20 NovEpisode 98 | School For The Dogs’ Sasha Prasad on helping animals live happier lives
Sasha Prasad moved to New York City with her three rescue dogs last year in order to get a masters degree in Animal Behavior and Conservation from Hunter. She began working at School For The Dogs right away, and has been with us ever since, doing everything from walking to client relations to social media. Her passion is helping all animals live happier lives; dogs are just one of the creatures she wants to work with. She and Annie discuss how she built her own dog walking company, Freedom Tails, in Boston, her shelter-based education in dog behavior, and her current work: researching how to make koi fish live happier, more enriched lives.
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Mentioned in this episode:
Sidewalk Psychos – an 8-week group class for dogs who bark, lunge or growl at other dogs on leash walks
Virtual Group Classes and Virtual Workshops at School for the Dogs
Learn more about Sasha at http://SashaPrasad.com
Articles by Dr. Becca Franks: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zBb257kAAAAJ&hl=en
Transcript:
[Intro and music]
Annie:
So I think I've said this before and I don't want to sound self-congratulatory, but I have to say Kate and I have really great people working for us at School for the Dogs. I am. So just thrilled, thrilled to have a team of people who have these special talents and interests. I'm thrilled to have these people working towards the same goal altogether under the School for the Dogs umbrella. The goal of helping dogs and people live happier lives together.
And I feel especially I don't know, sort of sappy about it. I think just because this has been such a difficult year for pretty much everyone in the world. And one thing, one blessing, one silver lining has been that I feel like it's brought our staff closer together and just made me all the more grateful.
So today I am sharing with you a conversation I had with Sasha Prasad. Sasha has been with School for the Dogs for over a year now. But you maybe haven't met her at the studio because especially lately, she does a lot of behind the scenes stuff. She does a lot of our Instagramming, the wonderful roundups we do on the weekend. And she also is the person who answers a lot of emails that come into our info box.
But Sasha is an animal trainer in her own right. Currently working with fish, actually. So I'm excited to share this conversation she and I had.
Annie:
Hi.
Sasha:
Hello. The lighting where you are as beautiful. You are glowing.
Annie:
I’m right in the window.
Sasha:
Yeah, amazing.
Annie:
So I am psyched to get to talk to Sasha Prasad and to see your little dog there.
Sasha:
Yeah. Chloe is here, Lilo's down here. Jackson will probably make himself heard at some point. So the gang's all here.
Annie:
You're a three dog, three dog household in New York City.
Sasha:
Yeah. Not on purpose, but here we are. So,
Annie:
Aw. And I know one of them, one of them has been in hospice care — at home hospice care. Is that right?
Sasha:
Yeah. It’s been a pretty wild ride. So Lilo, she's 17. We brought her to the emergency vet sometime in late August and they told us she was in kidney failure and that she had a couple of days to a couple of weeks left. But here we are going on a month. Behaviorally, she's a little slower and I have to do a lot more coaxing to get her to eat, but she's eating full meals. She's still doing the things that she likes to do. She's going for walks. And so, I don't know. We're really grateful and we're taking it one day at a time.
Annie:
Now. I want to hear the origin of the dogs, cause I know that you said it wasn't on purpose, and I know two of them are bonded, so I want to hear more. But first, I just wanted to give anyone listening a little background of who you are. So I first saw your name come into my inbox because Em hired you as a walker for our currently on pause walking program in New York City where we had some pretty high standards for the people we were hiring to be walkers.
And I just saw your name, but like nothing else attached come into my inbox, and you had some sort of question about employment. And I was like, who is this person? Hold on. I didn't know. But I think it was like while I was away for the summer. And I was like, Whoa, how, Em hired somebody? Hold on. Like, I didn't, I didn't understand. I didn't know what was going on. I didn't feel like I was on top of things.
But then I saw your resume and I was like, this is why you hire someone amazing like Em is because they're just going to then find someone that like, you are so excited to see their resume and be like, Oh my God, this person already actually for us, do you know what I mean? It was a nice feeling because I just was like, Oh, this person is meant to be at School for the Dogs. And Em has already found her and, taking care of her. And, and since then Sasha has worn many hats in the last — It's been about a year, right?
Sasha:
Yeah. It's, it's actually, I just got like a notification that it is officially a year, like a week ago or something.
