Reward Your Dog Podcast

#40 Fight Club or Friendly Gathering? - Should I Take My Dog to the Dog Park?

Jesse and Verena dive deep into what dog parks can and can't do for your dog and offer some practical tips on how you can decide if your dog is a good candidate for going

Emergen-sode: How to Entertain Your Dog When You're Stuck Inside (during smoke, ice & heat)

It's a hot, smoky day in Portland, OR (USA) - and this calls for a (climate) emergency podcast.... Jesse and Verena share some tips for entertaining, occupying and exerci

#39 The Big Stress Series Pt. 2: "Is My Dog Chronically Stressed?" - and How You Can Help.

In this second episode on stress, Jesse and Verena dive deep into chronic stress: what it is, why it's bad, and - most importantly - what you can do about it... while dro

#38 The Key to Your Dog's Behavior: The Big Stress Series, Pt. 1: The Stress Response

Jesse and Verena tackle a biiiig topic: stress and how it impacts behavior. In this first installment of the "Stress Series", they look at the stress response and introdu

Mailbag 3: Finding Places to Exercise Your Dog

Jesse and Verena share their secret tips and tricks to exercise your dog - without crowds. Want to submit a question as well? You can do so right here: https://www.rew

#37 "Help! My dog doesn't like people!" - and what you can do about it

It can be very hard to navigate urban living with dogs who struggle with people - because urban spaces are often rather people-y. Verena and Jesse dive into dog sociabili

#36 "As long as you're under my roof" - Giving our domesticated dogs more agency

Dogs in most Western countries are domesticated - meaning they live as pets in our homes. That comes with significant perks but also with the loss of choice and control o

#35 How do you know if Dogbook is telling the truth? - Parsing Information & Epistemology w/ Emily Strong of PetHarmony

What a treat to sit down with Emily Strong of PetHarmony Training to discuss how to figure out what is actually good information about dogs on the Internet - and what isn

#34 Harnessing the Power of Habits for Good (and for Evil)

Going into 2026, Verena and Jesse examine how habits can be a powerful force in our lives - and our dogs' lives too. Listen to find out more about how to use this power f

#33 Is there hope for my barky, lungy, growly city dog? OR: Resolving urban leash reactivity in 4 steps!

Verena and Jesse dig deep into why having a dog who barks, lunges, growls and pulls on the leash around triggers like dogs, people, skateboard, bikes etc. while living in

#32 Caring for Yourself while Caring for a Difficult Dog

Life with a struggly dog can be really hard. Behavior modification training is often the long game and takes a toll on everyone. How can you as the guardian of a difficul

Mailbag 2: Dealing with Off Leash Dogs

One of the toughest things to deal with when you have a reactive dog: an approaching off leash dog! Jesse and Verena share strategies for how to handle this sticky situat

# 31 "What even is reactivity?" - Unpacking the label w/ Suzanne Clothier

Jesse and Verena sit down with Suzanne Clothier of Relationship Center Training to discuss what's behind the label "reactive". "Reactive" has become a catch all term for

#30 Getting the most out of training sessions

In the latest installment of the RYDP, Jesse and Verena discuss how you can make sure that you're utilizing your dog's training sessions fully, covering everything from h

#29 "Get your hands off me, you dirty ape" - Touch & Consent w/ Lorenzo JW Fox

Jesse and Verena sat down for a chat with the amazing Lorenzo JW Fox to discuss when and how dogs like to be touched, how to keep people from reaching for your dog in pub

#28 The Sutherlands' European Vacation & Dog Observations

In this episode, we explain where we have been all summer long... and the answer is Germany and Austria! We bring you some interesting observations around the dog-human r

#27 "What a Trip!" - Anxiety Medication for Dogs with Dr. Chris Pachel

We're so excited to be able to present to you this important and thorough interview with Dr. Pachel of the Animal Behavior Clinic in Portland, OR wherein we dive into the

Mailbag 1: Correction vs scuffle - what's the difference?

Oh my! A new type of episode! In our inaugural mailbag episode, we discuss a listener question on when a correction between dogs is appropriate and where the line to a

#26 Nagivating the Dog Training Industry Pt. 4: Types of Training

The final episode in the "Navigating the Dog Training Industry" dives into different kinds of training modalities. What's the difference between private training, day tra

#25 Navigating the Dog Training Industry Pt. 3: Finding a Trainer

In our third installment of the "Navigating the Dog Training Industry" series, we talk about how to find a trainer who is aligned with your ethics and values and has the