Joining me today to talk about Noise Aversion (Fear of Thunderstorms, Fireworks, Trash Trucks etc) is Gwen Podulka, Owner of Dog Trained! Gwen does a little of everything over here at Dog Trained. She works with her awesome co-Trainers to build, learn, and teach you the most effective training methods possible. She will also be that voice you get when you call the office during office hours and you can hear the joy in her voice as she helps you choose your classes.
Gwen landed in the Dog Training world more than 20 years ago after a great stint managing bookstores. She looked around and said “I love this hobby of training my own (at the time) Deaf Dalmatian” and soon moved out to California to train service dogs and advance her own teaching skills. You can meet Gwen at any Play and Train date on the weekends and she will be teaching the in person Reactive Dog 2.0 class in early 2021.
When not training you can find her out hiking with her dogs Bug, a nose-sensitive friendly GSD, and her senior best deaf dog, Lemon.
Gwen would personally like to give a shout out to the following for being great advocates in helping me, my dogs and my clients overcome their fear of thunderstorms, fireworks and city noises.
Dr Karen Overall has a great study: Canine Intelligence Test Protocol that looks at pet and working dogs (aussies, border collies and german shepherds) that evaluated noise reactivity in non and noise reactive dogs. That showed some interesting data points on canine cognition and noise reactivity. It shows that something on the right side of the brain is working profoundly differently.
Shout out to Dr Amy Pike at Animal Behavior Wellness Center for being there and guiding Bug and I and so many of our clients through the advantages of behavioral medication.
Sound Proof Puppy App to help desensitize puppies.
Dog Trained Post for noise sensitive dogs:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CM4x1OThIZA/
Behavior Modification:
We used a ton of start button behaviors and pattern games from Leslie McDevitt's Control Unleashed and to help build positive associations with noises.
This class has a great step by step behavior modification plan to help reduce noise reactivity:
BH160: Sound Advice: Conquering Noise Sensitivity
Instructor: Amy Cook
https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com
Find Gwen on IG: @dogtrained
Website: www.dogtrained.com
Purina Probiotic Calming Care
Medications to ask your Vet about: Reconcile, Gabapentin and Sileo
If you want to work with me, Susan Light, you can find me at:
www.doggydojopodcast.com
The music was written by Mac Light, you can find him at:
www.maclightsongwriter.com
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