Join host Mikkel and her coworker and bestie Natalie Gruchow as they discuss all things 'Petiquette,' which includes Natalie's advocacy for leashing dogs in order to increase physical and emotional safety for other dogs and people. Natalie discusses her top tips for advocating for your dog if you encounter an off leash dog, top safety tips if encountering an off leash dog when out walking your own, and how she personally walked through this journey with her own beloved and reactive dog, Sniff.

Natalie Gruchow Bio:

Natalie’s love for animals began in childhood when her patient parents allowed all sorts of critters in the house, from salamanders to birds. To this day, she rescues earthworms from the pavement and releases the creepy crawlies from the house that belong outside. As an only child her dogs were the equivalent to her siblings, and she is now a forever dog mom.

She is from Fargo, North Dakota and graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology with minors in business administration and English writing. She fell in love with the veterinary industry when she was hired as the Human Resource Generalist at Animal Health Clinic in 2014. She was soon promoted to Practice Manager and obtained her Certified Veterinary Practice Manager credential. AHC began Fear Free practices in 2017, and she would lead her team to become the first Fear Free Certified Practice in the Dakotas in 2019. Since then, she has been on the Fear Free Speaker’s Bureau with Elite certification and joined the Fear Free team full time in the fall of 2023.

Natalie founded a nonprofit, Petiquette, which focuses on raising awareness about leash etiquette, and is adding Pet Loss Grief Support services. Her bearded dragon, Piney, is an education ambassador to demonstrate that pets don’t need to be warm and fuzzy to need love.

When she isn’t working, she enjoys going on traveling adventures with her husband, Tim. Snorkeling with sharks, zip lining, charter fishing, and front row concerts are favorites. She also enjoys hiking and camping with their Champagne Lab, Bubbles, and Black Lab, Sally. Fun fact: Bubbles is Sally's biological grandpup.

Legendary dog trainer Victoria Stilwell from It's Me or the Dog and host Mikkel Becker dig deep into why dominance related training is out and why reward based training and treats are totally in. Discussions include ways to avoid escalation of aggression by using not only more humane, but also more effective methods to train dogs. Victoria and Mikkel also uncover ways they've personally grown in thier own careers as trainers, including lessons learned along the way that ultimately are helping to serve the dogs and clients in their care.

Be sure to checkout the Dog Behavior Conference put on by Victoria Stilwell that's taking place April 19-21, 2024. Special guests include Fear Free's own Marty and Mikkel Becker as well as The Fear Free Podcast's host, Steve Dale. Signup here- https://www.vsdogtrainingacademy.com/dog-behavior-conference/.

More on our special guest, Victoria Stilwell:

Victoria Stilwell is a world-renowned dog trainer best known as the star of the international hit TV series and social media sensation It's Me or the Dog as well as The Dog Academy (Channel 4), Greatest American Dog (CBS), Dogs Might Fly (Sky TV), Dogs with Extraordinary Jobs (Smithsonian Channel), Help My Dog is Out of Control (BBC One), and various featured web series including Arson Dogs, Guardians of the Night and Unsung Heroes. Having filmed over 150 episodes of It’s Me or the Dog since 2005, Stilwell reaches TV audiences with her philosophy of positive training methods in over 135 countries, while the show’s popular YouTube, Facebook and TikTok channels inspire new generations of dog lovers. A best-selling author of 5 books including her latest, The Ultimate Guide to Raising A Puppy, Stilwell appears frequently in the media and is widely recognized as a leader in the field of animal behavior.

A passionate advocate for positive dog training methods, Stilwell is the Editor-in-Chief of Positively.com, the founder of the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training & Behavior, and the CEO of Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Training – the world’s premier global network of positive dog trainers. Stilwell is the recipient of multiple awards and is committed to helping the cause of animal rescue and rehabilitation and is heavily involved with organizations around the world to increase awareness of puppy mills, dogfighting, animal abuse, pet overpopulation, dog bite prevention and other animal-related causes, but she is best known as a champion for humane positive reinforcement dog training methods. She is an Ambassador for the RSPCA, International Ambassador for the Soi Dog Foundation and serves on the Advisory Boards of RedRover, The Georgia Pet Coalition, The Grey Muzzle Foundation, DogTV and Canine Assistants.

On this episode, we’re joined by Sarah Fraser and Brian Burton, co-founder and co-CEO’s of Instinct Dog Behavior & Training. Nationally recognized as experts in the field, we’re learning all about the interaction of breed and behavior. Does your dog’s breed matter? Find out more in this episode!