Creative Connections in Force-Free Dog Training

Discover the secrets of strengthening the bond between you and your furry friend with Lizzy Flanagan of Lizzy and the Good Dog People.

Lizzy, a passionate force-free dog trainer from Worcester, Massachusetts, joins us to share her innovative and relationship-focused training methods. During the pandemic, Lizzy turned to art to make her training materials more accessible, blending creativity with science to make her teachings both engaging and effective. She also opens up about her journey, drawing inspiration from the creative community, particularly Margot Tantau’s Windowsill Chats, and how her unique approach to dog training has transformed countless lives.

Lizzy doesn't just talk about training techniques; she advocates for the power of community and local support. We delve into how fostering a cooperative environment can lead to profound personal and professional growth. Lizzy emphasizes the impact of local initiatives and the importance of promoting fellow professionals without the shadow of competition. We also explore the delicate balance between reaching a broader audience and maintaining authentic, local connections, especially crucial in specialized fields like force-free dog training.

Navigating the unregulated world of dog training poses significant challenges, and Lizzy shares her strategies for building trust and transparency with clients. Through discovery calls, manageable workloads, and a genuine commitment to ethical training, Lizzy sets a high standard in the industry. From addressing the turbulence of canine adolescence to preparing pets for fireworks and thunderstorms, Lizzy offers practical advice and heartfelt insights. Join us as we wrap up with a deep sense of gratitude for the invaluable knowledge shared and look forward to future conversations that continue to enrich our understanding of the human-animal bond.

Enjoy our conversation and the doodle this episode is Lily, from ElloLovey!

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

Hey, I'm so excited to be back with you and a beautiful guest oh my goodness, so brutally made is happy to have Lizzie Flanagan with the Good Dog People. Oh my goodness, I'm so excited to have you, lizzie, thank you so much for joining I am completely delighted to be here and I'm so glad we were finally able to do this.

Speaker 2: 0:31

I've really been looking forward to it.

Speaker 1: 0:33

I know, I know, I am just yeah, we just have so much to talk about. This is probably going to be a very long episode.

Speaker 1: 0:39

So, I just am so excited to share how we met and the connections that we have and how Lizzie has personally inspired me. But I know we always want to talk about our doodles too. So if you check out Elo Levy's prompts for June, we're on our last one and it's Lily for Friday. And it's so funny because now I'm thinking, do I sketch and doodle my cat Lily or the flower I mean cat Lily right.

Speaker 1: 1:09

I know a cat Exactly, especially now. I have sweet Lizzie here today. So, lizzie, I want you to introduce yourself to everyone and please share a little bit about your background. I know, in creative aspects, I love how your doodles and your artwork coincide with your dog training. So please share what you do and a little bit about yourself, sure?

Speaker 2: 1:36

So my name is Lizzie Flanagan and I am the owner of Lizzie and the Good Dog People, which is a force-free dog training practice out of Worcester, massachusetts, although I see clients nationally and, on some level, internationally, which is pretty cool. We love that about virtual training. So I just want to say something about dog training and kind of what that encompasses, because I think when people think about working with a dog trainer, they're thinking, you know, teaching my dog to sit or come when called, and that's absolutely true. But a lot of the work I do is focused on the guardian and the guardian's relationship with their dog or cat or other companion animal, and it's an aspect of my work that I just love. I love working with these guardians who come to me with, you know, these questions or these challenges or just these issues in their relationship with their companion animals and just helping them get to a place where they're living a fantastic life together. You know there's harmony and so it's good stuff, yeah, okay.

Speaker 2: 2:56

So from the standpoint of creativity and my background as a creative, it's very mixed and it goes all the way back, and I think the most relevant piece of that is how I decided gosh, it's going on three years now to learn how to draw dogs, because I wasn't enjoying the clip art I found Right, and it wasn't always applicable to the social media post or the newsletter, whatever it was that I was working on. And so I, of all the creative endeavors I have not embarked on, drawing, sketching. That just wasn't a part of my background. And so, in a very humbling way, I started, like a kiddo, to draw, you know, stick dogs and to sort of start learning how to, you know, put the sheeps together.

Speaker 2: 3:58

And then I stumbled onto the windowsill chats, theish Gathering, which is not, I think, might have been the first place we met, but this was during the pandemic and so it was a group run by Margot Tantow, who is a fantastic creative collaborator and wrangler of all things creative and a friend and mentor of all things creative and a friend and mentor.