Annie:
Oh, happy work-iversary. It's been a wild year for sure. And in the interim besides being a star walker, Sasha has been our new client coordinator. You have done some HR work for us, and you man the inbox, or woman the inbox a lot of the time. The new client stuff has been huge having you onboard to do that. Like making that just kind of a focus for you, I think was super helpful to us as a business. Even though I know that's role has changed a little bit.
And then over the last six months or so Sasha has been doing a lot of our social media stuff, posting on and Instagram, on Facebook. She does our roundups throughout the week. So if you're DM-ing with somebody about using your photos, it is very likely Sasha.
So you've been one year now at School for the Dogs, and one year also under your belt of getting your masters in a two year program, right?
Sasha:
Yes. That's true. Big milestones.
Annie:
So, why don't you talk a little bit about your pre New York City life and the program and everything that brought you here?
Sasha:
Sure. So immediately before moving to New York, I lived in Boston. I was in Boston for five years. That's where I started and then sold a dog walking company.
Annie:
How did that come about that you had your own dog walking company?
Sasha:
I actually was thinking about this this morning and how I'd have to kind of confess how I started this company. And it wasn't anything like terrible, but just looking back on it now, it's like. So basically, I was one of those people who was like not a dog person for the majority of my life, which is like blasphemous at this point. But I didn't grow up with dogs cause my dad is super allergic. So I just, like, I guess as a defense mechanism just like told everyone I wasn't a dog person.
So prior to moving to Boston, I was teaching middle school. And when I moved knew teaching just wasn't for me. So I wasn't going to continue doing that. And I needed something to do. So in my head, I foolishly was like, well, anyone can walk dogs, I'll be a dog walker. And rather than like, try to find a job with an existing company or anything, I just kind of did it, bootstrapped it on my own.
So I had never really worked with or walked dogs before professionally claiming that–
Annie:
It's interesting though. So you weren't particularly into dogs, you were just like, anybody could be a dog walker.
Sasha:
Yeah. I really hate saying that out. Cause I know it's so far from the truth, but yes, that's what I thought. And that's what I did.
Annie:
I think it's really interesting and honest, and kind of funny because… I guess it seems funny, but, and yet like how many people end up like dog walkers, like that? Probably a lot.
Sasha:
Right. And, and now looking back on it, like the fact that anybody like hired me, and like I was doing my best and I was professional. I was kind, I loved the dogs I was working with, but my understanding of dog behavior was, I mean, I read a book and that was it. I didn't have any in-person experience really with dogs. I was volunteering at the shelter at the same time to try to fill those gaps as quickly as possible.
But at the time I knew very little and I just learned by doing, and I was very lucky to find some wonderful clients early on that trusted me and understood how new I was and allowed me to learn with them and their dogs.
Annie:
When was this?
Sasha:
This was 2014. So this is mid, like the summer of 2014 was when I started dog-walking and I just put my information on Craigslist and believe it or not, people responded.
Annie:
So what's funny is that so many people who have dog businesses, if you look at their resumes or whatever, or not any resume, webpage, whatever. You know, there's always the bio of like, “so-and-so always loved dogs their entire life.” Like it always it's to the point of it being like, Oh, someone else's who loved dogs their entire life, like, that's an unusual thing right here! But here you are the anomaly, the person who was like meh on dogs.
Sasha:
Right. Well, I didn't put that in my bio.
[laughing]
Annie:
Did you have any pets growing up?
Sasha:
Yeah, so my dad was allergic to anything with fur, so that ruled out the majority of pet possibilities, but we did have fish. I had a goldfish named Stuart who I loved tremendously, and we did have birds. So we had a parrot Emerald when I was growing up. And then my pet on my own was Roo. She was a parakeet. So I thought I was a bird person, but that's no –. You can't really make your career out of that.
Annie:
Before that was a parrot? Yeah. So my parents had a parrot.
Annie:
I've been thinking about getting a parrot. Crazy, you think?
Sasha:
They are so much work. They really require a ton of attention. They just have a lot of needs that are difficult to meet. That's not to say they're impossible, but they are a lot. I think my parents definitely didn't realize the amount of effort it was going to take to keep Emerald happy growing up.
Annie:
Mm Hmm. And how did the parakeet compare to that?
