Dog Behavior Issues? This 50-Year Trainer Says Your Looking at it Wrong

What happens when over 50 years of dog training experience meets a holistic, whole-body approach to canine wellness?

In this episode of "The Crunchy Carnivore Podcast", we sit down with Minnesota-based trainer Katie of Katie’s K9 to explore how decades of hands-on experience have shaped her grounded, no-nonsense philosophy on training—and ultimately led her to embrace and educate others on more holistic practices for dogs.

Katie has seen it all. From old-school training methods to today’s modern trends, she brings a unique perspective on what actually works, what doesn’t, and why behavior can’t be separated from a dog’s overall health and environment.

This conversation goes far beyond obedience. We dive into the connection between nutrition, lifestyle, and behavior—and how supporting the whole dog can transform not just how they act, but how they feel.

In this episode, we cover:
• How 50+ years of dog training shaped Katie’s philosophy
• The evolution of training methods
• Why behavior issues are often rooted in more than just training
• How holistic practices support balanced, responsive dogs
• The importance of educating dog owners—not just training dogs
• Real-life insights from decades of working with dogs and families

Whether you’re struggling with behavior challenges or simply want to better understand your dog, this episode offers timeless wisdom, practical insight, and a refreshing perspective on raising truly healthy, balanced dogs.

Resources:

"Natural Immunity" by Pat McKay

Katie's K9- learn more about Katie K9!

Check out Katie's radio show!

"Basics Bundle"- Want to learn how to feed raw and keep the chemicals off of your dog?  The "Basics Bundle" includes Wellspring's top two guides for raising a dog naturally and will help get you there!

Don't miss future episodes!

Make sure to follow to catch more insight into the holistic approach for animals in an inviting, honest, and realistic way, right here on The Crunchy Carnivore Podcast.

Connect with Dr Levy & Melissa

Instagram |  wellspring_haa

YouTube | Wellspring Holistic Animal Academy - YouTube

Website | wellspringhaa.com

Email | wellspringhaa@gmail.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

But through the day as the years progressed in training, what I noticed if a dog didn't feel right, they're not gonna train right. You know, if they're trying to itch, or if their paw paws are swollen, or you know, I mean they're shaking their head. You can just see they're uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_04 0:22

Welcome to another episode of the Crunchy Carnivore Podcast with me, Jessica Levy, holistic veterinarian, Melissa Weidenhammer, certified canine nutritionist and natural rearing breeder. And today we are hosting Katie Canine, dog trainer and holistic pet advisor. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Mm-hmm. So Katie has been in the dog training world for 40 years.

SPEAKER_02 0:48

Longer than that. Longer than 40? I've been training dogs for 54 years and as Katie's canine 44 years. Okay. Okay. Been around the box a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

So we would love to just talk with you today because you've been in the game for a long time, but you didn't just stay in the world of dog training. You kind of went into some different areas to that that really went along with that. And we would just love to hear kind of your your background and and kind of how you got to where you're you're at now. So, first of all, like what made you decide that you want to be a dog trainer and how did you get into it?

