A while back, I was invited to a podcast with Sonia Jahshan and Simon Bags from the Sonia & Simon pod.
I thought our discussion was worth sharing, so without further ado, here it is:
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The importance of play
I was interviewed by Marilyn Mele on her summit What Reactive Dogs Really Need on the topic of play, and I thought I’d share it here on the blog!
Want subtitles? Just click the CC-button at the bottom right! Oh, and if you’re a French Speaker, Benjamin Trévisan kindly translated this discussion – find it here!
There’s an entire module devoted to the topic of play in my online course Animal Emotions, which opens for enrollment in January!
Here’s what we cover in the interview:
The Biological Power of Play: Play is fundamental, and can literally reconfigure and reprogram an animal’s brain.
The Science of Epigenetics: We discuss how play acts as a major modulator of gene expression.
Developing an Optimistic Mindset: We cover how play induces a strong positive emotional state that helps animals become more optimistic. An optimistic animal expects good things to happen and is more likely to be curious rather than fearful.
Building Resilience Through “Rough and Tumble”: I explain how social play teaches animals to handle slight discomfort (like being chased), learning that positive events follow such moments (like chasing the other); this helps build resilience.
Training for the Unexpected: We talk about how the unpredictable nature of play helps animals learn to deal with unexpected events without being overwhelmed.
Seven Practical Reasons to Use Play: I outline specific ways to use play as a tool for:
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From coercive to R+
Revised Sept 27th 2025.
The dog training world is currently extremely polarized.
On the one hand, some trainers don’t hesitate to use aversive techniques to train their dogs (in other words, they will sometimes inflict pain or discomfort). On the other, we have trainers who will jump through hoops to avoid aversives – or won’t use it at all.
For simplicity, I will call the trainers-who-don’t-think-twice-about-sometimes-using-aversives coercive, and trainers-who-avoid-aversives-at-all-costs positive reinforcement trainers, or R+ . These are just shorthand labels, not rigid boxes.
Yes, I know, I know – that’s an oversimplification. There are many different training approaches out there and some people may feel these labels don’t capture the nuance of their work.
If that’s you, please know no offense is intended. I’m painting with big strokes here only for the sake of the discussion.
I recently ran a poll in the Do No Harm Dog Training group on Facebook, curious to know the backgrounds of the members – had they transitioned from coercive to R+ trainers? And their comments were revealing.
The ongoing evolution in the dog training world.
Here’s how I see it:
I was recently invited for an interview for Radio Tacoma’s series Ain’t Misbehaving with Dr Louisa Beal, a veterinarian with a special interest in behaviour.
In this discussion, we talk about:
- how people interested in dogs might still learn something from someone who’s not a dog owner (though I cover this paradox in more detail here)
- the difference between jealousy and resource guarding
- how people often misunderstand the dominance concept
- my thoughts on how we go about weaning our pets
- do we need to do any “socialization” at all?
I’m not a dog trainer.
And so, many dog guardians – or dog trainers – don’t think that I have anything to teach them. They tell me so often enough to warrant an explanation as to why in the world an Associate Professor of Ethology thinks she should be teaching about training.
Hint: the reason I teach is exactly because I’m looking at something different than what a trainer sees.
(Actually, this blog post may as well be called Animal Training is Like Brain Surgery. The species is irrelevant; the biology is the same. Just swap “dog” for “horse” or “husband” as you see fit.)
Is your dog afraid of fireworks? How about thunder?
Keep reading, this blog post contains everything you need to know. This post is updated and all the links are double-checked about twice a year, last on December 19th, 2025 – look for the “revised” signs in the post to find the latest changes.
Is your dog not fearful of fireworks, thunder or other loud noise?
Keep reading anyway. That may change, and you should be prepared.