Speaker 2: 4:29

And just joining this group of artists in this very kind of beginner moment was so powerful because I felt lifted by this group and felt so able to start doing this, and so, little by little, I just started drawing dogs and sharing them via my posts at Instagram and then, in some cases, kind of making comics in the traditional sense where there's a speech bubble and the dog is telling us something which I wish they could do, but they can't. They don't have that voice, so sometimes I like to give them the voice. That is science-based, right. That is sort of what I have observed in a dog and their behavior, and just help guardians kind of see things from a different perspective, really putting the shoe on the other foot, so that they have a better sense of what their dog might actually be experiencing, feeling or thinking.

Speaker 1: 5:30

Yeah, it was just so endearing and I love your style and it's just darling how you've taken these really important points and you're kind of like giving them a creative spin so it's easier to remember and just it's just so sweet and so I just love what you've been doing, you know, reiterating your training in an art form.

Speaker 2: 5:54

Yeah, thank you. Thank you, I'm so glad it lands that way, Because that's the whole goal. I mean, my, my background and training in dog training came with so much jargon and lots of sort of scientific. You know language and it feels really important to be able to relay it in a way that feels relatable so that even first timers, even newbies or you know anyone can understand, and so I'm glad. I'm so glad it lands that way.

Speaker 1: 6:45

Yeah, it certainly does, so I'm really excited to be able to share with anyone who doesn't know you all that you offer. So that's definitely going to be in the show notes how to get onto your newsletter, how to find all of your social media profiles, and it's just phenomenal, and I love that you can do this remotely. You don't have to be in a certain location. You're able to provide this training, like you said, even internationally, which is terrific.

Speaker 2: 7:14

Yeah, it's really cool and of all the times I launched my practice during the pandemic, I graduated from the Academy for dog trainers, which is the two year program I did in late February, launched my business in late March.

Speaker 2: 7:33

Yeah, Literally at the beginning of the pandemic literally, and all of us I mean seasoned dog trainers and new dog trainers alike were scrambling to figure out how we were going to do this.

Speaker 2: 7:46

I mean, there was some virtual training and I'm by no means an expert on how it had been done in the past, but this whole sort of way sweeping wave of people working via zoom not, you know everyone, not just dog trainers it was a real learning moment, and so once I got through the learning curve I realized it was kind of a beautiful thing, because there are certainly regions where there aren't force free dog trainers maybe they're only compulsion trainers and those are the people who train with the scariest stuff like shock collars and prong collars, and you know coercion. Or you know there was benefit to working with a guardian but not exposing a new person to the dog. So you know, when I do stranger danger cases, the last thing in the world we want to do is, you know, spring a stranger onto this unexpecting dog who has this fear. So there are lots of reasons why virtual training is a beautiful thing. It offers a lot of flexibility and safety and it's yeah, it's pretty cool.

Speaker 1: 8:59

Yeah, wow. So maybe to your benefit, that was a positive thing. You know, trying to find the positive in that whole situation. It sounds like you know, and then people accepting the fact that you can learn remotely and now it's easy to sign up for a lesson or a class. I mean, I know, when we met through definitely met through Relish, but even more so got to know one another in the mastermind yeah, part of Margo's mastermind and that's really where we got to, you know, get to know one another, and I felt so inspired by you and I know we were doing a lot of the same artwork and classes for some of the educators that were teaching online.

Speaker 1: 9:41

And I'll just never forget the one comment, because it was a lot of lessons at one time and you were just like I feel, like I have like a sunburn from all of this pressure of trying to meet these deadlines and do it a certain way, and I'm not, you know, getting to that point where eyes are on my stuff and I was just like that's the feeling I have.

Speaker 1: 10:03

I didn't know anybody else would feel that way. I had no idea that this would be so such a struggle and that I had, I had been taking these classes and lessons online for like 10 years and it was just defeating. It made me really change the trajectory of what I wanted and the people that I wanted to try to please to internally creating my own environment. Like you, you did your training and you started this business and now I'm like I'm going to start my own thing. I'm going to do and even Margo's guidance, like hey, you know, grasp onto that local aspect because that's, you know, serving you well and just kind of reevaluating and just it was that was a powerful group to be part of. And so I just I mean, really your words were some of the first ones that made me like stop what I was, you know, thinking I was wanting to pursue and really think about who am I trying to please?

Speaker 2: 11:05

Yeah, yeah, thank you. Appreciation receipt.

Speaker 1: 11:10

Oh my gosh, I mean it, it really did. It did, did change everything that I thought I was trying to, you know, gravitate towards and what I was in, and then seeing the changes that are happening now with that whole environment, I was just like.