SPEAKER_02 1:22

Um, I started in 4 H, Washington County 4 H, and with an Irish setter named Rusty. And uh the trainer there said, You have it. And um, you know, when you're a kid, 11, 12 years old, I have what? It. But anyway, as it went years went on, I did really good in the dog project. And um I it would just naturally things came to me. I didn't read books about how to train a dog or nothing. It was just came from within. You know, I'm a big believer that God gives us all gifts, and if we're lucky enough to figure it out and move forward, things just go naturally. Okay. They're another natural word. And so um, I'm just a trainer for the everyday family dog. I don't train with treats. You are the treat. I want the dog to work from his heart, not his stomach. Okay, but through the day as the years progressed in training, what I noticed if a dog didn't feel right, they're not gonna train right. You know, if they're it's trying to itch or if their paw paws are swollen, or you know, I mean they're shaking their head. You you could just see they're uncomfortable. Sure. And so I've met Dr. Levy um Jiminy. Well, I think it's at least 23 years now. Not 24, maybe more. It's been a while. Yeah, and because um I'm a whole, I've always been no chemicals. Okay, no flea, tick, uh just anything chemicals. We have a farm. I wouldn't let my husband spray the trees because um uh we have chickens and geese and stuff running around. Sure, no chemicals. I don't care what the apples look like. But anyway, so then as I my venture, you know, trying to get pets to feed right and such like that, I was introduced to Dr. Levy, which opened a whole nother world as far as natural, because unfortunately, people the the you know, they're one side of the fence and the other side of the fence, and a lot of people won't come to the other side of the fence more naturally looking at things unless something goes wrong in the conventional world. They're looking for more answers, okay? What I was looking for is more natural things, okay. I'm not gonna use all this stuff, so what am I gonna do? I don't put any chemicals in, I've never have um in or in or um on my animals, okay. Well, uh one year, I don't know how many years ago, that had to be 26 years ago. Um, uh I had horses, and uh, you know, the vet comes out every spring, gives them the shots. Okay, I went to bed. I woke up the next morning, and uh my horse couldn't necklace the give shots in the horses in the neck. Sure. Okay, and my the horse's neck was so swollen he couldn't get his head off the ground. Wow. So I called my vet and I said, uh, excuse me, we have a problem. Yeah. And uh he, oh, that's a vaccine reaction. I'm like, what? What? I've never heard of a vaccine reaction. So I rolled up my sleeve boy and I started just and uh natural immunities by Pat McKay was my first book that I read. And so then it's just kind of like, okay, bring it on. You know, and I just can't, but then like I say, I don't even remember how Dr. Jess uh came into the picture, but then conversing with her, we were sitting on the same wavelength trying to convert, you know, educate people. We did natural uh food classes for dogs and cats uh at least twice a year. People would come to classes to try to empower them to get them thinking because it can be overwhelming, you know, to one point. We all of a sudden you just want to sit down and not move. You don't even want to drink water for all the crap that could be in the water. You know, and so yeah, it it got to a point whereas, so then I just we had the classes, but then I started incorporating it into my classes as far as I have a handout that's like a novel, whereas you know, uh links and such like that, as far as instead of doing flea tick crap or heartworm or you know, do this here, here, try these are other things because change is hard. Yeah. And uh and when you in doubt, whereas how do they know that that works? This has been around forever, you know, but both of them really have been around forever. But the the good stuff kind of got lost, the holistic side, and now it's starting to make a surge. People are understanding that nature has everything that we need to move forward and get healthier. You know, instead of, you know, and the conventional world is diodes and prescribe, diodose and prescribe. And so uh it it just gets so, but as a trainer, that's what I saw as a need to try to, I got you here. Okay, I'm gonna help you train your dog, but you're also that's just part of it. Right. Part of it is what you're feeding the dog, what what chemicals you're putting in or on the dogs. And I there's a lot of people that you know kind of get pushed away by me. I'm a little brassy. You know, especially when I'm looking at a dog that it's like, you this dog needs help ASAP. Right. This isn't something you can just go home and just well diddle on for a couple months. No, he needs help now. You know, so then I'll send him to Dr. Jess, or you know, just try to get into their head, like, let's try this, let's try that. Okay, just give them raw, you know, once a week, sure. Type thing. And um, there's a joke in our house. Uh, you know, that we got well, you consider it a pantry. Okay, then the right side was all the animal product and products, and the left side was the human side. And my husband would say, why is their side bigger and more swell stocked? Okay, and why is the human side not so much? And that, but that's the whole thing. It's at first it seems just overwhelming. Like uh because one thing begets another thing because another thing, and you just gotta stop and say, okay, this is gonna be the goal, but this is what my starting point. Right. Start simple, you know, and that's what I've learned to do is step back a little bit, you know, and then like I say, give them the handout so they can read on their own. Because that's the whole thing. Change is hard and slow in and not to overwhelm someone so that they can slowly dabble and oh wow. Uh in the class, we have a week where okay, what do you feed your dog? Okay, what supplements do you have? You know, and we go over it that way as far as you know, just kind of dabble in there. And uh, but it it it it's it's so cool when like somebody gets it, you know, whereas now they they want more information.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

