Chrissy 0:00
Welcome to The Dogs of our lives. Podcast with me. Chrissy Messick, this is where traditional training transforms into true connection and understanding with our dogs. As a certified dog trainer, behavior consultant and interspecies communicator with a background in high level sports medicine, I bring a unique functional approach to understanding our dogs by integrating body, mind, heart and soul, join us for insights, stories and practical wisdom that will help you prevent problems before they start and build a deeper bond with your animal companion. Before we get into today's episode, let me ask you a question, how well do you actually know your dog? Why not take my quiz to find out? You can find the link in the show notes. Now let's dig in. Well, what exactly is enrichment and having an enriching life, and what does it mean to the health of our animal companions and us as humans?
Lindsey 0:52
I'm pretty sure the definition of enrichment is allowing an animal to express species normal behaviors.
Chrissy 1:00
Today, I'm talking with Lindsey Fontana Drescher, who is the founder and CEO of dog beat, which is a subscription based discovery kit that is delivered every month to help you and your dog to connect on a deeper level and have fun together. These discovery kits explore a different aspect of our dog's world with information, activities, games and toys that are interactive, fun and enriching for dogs of all sizes and ages. And what makes these discovery kits unique is that Lindsay is also a dog trainer and behavior consultant, so she knows exactly what you and your dog need and how to help both of you lead enriching lives together. And so Lindsey and I actually met years ago at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, and we became friends, but she has since moved to Boston and started her own family. So we have fun connecting on many different levels with kids and dogs. In this episode, we discuss how to have an enriching life with your dog and what that looks like. And if you have kids, you can definitely generalize this info with them too. So be sure to leave your thoughts or any aha moments you have in the comments, and let's dig in. Alright, welcome on the show. Lindsey, Fontana Dreszer, thanks.
Lindsey 2:09
I'm so excited to be here. It's so fun to be reconnecting with you.
Chrissy 2:13
I know I'm so excited to talk with you and catch up, which we've already done a little bit. Thank you for being here and taking the time. I know you have two small children, so your time is very valuable.
Lindsey 2:23
Thanks. Same to you. You've got a lot on your plate as well.
Chrissy 2:27
So we know each other from, I don't know how many years ago, but it's been quite a long time, from the Boulder Valley Humane Society, where I saw started volunteering in the behavior and Training Center, and you were working on staff there, and you were actually, I think the first person who hired me just take your dogs out. Hona and Gracie.
Speaker 1 2:48
They were your first clients. Yes, yeah. Like, it
Chrissy 2:53
was kind of like my first time taking dogs out. I mean, I guess you could say I was doing more management training, but I wasn't really doing training. I was just taking them out on, you know, hiking and all that kind of stuff. And so thank you. You had them
Lindsey 3:07
off leash in the middle of the woods. You know, they were not perfectly trained when you got them. You were definitely had your hands full at times with them. I'm sure they
Chrissy 3:17
were so fun. So go ahead and can you tell us a little bit about yourself. Where you live in the current family dogs in your life? Yeah, so
Lindsey 3:26
I live in Boston. Now, I actually was born and raised in Massachusetts, so back in my home turf, I live here with my husband, Devin, and we have two little kids now. They're three and one, and we actually, almost two weeks ago now, adopted a new dog named Max. He's a five year old Beagle, and he's just a sassy, sweet, sniffy little boy, big troublemaker, but he's already fitting in great with everybody here. I run a business called Dog beat that sells subscription boxes for dog people. They're educational and beyond just having toys, have lots of different gear, and then have a booklet and activities for you to do with your dog. The goal is to help people learn more about their dogs and deepen their connection with them while having fun together.
Chrissy 4:23
That's what it's all about.
Speaker 1 4:25
Yeah, enjoy them. Yeah, exactly.
