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The Fresh Patch Podcast - Where Good Pets Get It.
Welcome to the Fresh Patch Podcast where we talk about everything, from dog training, to potty talk. It's time to save your rugs, and get REAL! Fresh Patch has been featured on Shark Tank, Oprah and the Today Show. We're here to discuss why every pet owner should have real grass and the benefits that come with it. So sit back, relax, grab some treats and cuddle your furry friend, you won't want to miss an episode!
The Fresh Patch Podcast - Where Good Pets Get It.
You Can Teach A Bathroom Cue Without Controlling Your Dog
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You can buy the right products and still feel stuck if your dog training plan is built on myths. We’re joined by Juliana DeWillems, owner of JW Dog Training and a certified dog trainer and behavior consultant, to get real about what actually drives behavior change and why positive reinforcement works without fear, intimidation, or force. We also talk about how virtual dog training can be surprisingly effective, because it teaches you to become the trainer in your own home.
From there, we dig into the messy truth about potty training. Juliana explains substrate preference and why what your puppy practices early can shape their bathroom habits for life. We cover why real grass can make the indoor transition easier than potty pads, how Fresh Patch can help senior dogs or dogs dealing with medication side effects, arthritis, or post-surgery restrictions (including TPLO recovery), and how a nearby potty option can reduce stress for everyone.
You’ll also get step-by-step guidance on putting pottying “on cue” with a phrase like “go potty,” plus the reward timing detail most people miss: celebrate too early and you can accidentally interrupt the behavior. We wrap with the biggest mistakes Juliana sees, including correcting accidents and giving puppies too much space too soon, and how a better setup can make consistency feel doable.
Subscribe for more practical dog training conversations, share this with a new puppy parent, and leave a review if these tips help you build a calmer routine with your dog.
Thanks for listening to the Fresh Patch podcast brought to you by Fresh Patch. We hope you enjoyed the show. Give us a like or a follow, or shop all of our real grass supplies at freshpatch.com. Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Youtube, Reddit
Welcome And Guest Introduction
SPEAKER_02You may know Fresh Patch from Shark Tank, Oprah, or the Today Show. This is the Fresh Patch Podcast, where good pets get it. Sit back, put your paws up, and enjoy the show. Welcome everybody to the Fresh Patch Podcast. I am your host, Drew, with my co-host, Mr. Gabe, to my right for the viewers. And we have an awesome guest on the pod today. Can you please introduce yourself?
SPEAKER_00Hey guys, my name's Juliana DeWillems. I'm the owner of JW Dog Training in the Washington, D.C. area.
SPEAKER_02Beautiful. Amazing. So happy to have you on. Really excited to ask you these questions, get to know you some more. I know we've been working together for a little bit. So people that do follow us on Instagram and stuff, you might have seen some JW Dog Training videos. We love your videos, all your approach, everything. So yeah, and some stuff we can't say until next week, but uh you did work on a video for us for a new product release. So everybody listening, it will be released by the time this episode is out. So keep an eye out for that and everything.
SPEAKER_03We could probably talk about it. I guess we could, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Our pair and bundle. Everything you will need to potty train your puppy. Um, we are really excited to release this product, kind of a one-stop shop for everything you need to bring that new puppy home. So and uh yeah, really excited. And just to confirm, you wanted uh you're Juliana or Juliana?
SPEAKER_00Thank you for asking. It's Juliana. Juliana. Okay, cool.
SPEAKER_02I get I've met I've met many and I get corrected too many times. So appreciate that. Sweet.
SPEAKER_03So that's where my brain was going. So glad to get that confirmation. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Perfect. All right. Well, we're gonna dive into questions, Juliana. I'll pass it on to Gabe and we'll get started.
SPEAKER_03Absolutely. So um, you gave yourself an amazing intro just now, but just for anyone who's not familiar with you, would you mind just kind of like reintroducing yourself, maybe go a little bit deeper into um yourself and and what you
Virtual Training And Credentials Matter
SPEAKER_03do?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, thank you. And thank you again both for having me. This is I love your podcast, I love your product. It's been really cool to work together. So I am a certified dog trainer and dog behavior consultant. As I mentioned, I'm the owner of JW Dog Training, and that's for most folks who know me from socials. That's the name they recognize JW Dog Training. That is my company. We are a company based outside of Washington, D.C. in Northern Virginia, and we're lucky to be able to do virtual training all across the country. And we specialize in more complex issues, reactivity, aggression, although, of course, happy to help, you know, new puppy parents and teenagers, basic manners, that type of thing. We're really able to help issues across the board. I have an incredible team of trainers who work for me, and they let me kind of do the social media public-facing stuff while they see a lot of our clients. And again, virtual training has opened up the ability to work with people all over the globe, really. Uh, we've seen worked with clients in other countries to help them sometimes bring their dog back to the US with them. We've helped folks all across the US. So we are a virtual training company and see folks in person, and we help we use positive reinforcement methods and we focus on the science of learning, and we all have credentials behind our name because that's really important to us. And we're really lucky to be able to help pet parents with their dogs.