So, Katie, what are some of the biggest things? You know, you get these people in and they they don't know anything, right? And they're they're doing all the things, and then you kind of give them some direction about and things to pay attention to that they probably never thought about before. And they start actually implementing these changes, these people that do get it. What difference do you notice in the animals as far as training goes?

SPEAKER_02 7:58

Well, the the call dog is calmer and he's more interested instead of you know feeling yucky, he's more interested in his human. Sure. Instead of like, get me out of here. I don't want to be here because I don't feel well, you know. And so it it just and it's a pro a process is what it is. But uh it I don't know, it just I I'm so happy, and I'm sure you guys are the same way when you see somebody that gets it, yeah, and is willing to slowly make the changes, because you know the change is not gonna happen happen overnight, but it's eventually gonna happen and you're gonna know the outcome, and they're gonna be so happy. Everybody's gonna be happy, everybody wins, you know. It's just yeah, it's just so fun. But the dog is definitely you know looking better, you know, than when he first came.

SPEAKER_04 8:42

So at some point you started doing like more phone consultations.

SPEAKER_02 8:45

Oh, yeah, yep, yep.

SPEAKER_04 8:47

And then like, so out of the phone consultations would probably take up like what half of your working time at this point? Because you actually get on the phone with people. Yeah. And then like, how many of those consultations are about health?

SPEAKER_02 9:00

It always winds up to be it. You know, they'll ask, you know, like, oh yeah, my dog's jumping on me, or you know, what can I do for him to quit pulling? But I always end every conversation. What do you feed your dog? Oh wow. Always, every one of them. Just kind of slip it in there, yep. And so, yeah, before you hang up, you know, uh, what are you feeding your dog? And that begets another, excuse me, on my part, another half hour. But but that but like I said, it's it's an overall thing. It's not just training, putting a training collar on or working the dog. Okay, it's it's you know, working on them from the inside out, is what it is. And so that's why, like with my consult phone consultations, uh, it uh like I said, it starts out a problem that they need help with, whether it's dog or cat, but then it wides up. Like I said, always, every conversation, I always end it. What are you feeding your dog? What are you feeding your cat? I don't do iguanas, though. I know nothing about iguanas.

SPEAKER_04 9:54

But then I think like from what I see, because you know, I have a lot of clients who work with a lot of different trainers, there are many trainers who go to your dog needs to see a behaviorist. Your dog should probably be on anti-anxiety meds. And so they're kind of leaning more towards go back to the regular vet or go get your dog medicated to deal with its behavior prescribe.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

Yeah. Instead of working with the dog and making the dog feel better. You know, if he feels good on the inside, if he's got uh, you know, uh gas buildup from maybe the dry kibble food or whatever type thing, or you know, something in the diet is not working right, or you just gave him that stupid flea and tick crap, you know, that's getting into their system, they're not feeling good. And so uh like I say, that's why it's it's an over, it's everything. It's not just you know, answer the question about jumping or digging or whatever type thing. No, they're okay. Then we get into how does a dog are you do you go for a walk with your dog, or does a dog go for a walk with you? You know, and then like I said, just uh it's getting everything to come together. And then you have you have to start out kind of slow, because like I said, change is hard. Just like taking people from off of kibble food into okay, then if you don't want to touch raw, then go get the um freeze-dried. Sure. Okay, and then crumble it up, put a little water on it, let it rehydrate, put your supplements in, but fine. Okay, then eventually some people don't like to touch the raw. It's like, okay, that's fine. Wear gloves. Right. You know, so but the thing is it's for the betterment of the dog, but try to find something or cat, you know, uh it's to find what works for you that you can make this all work together.