Chrissy 4:28
So can you tell us your pathway or education to that point of what you're doing now? Yeah,
Lindsey 4:35
I had gotten into training a little bit before you and I met. I actually used to work in advertising, and knew I wanted to make a big change, and I went and spent three months at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah. I don't know if you know that I did that. I didn't know that. Yeah, it was like a test to see how this career would be for me, and obviously I loved it. And then and I went through the academy for dog trainers while doing an immersion program at Boulder humane in the training center there. And then worked on staff there for a while. And I worked a lot with shelter dogs, with newly adopted dogs, with dogs from the public I taught classes. I did private training. I did court ordered animal evaluations, and then, starting in 2019 No, 2017 geez, a while ago now, went into business on my own training clients privately, and I actually do that in the Boston area now under a business called Hazel dog but what got me to start dog B, which was a couple years ago now, one, there's just something that's I've always had in my head. I got Gracie, who one of the dogs you used to watch when I was in my early 20s, before I got into dog training, and I just had this, like low level anxiety that I wasn't doing a good job as a dog guardian. I don't know if you can relate to that. Yeah,
Chrissy 6:07
definitely. You're like, I know there's something else I could be doing, but I'm not quite sure what it is,
Lindsey 6:12
yeah, or like, I'm being inundated by things to do, many of which are conflicting, and I have no idea how to assess which is right for my dog and I went to work and left her home alone three to four days a week. And just like, you know, all the normal dog stuff that, if you're not a professional, you worry about as I went through all that training and, you know, different stages of my career that we talked about, I just kept thinking back to like, Oh, wow. Wouldn't have been great to know this when I first got crazy and like, it would just regularly pop into my head. And so that kind of slowly evolved into this idea of, well, what if there was a way to help people who really want to give their dog a great life, help them know what that means and how to assess it for their own dog, and then give them tips and ideas on how to put that into action. And so I would say that's largely what dog B's goal is, is to say here's what you need to know about what it's like to be a dog and what your dog needs and wants in their daily life. And here are some suggestions on what you could do. Try it out with your dog and figure out what's right for you, perfect. And
Chrissy 7:21
definitely that's one huge aspect. Is bringing a dog into your family that fits your lifestyle and understanding what that means so that you can give them what they need and which we'll talk about later. Yeah, yeah, that's super important. So have there been any dogs in your life, either personally or professionally, that have had an impact on you, and I hope you say Kona or Gracie.
Lindsey 7:47
Um, I actually want to start with hazel, who's the dog I had as a kid. Oh, and it took us a while to convince my parents to get a dog, so I was 12 when we got her. The biggest impression I remember having from Hazel was like, holy cow, this dog is so sweet and loving and expressive and so patient and there for us. She was one of those dogs who could tell if you were having a bad day, and would just come sit by you. And even people who are in our immediate family, if someone was over and they were struggling, she could just kind of tell that and would go be with them. And my experience with the Hazel just really set me up to know dogs have incredibly complex, deep, valid emotions, and their experiences, their pain, their joy, matters just as much as humans. In fact, if they're here, sort of at our will, don't we really owe it to them to attend to those needs. So I think I was really lucky early on to have that sense, and then that really helped guide everything I've done. It steered me into this career, but it also helped me choose the path I took to come to a force, free positive reinforcement based training approach and so Hazel was incredibly important in that way. I obviously already talked a little bit about Gracie influence on the founding of dog B in just those early days with her, and how much I wanted to support her, realizing that I, as the human, needed support in order to help my dog thrive.
Chrissy 9:25
Yeah, I can see how that like, the direct correlation to how that's shaped your attitude, beliefs and values towards animals or dogs, right? Yeah, so just a little spin on this. How would you say that has affected you and how you parent the new humans in your life.
Lindsey 9:43
Honestly, having the framework that I have as a dog trainer and behavior consultant has been incredibly helpful, because it gives you a way to look at behavior and like, assess what's going on and then come up with a plan. To deal with it. One big one is in dog training, you really want to understand is this dog upset or not upset? Because if the behavior is coming from a negative emotion, you need to address that underlying emotion. So that's a big thing, especially with my three year old right now, okay, remember, she's upset. She doesn't have the emotional regulation skills that I have, that's why this is coming out this way. She needs to learn those skills, and she can't practice them in a situation where she can't cope. We need to find situations where she can practice them, much like supporting a reactive dog, but even in the early days of like, okay, my baby can only fall asleep when I'm holding him, and I want him to be able to fall asleep in the crib. What is a way can I build my own training plan so my baby can learn that skill of falling asleep in a crib? And it just helped me feel a lot more self efficacy that I could help a creature, human or animal, deal with emotional challenges or whatever it was that they were going through. Do you feel the same with your kids?