Sasha:
It sucks to kind of learn through experience when there is an animal that's depending on you, but I also learned that a parakeet was also a lot of work. And unfortunately it took me a little while to fully grasp what that meant. But yeah, she, you know, I thought, Oh, she's a smaller bird. She'll be less of an effort. She won't require as much.
But she did, like in order to be happy, she needed to be out of her cage most of the day. At least when I was home. She needed sunlight, but also we had to make sure there weren't any drafts or anything that could make her cold. And yeah, it was just, there was a lot to consider even with a parakeet that I didn't fully appreciate until having her.
Annie:
Hmm. So you didn't think “I'm going to start a bird sitting business,” but you also, you weren't like I'm going to become, I'm going to go wait tables, like you could've done something else.
Sasha:
Yeah. That actually is something I didn't really consider. So when I left teaching, I had this good friend who was like, well, what are you going to do? And I was like, well, I think I want to go to grad school. So at the time it was like, okay, I need to fill a year while I work on my grad school application and find a program.
Annie:
And what did you think you wanted to go to grad school for?
Sahsa:
Something with animals? So I was always drawn to the animals. At the time, I thought I wanted to do conservation rather than animal behavior, which is what I'm doing now. But I always knew it was going to be something with animals. When I was an undergrad I was a Marine biology major. I went to the University of Miami. Yeah. And I studied Marine biology. I thought that's what I wanted to do. Quickly realized that I was terrified of scuba diving and motion sick on boats. And I didn't want to do lab research.
Annie:
I'm just curious what was, what was scary about scuba diving?
Sasha:
It's just not for me. I know people love it. Probably, if I spent more time actually working on it, it would be easier, but I just felt out of control. Like I couldn't get my buoyancy right. I couldn't clear my ears properly. Like I just wasn't in enough control of the situation to be comfortable. People love it. It's just not for me. I guess you don't have to, but it limits the type of field work you can do. Not my thing.
I was interning at the zoo Miami, I think, yeah, at the time it's called Miami Metro zoo. Now it's called Zoo Miami. And I realized animal behavior and animal care were much more aligned with my interests and passions. So after graduation it was the recession. So I just took whatever job I could get. I got a job teaching middle school, but eventually realized that I still wanted to do something with animals.
So I thought I was going to go to grad school pretty soon after leaving that teaching job, and that dog walking was going to be this like year long time saver. And then I ended up doing it for over five years.
Annie:
And what was your company called?
Sasha:
It was Freedom Tail in Boston, Massachusetts.
Annie:
And you ended up with a bunch of people working for you, isn't that right? So you went from walking yourself
Sasha:
And working part-time at REI. Yeah. And then it just grew and grew and grew.
Annie:
And what was the good and what was the bad?
Sasha:
I’m sure you know, it's really, really difficult to have a business and, and a life. Your life is your business. I'm preaching to the choir right now, I know this. So that was incredibly difficult, and why I only did it for five years. I was able to devote everything to it for those five years. And then, you know, you get burnt out, and I wanted to go back to school.
But mostly, it was really so good. I learned so much as a dog professional as a business owner, as a human being. And then when you're spending your days with dogs, there's not too much to complain about.
Annie:
Yeah. Well, they certainly lift one's mood. I think like all dogs are actually emotional support animals.
Sasha:
Whether they're trained to be or not, they definitely are.
Speaker 6: (17:16)
How did you figure out how to learn more about dogs? Like, what was your first step?
Sasha:
So when I decided I was going to start walking dogs, I was also volunteering at the MSPCA in Boston. And big shout out to them. It's also where I got my two dogs, so I'm really big fan of their organization. But their volunteer program working with the dogs is phenomenal. It is scaffolded.
So when you start, you're just observing the dogs, you're not taking them for walks, you're feeding them, you're watching them. You're doing basic training, like sit through the kennel doors and things like that. And that forces you just to, you know, watch dogs and watch their behavior and get more comfortable just with what dogs do.
And then you're able to graduate to walk, but easiest, small dogs. And then over time you can eventually, I never quite made it there, but you eventually get cleared to work with any dog that comes into the shelter. That program also taught me the basics of positive reinforcement and loose leash walking.