SPEAKER_04 11:37

You know what I've been noticing in pet food ingredients lately, in dry foods particularly, miscanthus grass is very popular. You know, I haven't even heard of it. Yeah, you know what it is? It's grass. It's just grass, it's in there as filler. Oh my gosh. And also, well, and it's fiber, right? That's true. Just the same way that if you rip up cardboard, that's fiber. Sawdust is fiber. Didn't they just change the name of xylitol too?

SPEAKER_02 12:00

Oh, did they? Birch sugar. Yes, that's it.

SPEAKER_04 12:04

Yeah, they're just we love birch trees. So, but that's important. I mean, xylitol is seriously toxic to dogs and cats. Yes. So what that is. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 12:18

And then those are you gals that carry purses, if it doesn't fit in my pouch or my pocket, it doesn't gum with me. Um, a lot of people eat uh breath mints and uh sugar-free gum, and xylitol is in those, and a lot of dogs will put their head in the purses, get out the those breath mints or those the gum, and so really pay, you know where your purse is at all times, not at dog level, or they cannot, the cat can knock it down to them.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

But I would have to agree with you, Katie. So I do consultations as well, and I kind of pave the way for Dr. Levy a lot of times. Um, and you know, they call with a lot of, you know, it's it's the allergies, it's the feet, it's the they're throwing up, it's it's you know, those ailments. And we go through a lot of different things in, you know, kind of instructing the best way to like, you know, address those directly. But really, the punchline, especially if it's somebody who's just always fed kibble and they've always vaccinated and they've always those things, we go through specifics, and I certainly do a write-up of recommendations so they don't have to try and remember everything I said. Right. But the punchline is like that. I really just distill it down to stop putting the chemicals on and feed them real food. Yeah, those are your two jobs. Stop doing this one thing, start doing this thing. And we give very specific directions on how to do those things. But it really is if you want to simplify it and make it less overwhelming, stop the chemicals, stop maximizing their toxic load and and get the and get the food right. Because all of it's it's all of that is what is perpetuating the issues in so many different areas.

SPEAKER_04 13:51

Because I I remember like in the old days in veterinary practice when people would come in and you know they had fleas in the house, it was always the people who had like, you know, three or four big hairy dogs and they had fleas going on. But what you'd find is that one of the dogs had no fleas, and that was usually the youngest and the healthiest dog. Two of the dogs had maybe a couple of fleas each, and one dog really had like the vast majority of the fleas, and that was typically the oldest and the least healthy dog. So it really is like the and that's what we try to do is if we make our dogs healthier, they become more resistant to these parasites.

SPEAKER_02 14:33

Yeah. But see, natural is the way to go, and just people just they're scared of it because in their head it hasn't been proven. But it has been proven centuries ago. We're just bringing it back in, you know, bringing it up and saying, hey, looky here, instead of this is what you've been taught and ingrained into your head. Let's step back and let's just try, baby step it.

SPEAKER_04 14:53

Do you have a favorite and least favorite breed of dog?

SPEAKER_02 14:58

I'm drawn to the German Shepherds. Um, although I do not care for the breeding out there for the last 10-15 years, like the modern American German Shepherd. Yeah, that they're just they're antsy in the pantsy, they're like on their ADD, they're whiners. Um, they're not calm and steady a type thing. But so I've uh I uh the last couple of dogs that I've had that were they're if you knew shepherds, you knew they weren't shepherds. Um but the thing is is that but they look like a shepherd enough for me, you know what I mean? And that's yeah, I I love that they're that it's an intelligent look. Not that there's a lot of other breeds too that have that too. You know, but the least breed, I really don't, because every breed is there's good and bad in every breed. Right. And so, you know, I've seen some chihuahuas that hateful little things. But I've seen some chihuahuas are just sweethearts, you know. But on a general rule, you talk to any trainer about chihuahuas, we all call them hateful little things. You know, because they usually are snarky, snappy, because most people just carry them around. Right. They become warts, you know, and so then the thing is is that the dog is protective of the human that's holding them. So he knows and so it's not the dog's fault, it's the human, but some of them they've got a well-bred, you know, mentally stable one and have taken the time, you know, to teach them stuff. Nice dogs, nice dogs. So there isn't, and there's some dogs that are doofuses, you know, whereas just they're not in a hurry, bloodhounds, you know, uh uh bassets, you know, like uh I'm I'll get there. You know, and my retirement dog was always gonna be a basset because you can't really do much with a basset. They're just fun to be around, fun to look at, and then I'm a coming, you know there, you know, and so you don't see them in uh agility trials or but it's anything that requires speed. Yeah, but no, they just uh yeah, so like I said, but there's good and bad in every dog, every breed, and usually most the problem with most dogs that are having problems, it's human error, yeah. Okay, and then what they're feeding, or you know, what what's in there in them, you know, between the chemicals.