Chrissy 11:12
Totally for me. I mean, learning about dogs has helped me growing up, I was raised differently, you know, with punishment or suppression, that kind of thing. And so it's like, there has to be a different way. And so we practice with our dogs, you know, and so with the kids, whenever one of the kids is upset or, you know, there's just a behavior that's going on that's making me be like, Why are you being like this? It's always looking at what is causing that behavior, instead of just punishing the behavior or suppressing the behavior. And how I work with dogs and how I teach my kids is the same thing with dogs. They can't tell us, like I had a bad day or my foot hurts or whatever, so we have to do a little more detective work with our dogs to kind of find out what's going on, instead of just punishing them for behaving a certain Yes,
Lindsey 12:07
I do think that mindset of they, whether it's a kid or a dog, are having a hard time not giving you a hard time, is one that's been really helpful to bring into parenting. That's something I learned around dogs for the first time. Another one, I think that helps me a lot as a parent, is when you know better, you do better. I don't judge my dog training clients for whatever they've, you know, done in the past with their dogs or with this dog, or training methods they've tried or been told to do. And same thing for me as a parent, if something's coming up and I'm struggling with it, I try not to be too hard on myself for whatever tools I have available to me right now, but also to put the effort in to go find some different support and more tools.
Chrissy 12:49
Yep, exactly. It's about being curious. Yeah. So let's get back to dog beatbox and what you're doing right now with that. And you've already alluded to this a little bit, but if you want to expand on it at all. Why is this work so important to you?
Lindsey 13:02
I think is what we said very briefly, that if you want to help dogs, you need to support the people they live with. Through my years in this industry, one thing I've seen is people care so much about their dogs. They want to make sure their dogs are happy, that they're not stressed or afraid, that they enjoy their lives, that they love their families. Not everybody needs the help that a professional trainer like you or me provides. They're not dealing with huge behavioral challenges. Maybe they don't have the training bug and they don't want to do a bunch of agility or other dog sports or advanced trick training with their dog. I think our industry has had a kind of big gap on serving your average dog owner who wants to be connected with their dog but doesn't want to become a trainer themselves, basically. So I wanted to reach people with some of the information that I have found most helpful with my dogs, but that I've also seen clients in classes and in private training use and really thrive throughout their entire life with their dog so they really know better. What are their dog's needs? How can they address them? And how can they know that they're giving their dog the great life that they're trying to give them?
Chrissy 14:32
Yeah, and by doing this, you can prevent so many issues down the road. If you already know what your dog needs and how to enrich them in their lives, and that's part of just learning how to live a life together and have a relationship, and that can prevent so many issues down the road where you actually have to call a trainer, yeah, yeah. And so yeah, I'm all about prevention and relationship. And being proactive. So that's very important.
Lindsey 15:02
I don't know about you, but I'm kind of nerdy in general in my life, and I think it's cool to always be learning things, and these are things I'm curious about, and I know other dog owners are, and I think it's fun to have a way to learn about this stuff and explore it more deeply.
Chrissy 15:19
Yep, Yep, definitely. All right, so let's talk what exactly is enrichment and having an enriching life, and what does it mean to the health of our animal companions and us as humans? I'm pretty
Lindsey 15:32
sure the definition of enrichment is allowing an animal to express species normal behaviors. So a lot of people for dogs focus on letting them dig and scavenge and play and run. I think that stuff is all great and important to do. I kind of go beyond that. And I think about how dogs have evolved to be so deeply in love with us and affectionate with us, and maybe to live a life where they had more choice and freedom throughout their day. Part of what makes dogs and humans live so cohesively is our very expressive, easy to read facial features in body language. And you know, dogs have a lot of very clear signals that aren't read very well anymore, and all of that kind of comes into the picture for me when I think about living an enriched life as a dog. So as important as I think it is to get your dog food puzzles and to try out some nose work sports with them or play with them, I'm thinking more about what's already going on in your day to day of your dog's life, and how much time did they get to behave, how they want to behave, and how is that received, and when you when they try to communicate with you, or you try to communicate with them, how much understanding is there? How much say is your dog getting? Do you know what they need from that relationship? Do they you know what they need from other relationships in their life? And really thinking about taking an understanding of what it means to be a dog and applying it to every element of your dog's life, rather than incorporating small chunks that you think of as enrichment a few times a week. Perfect.
