Expectations, Grace and Empowerment with Katrina Berthe & Jessica Ullger

Welcome to Beers and Biscuits, a Dogcast for the rest of us! In this episode, Karen and Nicole are joined by dog trainer Katrina Berthe (@pausetorewardFL) and Jessica (⁠@jrichman17⁠), one of Katrina's clients. They discuss Jessica's experience with her previous dog Moose, who had health issues, and her current dog Rudy, a rescue with behavioral challenges, and all the emotions that surface when we are faced with loving the dog we didn't expect to adopt. Katrina provides support and guidance to Jessica, helping her navigate the challenges of having a new dog and manage her expectations. They also discuss the importance of empathy and active listening in dog training. In this conversation, they highlight the importance of support and collaboration between dog guardians and trainers, as well as the value of seeking additional help when needed. They discuss the role of sleep in building behavioral stability. They also touch on the consideration of medication as an option, what happens when we try to manage both human and dog emotions at the same time and share their biggest takeaways from the experience: patience, support, acceptance, education, and building bonds. Episode Takeaways Having realistic expectations is important when getting a new dog, as no dog is a 'Disney dog' and each dog comes with their own challenges. Trainers should provide emotional support and actively listen to guardians, as they may have feelings of resentment, frustration, or even burnout when dealing with a new dog. Trainers should consider the possibility of underlying medical issues when addressing behavioral challenges. Support and collaboration is crucial in addressing behavioral challenges. Sleep plays a crucial role in a dog's behavioral stability, and ensuring they get enough rest is important. Considering medication as an option should involve collaborative, and thorough education and counseling to help guardians make an informed decision. The biggest takeaways from this experience include patience, support, acceptance, education, and building bonds. Katrina (Paws To Reward) is a speech-language pathologist by background. She began working with a positive reinforcement dog trainer for her dog’s behavior challenges and quickly realized how powerful positive reinforcement dog training was at changing behavior. She also recognized the direct parallel to the way she worked with her human patients. She dove into books, webinars and every resource she could find to help increase her understanding of evidenced-based dog training. She is now an accredited dog trainer through the IAABC and specializes in behavior modification and guardian empowerment. We hope you enjoyed the conversation and please don’t forget to give your dog a biscuit from us. Until next time. Where you can find us:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @beers.biscuits⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠@thetimelessdog⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠@peterpiper_pickel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Ideas, Questions, Comments – Email us: ⁠[email protected]