lap it up. They love it. so I think it's just a fun little thing for the beer level, beer loving dog owners out there, of which I know there are many.
00:42:32:21 - 00:42:37:00
Chris
so go ahead and check it out. So, Joe, modern Pets, that's the bottom sniffer.
00:42:37:02 - 00:42:44:05
Kristen
The bottom sniffer. Be sure to bring some along when you're doing your Fall Festival brewery tours so your dog can enjoy.
00:42:44:07 - 00:42:46:23
Chris
There you go. That's exactly the plan.
00:42:47:01 - 00:42:48:00
Kristen
Okay.
00:42:48:02 - 00:42:49:12
Chris
So what do you got for us?
00:42:49:14 - 00:43:15:04
Kristen
My product is a fun one, too, and I guess it kind of has a fall theme because, you know, some of the pictures I'm seeing online are people enjoying, a bike ride with their dog in a sidecar? when when the weather's beautiful. So these are. Let's see, the name of them is the sidecar. It's this just called the sidecar, but it is a dog sidecar.
00:43:15:04 - 00:43:40:08
Kristen
And these are Scandinavian sidecars are made in Denmark. the website is Scandinavian side bikes. Okay. And, you know, I discovered these actually, on social media. I saw a really cool sidecar that somebody had, their dog riding in on their e-bike. And, you know, with the, the popularity of e-bikes just exploding, I thought, this is a really cool way to include your dog on your bike ride.
00:43:40:10 - 00:44:10:11
Kristen
These these Scandinavian ones, though they are not inexpensive, they are super beautifully designed. They're very retro. they come there's some options that you can you can have on your sidecar, like a doggy door and you know, the interior and whether or not you want sport striping on them. Very pricey, probably in the neighborhood of $2,000 US. but I have seen some kind of knock offs and some definitely more affordable options on Amazon and Etsy, although I have not.
00:44:10:13 - 00:44:27:21
Kristen
I haven't researched those. I don't know if you know this. This obviously has to be very safe and very well secured to the bicycle. but if this is something that interests you, it might be worth taking a look at and, and even checking out some of those lower cost options.
00:44:27:23 - 00:44:47:03
Chris
Biking is making a comeback, man. Here in the States. It's funny that it's a Scandinavian company because over there it's all bikes all day. Yeah, exactly. But there's a huge demand for, you know, walkable cities and, and, you know, safer biking lanes and things like that. so get in on the ground level, folks. you want to be hipster about this biking stuff?
00:44:47:03 - 00:45:02:22
Chris
You want to be into it before it's cool? go ahead and hook yourself up with a nice little sidecar. Get Fido riding shotgun. I can see it now. I'm actually picturing it in my mind's eye. How cool the people who use this product are.
00:45:03:00 - 00:45:05:17
Kristen
Oh, yeah. The dogs are wearing goggles.
00:45:05:18 - 00:45:20:19
Chris
Yes, that is exactly what I saw. The dogs wearing goggles. They've got like that, like the leather, bomber jacket on with, like, right for the fur. inlay. Yeah, that's exactly what I was picturing. So we're on the same page with this one.
00:45:20:21 - 00:45:22:22
Voice Over
Q&A’s.
00:45:23:00 - 00:45:31:07
Chris
Kristen. Guess what? It's time for our favorite part of the show, where we answer questions from you.
00:45:31:09 - 00:45:54:18
Chris
Not you. Kristen. You, our wonderful audience. So again, if you want your question answered by the two pals on this show, go ahead to Petaddlife.org/podcast. Scroll on down to the bottom of the screen. You can type your question in right there. Or if you're feeling as as brave as I am today because I'm feeling mighty brave, you could record a voice memo.
00:45:54:22 - 00:46:02:09
Chris
You may hear your question played on the show. So without further ado, Kristen, I've got a question for you.
00:46:02:11 - 00:46:03:10
Kristen
All right, hit me, man.
00:46:03:10 - 00:46:25:19
Chris
This question comes from Tom in Austin, Texas. Thanks for the question, Tom. Tom asks. I recently adopted a puppy and I want to ensure he grows up to be well socialized. What are some key strategies and activities I can use to help him become comfortable and friendly with other dogs and people? Great question.
00:46:25:21 - 00:46:46:14
Kristen
That is a great question and congratulations, Tom, on being that thoughtful about, you know, understanding the importance of socializing your puppy. It's a really important part of their development. you know, they say that, the early socialization period is between 3 to 14 weeks of age. So I'm not sure how old your puppy is, but let's just assume that you got your puppy at eight weeks of age.