So I was able to take a lot of what I learned there and implement it into my company. So I also did a lot of scaffolding with my staff. And none of us were certified trainers, but we did do, I mean, you're training a dog, whether you know it or not, but we tried to very intentionally reinforce loose leash walking and other good behaviors that also made the walks easier and more engaging.
Annie:
That's so interesting, so you kind of got like a free education through volunteering.
Sasha:
Totally. Yeah. It was amazing.
Annie:
What did you learn about managing people? What can you teach me? [laughs]
Sasha:
It's difficult. It takes a lot of patience. I was not very good at it when I first started, but yeah, it's a lot of meeting people where they are and realizing that through positive reinforcement, you can get them to where you want them to be. A lot of the same principles of dog training.
Annie:
Yeah. So much of it is it's the same. I mean, it is the same. There's just a million more inputs and variables and the stakes are a lot higher. And dadada.
You are just such a pleasure to work with. And just such a great presence. And you bring to the work, the background of someone who knows what it is to run a business.
Sasha:
Yes. I don't envy your position. It's very hard. It is not for everybody. So you're doing a really great job.
Annie:
Oh. Thank you. It's hard. It's crazy. It's been a crazy time, but I feel like it's also been, I don't know. I feel like work-wise, in a way it's felt like a good thing in that I feel like it's brought us all sort of closer together. Do you feel that way about like the staff?
Sasha:
Yeah, well, so the hours I was working before everything shut down were pretty isolated. I was doing the front desk before the store actually opened and only a few trainers were there. And then I would go off and do my own thing, dog walking. So the only real time I connected with anyone on staff was at staff meetings, which now we're doing every week.
Annie:
Yeah, I was talking about this with a man this weekend who works in baking, I think. And he was saying pretty much the same thing that like, actually in a lot of ways, it forces you to be in a work environment, forces you to be more intentional about making sure you get face time, as they say.
Sasha:
Totally.
Annie:
And yeah, also just the intensity of life the last six months, even though no one's been with other people, I feel like any interactions you have with, or I have with anybody becomes somehow more meaningful because it's like, my world is relatively small.
Sasha:
That's definitely true. I haven't quite thought about it in that way, but, yeah, that resonates. Yeah.
Annie:
So I've been feeling like the last few months, very like, I don't know. This sort of like sappy feeling, I'd be like, Oh, I'm so lucky!
Sasha:
It's good though. It's good to be grateful. And, you know, have those moments. Yeah, absolutely.
Annie:
It's gratitude, but it's like a different kind of gratitude. The gratitude of having a business with other people working for us. It's a different kind of gratitude than gratitude I'm used to, like, I'm grateful for my family, my husband, you know. But just being grateful about work.
Sasha:
Yeah, I think one thing that this whole time has taught us is like, especially when it comes to businesses, they're not to be taken for granted. So I think that must force you to take a different perspective. And I imagine that's like where that deep sense of gratitude comes from.
Annie:
Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's cause it is, you know, it is like a baby to me, but it's also gratifying to see that other people care enough to be giving their lives to this too. And anyway.
So fast forward. You decided to no longer be a dog walker company entrepreneur in Boston. And you came to New York. Now, did you want to move to New York in order to do the program that you're in at Hunter? Or like, was that specifically the program you wanted to do? And can you tell people about the program?
Sasha:
Yes. So I love this program. So I'm in the animal behavior and conservation program at Hunter college. I did specifically move to New York for that program. I had gotten accepted, it was my top choice.
Annie:
Were there other programs that you were looking at?
Sasha:
Yes, I was looking — so I knew I wanted a master's program. I wasn't ready to jump straight into a PhD. So that really limits your options. I was looking at a couple of other programs, one of them was completely online, which I didn't want at the time, but I'm experiencing now anyway.
Annie:
What one was that?
Sasha:
Canisius college. It's an anthropology program, so it's definitely different. But I felt like my options were really limited and it is a great program. So I was open to that. But I did want to do specifically animal behavior if I could. So I did apply to this and I applied to a program in Scotland, but that's just, that would have been a lot. That would've been a big change.
Annie:
What program in Scotland?
Sasha:
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh university — actually don't know which one it is. And it's an animal behavior master's degree. But yeah, Hunter was my top choice. I'm very thankful that I got in. And that I'm doing that now. I can talk more details about the program, I love it.
Annie:
Yeah. I mean, I'd love to know what your, what is it that you do?