Speaker 2: 11:28

And then seeing the changes that are happening now. With that whole environment. I was just like man. It was meant to happen. I'm so glad I shared that in our group. That felt so safe. It felt so safe to share things like that.

Speaker 2: 11:37

And this is what I love about community. I know I love about community, right. When we're in community with each other and sharing our experiences personally, it just it's so what's the word I? I'm able to give myself permission to learn from my peers and friends, right so, and make different decisions and then feel like I can come back and share what I've tried, share what's happening, and know that there will be support for me. I mean, it's game changing and you gosh, you're so inspiring to me in this way that you, you're so inspiring to me in this way that you I've listened to every episode of your podcast. I just love your. You just have so much can do in you and you've been so committed to kind of getting into your community and kind of trying different ways to connect. And now you have this really beautiful suite of very specific offerings.

Speaker 1: 12:55

You know you are a teacher in museums right, I mean it's, but it just feels like this was never even on my mind before the our mastermind, or before meeting everyone that we have, and it was just I don't know. It's just amazing to think about. I was not even believing I could be at this point a couple years ago, especially during the pandemic. I thought everything would have to be you, you know, national or bigger than what you know. It's just phenomenal. But you're right, it was so important to have that space to bounce those ideas off of, to not feel like this was a competition, to not feel like you were going to be judged to not feel like you know any idea was, you know, too small or too big?

Speaker 1: 13:43

It was just. You know those weekly or monthly, you know, chats or whatever we would end up being able to do helped so much because I didn't have that here with anyone. The art community doesn't really know how to respond to one another in that way, so now I'm also teaching other people here. You can be supportive of one another and not feel like you're going to have competition built on the other side of town. You need to promote one another and that's a core of what I'm building in my new shop.

Speaker 1: 14:19

That is, every month I am like highlighting a different artist in the community. I take zero commission. Anything that sells from that artist. That artist gets 100%. That is important to me because it is proving that I am supporting that person 100% and they will teach a class that month. They'll be on the podcast that month. They will be highlighted. They'll be in my newsletter. Month they will be highlighted. They'll be in my newsletter. That is so important to me because I felt that lesson that I learned in our group and I want to share that here because we don't have anything like that here. We have art institutions and art organizations. But it's difficult for artists and I want to I mean to me. I still feel like I'm this tiny little person in Plain Township. I'm nobody, but at least it's something, I can do something and that's what I want to do.

Speaker 2: 15:10

I the whole idea of community over competition. Yes, all day long, all day long. And one of the other pieces of how you've approached all of this that I love so much is that is you just touched on it. It's this idea that you know, we don't need to make an international splash to matter. We don't need to have hundreds of thousands of followers at Instagram to matter. I started my career in grassroots nonprofit and we had a one tiny little group of people in one teeny tiny little community and watching the powerful ripples from that. You know, and it just I think that this message is really important to me. It's definitely something I'm working on in. You know how I think about social media and how I think about newsletters, and you know my presence in my community. I it just. It's not a numbers game in the way that I think we're all sort of being conditioned by social media. It's really important to notice, you know, local, that local matters. It really it's not just sort of a buzz phrase, you know, right, right.

Speaker 1: 16:42

Right, exactly Support local shop, local local. The dollar stay local small all of that.

Speaker 2: 16:47

Yeah, yeah, it's powerful.

Speaker 1: 16:50

Yeah, but I also see the benefit of everything that you do and I would love to see these larger corporations grasp onto your authenticity and then share that with a broader audience. So people are aware these different levels of dog training. People don't realize that you have the force-free version versus, like you said, the shock collar and you have all of those identified. That education isn't out there, people aren't training and teaching on that on a broad spectrum level that I've ever realized.

Speaker 1: 17:22

I mean I have three dogs and four cats and a ton of koi fish and I mean those things you know are never. You can go to PetSmart and have your dog, you know, learn, sit and stay and all those basic commands. But I love what you're doing and I think it's so important and you do want it to, you know, matter across a larger audience, but you also want to keep, like you said, your messaging and the appreciation for the eyes that you have locally on it too. So there is a balance that we find and it is hard to get to and I just applaud you for everything you're doing because I just love the different approaches that you're taking and I just don't see that happening in that realm and I think you're very unique at it.

Speaker 2: 18:10

It's mind-blowing to think that dog training is completely unregulated. Yeah, you're right, completely. So anyone can wake up tomorrow, put up a website and start taking people's money and kind of doing whatever they want to to get behavior from a dog. It's scary and, to your point, it's hard for guardians out there because even if you do want to find a dog trainer Because even if you do want to find a dog trainer, you as the consumer aren't trained on what to look for Totally, and then there's a lack of transparency out there. So there are definitely balanced trainers who you know use both the good and the scary methods and, but you know, trainers are.