Chrissy 17:27
Okay, and so that leads us into what is that look like, and how can we integrate this into our own lives and the lives of our animal companion? Maybe give us some practical applications of what that could look like. I think
Lindsey 17:41
one of the biggest ones people are talking about right now, that I think is great, is using a longer leash when you take your dog on a walk. I have a 12 foot leash that used to only be for certain times with Gracie and Kona, and I mostly walk them on a six foot leash. And actually, with Max, the last two weeks, he's been on a six foot leash for like five minutes total, and he's done almost all his walking on his 12 foot leash. And there's research showing that getting up to about a five I think it's a five meter leash, so probably more like 15 feet is enough that dogs are doing as much sniffing on a walk as they would off leash. So that's a way to let a dog behave much closer to how a dog normally would on a walk while still having a little bit of safety around them. A big one that I look at in a dog's daily interactions with someone is if you're able to read their body language or not. And this is one where there's some really interesting research, where they took dogs expressing a variety of emotions, and they Photoshopped them into different random backgrounds and situations. And then they asked, What do you think this dog is feeling? People's guesses were much more closely tied to the situation, not to what the dog was showing other research has found that if you just take pictures of dogs. People are pretty good at identifying the emotion based off the body language, but our assumptions of what we think dogs should be feeling or would be feeling in a certain situation get in our way. So another one, I think, is what we've been talking about is an owner who's staying curious about their dog and taking the time to say, Okay, what am I seeing on max right now? That makes me think he's happy. And if I'm seeing a relaxed, open smile, he's got a floopy, floppy body. His tail is doing a funny circle to the side. And I can tell myself those three specific things that I saw, then I can trust that he's happy, and whatever's going on in that moment really is an enriching, valuable interaction for him. But maybe I could see that he's tense in his jaw, and his mouth is clenched close and his eyes are wide, and I can see some of the whites, and his tail isn't tucked, but it's not really moving. And I can say Matt. Seems a little stressed right now. This isn't enriching, and I can pivot the situation. I think that's another really important element of giving your dog an enriched life. Yeah,
Chrissy 20:12
those are really good. I like to call that just having a conversation with your dog, but learning how to have a conversation with them. And I think a lot of times people think they know what their dog's feeling. But then maybe a client will say, Oh, my dog's happy right now. And then I will look at the dog and you know, and I'll say, well, actually, your dog is super stressed right now, and here's why. And we have a conversation about why body language is so important. Like you talked about, like, if we can just read our dog's body language, we can tell what situations they're happy with and not happy with, and we can, like, be proactive and say, Hey, let's get out of here. Or, okay, let's keep playing. And so, yeah, those are some really good practical applications you talk about.
Lindsey 21:01
Yeah, I love calling it having a conversation, yeah, because I do think there should be this continued back and forth of, okay, I see that you're happy with this. Let me try this morning. Let me you know I'm scratching you, and you like it, so I'm going to scratch a little more deeply or a longer stroke. Oh, I see that you close your mouth a little, or flick to your tongue, and I can tell what that means. You didn't love this change. And so now I'm going to switch back to massaging you, or you're responding to each change and staying continually open to your dog's changing preferences and needs. Yeah. And
Chrissy 21:37
it becomes, it gets to the point where you start to really understand each other and connect with with each other, and you're not even saying a word, like you're just having this conversation, and it's just happening without any words.
Lindsey 21:50
Yes, one thing I've been thinking about recently. Do you remember at the training center, there were a group of dogs who were supported by the training center staff and volunteers, and we'd all take turns working with them during training sessions, and everyone put notes in the computer afterwards. And you were never supposed to say Bobo was nervous of the other dog. You had to say Bobo had a tail tucked in low posture and head down. And you had to put it into the why of how you knew that that's how the dog was feeling. And I do think that's a nice thing to encourage people to practice, especially as they're getting to know their dog, or if they're newer, to really focusing in on body language is you look at your dog and you say, he looks excited, okay, why? And can you prove it to yourself, yeah,
Chrissy 22:42
yeah. That's really good. That's so funny. I remember that now I remember, I remember being like, oh, so and so, you know, had a good session. They were happy today. And then I'm like, oh yeah. I have to put in the body language that was going on. So that's very good practice to get into, yeah. And then it just becomes second nature. Mm, hmm, yeah, that's really good. That's really good. Leading into Dogby box. Do you want to go in a little more detail? Kind of what that looks like when someone is a part of that?