Sasha:
It's a thesis, it's a thesis. So, I don't know. My life is just full of these expected turns, I think, like the same way dog walking, or dogs, became my life and my livelihood for so long. I thought I was going to study dog behavior, dog cognition when I came to Hunter, and now in a unexpected turn of events, I'm actually studying koi and goldfish welfare at an aquaponics facility in Brooklyn, which I am totally excited about.
Annie:
So how did, how did that happen?
Sasha:
So my first semester I was in a seminar class and I had this amazing lecturer come speak. Dr. Becca Franks at NYU. And she does incredible work with fish and fish welfare. And I heard her speak and it was the first time in my life where I was like, wow, I need to learn from this person. So through the help of one of my professors at Hunter I reached out with her and she was taking students at the time.
So since then we've just been developing this master's thesis together. And she has a good relationship with an aquaponics farm owner in Brooklyn. So that's where the fish reside and that's where I'll be doing my research.
Annie:
So are you researching how to keep fish occupied, or like how to arrange their habitats?
Sasha:
Yeah, so welfare research historically has dealt with relieving pain and suffering, but I think what most people are realizing now is like just reducing suffering doesn't mean you're providing a good life for the animals that are in your care, or in our care as humans. So I'm really interested in positive welfare, so how can we go beyond what is necessary to reduce pain and suffering to actually promote happiness and joy and agency. And you know, really give the animals that are in our care without, you know, they didn't agree to do this, but we have the responsibility to give them a good life. Like a life that's truly worth living.
And I think that applies to all, I specifically for my thesis, I'm doing this with fish who have been, I mean, it's only very recently that people agree fish feel pain. So fish compared to these other animals have a lot of ground to make up, which is unfortunate, but hopefully I can help in a small way.
Annie:
Amazing. So who are, who are the koi that will benefit? I mean, is this the kind of thing like — cause people, I guess people have koi ponds, like a decorative thing, right?
Sasha:
Yeah, exactly. So the work that I'm doing I think, if it shows to promote positive welfare, it definitely can be applied for like hobbyists who have koi ponds. It can be applied in aquaponics facilities, like the one I'll be working at.
Annie:
What is aquaponics?
Sasha:
Yeah, so it's really cool. It's like a closed water system — so I'm not an expert in aquaponics. I might be butchering this, but it's a closed water system. And it's a relationship between the fish that live in the water and the plants are grown from this water, like using the nutrients that are provided, I think by the fish. And also added by humans, but basically like the fish remove some of — I’m doing a horrible job!
Annie:
It's an ecosystem that produces food for us?
Sasha:
Yeah, plants, like that can be eaten. So grown and harvested and eaten, it’s a community garden.
Annie:
Like sweaweed?
Sasha:
Actually. So these fish are in fresh water, but anything can be grown. Like leafy greens.
Annie:
Underwater?
Sasha:
Not underwater. So just the roots are underwater. And then the plants are growing from — basically the roots are in these pipes and they're growing from that. And then from above, it looks just like a normal community garden, but there's just not the soil and the beds that there usually is. And all of the water is cycled through this tank that the fish live in.
Annie:
My mind is blown.
Sasha:
It's really cool.
Annie:
That is fascinating. What an interesting thing.
Sasha:
Yeah. And so these farming systems are gaining popularity. And a lot of the time the fish are harvested actually for food as well, but at this farm, because it's stocked with [inaudible] fish and koi fish, and because the owner of the farm doesn't want the fish to be used for food, they're just permanent residents of the farm.
Annie:
That's really interesting. So are there like Nina Ottosson toys for fish?
Sasha:
Honestly, there is one that I've seen, but I've not had the opportunity to try it, but there is a puzzle feeder for fish pellets that I've seen on the internet. But there definitely needs to be more development in that area because I think they would really benefit.
Annie:
Have you done any fish training yet?
Sasha:
No, I haven't. So I actually only have gotten to visit these fish once in person before COVID shut everything down. I have plans to get back there in the next week or two, which I'm really excited about.
Annie:
Maybe we need to get a pet fish at School for the Dogs to practice clicker training.
Sasha:
Honestly, I am very excited about the idea of training these fish. It's beyond the scope of my particular project, but I think just as a side project and additional enrichment for them. I think it would be really cool because they definitely can do it, anecdotally you see fish being trained all the time.
