Wag Podcast - Dog Podcasts

The Gift of Growl

The Golden Retriever is a very striking dog - in fact host Julie thinks they're so glamorous that they are the canine equivalent of actress Goldie Hawn! To find out what the breed is like to actually live with Julie talks to Merriol Haselden. Merriol has had Golden Retrievers in her life right from birth; Merriol's mother insisted on having a home birth to avoid leaving her devoted dog to go into hospital as the dog would pine for her. Now Merriol herself lives with five Goldens, and breeds the dogs she love so much so others can experience the joy of life with a Golden Retriever.

Merriol talks about the training, exercise and health of the breed as well as sharing many personal anecdotes. You can find out more about Merriol at the Overdene page on Champdogs, and if you're in the UK visit the Golden Retriever Club, and in the USA try the Golden Retriever Club of America.

Barknight

It's a first for DogCast Radio as Julie conducts an interview with a whole family simultaneously, and the McConnell family are delightful. In an attempt to keep their four children - Kelly, Brian, Kevin and Matthew - occupied in a busy restaurant, Dan and Meg McConnell started a game of wordplay. When the words bark and night were paired up within minutes the story of Barknight was born, and the family liked the story so much they decided to write it down and share their love of dogs and all animals with others. Barknight is a celebration of our pet dogs - and a reminder to appreciate the way they enhance and enrich our lives. To find out more visit the Barknight website, and you can contact the McConnells via Twitter using @Barknight.

News

In the DogCast Radio News you can hear how we choose dogs to reflect our personalities, about the perils of dog flipping, the slow move towards mandatory microchipping in the UK and the new TV channel for dogs in the USA. You can have a sneak peek at TV for dogs via the DOG TV Youtube channel. What does your dog make of TV made just for him?

new TV channel for dogs in the USA. You can have a sneak peek at TV for dogs via the DOG TV Youtube channel. What does your dog make of TV made just for him? Big Dog's Breakfast

If you enjoy eating and you'd like to help raise money for the wonderful charity Dogs for the Disabled, who supply assistance dogs that perform an array of tasks to help their owners, then join in with Big Dog's Breakfast week. Simply have a meal or a snack with family, friends or colleagues and ask for donations to support the charity's vital work.

Puppy given as prize on TV show.

Host Julie shares her worries on the impact of a puppy being given away as a prize on a British television show, Keith Lemon's Lemonaid. If like Julie, you are horrified at what happened on the Keith Lemon show, there are a number of ways you can make your opinion count. You can complain to Ofcom.You can also complain direct to ITV and there is also a petition you can sign to amend the law to stop the giving of live animals as prizes. There is also a KeithLemonsPuppyPrizeProtest facebook page that will help unite opposition to the incident, and keep you informed.

Today, we’ll discuss some general canine behavior modification tips to help you create a clear and concise pathway of communication for your dog to follow. This will also ultimately strengthen the bond between you and help you to create a stronger but loving leadership role.

Have questions? E-mail Nan at nan@petliferadio.com

More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Behavior Modification - with Nan Talleno on PetLifeRadio.com

The Gift of Growl

Most of us have heard our dogs growl - but do you realise how precious a gift your dog's growl can be? A growl is a warning that a dog is unhappy, and should alert the owner that action is necessary. However, the form that action takes is crucial to your dog's happiness - the important thing is never to scold a growl; so just how should we respond to a growl? Pat Miller has the answers. She explains why dogs growl and how we should react.

Pat was a humane officer at the Marin Humane society in California for over twenty years, before qualifying as a CPDT trainer and opening her own training establishment, Peaceable Paws. She is also the training editor of The Whole Dog Journal. In this interview, host Julie shares how she found Rusty's growl to be a very useful warning, and how she found and greatly appreciated Pat's article, The Gift of Growl. You can hear Pat giving some great advice on how to have a calm dog in DogCast Radio Episode 72.