00:46:46:19 - 00:47:09:01
Kristen
This is a really you've got a few weeks of really good time to to instill some confidence in your puppy. And then, of course, as, as he or she grows into an adult, continue to, to, to socialize your puppy. So they say start early and start with gradual exposure. Like, you don't want to just take your puppy to like a fall festival, you know, on day one, right?
00:47:09:01 - 00:47:30:03
Kristen
You know, and overwhelm them with exposure. and, you know, you want to introduce them to experiences gradually. also use positive reinforcement when you're, when you're, when the, when you want the puppy to know that this is a good experience. This is fun even though it's brand new for them. Maybe you, you know, talk to them in that happy puppy voice and you reward them.
00:47:30:05 - 00:47:51:11
Kristen
and some other good things you can do are, join puppy classes. They have puppy socialization classes, hopefully in your area. You can also schedule playdates with other dogs and puppies. obviously you want to make sure they're well matched for your puppy. And and I know it's also important to not introduce puppies to other puppies too early like before.
00:47:51:11 - 00:48:12:15
Kristen
They've had their vaccinations and that sort of thing. So just kind of follow those rules and expose them to not only dogs, but to people, to children, and to different environments too, and definitely to the car. You want to make sure that you expose your puppy to an occasional car ride, so that they get used to knowing that that's a safe, and can be a fun environment.
00:48:12:16 - 00:48:18:14
Kristen
So those are a few tips. and best of luck with your puppy time.
00:48:18:16 - 00:48:39:07
Chris
You're going to need it. I do have one quick thing to add. as as the dog comes out of puppy and, become begins to become a little more independent when I think about socializing dogs, this is a tip I get all the time from people. leave them alone sometimes. Put them in the crate, let them be alone.
00:48:39:07 - 00:49:01:04
Chris
If you're going to run to the grocery store. a lot of people think socializing their dog means consistently occupying them, which is true to an extent. but if you don't get the dog comfortable being alone early on, they're going to have that dreaded separation anxiety and you're going to have a hard time, leaving them alone for extended periods of time if you have to.
00:49:01:06 - 00:49:04:09
Chris
So I guess a small note on the flip side of things.
00:49:04:09 - 00:49:13:00
Kristen
Now, that's a that's an excellent point. I'm really glad that you brought that up, because you also want to teach your puppy that being alone is fun and enjoyable is okay.
00:49:13:00 - 00:49:17:12
Chris
Yeah, it's this fun. We all got to be alone sometimes.
00:49:17:14 - 00:49:18:04
Kristen
Okay. So what do.
00:49:18:04 - 00:49:18:13
Chris
You got for.
00:49:18:14 - 00:49:40:23
Kristen
Question for your, Okay, let's see what we got here. all right. This question is from Melissa in Chicago. She says I've been researching healthier food options for my dog and want to move away from commercial pet foods. Can you suggest some nutritious homemade recipes or organic brands that provide balanced diets for dogs?
00:49:41:01 - 00:50:04:07
Chris
All right. That's a that's a great question, Melissa. of course, classic this show asking the Italian guy about food and homemade food. But hey, you know, I'm going to go ahead and and say I am a bit of an expert when it comes to that stuff. So here's the first thing I'm going to say is if we're if we're going to move away from off the shelf dog food, just in general, you're going to start preparing your dog's food.
00:50:04:09 - 00:50:25:15
Chris
What I always suggest is avoid just giving the dog some of your food. You should cut separately for your dog because there's a lot of stuff that we eat that even a little bit can make your dog's sick. And as an Italian, as I said, the number one thing that I warn people of is garlic. Garlic is not good for our animals.
00:50:25:20 - 00:50:53:18
Chris
Just even like like any of that garlic, leek, chives, onion. And then the stuff that makes our food tastes really good and is in almost every recipe can make your dog's, really, really, really sick, even just a little bit. And especially their smaller dog and, and don't eat as much. So that's why I always recommend like a food that is healthy and delicious for a dog is not going to taste good to a person.
00:50:53:20 - 00:51:11:15
Chris
It's not going to have any salt. It's not going to have any spices. It's not going to have any sugar. what I do when I, I'm going to leave my cat for with a cat sitter for an extended period of time, is I will just bake a chicken breast, nothing else. No oil, no salt, no pepper, nothing.
00:51:11:21 - 00:51:30:03
Chris
I'll just bake that and then I'll, throw it in the freezer just to tighten it up. And then I'll cut it into little cubes and then put it in a Ziploc bag. And those are like high end cat treats. It loves it. It's perfectly healthy for but with with dogs, I would say you're looking at lean proteins.
00:51:30:03 - 00:51:49:09
Chris
You're looking at, some fish every now and again and some dairy can actually be good for, for dogs. And a limited quantity cheese can help build their calcium. It's good for their bones. avoid things like nuts. Avoid anything with sugar. Avoid anything with salt. They don't need it like we need it. and there's all sorts of resources online.