Annie:
Yeah. Have you seen Ilana's trained fish?
Sasha:
I have. Yeah.
Annie:
Erasmus.
Sasha:
Yeah. So cute. Yes. I have seen that. So yes, it definitely can be done
Annie:
And you can buy little like basketball courts and stuff for them. Under water fish basketball courts. All right. 2021, we'll get a school for the School for the Dogs beta fish.
Sasha:
Perfect. We can get it like the most luxurious tank and give it a good life.
Annie:
Give it a good life. So tell me about, about your pooches.
Sasha:
Oh, they're the best. They're my favorite things on the planet. So I have two senior bonded chihuahuas, Chloe and Lilo. So yes, they were first. So I adopted them almost four and a half years ago from the MSPCA in Boston. They were a senior bonded pair and Lilo, you know, already had a few health issues. So they had just been sitting there. They were actually my first dogs ever.
Annie:
Wow. Do you know, do you know what their story had been, how they ended up there?
Sasha:
From what I was able to gather from their paperwork, they were in a loving home for the majority of their lives. And I think their owner just came upon really hard times, and might've lost her housing. I mean, she really loved these dogs, but rather than not be able to provide the life that they deserved, she brought them to the shelter. But she was very clear she wanted them to be adopted together, and you know, just given the best opportunity for a good life.
Annie:
What are they like?
Sasha:
Well they’re chihuahuas. So, you know, whatever that means to anybody who's listening. I mean, they're so distinct. They have, I mean, this was shocking to me when I first adopted them, because again, this is like my first real introduction to dogs or dog ownership. But they're just so distinct, even having, they came from the same backyard breeder. They were in the same home their whole lives.
But Chloe she's 15, she is incredibly independent and she’s…not stubborn, but she knows how to how to get what she wants. And then Lilo is 17. She, she's older, the vet says she's like in cognitive decline or whatever, but so she gets a little confused sometimes. But yeah, she's spunky. She is fiery. She loves me and no one else. And, you know, she just she's happiest when she's with me. So that's cool.
Annie:
Now she's gotten to spend a lot of time with you lately.
Sasha:
It's been such a gift. Honestly, I think about what her quality of life would have been. Like if I wasn't home all the time, especially coming back from the vet and given such a difficult prognosis. But because I was here all the time and I was able to really tend to her needs very closely, I think that's a large reason why she is doing so well now. So I'm very grateful for that.
Then my third pup, my accidental dog, is Jackson. He is so fun. So he was our foster when we were in Boston and we fostered him for two years, but he has major health issues, major behavioral issues and not surprisingly had no prospects for adoption for the two years that we were fostering him and we didn't intend to keep him forever.
But with his adoption opportunities being non-existent, there was a possibility of euthanasia, and we just couldn't, we couldn't allow that to happen. So we've made a lot of adjustments in order to happily have him in our home, but it's been totally worth it.
Annie:
You’d been fostering dogs prior to that?
Sasha:
Yeah, I did a lot of fostering in Boston
Annie:
And the chihuahuas were cool with the incoming freshmen?
Sasha:
Honestly, I think it was a really great example of how even older dogs you can help train and help them be comfortable with different things, or teach them new things. When I first got them, they would, they were very reactive on leash, to other dogs, you know, they were like the classic Chihuahua lunging barking at any dog that passed. If anybody walked by too quickly, they'd react to that too.
Over time we worked on that and then they became so comfortable with other dogs that I first was pet sitting. And then once I realized pet sitting like they were okay with those dogs who were there for a short period of time, we opened our home up to fosters for longer periods of time, which worked really well. We never only foster fostered one puppy. That might've been a mistake, but otherwise they were really great.
Annie:
There's so much to learn from fostering.
Sasha:
Yes, absolutely. I learned a lot.
Annie:
So now, which one of them did you do sidewalks psychos with?
Sasha:
Jackson! So Jackson and I have had so much fun this quarantine period, all sorts of virtual classes, and it's the first time I've done– Well, that's not true. It's not the first time I've done formal training with any of my dogs. When I adopted Chloe and Lilo, even though they were 11 and 13 at the time, I did do a basic manners class with each of them in Boston. But this is like, yeah, this is my first time doing formal training with Jackson.