Difficult Dog Training

While most dogs and owners take to dog training with very few problems, and enjoy classes and the company of other dogs, what happens to those who have a demanding or aggressive or noisy dog? It can be difficult for them to find help, and almost impossible for them to find a situation to let their dog work out how they should be behaving. Steven Havers is an expert on difficult demanding dogs, and many of the dogs who attend his classes have been rejected by other trainers.

Steven doesn't use treats, toys or fear in his training, and insists that if you get the relationship right between you and your dog, the dog will start to behave better. He runs classes and offers home visits to cope with a variety of problems. His greatest reward is when he sees a previously trouble dog relax. To find out more about Steven visit his Specialised Dog Training website, and you can hear him talking about the dog sport of Schutzhund in Episode 108 of DogCast Radio.

DogCast Radio News In the DogCast Radio News, Kate and Nick have stories of how dogs can help reduce stress in the workplace, how hearing dogs are helping deaf people, how one deaf dog was given a second chance after her breeder dumped her and much more. The Dog News Show

If you enjoy DogCast Radio, you may well like a new podcast called The Dog News Show. It's hosted by Julie Hill and Debbie Connolly and features spirited discussion of current dog related news stories. If you know of a dog story you'd like mentioned, get in touch.

DogCast Radio now on You Tube You can now enjoy DogCast Radio on You Tube. To enjoy the video versions of the shows, visit the DogCastRadio You Tube Channel - we'll be adding new episodes as fast as possible.

New! View the Video version of Dog Cast Radio Episode 130 on YouTube Busting Greyhound myths

Susan McKeon is a cat lover whose heart was won by a Greyhound, and she now lives with three of the breed - as well as her cat too. Susan delights in busting some of the myths that surround Greyhounds - so for example her three live in harmony with her cat, and she is doing agility with her first dog Mina. In fact it was Mina who opened the door into a whole new world for Susan, and it was for Mina that Susan set out to learn as much as she could about dogs. As a result, Susan now runs training classes for Gwen Bailey's Puppy School - Susan runs Puppy School North Lincolnshire - and she is studying a FdSc in Canine Behaviour & Training.

You can find out more about Susan at her blog, Diary of a Canine Convert, and you can contact her on Twitter and Facebook too.

Barb Murfet of the Australian National Kennel Club

While at Crufts we went to the main arena to watch the finals of the Freestyle Heelwork to Music competition. Julie fell into conversation with the lady sitting next to her and it became clear that she knew a lot about the sport. It turned out she was Barb Murfet who is the chair of the Australian National Kennel Club (ANKC) Dances With Dogs committee- how lucky was that?

In this show you can hear Julie and Barb talk about the stunning routines they had been watching, about the ANKC and Barb's own dogs back in Australia.

Jenny Deakin and Michelle Dodson on Heelwork to Music

Jenny Deakin competed in both the Heelwork to Music and the Freestyle Heelwork to Music finals at Crufts, and also lead a display of the sport in the main arena. Jenny and her clever dog Tom were placed 10th in the Freestyle final, and 3rd in the Heelwork to Music, so congratulations to them. You can keep up to date with Jenny and her dogs at her heelwork to music blog.

The team of dogs and handlers helping Jenny demonstrate some heelwork to music moves included Christina Oxtoby with her Great Dane Ruach and Sarah Baker with her Pomeranian Ted. Julie spoke to both Christina and Sarah about the opportunities and challenges of working with such different sized dogs. The main message is that no dog is too small or too large to take part in the sport.

There are many great websites offering information about heelwork to music, including Paws n music and Canine Freestyle G.B. and if you'd like to know more about Ruach, the only Great Dane competing in Heelwork to Music in the UK, visit ICC Dog Training.

Michelle Dodson competes in Heelwork to Music, but she was at Crufts this year judging both that and the Freestyle finals. Julie found out just what a judge is looking for in these disciplines, including the difference between the two closely related sports, and how the choice of music can be so vital. Michelle is an instructor at the Cotswold Dog Training School where Cotswold Heelwork to Music is based.

