Episode 27: Fumbling Your First Dog

This is a continuation of Episode 26! Lots of you wanted to hear more about what I had to say about how most people fumble their first dogs and what you can learn from that going into your second dog! As always, I’d love for you to be able to join in on more conversations just like this. You can do that on my Instagram Subscription here: www.commongroundcaninemn.com/subscribe

This episode is a string of topics requested from my subscribers that all sort of piggybacked off of each other. One person wanted to hear more about field trialing and my new puppy Maven. Someone else wanted to hear about how I fell out of love with protection sports. And another person asked about finding the right sport or activity for them and how to go about finding a dog that is well suited for that. I wish we had had more time, we may come back with a part two. Especially on that last topic. This is something Savannah and I talk about fairly often as she considers what she wants her second dog to be. If you listen to this and really want a part two, make sure to blow up my DMs so I know and I’ll make sure it happens. If you want to be a part of more conversations just like this, join my subscription for $5/month. You can do that here: www.commongroundcaninemn.com/subscribe

I have been having some troubles with my subscription service so I decided to throw in the towel and give up on that endeavor for now. So here is The Myth of “Soft” Dogs uploaded as a free episode. I had to edit out some chunks that I didn’t want as public. Mostly people’s specific names. So there are parts where it feels a little choppy.

A few months ago Savannah was over and we had her dog Flora out with my dog Cayde. They were getting along great until they weren’t. In this episode we recap that event and discuss dog fights and household aggression.

Shout out to Sarahi in my subscriber’s only group chat for reminding me it was podcast Friday! I almost forgot. Here’s a quick little bonus release to tide you over since I have a full day of lessons today. I’ve got so much back log to get through that this episode is from before Christmas! Enjoy!

Alicia is originally from New York but currently lives in Ohio with her boyfriend Bryan and three dogs, Gunner, Chini, and Avalanche. She has been a professional dog trainer for about 8 years and has gained a lot of really valuable perspective in that time. We originally met through a mutual friend in the protection sport community and were reconnected recently via TikTok. We share a lot of the same philosophies on what it means to be a dog trainer, on dog ownership, and dogs in general. We share the common trait of wanting to rebel against the norm and challenge other dog people to do the same. Our passion for advocating for our clients and other dog owners is a highlight in our daily conversations. In this episode we talk about the inevitable burn out of being a professional dog trainer, how we eventually learned to manage those feelings in our own lives, and how we see burn out contributing to dog trainers around the world being exposed in cases of abuse and neglect. This is a really awesome episode, I look forward to having Alicia on again soon. You can follow her on Instagram here: https://instagram.com/bitesyze?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= and TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@chini_borderheeler?_t=8ZNd7zNd0UI&_r=1 Sign up for the LIVE recording event on February 11th here: https://commongroundcanine.as.me/?appointmentType=40818626

This episode is about exactly what it sounds like. Intact dogs. Long ago someone asked for this topic to be discussed on the podcast so here you go!

In part two of this episode we talk more about dating with dogs as a whole!

Kyle and I are engaged!! In this episode Savannah and I talk about my relationship with Kyle and my previous relationships leading up to this point and how being a dog person altered those experiences!

You guys have been begging me for an episode with Kyle that was all things Setters/Field Trials/Bird Dogs and I finally convinced him to join! As a bonus I got AJ Kalupa, our good friend and Easy’s breeder, to join us as well! We just barely scratched the surface in this episode but I think it’s still chock full of information you guys will find interesting. Follow Kyle on Instagram here: www.instagram.com/mudlakebirddogs and AJ here: www.instagram.com/highpoint_setters If you want to hear more from me in between episodes, join my subscription service here: www.commongroundcaninemn.com/subscribe and join the podcast discussion Facebook group here: www.facebook.com/groups/661439639048534