And he loves training. Like he loves it so much. and we've just really been having so much fun going through the different School for the Dogs courses. I think we've done almost every virtual class at this point and we'll probably end up doing some of them again.
Annie:
Well, so tell me some highlights because people who are listening to this might be interested in taking their own classes.
Sasha:
Yes. Yeah. So I might, it might sound like a biased source because I do also work at School for the Dogs, but I genuinely mean it. We had so much fun in all of these virtual classes. So a little background about Jackson. He is reactive to other dogs and he has some stranger danger with men. So in-person classes at School for the Dogs weren't really an option for us beyond the behavior classes.
But when everything went virtual, we've had the opportunity to do tricks training. That's probably his favorite. But we also did prep school, Barkour. I'm trying to think, but we did Calm Canine, which was my favorite class. Tricks was Jackson's favorite, Calm Canine was absolutely my favorite.
I can't wait to take it again with him because we still have work to do because he gets so excited and happy, but like to the point where he can't really contain himself during training. That being able to help teach him how to be calm in situations that might be overstimulating or just stimulating has been such a benefit, especially for a dog with reactivity like he has.
Anyway, I love all the virtual classes and I can't wait to take more.
Annie:
Who are some of the trainers that you've worked with for the different classes we worked with?
Sasha:
Well, I think every class was taught by someone else. We've worked with, Oh no, Anna did tricks and Calm Canine. And then we did barkour with Adam and prep school with Claire. So, and then we did start taking sidewalks psychos in person before the shutdown with Claire. And we definitely will, once it works for our schedule, be signing up for that one again,
Annie:
What was it like doing sidewalk psychos virtually as opposed to doing it in person? And also, I guess for those who are listening, can you just give a summary of what the Sidewalk Psychos class is?
Sasha:
Sidewalks psychos is another amazing class for people with reactive dogs like me. So it is a class specifically designed to help reactive dogs, particularly those relapse reactive on leash just to stay below threshold and to work on leash skills. To keep everyone happy and safe during walks through the city, which comes with a host of unique obstacles. So yeah, it is an incredibly beneficial class and we look forward to finishing it.
Annie:
And Barkour. How would you describe barkour?
Sasha:
Barkour was fun. So Jackson had a bit of a hard time with it. Barkour is like an indoor or like at home agility basically. And it's meant for small spaces. We live in a very small apartment, so you know, the course caters to that. But it's supposed to teach, I mean, it does teach body awareness. Jackson did struggle with that. We're still working on the things we learned from Barkour, like where his back legs are in relation to his body at any time.
He has really bad hips. He has pretty severe hip dysplasia. So we take the opportunity to work on his coordination and things like that to build strength in his hips.
Annie:
Yeah. I described Barkour to people as like indoor agility with things you have at home. And also teaching like in, on, over, under.
Sasha:
Yeah. It was great because it, we took that, it kind of like the height of the shutdown, so we couldn't go out and get anything, but we didn't need to. We just like used random things we had around the house, like brooms or, you know, rolled up paper towels or,
Annie:
Yeah, it's a lot of fun.
Sasha:
Yeah. It's awesome.
Annie:
How's school going online?
Sasha:
It's going, you know. Everyone's adjusting to this new normal. It's a bit of a struggle, but the content is still really interesting. I just miss seeing everyone in person.
Annie:
Yeah. Yeah. Well, so good to catch up with you.
Sasha:
Yeah. Thanks, Annie.
Annie:
Anything that we haven't talked about that you think would be worth mentioning?
Sasha:
No, I don't think so.
Annie:
Well, psyched to have you around and miss seeing your face.
Sasha:
Likewise.
Annie:
I mean, I just love sort of like your sounds like your larger, you know, raison d'etre is to try and improve the lives of all the animals in the environment that like we're asking them to live in. Which is certainly something I can get behind.
Sasha:
Yeah. Yep, absolutely. Yep. All animals deserve to be happy. So I hope to provide a little happiness to the ones that I'm lucky enough to come across.
Annie:
Thanks so much for listening. You can support School for the Dogs podcast by subscribing leaving a five-star review, telling your friends and shopping in our online store. Learn more about School for the Dogs and sign up for lots of free training resources on our website SchoolfortheDogs.com.