Blue Cross

Many charities use Crufts as an opportunity to promote their work to the public, and this year The Blue Cross animal charity was excited to reveal its relaunch with a whole new look stand, logo and new uniforms for both human and dog staff and volunteers. DogCast Radio's Julie and Buddy are Educational Visitors for the charity and spent some time on the stand during Crufts, and Julie spoke with Education Development Manager Tracy Genever to find out more about the charity's new look. To find out more visit The Blue Cross website.

Sealyham Terriers

Crufts is a great opportunity to encounter breeds that you don't see much of in everyday life. Harry Parsons was there to promote his Sealyham Terriers - which are classed as vulnerable in the UK with only 63 puppies being registered in 2011. Harry is passionate about the breed he loves and has the only working pack of Sealyhams in the world. Interestingly as a breeder of a numerically struggling breed, Harry has lots of praise for the genetic advice of the Kennel Club. You can learn more about Harry and his beloved dogs at the My Sealyhams website.

Puppy Playtime

A special Crufts edition of Puppy Playtime hosted by Jenny features Laura Leigh who is a staunch supporter of the Nowzad charity which works hard to rescue stray and abandoned animals in Afghanistan. Sisters Emily and Louise Hinks are Young Kennel Club members, you can hear how Emily got on in the handling competition and how Louise coped with the grooming competition. Plus all three girls were performing in the Safe and Sound displays - find out what the scheme's message is.

Medical Detection Dogs Dr Claire Guest is the founder of and head trainer for the charity Medical Detection Dogs. These dogs do amazing things - they sniff out the fact that diabetes sufferers have low blood sugar and alert their owner to the need to adjust this with insulin, they can scent and alert to the presence of cancer cells, and one of them is the only scientifically proven Addison's detection dog in the world. These dogs change lives; not only the life of the person they are trained for, but the whole family find a new sense of security and relief. Claire recently had her own cancer diagnosed thanks to one of the dogs she is training, and thanks to clever Daisy Claire's cancer was detected very early. You can hear Claire talking about her experiences in this show. Lesley Nicol who plays Mrs Patmore in the wonderful television show Downton Abbey has just become an ambassador for Medical Detection Dogs and she was on the stand helping promote the work the charity does, and Julie was delighted to meet her. Front wheeling dogs Liz Hennel and Stella Spence recently connected with each other via Faecbook and they have something very important in common - both their dogs use front leg carts. Liz's dog Hope has been disabled from a very early age, while Stella's Molly had her leg amputated after she was rescued from her life as a stray. The four were meeting up at Crufts for the first time and they talked about the issues they have faced and how the front wheel carts have improved the dogs' quality of life. YUMPRO BioActiv Crufts is a great opportunity to launch new doggy products and Lintbells were launching one that may sound humorous, but has been helping dogs - and indirectly their humans. If your dog has flatulence or loose stools, you'll know how distressing and embarrassing this problem can be. Lintbells new product YUMPRO BioActiv. To find out how this new product has been helping Julie spoke to John Howie, as well as satisfied customer Julie Growcott and her lovely Rough Collie Ted who has a beautiful coat as a result of Yumpro. You can find out more on the Lintbells website. Flyball The Hertfordshire-based High Flyers are one of the top flyball teams in the UK and they are joint hosts and organisers of the European Championships, a three day event which is likely to attract around 150 international teams and up to 2,000 dogs. It takes place in July 2012 at Littleport in Cambridgeshire. The team competed in the main arena at Crufts, and chatted to Julie about this fast canine sport which you can find out more about at their website. Crufts Factor Paul Keevil may have been banned from entering look alike competitions because he looks so like his dog it spoils the fun for everyone else, but he and his Dandie Dinmont Jackson made it the finals of fun competition Crufts Factor. While Jackson didn't win the Crufts Factor, he and Paul had a marvelous time in the main arena and Jackson was a great ambassador for his breed whose numbers are very low in the UK. There is a lot of information about "vulnerable" British breeds at the British Heritage Dog Breeds site. The winner of the competition was a talented Shiba Inu called Elee who wowed the crowd with an impressive display of behaviours. The Puppy Plan. Carolyn Menteith is an experienced dog trainer who has teamed up with Dogs Trust and The Kennel Club to develop The Puppy Plan. This is a scheme to encourage and enable breeders and owners to make the most of those early weeks of a puppy's life when he is open and unafraid of new experiences. Carolyn explains why those early weeks are so important and how to ensure your dog encounters lots of different sights and sounds. As Carolyn points out, the majority of dogs are pet dogs and a sound socialisation early on helps them become and remain well balanced and happy. For more information visit The Puppy Plan website. Nina Ottosson Nina Ottosson famously designs games that help keep your dog's brain occupied by presenting him with problem solving puzzles. Nina's games make dogs work out how to move puzzle parts with a paw or their teeth to get some tasty treats. Nina talks about how she originally started designing her canine conundrums and why she finds it so useful to mix with dog owners at Crufts. Nina's games can be bought via her website or from the Company of Animals website. Company of Animals founder Dr. Roger Mugford talked to Julie about why it's so important to keep our dogs occupied and about his concerns for dogs living in the modern world. Pet competition Does your dog damage or destroy toys? Well make the best of things, take a photo of the evidence and enter the competition that Ben & Bruce Fogle are running. Bruce and Ben Fogle are delighted to announce the launch of a quirky competition for all dog and cat lovers in a bid to gather new friends for two important charities - Dogs Trust and Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. Pet people are being asked to send photos of creatively nibbled, torn, shredded, scratched, chewed, deconstructed or simply destuffed dog and cat toys to www.londonvetclinic.co.uk where they will be judged taking into account their originality, humour, intelligence, artistry or just plain ability to make you smile! The winner will have the pet of their choice photographed by eminent photographer Nick Stevens. 