SPEAKER_02Amazing. Yeah, well, that's that was that's you do a lot.
SPEAKER_00We do, yeah. Especially, yeah, and in 2026, you know, business doesn't quite look the way it used to. We've been open for uh six years now, it'll be six years in August, and yeah, it's you know, the pandemic really changed things for dog training. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_03No, it's really cool. I was kind of like surprised to hear that you do like virtual training and you work with people like even beyond Washington, which is which is so awesome. So I I definitely think you know you got you got something there. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02No, being in the virtual world now, I mean, you got to take advantage of you know being virtual and giving people the services that they want, you know.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, totally, and it's more it makes training more accessible because a lot of folks don't have really good trainers close to them. And people are so surprised with how effective virtual training is because when I come to your home to train your dog, I can train them, teach them the skill, and then be like, okay, now you try it. But with virtual training, you're training your dog, like you truly become the trainer, and so it really empowers folks. It's it's been actually a really great outcome of the world changing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, that's awesome. And yeah, congratulations on almost six years as well. That's really cool. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Thank you.
SPEAKER_02Cool. And you kind of touched on this, but if you want to, you know, kind of briefly answer it again. Um, how would you describe your approach to dog training?
Positive Reinforcement In Plain English
SPEAKER_00Definitely positive reinforcement base, so and kind of a holistic approach. So, in addition to the quote unquote problem or unwanted behaviors that folks want help changing in the moment, we kind of zoom out and we just make sure that a dog is living a happy, healthy, fulfilling life, that they have enrichment, that they have their needs met, that they are not dealing with any medical issues that could be contributing to their behavior. And then, of course, we take it, we address the behavior challenges that guardians are facing. And we do so by thinking, okay, we don't want them to do this behavior. So let's teach them an alternative replacement behavior while also looking out for all the other great behaviors our dogs do and rewarding those so that we see more of them. That's what the science of behavior tells us that when a behavior is reinforced, it increases. And when you increase the behaviors that you want, you see way less of the behaviors that you don't want. And that is kind of our approach in a nutshell.
SPEAKER_02There you go. Wow, thank you. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that's that's a really cool kind of like different approach. Um, and just kind of like going off that, what makes that sort of training style different from more traditional methods that people, you know, might be used to?
SPEAKER_00You know, we've learned a lot about training and our relationship with dogs over the past couple decades. And we've learned that we can change behavior in a way that works for us as the humans, but also works for the dog. We don't have to use fear or intimidation or pain or anything like that. We don't have to scare our dogs into changing their behavior. We can motivate them to do what we want by reinforcing desirable behavior and encouraging the behavior we want and really bringing out the best in them instead of constantly focusing on what we don't want. It really can change the relationship with your dog because you're not focusing so much on stop doing that, don't do that, don't do that. You know, that's such a frustrating way to live. And instead, you focus on what you do want.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, that's a great way of putting it. I definitely don't like being told, you know, do this, do that, that way. Yeah, it's not a good way to live. But yeah, no, that's amazing.
Why Quick Fixes Fail
SPEAKER_02And um moving on to the next question, what do you um what do you think people often misunderstand about dog training today?
SPEAKER_00I think that folks in general, when we're living in again, 2026, the world has we have answers at our fingertips. And can you guys hear my dog barking? Is that no, actually? Okay, good, good, good. So Zoom, it's like of course, you know, the one time you have a you sit down for a meeting, like the the delivery person just came and dropped up a package, which happens like once a week. Um and so I'm glad to hear that Zoom is effectively cutting it out.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00But in in today's day and age, we're so used to having quick immediate results and and answers at our fingertips and and um just like immediate gratification, you know, with our phones in our pockets. And and so I think a lot of folks want that with dog training too. They expect quick results, they expect this like quick and immediate gratification with their dogs too. And for the most part, changing behavior takes time, it takes effort, it takes repetition, it takes consistency. And so I think that's where sometimes guardian expectations and fa and human expectations can uh kind of butt up with behavior, which takes time and effort to change.
