WENDY LYONS SUNSHINE: TENDER PAWS
This episode of Big Blend Radio’s “The Pet Connection” Podcast features award-winning author and journalist Wendy Lyons Sunshine who discusses her new book, “Tender Paws: How Science-Based Parenting Can Transform Our Relationship with Dogs.”
In her new book, “Tender Paws: How Science-Based Parenting Can Transform Our Relationship with Dogs,” Wendy Lyons Sunshine captures best practices from parenting experts around the globe and adapts them to the care of dogs, offering pet owners a flexible, customizable alternative to traditional puppy training classes in group settings.
“Try to work one on one, pace it, and make it part of everyday life,” she said during a recent interview. “Puppies are like kids. Kids are learning all the time as they’re growing up. Parents rarely sit them down and say, ‘OK, now you’re going to learn to be a little human.’”
When Sunshine got her first puppy — abandoned behind a gas station, struggling with worms and anemia — she was in over her head. Puppy training guides failed to help her with the out-of-control bundle of teeth and claws rescue pup, and in desperation, she turned to her work helping world-class child development experts. Could strategies for raising happy, well-adjusted kids transfer to a puppy? As it turns out, yes, they can!
Parenting wisdom transformed Sunshine’s relationship with her challenging little one. Soon enough, Sunshine’s view of her puppy shifted from one of adversity to one of compassion and understanding, helping her bring patience and therapeutic concepts to meet her dog’s needs.
Full of illustrative cases and thoughtful insights to support dog welfare and inspire your own pet parenting journey, Sunshine’s new book, “Tender Paws,” explores parallels between human and canine research; delves into attachment theory, the effects of trauma, parenting styles, and sensory issues; and offers strategies that meet the needs of all dogs — often in unexpectedly simple ways. Far from a standard dog training manual, “Tender Paws” reveals why love alone isn’t always enough and how evidence-informed parenting practices can help.
Wendy Lyons Sunshine is an award-winning writer and journalist who co-authored “The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family,” a bestseller that has been translated into multiple languages; and “Raising the Challenging Child: How to Minimize Meltdowns, Reduce Conflict, and Increase Cooperation.” She blogs about animal welfare and the human-dog bond for PsychologyToday.com and has contributed to The New York Times, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Weekly, and many other publications. She has trained in the L.E.G.S. applied ethology model of Family Dog Mediation and assisted at a local animal shelter. She and her husband live with a rescue dog on an overgrown acre where they all enjoy watching wildlife. More: https://www.wendylsunshine.com/.
From Rescue Stories to Pet Care and Behavior, the Big Blend Radio “Pet Connection” Podcast Celebrates our Furry, Feathery, and Scaly Friends! New Episodes Featuring Expert Interviews and Conversations Air Every 3rd Wednesday with guest cohost Angela Laws, veteran pet sitter and community manager at Trustedhousesitters.com.
