Naomi chats with Nicole Soule of How to Train a Dream Dog about the similarities between being parents of young children and animal trainers, raising children alongside pets and her own adventures of moving her own multi-species household in with her fiancé and his dog - all while being pregnant with their first child!

Key Moments

[00:34] Guest introduction

[01:19] Icebreaker: Two truths and a lie about Nicole

[04:22] Training Service Dogs

[05:29] Cast of characters: Charlie the human, Voo the cat, and Copper and Olive the dogs

[07:30] Voo’s resistance to change/problems with UTIs through stress

[08:34] Changes for Voo: A new man-human, a new doggy roommate, and a new baby on the way

[10:11] Voo: a resource guarding cat

[10:40] Voo vs. Charlie - the incident

[12:06] Challenges surrounding Charlie’s different background in handling animal behavior

[12:37] Voo's extreme behavior around food

[14:48] Management to prevent conflict around food

[17:01] Being proactive not reactive

[18:31] The iceberg model of behavior

[20:44] Current state of affairs between Charlie and Voo

[22:11] Olive passing away and the effects on Voo and Copper

[22:57] Getting Voo and Copper ready for the new baby

[25:04] Preparing for changes in behavior when the baby started walking/moving about on her own

[28:07] "Inviter not invader": teaching baby to respect the pet’s space

[30:39] The similarities between managing dog/cat interactions and pet/baby interactions

[31:14] When to start teaching children how to interact with pets

[32:12] Researching and preparing ahead for children's interactions with pets (at different stages of their development)

[34:33] Can you be a force-free animal trainer while being a with less-than-force-free parent?

[39:08] Self-reflection/self-criticism as parents and as animal trainers

[40:39] How a background in animal training has helped in parenting

[43:18] The importance of “apologizing” to your pets and kids

[43:57] Understanding the need for positive interaction after conflict to reset the relationship

[44:28] Working through choices and no-choice situations with kids and pets

Resources Discussed:

Big Little Feelings Instagram

Taking Cara Babies

The No-Cry Sleep Solution

How to Train a Dream Dog

DM Naomi to suggest other trainers to interview!