SPEAKER_02Gotcha. Yeah, no, that makes total sense. And that kind of applies to Fresh Patch too. I think we get that same kind of approach, like, and we do, you know, it is real grass, so yes, the dog is naturally attracted to it, but there's always a little bit of training involved, you know, especially for a puppy or something. And we we get that from customers sometimes too. It's like, oh, it didn't work, and it's like, well, how long did you try? Oh, I tried for a few days and it didn't take. It's like, okay, well, you know, like that's just it's not just gonna happen with every dog, you know. So being consistent, you know, making sure you got her set a routine and everything is is key. So I think that just goes hand in hand, you know. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00You're exactly right. And and we like it, you that's such a good example where yes, it's that consistency, the learning needs to take place, the reinforcement needs to take place. You know, a dog being reinforced one time doesn't necessarily guarantee that the behavior is going to increase. It takes repetitions, and so sticking with it and again consistently trying, whether you're trying to teach them to potty on the fresh patch grass patch, or you're trying to teach them to walk nice on a leash, that consistency and time is so important.
SPEAKER_03Absolutely. I think too, with just like social media and and like animal creators being so popular nowadays. I'm sure it's the case a lot of times where people see these videos of these like amazingly trained dogs and and animals, and they just think that they're gonna bring home their dog and it's just gonna be like that, but they don't want to put in the work to training, or they don't know that they should put in the work to train, you know.
SPEAKER_00No, babe, you're so right that it's social media has been amazing for dog training because it again creates things that are so uh resources that are so accessible, and you can learn so much on TikTok and Instagram and YouTube, and it has created a totally uh false expectation that transformations happen in an instant, you know. And unfortunately, social media really um highlights and and reinforces these like clickbait, uh sensationalized before and after videos. And there's just so much more to the story than that. And usually the more is the time and effort that went into that that you don't see.
SPEAKER_03Absolutely, yeah. No, I mean it's it's that's what it's all about is um you know putting in the time and like the work to get your dog to where you want to be. And then also like I feel like it helps with you know bonding with your with your animal as well and like improves that relationship.
SPEAKER_00So it's really you're exactly right. Yeah, and that's the thing is it's it is m about the journey, not as much the destination. And the journey, especially when you're using positive reinforcement training, can do so much for your relationship with your dog. It's it's actually really cool.
SPEAKER_03Totally. Yeah, I actually just uh just rescued a bunny. Oh my gosh, finding all of this. Yeah, oh my god, it's it's awesome. But they're like so because we my family's always had dogs, and so it's like a brand new thing, and like what you're saying is like perfectly kind of setting me up for how training is gonna be with it with her. So bunnies can learn a lot.
SPEAKER_00I look forward to seeing your clicker training progress with her. They totally can learn a lot, it's great enrichment for all species.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, totally, totally. There you go.
SPEAKER_03Um, yeah, it's gonna be a journey, but um, yeah, I appreciate that.
SPEAKER_02You gotta get that clicker, Gabe, you know?
SPEAKER_00You do, you have to find out what treats she likes. Yeah, it's a very exciting journey you have ahead of you.
SPEAKER_03I will say she does love cilantro, so that's a good thing. There you go.
SPEAKER_00Couldn't be me, but okay.
SPEAKER_03Awesome. So um how did you originally like get into dog training? Were you always a dog person, or was this something that just kind of like fell in your lap?
SPEAKER_00I have loved animals my whole life. Gosh, you know, tail as old as time. And I actually went to college for animal science, which when people hear that, they go, oh my gosh, you did what you, you know, you did after college, what you were supposed to do, what you learned in college. But right out of college, I actually went into business and and fundraising and development for a nonprofit, for an animal shelter. And so similar to, you know, you guys are sharing your small business, you wear a lot of hats. When I was working at a nonprofit, um, I was the event planner, the fundraising person, but I sat at the desk next to the foster person. So, of course, you know, I'm a fresh 21 years old outside of college. I start fostering dogs. And when you foster dogs, you want to help them be their best selves. So I learned a little bit about training. I got hooked up with the Humane Society's trainer who later became my boss because I worked for her for six years. And I tried to balance, you know, being uh in my event planning role and doing dog training on the side. I did that for about four years until the dog training world just took me and I jumped into doing dog training full time. That was back in like gosh, 2015, I think. And I've been doing it ever since.
SPEAKER_03Nice. Yeah. No, that's really cool to hear that you have like a business background, and it makes total sense, like just the way that you like structured your whole business and everything. Uh pretty cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00You learn, whoops. Uh, you know, when you wanna working for somebody else isn't so bad, but if you wanted to work own your own business as a dog trainer, yeah, you gotta learn about business real quick.
SPEAKER_02Definitely, yeah. That's great. And um, cool. Going on to the our next question.
Building A Modern Dog Training Business
SPEAKER_02Um, how did you go from getting started to building JW Dog training into what it is today?