Debbie Connolly discusses Crufts 2012 vet checks At Crufts 2012 the Best of Breed winner in fifteen high profile breeds had to face a vet check to prove they were in good health. These fifteen breeds are the Basset Hound, Bloodhound, Bulldog, Chow Chow, Clumber Spaniel, Dogue De Bordeaux, German Shepherd Dog, Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Pekingese, Shar Pei, St Bernard, French Bulldog, Pug and Chinese Crested. Of those fifteen, six dogs failed the vet check, those being the Neapolitan Mastiff, Mastiff, Clumber Spaniel, Bulldog and Pekingese & Basset Hound. This move has attracted widespread comment both in support of and against the vet checks, and it is a complex issue. To help make sense of it Julie spoke to experienced dog expert and animal behaviourist Debbie Connolly on what's really going on, and what the future might hold for pedigree dogs in the UK. To find out more about Debbie Connolly visit her SafePets website or find her on Twitter or Facebook. To find out more about the Kennel Club, visit their website, or find them on Twitter and Facebook too, and below you can read the Kennel Club's press release about the vet checks. If you have a strong opinion about the new vet checks, do get in touch and have your say. Kennel Club press statement NO CRUFTS CHAMPIONS IN HIGH PROFILE BREEDS AT CRUFTS 2012 UNLESS VETS GIVE CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH All dogs of the fifteen ‘high profile’ breeds which win Best of Breed at Crufts 2012, and all Kennel Club licensed General and Group Championship Shows after that, will need to be given a clean bill of health by the show veterinary surgeon before their awards are confirmed and they are allowed to progress to the next stage of the show. This requirement is designed to improve canine health and protect the sport of dog showing. This move was taken by the Kennel Club on the advice of its Dog Health Group, in order to ensure that the fifteen high profile breeds, which include the likes of the Pekingese and the Bulldog, do not bring the whole hobby of dog showing into disrepute. In addition, before a Champion title can be confirmed for any dog or bitch within these breeds, the dog will have to undergo a successful veterinary examination at a Group or General Championship Show. Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “There are 195 breeds whose participation in the hobby of dog showing is overshadowed by the small minority of people within some high profile breeds who seem to continue to breed, and the judges who occasionally reward, unhealthy dogs, and who by so doing are bringing down the reputation of the hobby and the rest of the dog showing fraternity. “The Kennel Club must ensure, for the good of dogs, that only healthy dogs go home from dog shows with prizes. We need to show that the show ring is, as Professor Patrick Bateson said it can be, a ‘positive lever for change’ in the world of dogs. “This action will not only protect the reputation of the majority of dog showing people who put the health and welfare of their dogs first and foremost, but it will also continue to encourage improvement within the high profile breeds themselves, ensuring that the healthiest are justly held up as an example for others to follow.” The changes come after measures were put in place in 2009 to try to ensure that only healthy dogs are rewarded in the show ring. Judges now have the power to remove dogs that look unhealthy from competition. Professor Steve Dean, Chairman of the Kennel Club and himself a veterinary surgeon, said of the new requirements: “Show vets will be given clear guidelines and will be directed to prevent dogs from continuing at the show in question if they are suffering from a clinical problem which adversely affects the dog’s wellbeing. “This move will enable the Kennel Club to work with vets to assess the real progress that breeds are making at senior award level and to take to task more effectively the minority of judges who pick unsound or unhealthy dogs to the show ring as their winners.” "For some of the breeds this will still be a huge challenge. but the intent is to improve the overall health and welfare of dogs and if the veterinary checks helps achieve this then it has to be a step in the right direction."