SPEAKER_00 17:09

So, with all your years of experience as far as training goes, I'm just curious about this because I had people ask me this all the time when I was doing breeding. Do you find a consistency between training males versus training females? There's a difference. Yeah. So what would you say is kind of the and and that Tiffany says the same thing. That was another dog trainer that we've worked with. So what what's your take on males versus females as far as trainability?

SPEAKER_02 17:36

Males train tougher, they have more of an ego, and so they it takes them a while to really grasp what for it to go in. But females catch on a lot quicker. They don't have that egotistical part of okay, fine, that's what you need, goodbye, you know, let's work together. But the males make you work a little bit harder, but once you get that over that bump, it's like a dedication you won't get from a female. Okay. And so that's why, like I said, all my males, all my shepherds have been males. And I mean, they hang on my last word. I had one female, and she was her name was Baku, and she was a nice dog, beautiful dog. But the dedication that I got from all my other guys, it wasn't the same. She did everything perfect, but I can't. Once you experience it, you'll understand what by talking about that dedication. But females train easier than the males, but the males make give you more of a workout. You know, like, do you really mean it? Well, they make you just it just doesn't, you know, it's just they don't just don't snap into it. But then, like I said, once you get over that bump where you have really won them over the dedication they give you. If you ever hear of uh stories where the dog saved the child in the fire, or you know what? They're all boy dogs. It's a it's males. They have the dedication that a female doesn't have. I'm not saying all God, don't don't say letters.

SPEAKER_00 19:00

Right, and that's why I was saying just kind of in general as a as what you've gathered.

SPEAKER_02 19:04

It's not every dog is an individual, of course. I've had females and males in all kinds of breeds. Sure. And so the thing is, but there there is the males are harder to get through. I mean, not balls to the wall, but you know, whereas do you really want it?

SPEAKER_03 19:17

Do you want it?

SPEAKER_02 19:18

You know, like how stead dedicated are you going to be to follow through? Whereas if girls are kind of like, hmm, okay, right. Makes sense. I'll do it. Yep, yep. Yeah. So they do they do train easier, but the males, but some people just don't want the work. Because some bo some of those boys out there can be pretty a little bit tough nuggets. And it's not me, master, do dog. That's I get the the biggest thing that most people do wrong is number one, they ask the dog to sit, okay? The dog doesn't sit. Then they go, sit. Right. And then sit! Sit! You know, they start screaming. Dogs in here 300 times better than we can. So when you start yelling at your dog, your dog wants to put his paws in his ears. Like, shut up. Okay, so I try to explain to people the more frustrated you feel.

SPEAKER_01 20:11

Whisper. That's enough. You go low and slow.

