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Pod to the Rescue started in 2021 with a big idea: what if we could help other dog rescues by sharing everything we’ve learned about dog training and behavior? Friends and rescue colleagues Emily and Libby had more than two decades of experience in rescue, which led each of them to learn more about animal behavior and training. Why did some foster dogs seem terrified or shut down, while others appeared to behave normally? Why did we keep seeing the same behavior problems in dogs surrendered to rescue?
Equipped with science-based dog training and behavior knowledge, they began to ask another set of questions: How can we prevent dogs being returned to rescue because of behavior problems? And above all, how can we help rescue dogs and the people who save them understand all of this? Enter Pod to the Rescue, a dog rescue podcast focused on behavior and training, hosted by rescue and behavior experts. Meet the Hosts of Pod to the Rescue Emily Wolf, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA, FDM A founding co-host of Pod to the Rescue, Emily has been involved in rescue for more than 25 years. In 2009, she started her own all-breed dog and cat rescue, Boulder, CO–based nonprofit Summit Dog Rescue. As director of SDR, Emily has worked hands-on to assess dogs for intake into the rescue and help place them in homes appropriate for their behavior and temperaments. She became a dog rescue expert, not only in behavior and training but all the behind-the-scenes work of finding foster homes, coordinating rescue dog transport from partner shelters and impounds, and managing veterinary care for foster animals. A wonderful force-free dog trainer introduced Emily to modern dog training more than a decade ago, and she has been helping Boulder-area pet parents ever since. Emily shares her home with Piper, a six-and-a-half-year-old Great Pyrenees, two resident cats, and (currently) one foster cat. Libby Felts, FDM, FFCP Also a founding co-host, Libby’s journey with rescue dogs started more than 15 years ago with her first dog, a rescued goldendoodle named Moose. When he was about five years old, Moose developed biceps tendonitis and had to go on crate rest. To help her young, active dog through this period of enforced rest, Libby learned how to clicker train to keep Moose’s brain active and engaged. This opened the door to the wide world of behavior and training, and Libby was hooked immediately. She used this knowledge to help Moose with his separation anxiety and noise phobia, as well. Libby started fostering and volunteering with Summit Dog Rescue in 2017, and because she had experience with training, she was often called on to help with the more sensitive dogs. She earned her first training credential in 2021 and continues to broaden her knowledge of dog training and behavior while pursuing her passion of helping other modern dog trainers communicate their ideas clearly and effectively. Libby shares her life with her partner, Jason, and their nine-year-old Australian Cattle Dog, Daisy (adopted from SDR in 2019). Jenni Pfafman, CPDT-KA, CSAT, CCUI, CBATI-KSA Jenni joined the Pod to the Rescue team in 2024. She has been training professionally since 2017, is an active volunteer at her local animal shelter, and is a founding member of the Humane Alliance of Rescue Trainers. HART connects rescue and shelter organizations with humane, positive reinforcement behavior professionals to increase access to behavior support regardless of circumstances. In addition to her many training certifications, Jenni is earning a Master of Science in Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare through Virginia Tech. Jenni shares her home with Kyote, a nine-year-old border collie, Rocket, a two-year-old border collie mix, and her cats Truffle and Marmalade. She enjoys backcountry adventures with Ky and Rocket, who love the snow! Why We Created a Dog Rescue Podcast (and Now This Blog) Emily, who has consulted on behavior cases for other local dog rescues for many years, has long said that knowledge of behavior is a missing piece in dog rescue. While some shelters have excellent behavior programs, many shelters (especially in rural areas) don’t have the budget or staff, and many rescues are full of well-intentioned animal lovers who don’t have professional animal welfare and training backgrounds. This leads to misunderstanding of common dog behaviors (and ineffective or harmful treatments of them), mismatched placements, and unfortunately, a higher rate of return to rescue. Dog rescue education is an unmet need in our community. Like everyone in the shelter and rescue world, we were thrilled to see shelters and rescues emptying during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020. People who were now working from home indefinitely had time for a foster pet and opened their homes. But Emily and Libby were secretly a bit worried: what happens when everyone goes back to work, starts traveling again? What will we do with all these dogs? At the same time, another problem was developing: with social distancing recommendations in place, people had less access to dog socialization opportunities while dog adoptions increased. People were sheltering in place, and so were their dogs, with reduced opportunities for exercise, enrichment, and socialization — a recipe for behavioral disaster. Emily and Libby decided the time had come to share all the training and behavior knowledge they’d been applying hands-on in the rescue. If they could spread the message of science-based dog training as it applies to shelter and rescue dogs, their knowledge and expertise could have an exponential effect. Now, in our fifth season of the podcast, we want to offer more behavior resources for rescue by sharing this information in an additional format: this blog. A Mythologically Based Approach to Dog Behavior: What It Means Have you ever heard that your dog is descended from wolves, so you need to treat them like they’re a member of your pack? You need to “show them who’s alpha” and “put them in their place.” Or maybe you’ve been told that your dog is misbehaving because they’re trying to “dominate” you so they can become alpha. Unfortunately, these are dog training myths — but they still dominate the collective consciousness when it comes to dog behavior. (By the way, David Mech, the wildlife ecologist who originally introduced the concept of “alpha” in regards to wolf packs, has said that it isn’t really a thing. Scientists have learned more about wolf packs since he published the book popularizing the term more than 50 years ago.) But the myth of dominance in dog training has persisted, even among behavior and welfare professionals and volunteers. Modern dog training and behavior science has come a long way from this mythologically based approach to sharing our homes with dogs. There’s a better way to approach dog behavior problems — one that we want to share with our readers and listeners. Why Dog Behavior Matters in Rescue Work Bringing a rescue dog into your home is an exciting time, but it can come with potential challenges. Your new rescue dog may need a refresher on potty training, for example, and some extra time to learn a brand new set of house rules. And all dogs adjusting to a big change like being rehomed or moving from a shelter to a foster home could benefit from a decompression period to help their nervous systems regulate. While many rescue dogs are well-adjusted and don’t show any problem behaviors, many have been surrendered to a shelter or rescue for behaviors like reactivity or separation anxiety. Many more were surrendered because of a misunderstanding of their needs or a mismatch between their needs and their human’s ability to meet those needs (high-energy adolescent dog, anyone?). Finally, there are still a lot of rescue dogs who have experienced some kind of trauma or abuse, which can result in fear- and anxiety-related behaviors. Approaching all of these behavior problems with a modern, science-based approach to training and welfare increases these dogs’ quality of life, reduces the rate of adoption returns, and helps rescue dogs and their humans thrive together in forever homes. What You’ll Learn from Pod to the Rescue Here are the kinds of things we talk about at Pod to the Rescue:
With more than 50 episodes, whatever you’re wondering about rescue dog behavior, we’ve probably covered it! Start Your Journey with Us If you’re just discovering the premier dog rescue and behavior podcast, welcome! We’re glad to have you along. Subscribe to Pod to the Rescue wherever you get your podcasts. You can also join our email list to be updated when we release new episodes and blog posts. Finally, get in touch with us on social media — we’re active on Facebook and Instagram, and we love hearing from listeners. Written by Libby Felts
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