Doggie Dish Radio

Such a simple question with a not so simple answer. As Laura & Kim discuss this topic, you’ll hear why just blurting out “yes” may not be the best option. No matter how friendly your dog is under normal circumstances, there may be situations when he isn’t comfortable having a stranger pet or interact with him. Nobody wants to offend someone on the street who says nice things about their dog, like how cute he is, or he reminds them of a dog they had growing up. So, when that same person asks if they can pet your dog you feel compelled to say “yes”. Unfortunately, that may not be what’s best for your dog.

Kim & Laura discuss some myths about dog behavior and training. Find out how some of these ideas came about and whether or not they are true. Feel free to contact us with ideas you've heard of and maybe we can tell you if they are fact or indeed a myth. #dogmyths #dogbehaviormyths

Behavior is rarely isolated and more often than not one bad behavior can lead to another, more serious behavior if we don't see the potential connection. This episode discusses how to make those connections to prevent possible future behaviors from cropping up. #connectingthedots, #evolutionofbehaviors

Kim & Laura discuss what happens when our dogs don't like the things we want or expect them to like. Whether it's playing fetch, riding in the car or even other people & kids. It's important for us to understand what our dog is actually capable of instead of having our own goals and thrusting them upon our dogs even if they don't have the capacity to reach those goals. Just because you like it doesn't mean they will. #unrealisticexpectations, #iwantmydogtolike

Toys in Puppy Class To allow toys or not to allow toys, that is the question. When you watch puppies play together some things to take into consideration are *how* are they playing. Do they play chase or do they wrestle? Unfortunately, there are many group puppy classes which don’t allow people to bring toys to class, nor do they supply toys for the puppies to play with. The problem with this is that the only option that leaves the puppies is to wrestle & chase. As we all know, wrestling is practice fighting. If that is the only interaction, and especially the first interaction, your puppy has with other dogs then they are learning how to fight and getting better at it with each subsequent class. The reason trainers give for not allowing toys in puppy class is that they don’t want the puppies to start guarding toys. What they fail to realize is that by having toys in their classes they will minimize the possibility of that happening. By providing more toys than there are puppies they learn to share and inter

When we choose to be caretakers of animals we make a contract with them. That contract says you will not put your dog into an uncomfortable/unnecessary situation. What we mean by that is if we are in public with our dogs and somebody wants to pet or interact with your dog, it is your duty to know your dog well enough and read your dog’s body language to determine if he is comfortable with the person and wants to be petted.

Today's podcast is all about socializing your dogs.

When we choose to be caretakers of animals we make a contract with them. That contract says you will not put your dog into an uncomfortable/unnecessary situation. What we mean by that is if we are in public with our dogs and somebody wants to pet or interact with your dog, it is your duty to know your dog well enough, and read your dog’s body language to determine if he is comfortable with the person and wants to be petted.

Today's show is all about allowing your dog to play roughly with other dogs. What is acceptable and what isn't? We had a lot to day about this topic so there are 2 parts to this episode.

Laura & Kim talk about what to look for in a good breeder as well as some red flags that mean you should keep looking.

Kim & Laura talk about clickers, how to introduce them & what they are used for.

Laura & Kim talk about living in a home with both cats & dogs. They don't always agree on things in this show so have a listen to get two differing views on how to handle this situation

Laura & Kim discuss how teaching impulse control makes all training better. A dog with impulse control will seem like a better behaved dog than one without, no matter how much training the one without has had.

“Dealing with Oh No! Situations” In today's show Kim & Laura talk about what to do when the unexpected happens. We've all been through it. You're out with your dog and a loose dog comes running up on you, what's the best way to handle that and keep your dog safe?

Today Laura & Kim discuss how to get your dog to play. Play skills are so important in interacting with your dog. If your dog likes toys and will play with you then that's just another tool in your training toolbox.

Kim & Laura are usually on the same page with regards to training, but when it comes to tug of war they have differing opinions. Tug is a mutual killing game where you are a teammate with your dog killing the toy; it is not you against your dog fighting for the toy. However, just as with any game there are very specific rules for playing tug. Laura likes to play tug and teaches clients how to play it with their dogs, on the other hand, Kim does not like to play tug. So today Kim takes Laura systematically through the rules of tug to give you a clear understanding of how best to play it with your dogs and use it in training situations. One big rule for tug is to make the dog work for it. Meaning, before you offer the toy ask him to do something like sit, down, spin, shake, etc... Basically, anything he knows how to do can be asked for before offering the toy for play. Begin the game by asking your dog to do something for you. Once he does the behavior say “yep” and “take it” or “get it”. After he is playing ma

Kim & Laura discuss what happens when you play roughly or wrestle with your dog.

This is part 2 of our interview with movie & television trainer Mathilde DeCagny. Mathilde is known for her great work with Moose, who played Eddie on t.v.'s Frasier, as well as movies like Marley & Me, My Dog Skip, Hotel for Dog, Steel Magnolias, and many, many others.

This is part 1 of a 2 part interview with movie & television trainer Mathilde DeCagny. Mathilde is known for her great work with Moose, who played Eddie on t.v.'s Frasier, as well as movies like Marley & Me, My Dog Skip, Hotel for Dog, Steel Magnolias, and many, many others.

“Tricks” – Doggie Dish