Speaker 2: 18:57

Now we're kind of noticing that the compulsion trainers and some of the balance trainers are starting to really hide the language, or not including any language at all, at their websites about you know how they actually train, how they work with dogs, and or they you know or they're sharing um, inaccuracies, and or they you know or they're sharing inaccuracies. Yeah, so it's, it's really tough for the consumer. It's one of the reasons why I started doing discovery calls, because I wanted people who were considering hiring me to have a chance to just ask me some questions what's going to happen when my dog gets it in quotes wrong. You know what's going to happen when they get it right. Yeah, yeah, so it's made a big difference and it builds trust.

Speaker 1: 19:44

Yeah, that's really important approach. Yeah, that's definitely uh worthwhile to have. Gosh, it's amazing that, like you said, it's so unregulated. I know the actual like breeding and and puppy mills here in Ohio. We're really high in the nation for having those. So people that are even you know, and just you know, having that opportunity to me, like the Brene Brown, but in the dog world you need to have your training, go around and be certified by Lizzie to pass this information on correctly.

Speaker 2: 20:45

You know, oh my goodness, what a high praise. High praise, oh my gosh. You know, one of the pieces that you touched on earlier and I think this applies to your work and my work and this idea of a broad reach is also that we have to protect ourselves from burnout. Yeah Right, from doing too much and taking too much on, and it's one of the reasons why I hold this vision of, you know, kind of local impact or meaningful impact. So that could be clients that I see in California, virtually, or people who are in my classes, who are in other countries, or things like that, but it's meaningful. I keep my numbers in a place and my services in a place where I know I can manage the workload. You know, I know that I'm not just kind of using myself up in the spirit of the movement, so to speak.

Speaker 1: 21:48

That's true. Yeah, you really do have to take care of yourself, because you can't take care of the others. If you're not, you're right. It's another balance that we have to find.

Speaker 2: 21:57

Yeah, it's that oxygen mask moment Totally Gosh.

Speaker 1: 21:59

Speaking of that oxygen mask moment Totally Gosh. Speaking of that, what is your typical class? Look like Like? What like do you have these during certain times of the year? Your sessions Explain your process. Explain how somebody can look into joining your group.

Speaker 2: 22:14

Sure, sure. I love this. I work with people a few different ways. So I do one-on-one sessions and that means that I'm just working with you and your dog and potentially you know all the family members in the home and if we're working on manners type, behaviors you know, sit down, stay coming, when called, all that sort of stuff I can come to your home. Or we can do it via zoom, where I have a two camera setup and I demo with my own dogs and then I coach you on how to do it.

Speaker 2: 22:48

It's a ton of fun. So that's one way. And I actually do something that I love called day training, where a client will hire me to come into their home and work with their dog, either while they're at work whether that's, you know, one room away or in an office, and I just work with the dog and then I report back to them on the progress, how to honor the steps between sessions. And at the end of that process usually it's a, you know, a five session package we do a transfer session where I come and I work with the family or the guardian on how to implement these new skills that their puppy or their adult dog has learned and it's.

Speaker 1: 23:33

I love that. I love that you're like training the dog and then you're like, okay, you're ready, Now let's get your family.

Speaker 2: 23:39

It's a blast.

Speaker 2: 23:43

You know one of the things I love about rewards-based training is that it all feels like fun. It's safe, right. The dog is never in a position to be afraid or worried. I mean, if we're working with a fearful dog, then we're not asking them to train right, we're going to take care of the fear first. So we're talking about dogs that feel good, that feel safe, and it creates this beautiful communication. It's basically a language, right? So these cues that dogs learn are just ways that they interact with their people safely, humanely, to worry when their person says sit that something bad is going to happen, or when you know their person calls them, with a recall coming when called, they don't have to worry that something bad or scary is going to happen. They know that there's a beautiful treat, maybe some Pecorino Romano or some smoked Gouda, when they do this skill. So it's really, really fun.

Speaker 2: 24:48

And I do a lot of fear and aggression cases and that's a very different thing. That's where we are working on in the case of fear helping the dog feel better. We're not asking them to learn random skills. We just want to set up the environment so that they feel okay and in a lot of cases, that's management. So management is just prevention, making sure that we're not exposing the fearful dog to more you know, environmental stimuli that are going to exacerbate the fear. We're going to protect them from new fear and then we can use some protocols to help them feel better over time at their pace. And one of the reasons why I like fear cases although I never want a dog to feel fearful, it's awful right, no one likes to feel fear is that there's a very Zen aspect to it, because we can't hurry it up, we can only go at the dog's pace. And gosh, I have a special place for my fearful guardians because they are just it's a marathon and not a sprint. They just are in it day to day and so that's sort of a glimpse of fear.