How dogs combat stress Bonnie Church knows from personal experience how much our dogs enrich our lives - she has two dogs of her own as well as two grand-dogs. Plus Bonnie has seen the contentment a dog has brought to her mother's life. Being a life and wellness coach she also understands very well how much dogs help us to cope with stress. Bonnie is a motivational speaker who has traveled nationally to speak at seminars related to living a fuller life, as well as being a Certified Nutritional Counselor and the co-author of "Coach Lydia's No-Nonsense Guide to Getting off your Butt and on with Your Life." In this interview Bonnie explores many aspects of the human dog relationship and how we benefit from our canine companions and tells how the co-author Lydia Martinez found inspiration from her dog at the lowest time in her life. To find out more about Bonnie visit the A Life Now website, and to find out more about Lydia visit her website. Nature vs Nurture DogCast Radio listener Sarah Wilkinson wrote to express her enjoyment of Debbie Connolly and Nick Jones' discussion of dogs on beds and to pose her own question to our experts. Debbie is a dog and cat behaviourist who also treats goats, pigs, and other pet livestock and has numerous published articles and media appearance including "Dog Borstal" and "Britain's Most Embarrassing Pets." Nick Jones is a Master Trainer with The Guild of Dog Trainers and is a proud full member to the Canine and Feline Behaviour Association. He has also given a number of interviews with the BBC on dog behaviour and dog training related matters as well as writing for Dogs Monthly, Field & Rural Life and Animal Health & Happiness magazines. Here they discuss the character and temperament of Shiba Inus, as well as many other breeds, and debate whether nurture can overcome nature. You can find out more about Debbie Connolly at the Safepets website, or on Twitter, and about Nick at the Alpha Dog Behaviour website or also on Twitter. If you have a question you'd like Nick and Debbie to consider do get in touch. News and other items In the DogCast Radio News, Kate & Nick bring you information about how you can help support the bid to have stamps celebrating working military dogs by signing the US War Dogs petition. Also did you know that Kansas is currently in the process of considering adopting the Cairn Terrier as its official state dog. Currently eleven states have an official state dog breed: Maryland has the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Pennsylvania has the Great Dane, North Carolina the Plott Hound, South Carolina the Boykin Spaniel, Massachusetts the Boston Terrier, Alaska fittingly chose the Alaskan Malamute, New Hampshire the Chinook, Louisiana the Catahoula Leopard dog, texas the Blue Lacy, Virginia the American Foxhound and Wisconsin the American Water Spaniel.