Your Family Dog Podcast

Enrichment is a favorite topic here on Your Family Dog, and with good reason. Providing your dog with enrichment activities keeps them happier, healthier, and better-behaved. And while finding enrichment activities can feel complicated or overwhelming, it really doesn't have to be. Join Tina and fellow dog trainer Emily Breslin for a discussion about the importance of enrichment, and suggestions for fun, easy ways to make it happen. For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog.

Time out! We're used to time outs being something bad- a punishment given to a misbehaving child. But what if that's the wrong way to look at them? What if time outs can actually be good things? And what if we all need them- not just kids, but adults and dogs, too? Dog trainer Kelsey Weber and psychologist Shaun Davis are big believers in the power of a good time out to help everybody, regardless of age (or species!). The two of them joined the show today to talk about the right way to do a time out, and the importance of self-care and support not just for us, but also for our toddlers, teenagers, and four-legged friends. For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog

K9 Search and Rescue legend Bob Deeds is back! There was simply too much for one episode, so we're bringing you two. Join us right where we left off last week to learn more about geosniffing, the science of scent, and how Bob's geocache coin made it all the way to Iraq and back. For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog

All work and no play makes Fido a dull pup...or something like that. Either way, even the hardest-working dogs need to play sometimes. Enter Bob Deeds, a retired K9 search and rescue specialist who has developed a whole new sport- geo-sniffing- designed to allow dogs to enjoy the challenge of scentwork in the great outdoors without the stress of rescue work. Tune in to learn more about Bob's work, and the art and science of geo-sniffing. For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog.

When it comes to getting a new dog, most of us automatically think of puppies and assume it's a furry little canine baby we'll be welcoming into our home. We don't usually think of our "new" dog as being a senior citizen, but there are plenty of adult and senior dogs out there in need of loving homes and bringing one into your family can be an immensely rewarding experience. Dog safety expert Peggy Rew is a huge fan of senior dog adoption- join her and Tina today for a discussion about the joys and challenges of adopting older dogs. For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog.

To the untrained eye, dog bites can often seem random or unprovoked and thus difficult or impossible to prevent. However, this is far from the case. By knowing the signs to look for and the correct way to approach dogs, dog bites can be easily avoided. Pet educator Peggy Rew knows this well- she literally wrote the book on it! (And there's coloring pages, too!) Pull up a chair and join us for a discussion of dog bite prevention and canine safety. For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog.

Show favorite Jen Shryock is back! A licensed Family Dog Mediator the and found of Family Paws, LLC., Jen has built her career on helping kids and dogs thrive in each other's company. She returned to Your Family Dog today to talk more about child-dog safety, different types of supervision, and all the ways we dumb humans misinterpret what our dogs are telling us. Don't miss it! For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog.

Senior dog specialist Helen St. Pierre returns to YFD, but this time she's joined by trainer Kathy Callahan, who focuses on the other end of life- puppies! The two of them are co-authors of the new book "Old Dog, New Dog" which aims to help families navigate living with both senior dogs and puppies. Pull up a chair and listen in for a conversation about puppies, seniors, death, aging, and everything in between! For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog.

Welcome back to the continuation of last week's conversation with herding dog expert Emily Priestley! Join us for more insights on keeping herding dogs happy in pet dog homes, when "normal" isn't actually "normal" (and when you should see the vet) and why "problem behavior" often isn't actually "problem behavior." For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog.

Herding dogs- they're gorgeous, energetic, loyal, and scary smart. We all love them, and many of us love the idea of having one of these beautiful, faithful dogs by our side. But are they really the right dog for every family? Emily Priestley is the founder of Wild at Heart Dog Training, where she specializes in helping people successfully manage herding dogs in pet homes. She came on the show today to share her expertise. Join us as we chat about both the very real challenges and the very real joys of sharing a life with herding dogs. For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog

Two of YFD's favorite guests are back! Animal behavior experts Zazie Todd and Marc Bekoff join Tina today to discuss all the things we humans misunderstand about our dogs, their behavior, the best way to work with them. Pull up a chair and tune in for a conversation you won't want to miss! For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog

There was too much good stuff in Aishlyn's conversation to limit it to just one episode. That's why we're back this week with Part 2 of "Delilah and the Dogs." Tune in for more adventures with toddlers and canines with mom and dog trainer Aishlyn Skocyzlas. For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog

Back in February, dog trainer and new mom Aishlyn Skocyzlas came on the show to talk about her experience living with babies and dogs. Well, little baby Delilah is over a year old now, bringing a whole new set of challenges and delights. In what will hopefully be a recurring feature, Aishlyn came back on the show to update us on what's changed, what she's learned, and how she's navigating life with a toddler and dogs. For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog.

It's hard to think of a more beloved story than that of a boy and his dog, and that's exactly what we have today. Tina is joined by artist, author, and musician Timothy Renner whose friendship with his childhood dog could have come straight out of a classic Disney film. Tune in as Tim shares memories of his boyhood dog, Barney, reminding us all that sometimes the most important "people" in our lives come with four paws and a wagging tail. For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog.

What's this? Julie's back? Well, not quite. Recorded earlier this year and subsequently lost in the shuffle, this previously overlooked, never-before-heard episode has been rescued from the YFD Vault for your listening pleasure. Tune in for a discussion of how dog training is like novel writing and, whether authors or dog trainers, we all have to stumble our way towards the beginning. For show notes and more, go to Your Family Dog

It's Julie's final episode! Tina is joined in giving her a sendoff by former YFD host Colleen Pelar and favorite YFD guest Zazie Todd. Tune in for a fond look back at "Your Family Dog," including its origin story, memorable episodes, and opossums behaving badly. For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog.

Humans and dogs are a tale as old as time- literally! From almost the very beginning of human evolution, dogs have been with us as our faithful friends and companions. But where did this first of human-animal friendships begin, and how? Today we're diving into the origins of the dog. Come along as we travel back in time and explore the history of our favorite four-legged friends. For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog.

We've all been there- we're out and about with our normally well-behaved dog when suddenly we encounter something unfamiliar and Fido promptly loses his marbles. What happened to all that training? You're not alone- it happens to the best of us. Today, Julie and Tina talk about those times when your dog goes a little bit nuts- how to handle it, when to loosen up a little bit, and remembering to trust the process. For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog

The term "pythiosis" probably doesn't mean much to most people. Yet this particular disease- which can affect humans, dogs, and other mammals- while not common, nevertheless seems to be on the rise, with cases being reported in more and more places. So what is this disease? How is it spread, how is it treated, and how can you protect your pet? In the first of multiple episodes examining pythiosis, Tina talks to her friend Katie Gallagher about her experience dealing with the disease in her young puppy. For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog

Living with kids and dogs can be fun, but it can also be incredibly challenging. Balancing different needs and keeping everybody happy is no easy task, but it can be done and the end result can be amazing! Today Julie and Tina are joined by Aishlyn Skoczylas, a dog trainer and new mom, to discuss her experience of bringing home a tiny human to a house full of dogs. Tune in to hear the good, the bad, and what she wished she had known sooner. For show notes and more, please go to Your Family Dog