Two friends from Cwmbran have started a podcast exploring the similarities between supporting children with additional needs and training reactive dogs.
Dogs and Sprogs is hosted by teacher Sarah, who works with children with additional Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, and dog‑behaviour specialist Chrissy Blake.
Sarah found herself with her own “zero‑to‑100mph” dog.
“I was really struggling with the dog and I reached out to Chrissy to help,” she said.
Chrissy, founder of Muttley Crew Dog Training & Behaviour, said the connection between their work quickly became obvious.
‘Psychology’
“I’m a reactivity specialist and so we started working together on a one-to-one basis…the similarity in psychology with children and dogs, I see this a lot.”
Sarah said: “We just banged about a load of ideas about how we can make the dog’s brain and the child’s brain, they’re very different species, but the brain is the same and has similar kinds of aspects to it.”
Chrissy discovered dog training during lockdown, completing online courses before starting a degree in canine behaviour.
“ADHD hyperfocus, I went down a rabbit hole,” she laughed. “I thought, ‘I could do this.’ So Muttley Crew was born.”
The pair describe the podcast as “two mates having a laugh, having a chat”, but with a serious aim.
‘Spread awareness’
Chrissy said: “I think it’s good to spread awareness, so while we’re saying dogs are not children, children are not dogs, like the old school kind of ways of teaching and training dogs is very much punishment first. Times are changing, and that’s just not our ethos and so more importantly, it’s just to spread awareness and educate.”
Sarah said: “And having a different perspective on child development and noticing the small things, let’s say a specific example of a child reacts in the coffee shop that we’re in right now, what has happened to the child beforehand for that child to react right now and a similar experience with a dog for example, that will sit nicely with you now, spot a leaf or somebody with a hoodie coming through and then you’ve lost her.
“You don’t know what’s gone on beforehand, for the reaction to happen.”
Listen to Dogs and Sprogs podcast
They’re encouraging listeners to get involved by sending in stories and questions. Listen to the Dogs and Sprogs podcast on Spotify or visit the friends’ website.
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