SPEAKER_02 20:16

And you'll be really surprised all of a sudden the dogs are gonna go, uh oh. Because they don't. Uh yeah, um, I d uh most people know their dogs to death. Every other word is no, no, no, no. Know what? Teach dogs words and what they mean to get the dog's attention. Every dog knows ah or a that's how they learn from mom. You know, they're hanging off of mom's lip, mom gives them a growl, like get off my face. Okay, and if they don't, mom does two things. She pulls out and either rushes them, you know, and scares them, like sorry, sorry, or she comes around with her teeth around the neck and squeezes and then pinches the pup's neck. And so then the pup yelps and then she lets go of the grip, puts him down. A little bit later, the pup comes up like still ticked. Mama goes, uh, still ticked, stay away from mom, we'll be back. You know, where they look every dog, if you quit saying no and just give a growl, ah, you're either gonna become an aher, an a-er, or a bolter. But anyway, so but like I say, if he's being if he let's say he's trotting because you just put something in the waste beer basket, the dog's starting on his way to go check it out because he smelt it. If you uh uh uh every dog will turn his head like, what? That's uh you didn't see me, did you? Yes, I did. Come on, let's go. Okay, and then if you have the multiple dogs, you give the growl, ah, they're all gonna look at you, and you just look at the one that's in trouble. All the other ones, you know, they'll just kind of like you just stay locked in and hey, that was wrong. The lower and slower your pitches, the more deep doo doo the dog is in. But everybody has a tendency to get louder. You it takes a lot of self control to do that in the moment. Well, I'm usually a loud obnoxious person. You know, but when I get around kids and dogs, I steady out.

SPEAKER_00 22:04

So, Katie, what would you say is the most, what's the one of the most common problems that you have people bring with their dogs that has just one of the simplest fixes? What could you tell someone?

SPEAKER_02 22:15

As far as barking to use a spray bottle, quiet. Okay, but teach them why. Just don't blast them. Don't say anything. Say what? What word are you teaching? Uh let them drag a six-foot nylon leash around the house if they're jumping on you. You know, you no dog can just jump. They have to dip before they fly. And you get really good at seeing that slight dip. And so you just quick step on the line. So if they go to jump, they correct themselves. And then, ah, you give them that little growl like that was wrong. Then give them something else. Sit. Then give, and now I'm remembering I don't use treats. You are the treat. Okay, if like with your dogs, the front of the chest, there's a chest bone. Okay, on either side of the chest bone is a divot. Take your middle finger or your pointer finger and give a little scooch in there and just call me go thank you. Oh. And you'll be surprised. You'll be this is a calming pressure point. And so what happens is that you'll feel the dog lean into you like, you're welcome. Okay. And so you are the tree. They wait for that scooch. And it's not a okay, it's just a just a you know, just a real and then to lower your voice, calm your voice down, and instead of saying good girl and good boy, you calmly say thank you. Or very nice. If people will watch their dogs, when you say good girl or good boy, they get all snaky. They're just like, I'm a good boy! Yeah, yeah. They freak out. Yes, you do. So you just be what you want the dog to be. It's just calm and steady. Don't use the word no. Become a or a bulter. Okay. Be what you want the dog to be, calm and steady. Instead of when they take your lap, pull your last chain, you know, instead of screaming and yelling, that makes you feel good, but the dog is like, let's roll. You know, it's just gonna stir the pot even more. You know, more like I said, it I'm not, and I'm gonna let you in a secret. Everybody lean in. Yes. I'm not a dog trainer, I'm a people trainer. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_04 24:09

So but that's the big thing, is yeah, it's it's I remember when I learned that from you, because I used to live in a house that was on a little road and we had a bay window. And you know, if a leaf went by or a bicycle, or God forbid, the neighbors left their house, all the dogs, they were seven at the time, you know, they'd all be up in the bay window, like barking their brains out. And I used to yell at them. Yeah. And then after I met you, I realized that basically I was yelling, and the dogs would look at me and they'd be like, oh my God, we're yelling at the time. We're joining, you're joining us. Thanks y'all. And so what I learned to do instead was I would kind of let them have at it, count to 10, and then I would start to say, Okay, thank you. Thank you. Very nice. Okay. And then one by one they would shut up and get out of the window. Yeah. Because then they would be like, oh, oh, we're being quiet now. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 25:01