SPEAKER_00I was, like I said, working for my previous mentor for six years, and the pandemic hit and life just looked so different. And I got to the point, I was so happy working for someone else, like through my 20s. And and then I got to the point where I was like, okay, I think I want to do this myself. Like I have ideas I want to implement, I just have different ways of wanting to do things. So then I left and started JW. And that again, the pandemic changed so much for the way dog training looks. So, you know, we opened up the options of virtual training, we got online, like I started my social media at that time. So I started thinking it was going to be a very traditional dog training business, you know, like just seeing people, clients in person and just doing that all week and, you know, maybe posting online here and there. But over the years, one, I got a little burnt out on seeing clients so much. It's it was it's a lot of work, and I did it just so much in my 20s. And two, the social media and online stuff kind of started to take off. So I was pulled in other directions. And I think something that helped my business is that I allowed us to grow and to change and to pivot. And I wasn't so um like married to the idea of it staying a traditional dog training business. I said, okay, let's see all the other ways we can make money being a dog trainer. And so I just let it grow and evolve. And I'm very, very grateful to say it has taken off and we've had many successful years.
SPEAKER_02There you go. Amazing.
SPEAKER_03Wow.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's that's an incredible story.
SPEAKER_03I mean, it's very inspirational too for people like looking to start their own businesses and exactly that, you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. So congrats. Yeah. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00It's a lot of work and got, you know, it's like, oh, you work for yourself, that's great. You don't have a boss. Yeah, except, you know, there are just so many other things that come with running your own business and a lot of pros and cons. And I think I am finally at the point where I'm like, okay, I feel like I'm running the business, the business isn't running me, which nice is not always the case. Yeah. Um, so it's it's taken a lot of trial and eval, but we're definitely in a really cool place right now. So thank you.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, of course. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, absolutely. And and um, like we mentioned earlier, um, your background in business, working for a shelter, that sort of thing, that can be extremely rewarding on its own. But you know, dog training in its own is you know, like helping someone, you know, find a good place with their dog and help with their relationship, all that sort of stuff. What has been the most rewarding part of working with dogs and their owners for
The Reward Of Real Bonds
SPEAKER_03you?
SPEAKER_00It's exactly what you said that I can help someone transform their relationship with their dog and go from being frustrated and at the end of their rope and exhausted and sometimes, in some cases, afraid of their dog, afraid of what their dog can do. And I can just help them see the best in their dog, build their relationship, trust their dog again, and have their dog trust them, feel safe with each other, and just have more fun together. I mean, I think that's just the most rewarding and coolest part about dog training, and again, especially positive reinforcement training that just builds bonds so much. It's it's something that even after doing this for 12 years, never ever gets old. Seeing kind of that spark between the human and dog with the human canine bond, it's incredible.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, definitely rewarding and stuff. That's I don't think that'll ever die. The seeing that, seeing that bond, you know. I mean, even just a normal person, like not a trainer, like you see that and it's just it's heartwarming, you know, you love it. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Oh, sorry. Do you ever just like see dogs that you've trained in the past, like just around? And like, you know, you still kind of like have a bond with them.
SPEAKER_00Oh my gosh. I actually have such a cool story about that. So I started my business in Washington, DC, and I I lived in DC. And um, you know, you get older and you start to move further and further out, so is the business. But I spent many years training dogs in DC. And and one summer, when I was a first couple years being a trainer, I worked with this dog, Griffin, and he he was a black lab, and his guardian family brought me in when he was a puppy, and they needed a lot of help. So I spent a lot of time with him. And I think I spent a year just doing a lot of training with him and a lot of time. And then, you know, life goes on, they don't need me quite as much anymore, and I get busy doing other things. And a couple years later, I'm at a park in DC, and this black lab runs up to me, and he was so happy to see me. It was that I even like pulled my phone out because I was like, oh my gosh, you're so cute. And then I like looked at him and he like looked at me. It was like the movies, you know. I'm like, wait a second. And I like look up, and and sure enough, there's his mom like walking down the trail. So it was really beautiful, and we had a really, really sweet reunion. And and then I went back and looked at all our pictures together. It's because yeah, it's crazy. Years can go by and and dogs don't forget, you know, it's one of the most special parts of dogs, I think.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, oh, that is such an incredible story. I know it's cool. Such a movie, such a movie moment. Yeah, that's that's awesome. Yeah, and probably just more yeah, rewarding to you, too. It's like, okay, obviously the training worked, you know, and helped, and like left an impression on the dog too. So that gives you more confidence, you know, in what you're doing and everything, which is amazing just all around. So awesome.
Fresh Patch For Senior Dogs
SPEAKER_02Um moving into the next question, kind of tying Fresh Patch into everything now. You've used Fresh Patch with your senior dog. And can you tell us a little bit more about that experience?