Speaker 2: 26:04

And then what aggression is is a very different thing. So aggression can look like a dog with a bite history where we're doing some muzzle training. It can look like dogs that fight with other dogs or get into argue. I like the word argument. You know they're sending the dog to, you know, the emergency vet for sutures and antibiotics, that sort of thing. So aggression there can look. There are a lot of sort of different aspects to that but, um, strangely I I do like fear and aggression cases. I find them incredibly satisfying. Um, when the guardian is is on board with doing the things. Yeah, I'm doing all the things.

Speaker 2: 26:52

And then I teach two classes. One is called recall for a meatball, and that is a fun. That name comes from a hashtag I created ages ago with my my um dog, tildy, who came to me with myriad issues and, uh, teaching her recall was just a very different, different. I wasn't a trainer and anyway, so I yeah, it was recall for a meatball. So that's where we work on coming when called and it's five weeks, we meet, you know, five consecutive weeks for about an hour. I love this class with my whole heart. I've been running it for three years. I've had hundreds of students come through from all over the world.

Speaker 1: 27:42

I love it.

Speaker 2: 27:43

It's really cool and it's a small group setting and we meet each week. We actually don't train the dogs in class over all the sort of foundational pieces and then we meet each week to talk about progress and the participants can reach out to me between classes and I offer office hours and oh, my god they'll send video clips and tag me and things at Instagram, and it's just that.

Speaker 2: 28:13

it's incredible. The thing I love about that class and triumphant teens is that once you go through the class, you're always welcome to come back as a drop in. So if you just need some additional support, you can hop in and, you know, just get a little moral support and guidance. And then the second class is triumphant teens. Adolescence is no joke. It's really hard on guardians. They, if they have a puppy, they've had their dog since puppyhood. Puppyhood is hard too. They get through that and all of a sudden they're like what in the world is happening?

Speaker 1: 28:52

Is this what a dog is? I've started calculating the dog years, like how old are you? Like what's going on?

Speaker 2: 28:58

It is really a lot and canine adolescents can start as early as six months and go to just three years. We don't have it's not as well defined as the socialization period, so it's usually some chunk of months in there. But it's really hard and canine adolescence parallels human adolescence in some pretty hilarious ways. Parallels human adolescence in some pretty hilarious ways poor decision making over the top, responses to things, you know, new fear, just you know being really needy and at the same time you know, in the same moment, being really newly independent. I mean there's just a lot going on. I mean there's just a lot going on.

Speaker 2: 29:39

So I wanted to build a class for these guardians, because if you look at the shelter and rescue populations, look at the age of the dogs, you know you see a lot like nine months, nine months to 12 months and you know like two years, right, and then of course we have the puppies and then we have the dogs who are a bit older. But because it's so hard and because it's such a confusing phase for guardians, their dogs are often surrendered. Good point, yeah, that is such a good point. Yeah, they think, oh my gosh, I don't know what to do with this dog. This is not what I signed on for and they don't have the resources to address what's happening. And really, I mean, the dog needs a lot of understanding and patience and compassion while their brain is wrapped in this adolescent scaffolding. Yeah, yeah, and. But the guardians just need a lot of support, and so the class is part, you know, information and education, and part support group part. Like just come and say how hard it is, I'm here for it, I guess you know, yeah.

Speaker 2: 30:50

Yeah, talk about how your, how your teenager is driving you bananas and you know, but get you the support you need so that you don't want to drop them off at the shelter.

Speaker 1: 31:01

Yeah, yeah, and I'm sure you have worked with all kinds of breeds across the board.

Speaker 2: 31:08

You, you think about, you know this species. I mean we've got Chihuahuas and Great Danes that are the same species and then we've got everything in between. So, even though I've been doing this for four years, and you know, I see I've seen hundreds of dogs, at this point, many of them have been breed mixes and if, in terms of, uh, purebred dogs, I mean I've seen many breeds but certainly not all yet, sir, I mean they're they're, you know I've. There have been a couple where I've had to really do some homework. I mean I always do prep before.