Many people reward the wrong behavior, which he without understanding, not realizing it. Sure. And so, but at any age, any dog can learn anything. You know, I'll get uh a dog that let's say the people and it peep to everybody thinks it's hours and hours of training a dog. It's not. You got five minutes, do something with the dog. You got ten minutes, do something with the dog. Okay, and there's one thing you said earlier. Most dogs are like, okay, we're gonna go now? Okay, and so what do people feed that energy level? Walk them, walk them, run them, run them, fetch them, fetch them. Have you taught the dog to calm down? Take the leash just on a plain buckle collar, sit on the leash, and only give them enough line that they don't tie you up. Take your hand, put it on your wrist, just rat relax it. If the dog comes up, turn your head sideways as a calming signal to a dog, lean forward, give a growl and a bump. Ah, and then just sit still. Here comes a dog. Okay. What you're after is leave me alone, give me my space. Okay? And this is especially if you have a separation anxiety dog, this is a huge thing to do. Okay, and the reason is that number one, you can't touch me. You know, if he goes away in my shoe shoes, I'm gonna move. No, don't kick him, okay? Okay, just move and just say, move it. Okay, if he tries to sit down again, ah, move it. All right, so then pretty soon they're gonna stay away from my feet. But the thing is that I should be able to sit here whether I want to sit here for 10 minutes or an hour, and the dog calms himself down and just relaxes and waits for me. The hardest thing for both humans and dogs to do is to hang out, be patient, and wait. And so that's why sitting on the leash looks so simple, and it is, but you just have to remember some people go, eh. I'm like, No, no, no, no. It's like like I'm not gonna uh all you have to do is a couple of times and the dog's like, got it. But if your dog is keep doing it, then you're just doing that, eh? You know, and you can't do it that way. You gotta say, hey, I mean it. You know, I'm not being mean, I'm not being cruel. You know, all the treat training, I'm sorry, it's just bribery. As long as you got this treat, you got the dog. Okay, when you don't have this treat, dog's gonna do a quick air sift.

unknown 27:17

Bye.

SPEAKER_02 27:18

You know, so I want to build the relationship from the heart. I want to build a team for us getting to know each other and how we can work together. You know, and that's I'm a rarity, I'm the dinosaur, you know, been doing it like I say for 54, 44, he's kitty's canine. And uh almost everybody does treats now or click and treat. It's like, are you kidding? Karen Pryor started the kick click and treat, trading the killer whales in Florida. Oh okay? And it's like and somebody got the idea, well, let's just do it in the dog trading world. And it's just like, never mind, I'm not running around clicking like, no, no, no, no, no. I just, it's just it's not rocket science. It's just very calm and simple. Use the brain, quit putting so many miles on the feet, okay? Whereas you teach him a trick. Go to YouTube. I want to teach my dog to say his prayers. I want to teach my dog to wave, okay, to push a buggy. Oh, one thing you don't want to teach your dog to do, my girlfriend did this. She had a vigila, and Stanley was very smart. He put the, no, that was Maiden that did that. But anyway, so when you sneeze, she would go and get you a tissue. No. No. Oh. All of a sudden, Mayday, every time she saw a tissue box, you needed that tissue, whether you sneezed or not. I was just looking at the tissue box you got there. Mayja would have had that in 0.2 seconds. And she's very dainty about taking it. Oh, and then another one comes and then oh, then she goes back. So pretty soon they couldn't have any tissue boxes. Dogs can be someone's eyes, ears. What their capabilities are. You know, I I'm not into agility because that's hard in their frame. You know what I mean? All that running and that, you know, it's fine if you want to run a wrong side of it. But dogs, they like to hang out and just be used once in a while. Something as simple as, let's say you want to go down and use the bathroom. The dog is right there and just say, wait, go down and use the bathroom, come back, done. You know, a lot of people okay their dogs, you know, um, to release them. Do you realize how many people say okay? Right. That's not a good word to use, yeah. Yeah, so that's why, done, but you just made the dog it maybe all of what, a minute? But he did something for you. Right. You know, he followed through. Now he's gonna go lay down, like, oh geez, I wonder what she's gonna ask next.