SPEAKER_00So I actually unfortunately didn't discover Fresh Patch or like really discover it until after we lost my senior dog Lola. But I always think about how much I wish I had Fresh Patch in her final like, well, certainly her whole life, but her final six months. So Lola was a Chihuahua, and she I blame my wife because Lola came into my life when I met my wife, and she um I blame my wife for Lola's poor potty habits, basically. I'll just throw her right under the bus for that. Um but she it it got so Lola always had challenges with going to the bathroom only outside. And uh later in life, she had developed heart disease, which is ultimately what she passed away from, and she ended up on a medication that made her go to the bathroom even more. So, and this is the case for so many senior dogs or dogs with any medical issues, really, but medications can influence their need to go to the bathroom and their frequency and how much they can hold it. And so I so wish we had had a fresh patch in those last couple months of her life because she just needed to go so frequently and she would have been so comfortable getting to go to the bathroom on grass. And that's that's where I think it's so valuable for certainly older dogs, but any dog going through medical challenges.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, and I thank you for highlighting that too. Cause yeah, you know, it's not just this the senior dog, it's there's so many side effects when it comes to medication that you know people don't really think of, you know, when their dog's about to go on it and then they're living it and they're like, oh my gosh, wish there was a solution. Well, guess what? There is uh fresh patch. So uh check it out. But yeah, no, thanks. That's a really good point, you know.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and whether it's so uh from the behavior side, whether it's a dog who needs to go to the bathroom frequently because of a medication, or what I'm seeing a lot, because we're discovering the link between pain and behavior. So we're seeing a lot of our clients who have reactive and aggressive behaviors, they're we're also discovering uh basically musculoskeletal musculoskeletal issues they're having, whether it's like arthritis or a uh injury or something that requires surgery, and they're either on exercise restriction or they're recovering from surgery and they physically can't do stairs, they can't go all the way outside to go to the bathroom. That's where I've seen it be incredibly useful to give dogs access to the bathroom without the cumbersome going downstairs, going a long distance. It A huge difference there.
SPEAKER_02Definitely. Yeah. Yeah. We get a lot of people. I don't know if you might be saying this, but the TPLO surgery has been the biggest one. You know what I mean? Uh we get customers for that all the time. And yeah, we really were educated on that surgery last year. Um, big part of it was starting this podcast. We had one um person on who went through that and they're like, the fresh patch was incredible to have, you know.
SPEAKER_00And so we've been trying to lifesaver out there, you know. Totally. Absolutely. Yeah, we're seeing, yeah. It just is it's uh yeah. As a as a trainer, I see like a bazillion different reasons for it. Medical is a big one.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, cool. Yeah,
Substrate Preference And Indoor Success
SPEAKER_02yeah.
SPEAKER_03And so kind of like going off that, um, when you've used Fresh Patch in the past, whether with some of your clients or with your personal dog, um how how did they adjust to using it?
SPEAKER_00For some dogs, they can, as you guys have seen, they can take to it right away. Oh, yeah. And other dogs, I think, can definitely be confused at first, like, wait a second, one, I'm allowed to go in the house. And by the way, everyone watching this, this is why we don't want to punish our dogs for going to the bathroom in the house. Because there might be a day where we do want them to go in the house on a fresh patch. So, and and there's like a number of other reasons why you don't want to punish them for going to the bathroom in the house. But um, you know, that's a big one is that we don't want to create hesitation or fear around going inside. So I think some dogs can it can take a minute, but because it's grass, and that's what most dogs, the substrate most dogs are used to going on outside, the transition is much easier than if they were gonna try pea pads or potty pads, which is the what people have done until these your incredible grass patch came on the market, is we're trying, okay, my dog can't go outside, they've had an injury, they're sick or whatever. I'm gonna try to get them to go on pads, and that is so much harder to transition to when a dog has a whole lifetime of practicing going on grass.
SPEAKER_03Absolutely. And not only that, but I was thinking like starting off with pads and then transitioning off to going outside to real grass. Like you know, there's it it's more difficult to do that when you're when you're using plastic instead of grass.
SPEAKER_00So you're absolutely right because dogs do develop substrate preferences. So, you know, these dogs who are like live in the city, they actually prefer to go to the bathroom on on like pavement where you know, my dog never in a million years, I think most dogs. Yeah. Um, but it this what they learn to go on and what gets reinforced with their bathroom behavior early on and initially can be what they start to prefer their whole life. That's why when they start going on carpets, yikes, you know, they really start to love carpets. So, yes, the more you can get your dog or your puppy or your new rescue dog going on grass, ASAP, the better.
SPEAKER_03All right, substrate preferences. I'm writing that one down. Yeah, yeah, that's a big buzzword in the dog training room.
SPEAKER_00Substrate preferences. Awesome.