Speaker 1: 32:00

But I'm sure there's some that are just so unique that you haven't ran across them yet, and so you really want to do some research. And you know, don't we all? And I can't imagine trying to. You know, as a as a guardian, you know, when we got our dog rescued, two beagles in the mixes that I I mean I never did the DNA test or anything and those orner little boogers like to escape all the time and, yeah, I had GPS collars on them so I could track them if they did escape, and it's just, oh, yes, they were something else, but I'm like, okay, I think there may be a little basset hound in this one, and her little ears were really long and she tracks everything. It's know guessing. So yeah, it's hard to say. Okay, then if there are mixed breeds, which breed is more dominant and those characteristics come out.

Speaker 2: 32:43

So I appreciate and applaud you for doing the homework that I'm sure that you have to do, you know and the cool thing about the way I was educated is that, though I want to honor, maybe, the needs of a specific breed right, like if they're bred to forage or to you know track, we want to find them some legal outlets to do that right From a welfare standpoint, right, there is no breed that, like, needs a heavier hand or can't learn to do, you know, a particular skill like recall, that sort of thing. And there are all these points in between where I can help a guardian set themselves and their dog up for success right, so they're keeping their expectations in a realistic place. We're using management to prevent the dog from rehearsing. You know unwanted behavior, that sort of thing. But you know I like to just kind of keep learning and I know that that's a value of yours too.

Speaker 2: 33:49

So you know, when a breed comes across my desk that I just don't have a lot of experience with, I'll do some reading. I might even desk that I just don't have a lot of experience with, I'll do some reading. I might even, you know, talk to colleagues or go into our Academy for dog trainers space and Facebook where we share a lot of information. I just make sure I have. You know I have. I'm as prepared as possible you know, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 34:12

Yeah, I love that. So you've got a variety of ways that somebody can work with you. I love that. So it's really unlimited. It really fits with what their schedule could be and the needs that they see happening. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 34:26

I really love it, and you know, one of the cool things about virtual training too, is that I don't always need to meet with the client for a full hour because I'm not driving anywhere. So today I have a session with a client in California with whom I'm working on a food resource guarding training plan, and we're going to meet for 15 minutes just to go over the next step of the training plan, so that she has my support I have eyes on, but we don't need to spend a full hour, right? The? The session's going to. You know, the next step will be done in about 15 minutes, and then I always send my clients notes and recording. They get a copy of the recording, and so it provides a lot of flexibility, you know. Yeah, yeah, it's really lovely, yeah, I love that.

Speaker 1: 35:18

That's awesome. And then I know, on the creative side, uh, another friend of ours, Brenda Olson. She has some of our cards and your artwork is available on blueberry road group, but yeah, her art store.

Speaker 2: 35:34

It's so sweet. Yeah, I know you've talked about Brenda in the past, and Olsen is just um, I mean, she's just wonderful, and at the end of our mastermind she invited us all to share a few designs with her, and then she produced cards with her.

Speaker 1: 35:54

I mean it's like let us know, hey, this is being sold and it's going in this shop in this part of the country and I'm like, you are the cutest, I love you so much.

Speaker 2: 36:02

I know it's so positive reinforcement, right. So that's so. You know she'll reach out and say, yeah, here's an order that's going to Arizona or whatever, and it's, I mean, it's's just so sweet. I'm working on a few new designs for her.

Speaker 1: 36:19

Well, good, because I hadn't, I hadn't told you I bought my stock for my store and picture designs that are going to be sold in my store. So through Brenda, so I'm very excited. Yep, I are trying to grab all of the gals that threw their designs in.

Speaker 2: 36:37

I love that. Is it okay if I ask you a question, even though you're Absolutely so? How are things going with the shop? Are you feeling supported? I mean, when you talk about it I can hear you smiling in the ear. How is everything going?

Speaker 1: 36:57

The community is phenomenal. There are so many people that have reached out, so excited about it.

Speaker 1: 37:06

The artists that want to be in the pop-up gallery. I have a form on my website. I get requests every week about people that want to participate. I have had people that supported the Kickstarter that, even though it didn't go through, still help support me, you know, with their donation. And I was just like you guys. That wasn't, you know, and it just makes me want to cry. And then my husband oh my gosh, he has been super supportive and we're cause. We're doing this all on our own. So we're painting everything, we're building everything, just it's, it's all coming together and I'm hoping by the end of July that will be the grand opening. But people in the community, when I am out doing the art projects that I'm doing, want to sign up for classes. What classes of my guy have? Want to have the celebration room for birthday parties.

Speaker 1: 38:02

The plaza restaurants are so excited about me being there and I can't wait to go to each one and collaborate with them, because they make different things, all of them. I have a Mexican restaurant, I have a pizza restaurant, I have a Italian food, and I want to go to their, to their owners, and like, okay, let's collaborate. So if I put together a pizza party package, you'll provide the pizza you want to do, like a lasagna Italian night. We can have that because the celebration room can seat up to 20 people. So if somebody wants to have a birthday party and have a taco bar right there, right here in the plaza, and I can support every business and there's a Dora so people can walk around drinks waiting on tables, they can stop in.

