Sean and Haley talk about social / observational learning with our dogs, how incredibly COOL and worthwhile those concepts are to explore, and also how they can fit into advocating for our pets. (Sometimes "showing our dog a person / dog / situation is okay" and "advocating for our dog" might sound contradictory, especially if we hear extreme statements at far ends of either spectrum, but they aren't mutually exclusive!)Some specific books that inspired these thoughts: Dog is Love by Clive Wynne The Genius of Dogs by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods Dog Sense by John Bradshaw (Highly recommend reading the actual studies discussed for more context; all three of the above titles have nicely organized reference sections specific to dogs) Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are by Frans de WaalSome related links: Running list of dog ownership books I recommend overall Running list of all the animal-related books I've read recently Sean's older blog about "just hanging out" with Scout (talks about social relationships, approaching them in a natural way) Blog on if my dog wants to please me or not Blog on thinking about my dog as a human friend Blog on advocating for my dog Blog on the line between advocating and "babying" my dog This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pawsandreflect.blog/subscribe
Top comments
2025 update: I moved the Paws and Reflect blog to Substack. Some of my voiceover posts, where I read essays aloud, will now be available as podcast episodes. All our old conversations will stay live!
Original description, 2022: Haley and Sean reflect on life with our delightful (and delightfully weird) blue heeler Scout. Since adopting her in 2019, we’ve trained through fear-based dog reactivity, fostered multiple shelter dogs, dealt with idiopathic epilepsy, and navigated so many ups and downs in between. In January 2023 we hit the road for full-time van life! We hope our blunders and realizations can encourage fellow dog lovers. Fi...