{"podcast":{"title":"Soul Touched by Dogs","slug":"soul-touched-by-dogs-6619614","podcast_index_feed_id":6619614,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/soul-touched-by-dogs","website_url":"https://soultouchedbydogs.com","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/FdhzIRkj_rft2MCANJ-0ZQW88lT1ipgXJxAbKs5GCwk/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8wOGZh/MzRiNTI3NWRlYzQ0/MDliYmYzNGY2NDA3/YmZjZC5qcGc.jpg","author":"Anke Herrmann","episode_count":129,"summary":"Welcome to the Soul Touched by Dogs Podcast, the show for dog lovers who see dogs not as toys or tools, but as wise souls worth our respect and care. The 30-minute interviews with \"Pawsome Humans\", people who do great work for dogs and their people, you're listening to here on the podcast are one of the ways we celebrate the human-canine connection and advocate for holistic approaches to canine health and well-being.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-26T12:17:42.240939+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/soul-touched-by-dogs-6619614"},"episode":{"title":"Stephanie Rombough - How to Stop the Chase (Kindly)","slug":"stephanie-rombough-how-to-stop-the-chase-kindly","published_at":"2025-11-06T14:31:18+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/soul-touched-by-dogs-6619614/stephanie-rombough-how-to-stop-the-chase-kindly","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/soul-touched-by-dogs-6619614","url":"https://soultouchedbydogs.transistor.fm/episodes/stephanie-rombough-how-to-stop-the-chase-kindly","audio_url":"https://p.podderapp.com/1495290720/media.transistor.fm/e1afaf46/9f5df98d.mp3","summary":"If your “sweet-as-sugar-until-a-squirrel-appears” dog can’t resist the thrill of the chase, this one’s for you. Force-free trainer Stephanie Rombough (Happy Hounds Dog Training, Alberta, Canada) joins me to share the reward-based process behind her new book inspired by her own high-drive herder, Nera. We dig into why chasing is so reinforcing, how to prevent dangerous rehearsals, and exactly how to teach voluntary disengagement—from “laser-eyes on bunny” to “I see it… and I choose you.” You’ll hear how Stephanie moved from a compulsion-based upbringing in dog training to a compassionate, science-grounded approach that works for terriers, sighthounds, herders—and the humans who love them. Key takeaways 🐾 The one mistake even experienced guardians make: starting where the dog can’t succeed. Begin well below threshold so you can reward success and build from there. 🐾 Management is non-negotiable. While you train, prevent rehearsals: leashes instead of off-leash parks, doors closed, baby gates up. Each “got it!” chase self-rewards like a biochemical jackpot. 🐾 Use functional rewards. Sometimes a dry cookie can’t compete with a river, a breeze, or a squeaky critter. Reward with what your dog actually wants in that moment (e.g., a release to sniff/splash or a fur tug to bite). 🐾 Three-phase training path: Prompted leave-it (you cue disengagement). Supported watching (dog looks, you cue when needed). Voluntary disengagement (dog chooses you without prompting—keep rewarding this every time). 🐾 Replace, don’t just remove. Offer daily “legal” predation outlets—tug, chase games, scent work—so that the “prey-drive battery” drains in healthy ways. 🐾 Safety first. Keep dogs on leash during the program to prevent a full predatory sequence (chase → grab → …). Finishing that sequence m…","meta_description":"If your “sweet-as-sugar-until-a-squirrel-appears” dog can’t resist the thrill of the chase, this one’s for you. Force-free trainer Stephanie Rombough (Hap…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1396,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/soul-touched-by-dogs-6619614/episodes/stephanie-rombough-how-to-stop-the-chase-kindly/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/soul-touched-by-dogs-6619614/stephanie-rombough-how-to-stop-the-chase-kindly.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}