Speaker 1: 38:39

I will have a whole segment for pop up or pop in craft. You can just grab a craft, sit down at the art table and make it with, like, your friends while you're waiting on your table next door. And so it's just so exciting because there's so many ways that the community will be able to participate, especially with the art lessons. One gentleman that wants to he's an artist and he wants to display his wife does what I call it. When we were talking, I said she does the lost arts. She wants to do a class on how to can and like how to do. Know, I'm going to do like a whole series with like her, I was like this phenomenal people and then I would tell people that and they're like I would sign up for that in a heartbeat, and so it's just.

Speaker 1: 39:27

It just gives me goosebumps every time I start thinking about all the different ways and, plus, I'll have a little boutique where I'll have things for sale and stuff. But it's just the idea that you'll be able to come in and it'll be something different all the time. It will be something that you learn. It will be events on that plaza, because it's just I don't know, it's just creative abundance and that's what I'm so excited about. But thank you for asking, oh yeah.

Speaker 2: 39:55

And I mean I think you just nailed it what you are building is just embodies, creative abundance. I love the multi-layer approach to this type of business. I mean, it's not just retail, it's, you know, very community yes, absolutely pet friendly.

Speaker 1: 40:20

I have tile floor so I'll have pet art night. I mean, honestly, there's like yeah, yeah, there's that I've. I really could, because there's outdoor uh seating and you can bring your pets to those. I'm like you know what? We'll do, some pet nights and different things. So absolutely so. I've taken my dog in while we've been working and I was just like, of course I'm going to do that.

Speaker 2: 40:42

Oh, that is fantastic.

Speaker 1: 40:44

So excited, I'm so excited, I know.

Speaker 2: 40:49

You're a month away from I know live in the same that I remember you talking about during our mastermind.

Speaker 1: 40:58

Yeah, I really want a business, I really want to open a business and I just didn't think that it would be possible and I tried. You know, I was last October like trying to figure out a way to make it work and you know, things just didn't align. And when they did, man, it's just like whoosh, here we are. I just can't believe it.

Speaker 2: 41:20

And that's such a testament to the just, to your patience and to your belief that this was the right thing, right. You just sort of kept coming to it every time this cycled back around. I mean, I remember listening to you talk about you know the sort of um the first time and how, just like you said, it wasn't quite right yet, but you were building some momentum and some community support.

Speaker 1: 41:46

And then the space came back around and I know that was really strange, because I really thought it was gone and I was like, well, that wasn't meant to be. And then when it came back, I'm like I am not gonna let go, yeah it was your figured out a way to make it work.

Speaker 2: 42:01

Yeah, be yours.

Speaker 1: 42:06

Oh my goodness, so so exciting. So where can everybody find you if they want to sign?

Speaker 2: 42:13

up. Yeah, sure, my website is thegooddogpeoplecom and my Instagram is at Lizzy L-I-Z-Z-Y and thegooddogpeoplecom, and I do have a business page for Facebook, but and you know, I post there. But I would say Instagram, my website, oh, and my newsletter. I am really having a love moment with my newsletter. I'm starting to send them more consistently and enjoying building them and I love the community around my newsletter, yeah.

Speaker 1: 42:55

So I'll make sure that we have the links in the show notes plus the link to sign up for your newsletter. And also another little surprise I haven't told you For my July newsletter, I am going to gift a winner a consultation. I know that their value is like $175, I believe. Is that it your initial consultation? Yeah, that is going to be my newsletter giveaway for July. I want somebody to win a consultation with you, and so they will have to make sure that they want that with their dog and they mark that and then that you know, make sure I'm not going to give it away to someone that doesn't have a dog. But yes, that is what I'm going to do. I want to do that and support your business and get somebody in front of what you do and share that, because that again is in my heart to do, and I want to support you in every way, shape or form and I think that that would be phenomenal.

Speaker 2: 43:49

That is incredibly generous gift for your audience.

Speaker 1: 43:54

I love that somebody could learn something as phenomenal as what you're sharing, so I'm so happy to do that.

Speaker 2: 44:02

So I'm touched, I'm touched, and that that guardian will be in very good hands.

Speaker 1: 44:08

I know, I know, and they can be anywhere. That's what's so great. You have it, they can be anywhere. Yeah, yeah oh.

Speaker 2: 44:16

I'll have to. I'll have to make sure I share a link to your newsletter yes, yes, because that is definitely something always.