Lindsey 23:12
Sure, the product we have available right now is called discovery kits. It's a one year long series. So every other month, you get a new box that takes a deep dive into one element of how dogs experience the world. The one that's out there right now is about the important role of love and the dog human bond throughout dogs evolution and in our relationships with them. Now it's one that I think is cool, because it sounds so self evident, like our dogs love us. What's there to say? But there's actually been some really cool research more recently, now that we can do MRIs and other testing to see what's going on in our bodies and our dogs bodies, to get a really nuanced view of how dogs and people are responding to different situations and types of interactions. There's also been some cool research and theories put forth about dogs evolution and reframing love as one of the most important tools that dogs have that separated them from wolves and allowed them to integrate into our society. So I think there's a lot of cool information in there that can help people, when they're thinking about their relationship with their dog, where is their dog coming from in that relationship, and where, what energy can they bring into it with their dog to really deepen that connection? But so each box covers some aspect like that, or like your dog's sense of smell, or like their background as scavengers. And there's a booklet that's about 40 pages long. It's some quick information on the topic. And then for every item in the box, and there's like four to six items you. Get an activity that ties into the theme, so it explains why this activity is relevant and how to use the product and the kit to try it. So one example right now there's a paw painting kit in there, and it includes everything you need for your dog to make a mess, free painting using their paws or their nose. And then it has instructions on a few different ways you can teach your dog to do it. And so that one gets into the importance of novelty in building and strengthening relationships for humans. And then some of the training techniques really encourage that conversational style we were just talking about, where there's a quick back and forth, where you're assessing what's going on with the dog, and you're giving them feedback through clicks or treats to encourage them to learn to paint, but you are learning to work together with this quick back and forth communication. And I think that background is what makes our boxes so unique is you're really understanding what's going on for you and your dog and why you're doing this activity, and you can take that understanding of your relationship or just your dog and apply it in a much broader part of their life. I
Chrissy 26:16
think that's so important. We were just talking about this. Feel like this is a missing piece. We want prevention and pro action and engagement and healthy attachments, you know, with our so that we are not getting to the point where you are having to hire a trainer to kind of go back from the start and teach all these new things. And it is, it's, it's working with the human and the dog and having this, you know, healthy relationship, which can prevent so many issues down the road. So I think an investment in something like this is well worth the money. I see it the same as like when I worked with athletes and sports medicine and all that kind of stuff. We did a lot of preventative exercises. We did a lot of management so that their bodies could last the whole season and they wouldn't break down with an injury or, you know, their mental health was good. So I see it the same way, or with our dog preventative care, so that down the road, we're not having to see the vet and pay all these expensive vet bills. So to me, that's what this is, prevention and being proactive, and it's just can save you a lot of grief down the road. So I'm getting all fired up because this is what my course is going to be out about. Important. I think it's a gap that's missing right now.
Lindsey 27:40
Yeah, I agree. I think people want and are seeking tools and information to strengthen their communication with their dogs, to strengthen their bond with their dogs, to know that they're giving their dog a great life. And I think you and I are putting things out there to help people do that, and our products are slightly different, but I think the goal is very similar.
Chrissy 28:03
Yeah, yeah. I think they supplement each other very nicely. Squirrel moment, I'm excited to share my new free master class that's coming up soon. If you've ever felt frustrated with your dog or frustrated about how to help them, have wanted a deeper connection, or want to build a rock solid foundation built on trust, then you are in luck. My new free master class is called Beyond obedience, the art of trust in partnership with your dog. The link is in the show notes, where you can find out more details. I look forward to seeing you there. Is there any negative wisdom, or anything else you would like to share with our audience?
Lindsey 28:36
I want to reiterate one thing we've talked about before, that if there's one trait you can have as a dog Guardian that will steal, steer you well and help you in your relationship with your dog, it's to stay curious, be open to learning things about your dog that you don't expect, learning things about dogs in general that You didn't know before your dog changing over time as they age and have different life experiences, trying new things together that you never thought you'd try, letting go of some ideas about what you thought life with a dog would be like, and how many games of fetch or frisbee you'd play, but your dog really loves to play tug, as You know, silly example, but really being open to the dog in front of you today in this moment, and what can you learn about them right
Chrissy 29:28
now? Yeah, I love that. I love it so much feel it in my body. Okay, so what's the best way for people to reach you if they have any questions or they want to learn more about dog box? Probably
Lindsey 29:40
the best bet is to go to our website, www, dot dog, B box.com, that's D, O, G, B, y, B, O, x. You can also find us on Instagram, and you can reach out to us via the website if you have specific questions.
Chrissy 29:56
Okay, perfect. And we'll put that link in the show notes for you. To go check out. Awesome. Thanks. Yeah. All right. Lindsay, thank you so much for being on. It was so good to connect with you again and have a chat.
Lindsey 30:09
Yes, thank you so much. It was great to connect with you too.
Chrissy 30:13
Thank you for joining us today. I hope you discovered a valuable nugget you can implement right away with your dog. If you enjoyed the episode, please follow, rate and share with fellow dog lovers who might benefit. Don't forget to take our How well do you know your dog quiz? You'll find the link in the show notes until next week. Happy tales you.