SPEAKER_00 29:25

So, Katie, with so you're saying you you want to train from the heart, which I love, and I think that's so true. Um, but what would you say the same even with a very young puppy? Yep. You would say the same for even for a young puppy.

SPEAKER_02 29:38

Because do you think, okay, a lot of trainers, okay, the dog is, you know, the puppy's on your, you know, on your clothes, okay? Okay, a lot of trainers say, well, give him something he can chew it. So you go get a toy here, chew on that instead of my arm. Let's look at it from the dog's point of view.

unknown 29:55

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 29:56

I bite on you, I get a toy. This is so cool. Okay, now do you think in the wild if the dog is hanging on mom's face that she's gonna say, just a minute, run out and get him a rabbit and bring it back and say, Here, chew on that instead of me. No, she's gonna teach him, don't hang on my face. Ah, wrong. Okay. And so the thing is, you gotta think like a dog. People don't, they think humanistic ways on dogs, right? It drives me nuts. And so just by using common sense, it's not rocket science, like I said, yeah, there's schools out there to become dog trainers, and uh what I saw, I didn't like. I didn't sign up for them, but you know, by um looking at them, you know, type thing. And like I say, everybody's got a uh God's gift. And if you're lucky enough to stumble on it, the gift is something that's just natural, you can't explain it. It just just comes. And that's my thing with dogs, is that I never read it's just and not as and and and what I don't like is cookie cutter trainers that it's the same collar and the same thing for every personality of dog. No, every dog, just like two-legged kids, they don't all learn the same. Right. You have to be able to roll with now this you do this this way because this will be better for you. Most trainers are it's this way, this way, this way. And it's not, there's no give. Like I say, but like I said, it's not quick, it's just everything's just snippets, you know, going from conventional to natural, baby stepping, you know, like I say, and uh just use think like a dog, but so many people don't. You know, it's just me, my me, the highway, they're still out, those kinds are still out there. Sure. You know, I hate that. And uh, and then you gotta know, you know, I don't care if you had five golden retrievers, they are five different personalities. And so what worked for one, and with the breeds that you were breeding, right? You know, I'm sure that you saw so many different personalities, yeah, and what worked for one may not work for the other. So you gotta you gotta tweak tweak it. And that's the sign of being a good trainer. A trainer is out for the benefit of getting you and your dog to work together as a team. Not that this is the way you do it. If you can't do it, buy it. That's not the way it works. Or you will do it this way, but you'll see that it's not working, but they won't tweak what they're doing.

SPEAKER_00 32:06

So, Katie, thank you so much for coming on. I love that you have really, I mean, you really took holistic to the full degree because you got the training piece. You know, there's a lot of us that, you know, certainly appreciate the training piece, but we don't have that to bring to the table. And so the fact that you do everything, even your training, um, you know, we we really teach a lot about the homeopathic philosophy in every dog is an individual, and you have really um captured that in kind of just your whole your whole profession and everything that you're doing. So thank you so much for coming on. Thank you for having me. Yeah, we will definitely link um Katie's show radio show down below and her website so you can look her up if you want to find her. Um, but this was very insightful. Thank you for all of your thank you, all of your experiences and insights and and useful tips. And uh hopefully this was next time, Dr. Jess, you can talk.

unknown 32:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 32:58

No, you were the guest. This was your job. This was good.

SPEAKER_00 33:01

This was thank you so much for joining us on the Crunchy Carnivore podcast. We'll see you next time. Thank you so much for joining us. Our goal is always to encourage others to seek out the holistic approach by way of education and empowerment. You can check out our online resources at wellspringha.com. You can follow us on our YouTube channel, Wellspring Holistic Animal Academy, and you can also find us on Instagram at Wellspring underscore HAA. We hope that this has been helpful and that you continue with us on your journey to holistic health for your pets. As always, we're here to be unapologetically all natural.