Speaker 1: 44:24

they don't do anything else, you don't buy anything, you just sign up to to get a subscription, and I only send one a month, and so the july issue, um, you know that, that's, that's, that will be the giveaway. So they'll have the whole month to sign up. But, yeah, wow.

Speaker 2: 44:40

Oh yeah, Lovely. You really are so lovely and so generous. Your community is incredibly fortunate to have you there.

Speaker 1: 44:50

Oh, thank you. So we are going into the 4th of July, so do you have a special hint for all of us guardians with our animals? I know that that is a very scary time for our dogs.

Speaker 2: 45:03

It's scary time for dogs and veterans.

Speaker 1: 45:06

I know I have both here.

Speaker 2: 45:08

No, I know you do. I know you do. There are a few things I advocate. I advocate one is and this may not, you know, the timing of this may not work, but if your dog has sound phobias right, they're very fearful of thunder or fireworks or other sounds. Do talk to your veterinarian or a veterinary behaviorist about situational meds, for you know, when you're expecting a storm or around the 4th of July, that's. That's one thing, but you can also mask some of the sounds outside. So our setup is that I close all the windows. My dogs do get meds, but I close all of the windows. I run multiple fans, so I have a box type fan yeah, the microwave fan. I will play classical music or, you know, dogs like reggae. Sometimes I like a little like folk. We love our job.

Speaker 1: 46:13

Wait a minute. I did not know they liked reggae. I feel classical all the time. I'll have my reggae.

Speaker 2: 46:19

Yeah, and so I should pull the fact. But that actually came out of a study and so I'm remembering the essence of what I learned. But it was classical reggae. And there was one other type of music and what the dogs who were who participated in the study liked least was heavy metal. That would not be surprising at all. No, nope.

Speaker 1: 46:44

Oh, that is so funny. The theme of Vikings used to scare our boxer husky to death. Like she hated that theme song. What theme song From the movie or the show Vikings? Oh, it was like this deep drum, like heavy metal, like sound. He hated it.

Speaker 2: 46:59

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 47:00

That is so interesting. Oh my gosh Lizzie, that's so funny.

Speaker 2: 47:03

Yep, it's really you know one of the things. Um, anyway, I'll stay focused on the list I know here we go.

Speaker 2: 47:10

But I basically like to create as many auditory barriers as possible, and so maybe if I'm going to watch a movie that night, I'll choose something that isn't going to have gun sounds in it or sirens. I love the sound of music for that reason, things like that. And so that's one piece. You can maybe set your dog up with kind of a Zen den, a place where you, you know they feel safe. Maybe it's, you know, the floor of the bathroom. If that's where they run when they are fearful, um, they want to retreat under the sofa, let them, um, you know, pull down the shades, kind of create a very safe environment. So, um, comfortable places for them to hide and rest. Iggy has a little tent and, uh, when I she first came home and I noticed she was afraid of thunder sounds, I taught her to go into it on cue, so the cue take cover and she would just run into her little tent and curl up Yep, yep, and I would just feed her lots of treats and that's the other thing. So you know, you can have lots of really delicious things for your dogs to eat that night. You know, maybe frozen Kong's, a smeared peanut butter, or you can have some popsicles with beef broth, licking, chewing. These are things that do help calm some dogs, so you can have that too.

Speaker 2: 48:42

What am I missing here? Oh, for heaven's sake, make sure that your dog is wearing a collar and visible tags I like a bonus handwritten in a big Sharpie. Write their name and your phone number and tape it to their collar, right, so it's like someone who might be a bit of a distance away could see. But make sure that, even if you plan to stay inside, that your dog has identification on them and don't take them with you to see fireworks. Don't take them with you to the barbecue. Don't take them with you to the barbecue. If you need to be out on the 4th of July. Just leave them home, of course, assuming they don't have separation anxiety or something like that, but leave them home in a safe environment. Many dogs and cats go missing on the 4th of July.

Speaker 1: 49:35

Yeah, yeah, I didn't mean to put you on the spot, I just knew we were heading towards that and I'm happy to share this information.

Speaker 2: 49:40

Yeah, those are very it's essential information. I'm so glad you asked.

Speaker 1: 49:45

Oh no, that's very kind. Well, thank you again for being here. So great to catch up with you.

Speaker 2: 49:52

It was great to be here.

Speaker 1: 49:58

You know, and I and I appreciate you beyond measure.

Speaker 2: 50:00

So thank you so much. Oh same, my friend. Right back at you All right, have a good day, you too, tracy. Bye.