Naomi's off on vacation so this week we're rewinding back to one of the podcast's earlier episodes! Revisit Naomi's chat with the amazing Leslie McDevitt, author of the popular Control Unleashed books and DVD series.
Leslie broke down how she sets up her house to allow for easier introductions and how she uses Control Unleashed games and concepts to keep her cats and dogs living happily together.
Key Moments
[3:59] How Leslie first started working with animals
[7:00] Leslie introduces her three dogs
[12:17] Leslie introduces her two new kittens
[13:11] Leslie’s specific method for introducing cats and dogs to each other
[15:22] How to set up your own kitten paradise enrichment zone
[17:13] Why Leslie likes to use crates to during introductions
[19:20] How to work with dogs who aren’t familiar with cats
[21:49] The next step after initial introductions
[24:37] Why it’s important to give cats a way out of stressful situations
[28:18] Using food and play as a gauge of comfort levels
[31:59] What to do if you’re worried about cat and dog chases around the house
[33:21] How Leslie handles her border collie’s stalking instinct
[37:10] Why you should reward default behaviors consistently
[43:10] Balancing dogs with young children at home
[46:00] How to go easy on yourself when training a house full of pets
[48:23] Easy mistakes to make when following Leslie’s Control Unleashed methods
[52:50] How the Super Bowls game can teach you about threshold behaviors
[56:35] How to play parallel CU games
[58:19] Using social learning to your advantage
Key Links
Your Next Step:
Naomi will be back with a new episode next week! But if you enjoyed taking this look back, you can do your own rewind to some of our earlier episodes. Check out another interview with a pet professional! Or maybe a deep dive into a specific topic?
With the 50th episode of the show quickly approaching, we want to celebrate! What would you love to hear on our special episode? DM Naomi on Instagram @praiseworthypets with your suggestions!