SPEAKER_02And just from your perspective, too, I just cut and kind of came
Put Potty On Cue
SPEAKER_02to my head too. But um, we get we get this a lot from customers. Like they'll try it out, and it's like, oh, my dog's never gone inside, but now like we may they maybe move to an apartment, it used to be in a house or whatever. Like, what do you suggest there? Like, obviously, the training might be a little more, you know, like cumbersome and take a little more effort because it's like the opposite, you know what I mean? You're not starting them inside and then transition out, you're starting them outside and then transitioning them in. So, how do you so what do you suggest for something like that?
SPEAKER_00My tip for teaching dogs to use a grass patch indoors is to put pottying on outside on cues, on a cue. So whether it's like go potty or go now or do your business, whatever cue you want it to be, you want to associate that phrase with going to the bathroom and then getting a reward. So you want to pay close attention to when your dog is likely to go. And usually we see maybe the circling or the the sniffing in a certain spot. You want to try to say the cue just as they're doing it or right before, and then treat, treat, treat, treat, treat when they're done. So they start to associate the the verbal phrase, the cue, with going to the bathroom and getting a reward. And then once that is nice and consistent, then you can start to practice that inside and walk them over to their grass patch and give their cue that hopefully they go, oh, okay, I have an idea of what that means, and then be ready to reward them the moment they go. Also making sure you're capitalizing on like when they have to go first thing in the morning or maybe after a meal, when they are likely to have to go to the bathroom. That's also going to help you be more successful.
SPEAKER_02Gotcha. Perfect. Well, thank you for that. A little free free training for our viewers and listeners, you know. But that one. Yeah, that question. I don't know. I we get that a lot, and I've just never really thought about that deeper, you know what I mean? Like, I guess it is the opposite. Like, we're bringing an an older dog, maybe doesn't matter the age, you know, but like the your situation's changing. So, how is the best way to approach that?
SPEAKER_00So, yeah, and that's something to keep in mind for folks to put pottying on cue in general can be helpful, meaning and not that your dog has to wait to go to the bathroom until you cue them. We don't want to have like that much control over our dogs, they should be able to go whenever they need to, but more so associating with the behavior of going to the bathroom with the cue and the reward. That's how then you can start to cue them. You know, like you're on a road trip, you can cue them to go to the bathroom at the rest stop, you can cue them if you've got a quick minute before work. It can help to encourage them to go to the bathroom when you need them to.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, totally makes sense. And um that I'm glad you said what you said. Like, don't we're not here to like control their no, no, no, no. Well, you know, when they're going to the bathroom and everything, and that's like another reason I always say with fresh patch too. I'm like, as humans, you know, we're we can go when we want, you know what I mean? We got a bathroom always available, pretty much, you know. So why not do the same thing for your dog? Have the fresh patch indoors. You know, obviously we're not replacing walks and everything, but all those in-between moments, why do you want to like, oh, I need two more hours before I can go downstairs? You know, it's like, why? Why are you gonna do that to your dog? You know, like just let him go freely on a piece of real grass. It's a no-brainer. So, listeners, viewers, come on, fresh patch.
SPEAKER_00I cannot agree anymore. You are spot on, Drew, that we control so much of our dogs' lives. We control when they eat, we control what they eat, we control when they play, when they go for walks, where they walk, when they go to the bathroom. Dogs have such little agency over their lives when we think about it. And imagine, you know, we all know how uncomfortable it is to have to hold it when you really have to go to the bathroom. And our dogs have adapted to that so well. And people will say, Well, my dog will hold it for 12 hours. Okay, but I know, like, we don't want to have to make them do that. Yeah, and you know, so being able to say to actually respond to that feeling of having to go and not having to wait for us can be a one small way we can give them agency back, and then it makes our lives easier than not having the stress of having to like race home or you know, you get stuck at the office, or you're having a lot of fun with your friends and not having the the can worry about running home to your dog because they can go to the bathroom if they need to is really actually quite life-changing. Yeah, it's incredible.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, that's a great way of putting it. Yeah, totally. So, yeah, okay, those are two questions kind of off the list. So we'll we'll get back to the schedule
Puppy Parent Bundle Setup Tips
SPEAKER_02programming. But um, do you want to take I got this one? I got this one. Yeah, we we brief touched on this briefly at the beginning of the episode. Our new puppy parent bundle. It's not a secret, it's not a secret, okay. I'm sorry, it's out. Uh you recently featured the new puppy parent bundle. And let us know what stood out to you uh about about that product.