00:51:49:09 - 00:52:09:05
Chris
You could actually go on over to the American Kennel Club, and they have, like a visual chart of what dogs can and cannot eat. so that's a great place to get started. And then, of course, if you're looking to to buy that kind of food, there's all sorts of direct to consumer brands out there that basically do what I just described, throw it in a package and then ship it to you.
00:52:09:05 - 00:52:29:17
Chris
There's brands out there that, it's like a meal kit where it comes in like one of those dry ice things because, the food is so fresh that it might spoil. So there's all sorts of stuff out there that you can find. but I pride myself on, on doing that at home myself. So just make sure you're consulting your resources.
00:52:29:17 - 00:52:40:18
Chris
And if you feel like a change in diet has impacted your animal's health, bring them to the vet. Let them know what you've changed. because that can be a sign of something else going on.
00:52:40:19 - 00:52:46:20
Kristen
Good advice from the Chilean culinary expert.
00:52:47:00 - 00:53:01:18
Chris
The Italian, the Italian guy. We need a some type of an Italian pun because we got crispy. The science guy. I don't know. It gets a little dicey when you throw somebody's heritage into the mix. So maybe we just avoid that in general. Maybe.
00:53:01:20 - 00:53:03:07
Kristen
that's a good, good time.
00:53:03:07 - 00:53:26:12
Chris
So the go ahead. Do you see my lower third there now? I'm Chris, the Italian guy. lower third in the studio here. so, yeah, that's actually I'm going to change my name on LinkedIn from Chris Farley to Chris, the Italian guy, the Italian guy who gives animal advice. but until then, I think I think that's the end of our show.
00:53:26:13 - 00:53:30:23
Kristen
I think it is. I think that's a good show in the kitchen.
00:53:31:01 - 00:53:36:21
Chris
Yeah. yeah. Speaking of cans and all this food, we're coming up on lunchtime here. So, Kristen, what are you getting for lunch today?
00:53:36:23 - 00:53:40:21
Kristen
I whatever I see in the fridge for some starving.
00:53:40:23 - 00:53:54:13
Chris
Okay. Fridge first ask questions. Last I, I struggle with the anxiety of picking my lunch. So I like going to our little corporate cafeteria and just saying feed me like some type of zombie. And then they just make food and they.
00:53:54:13 - 00:53:55:00
Kristen
Just make.
00:53:55:04 - 00:54:02:11
Chris
Lucky that I'm not allergic to anything and there's no food I strongly dislike, so they could pretty much make it.
00:54:02:13 - 00:54:07:18
Kristen
It makes it easy, and it's kind of fun to be surprised. Not even have to think about it.
00:54:07:20 - 00:54:23:18
Chris
That is. And that's the gift, right? Is not having to think about because there isn't. Is there anything more stressful? I always say that adulting is the act of having to decide what's for dinner for the rest of your life. that's what it means to be an adult. so that childlike wonder.
00:54:23:18 - 00:54:28:15
Kristen
You're such a baby adult. You're just a brand new. A little adult. It's so cute.
00:54:28:17 - 00:54:32:09
Chris
Just a brand new little adult trying to figure it out one step at a time.
00:54:32:09 - 00:54:32:19
Kristen
Where do you.
00:54:32:19 - 00:54:56:06
Chris
My all of all of the. Yeah. Well, when I was your age. Okay. All right. Thanks. Thanks, grandma. Kristen. Yeah. Right. anyway, folks, we, thank you so much for listening to our nonsense every single week in and week out. We'll be back next Tuesday with high energy and wonderful stories, as always. But until then, be good to yourself.
00:54:56:06 - 00:54:58:10
Chris
Be good to your pets, and we'll see you next Tuesday.
00:54:58:12 - 00:54:59:01
Carol
Bye bye.
Read More
- May 05, 2026
Listen Now
115. Dog “Safaris,” Loneliness & The Future of Pet Innovation
Episode Details In this dynamic episode of the Pets Add Life Podcast, recorded live from Global Pet Expo, hosts Chris Bonifati and Kristen Levine explore new wa.
- April 28, 2026
Listen Now
114. Cats Take the Spotlight, Rescue Heroes & The Power of Service Dogs
Episode Details In this powerful and inspiring episode of the Pets Add Life Podcast, recorded live from Global Pet Expo, hosts Chris Bonifati and Kristen Levine.
- April 21, 2026
Listen Now
113. Pet Scams, Gen X Trends & The Power of Storytelling in Pet Adoption
Episode Details In this high-energy episode of the Pets Add Life Podcast, recorded live from Global Pet Expo, hosts Chris Bonifati and Kristen Levine explore ma.