SPEAKER_00It is such a great product for new puppy parents to have because the bringing home a new puppy is so overwhelming. And one of the most overwhelming parts is making sure you have everything. And so to get this bundle and check the okay, the potty training supplies, checking that off your list is, I think, gonna be a huge relief for puppy parents. I really like that it comes with the pad, the fresh pad that can you you can put underneath the grass because while we might start getting our puppy going on the grass, we can't guarantee that they're necessarily gonna aim correctly or that they're gonna make it all the way, or you know, they're of course puppies are notorious, you know, uh dumping their water bowl over, or there's just puppies are messy, and so having that pad is amazing. And then, of course, my dog Matilda, who is not a puppy, but she 10 out of 10 approved of the toy. She's that that was the coolest and most fun toy. She immediately, I'm like trying to film, she's grabbing it. Yes, and for the viewers at home, you know. Yes, she thinks that that is the best toy ever.
SPEAKER_02So well, we are so glad that you loved it, she loved it, and yeah, the toy is a hit. So everybody check out the new puppy parent bundle, fresh patch.com. It will be out when this episode is released. So, and if you're bringing that new puppy home, check out the puppy parent bundle JW Dog training as well. Um, it could be a a perfect match for with both of us if you're bringing that new puppy home. So, yeah. All right, Gabe, I'll pass it back to you. I feel like I've asked too many questions.
SPEAKER_03No, that's it. Make my job easier. Um cool. So bringing it back to uh a little bit of like having a puppy and like the preparation for it. Um how do you think a product like the puppy parent bundle or just like in general, like having the right setup from the beginning? Um why is that so important when when talking about body training?
SPEAKER_00We talked before about substrate preference. So getting puppies used to grass underneath their paws when they go to the bathroom is really, really not just helpful, but important in those first few weeks and months. And we know how vulnerable they are health-wise. So we have to be really careful about taking them out to just any grass outside. So this is one way to make sure your puppy stays safe while also practicing potty habits that you want them to be uh have for the rest of their life. So they can practice getting their paws on grass, going to the bathroom on grass while not being exposed to all the germs. Although I do, as a trainer, need to say, like, please take your puppy outside. There are ways to do it safely. Socialization is critical. Do not leave them in a bubble at home. Look up safe socialization practices so they're put, you know, you can take your puppy out without their paws touching the ground while also practicing going on grass at home.
SPEAKER_02There you go. Beautiful. Wow, that was just that was picture perfect. Yeah. Uh right there. Okay. So thank you for that. And um on to the next question. Uh, does this tie in a little bit now? How does something like this help new puppy parents stay uh consistent?
SPEAKER_00Because of how easy it will be to access the grass patch, you will be able to consistently give your dog the opportunity to go to the bathroom on the grass patch and be rewarded for going on the grass patch. So I showed in my video of the bundle a few different setups where you can have it like actually in their pen, which could be great for some puppies, or directly outside their pen so that you know you let them out from when when they're done in their pen and the grass patch is immediately right there, or directly outside if they don't have quick and easy access to grass outside. Like I have it, I showed it on my deck with a um fence around it, because you want to really set your puppy up for success and give them almost no choice but to go on the grass, making sure that the grass is big enough for what they're interested in. You know, some dogs need to walk a little bit before they go to the bathroom. So getting a size that's appropriate for them and then presenting them with many, many, many opportunities to go is how you are going to help them be successful, always rewarding after they go as well.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, definitely. Reward, reward, reward people. Yeah, throw that party, you know. And yeah, no, that's thank you for that. That's a perfect and I I love that approach too with the uh the outside, you know, like just placing it right out the door. That's what I tell people all the time to even starting it, you know. I I'll tell people if they're used to going outside, put it by the door that you've been taking them out of, and then slowly just put it back outside or the patio, whatever, you know. So yeah, thanks for touching on that because yeah, that's a great way to you know keep that consistency.
SPEAKER_00And Drew, I want to um talk uh just briefly say something about the rewarding, because you're right, it's very important. Yeah. And timing is also important. So I think sometimes folks can get so excited that their dog is going that they start the party a little too early and then they interrupt the bathroom behavior. So if you observe it and you see it, you can internally celebrate and then wait till they kind of take that step that they're done, and then big party. So try not to interrupt the bathroom behavior by prematurely celebrating and rewarding.
SPEAKER_02There you go. Thank you for that. No, that's very, very key uh for the for the potty training. Yeah, right, exactly. So, all the listeners, if you are you know taking this knowledge in, that's a great way. Don't don't throw that party too early, you know, because and it makes so much sense.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, do you want to be distracted when you're going to the bathroom? Right, right.
SPEAKER_01Like barges in. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02That's great. Cool. Thank you. Pass it back to you, Gabe.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, absolutely.
Common Potty Training Mistakes
SPEAKER_03Um, so what are some of the biggest mistakes that you have seen people make, like wow potty training? And what are some ways that maybe like having a real grass patch could help like mitigate some of those mistakes?
SPEAKER_00There are two main mistakes that come to mind. The first one is correcting your puppy in any way when they have an accident. Puppies are brand new, they are babies, they have no clue about the world, and we really need to help them be successful. And helping them be successful actually does not include correcting them for going to the bathroom in the wrong place, because that can have a lot of unfortunate fallout. It can cause them to be afraid of you, it can cause them to be afraid of going to the bathroom in front of you. It just is not how you want to be, you know, interacting with and supporting your puppy at such a critical age. So if there's a funny saying in dog training, if you see your puppy have an accident, roll up a newspaper and hit yourself on the head for missing their signs that they needed to go out and go to the bathroom.
SPEAKER_01That's a good one.
SPEAKER_00Puppies having accidents inside is more an indicator that something went wrong on our human end. And that brings me to the second mistake I see, which is just giving puppies too much space. You know, we don't, they do not and should not be confined to a crate 24-7, but they shouldn't have run of your whole house because then it's so easy for them to sneak away and go to the bathroom without you noticing. And that's why having a fresh patch in an easily accessible place, whether it's like right by the door or right next to their pen, you will be able to see your puppy heading that direction or maybe circling, and you can encourage them to go to the fresh patch, and then you can be ready to reward, which we've talked about how important that is. So making sure that you give them an appropriate size of space will help them be successful with their potty habits.
SPEAKER_02Perfect, beautiful. I love the newspaper.
SPEAKER_00So funny.
SPEAKER_02It's on you, it's on you as the it is.
SPEAKER_00We put way too much responsibility on puppies, and they are brand new. They everything is new in their world. They don't know up from down. They're trying to learn who is safe, who they can trust, and just focus on bonding and and routine setting and and predictability and consistency. And and that is the key to slowly building positive habits, including with the Fresh Patch.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. From day one, people. So check it out, Fresh Patch. You can actually call our customer service, hit us up too. If you know you're getting that new puppy soon, send us a DM, call our customer service, we'll help you out of the exact time to order so your grass will arrive in the timely manner that your puppy is coming home. So we try to help you out as much as possible by starting at day one as well. We're here to see potty training success and of course on on the fresh patch. But yeah, hit us up if you have any questions or you're getting that new puppy. We're happy to help you out. So sweet.
What’s Next And How To Follow
SPEAKER_02Moving on to the last question on the list. Uh, and some more for you. Is there anything exciting you're working on? Or maybe you can't say yet, but you can tease a little bit, but no, thank you for asking.
SPEAKER_00You know, I'm always trying to be forward-thinking with my audience. How can I best help my audience and my clients? I will say, in with bringing my Chihuahua Matilda home in November, we got her at a year old, and she has gotten a ton of attention and people really love her. So I've been really lucky to build an audience of small dog guardians and people who have small dogs and love small dogs. So I am working on building a course for helping small dogs who bark at things, which is a lot of small dogs for a number of reasons and not because they have small dog complexes. So I'm I'm working on that this summer, but otherwise just trying to continue to create content for folks that give them just tips here and there to improve their relationship with their dog that can work on you know challenging behavior issues, teach fun new tricks, and I just want to make folks' lives with their dogs easier and better. So I'll be you know every day working on more content on that.
SPEAKER_02There you go. Perfect, amazing, amazing. Yeah, well, we're excited to see it all and stuff, and there will probably be more with Fresh Patch, I'm assuming, as well. So yeah, really love working with you. Thanks for joining the pod. Um, and I didn't say this at the beginning of the episode, but for all the viewers, all the listeners, hit that subscribe button if you're watching on YouTube, drop a comment, like the video, follow at Fresh Patch on all social media. Uh, wherever you listen to your podcast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify Podcast, check out the Fresh Patch Podcast, where good pets get it. And I'll give you this opportunity to shout out your socials as well so people can go follow you.
SPEAKER_00Yep, JW Dog Training everywhere. Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, JWDogtraining.com if you're interested in private training. And yeah, thank you both so much. This has been a lot of fun. I really love your product. I'm it has helped so many of my clients and my followers. So I'm grateful for the opportunity.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, thank you. And glad it's been uh we have a helpful product for you as a dog trainer and stuff. And totally, you know, love to provide to more trainers and and everything. So if you are a trainer listening, hit us up. You know, we got the product for you.
SPEAKER_03And for those new uh puppy owners or new dog owners, uh, check out JW training. She does an amazing job, and uh it'll definitely be worth the time. So yeah, thank you.
SPEAKER_02Perfect, awesome. Well, thanks everybody for listening. We'll catch you next time on the Fresh Patch Podcast. Later, thanks for listening to the Fresh Patch Podcast where good pets get it. We hope you enjoyed the show. Give us a like or a follow and shop all real grass supplies at freshpatch.com.
