FernDog Podcast: Dog Training & Behavior Tips and Advice

Nothing pulls at your heartstrings like a dog who’s upset that you leave them. Separation Anxiety is a sad and (too common for my liking) problem that many dogs suffer from. It can be a tricky thing to address because often we are part of the problem.

Things we do and the ways we interact with our dogs will affect how they perceive events and shape their behavior – for good and for bad. So it’s very important that we educate ourselves and make sure we do everything we can to help our dogs to love us but not be dependent upon us to feel comfortable.

In this episode I’ll discuss the causes of separation anxiety and ways that you can improve it. I’ll also go over some red flags to look out for that could mean your dog might be on the path to developing it in the future.

In this episode

1:29  What I’m up to over on Youtube

2:31  Common symptoms of separation anxiety

4:12  When anxiety can start

5:28  Warning signs that your dog might be developing separation anxiety

7:50  How we can be contributing to the anxiety

14:09  Is medication helpful

16:31  How to enter and exit your home

20:00  The role of exercise in treating anxiety

21:21  Using food to help the problem

23:45  How practicing stay can improve separation anxiety

28:30  Training tip of the week

Links

Kong

My Youtube Chanel

Nothing pulls at your heartstrings like a dog who’s upset that you leave them. Separation Anxiety is a sad and (too common for my liking) problem that many dogs suffer from. It can be a tricky thing to address because often we are part of the problem.

Things we do and the ways we interact with our dogs will affect how they perceive events and shape their behavior – for good and for bad. So it’s very important that we educate ourselves and make sure we do everything we can to help our dogs to love us but not be dependent upon us to feel comfortable.

In this episode I’ll discuss the causes of separation anxiety and ways that you can improve it. I’ll also go over some red flags to look out for that could mean your dog might be on the path to developing it in the future.

In this episode

1:29  What I’m up to over on Youtube

2:31  Common symptoms of separation anxiety

4:12  When anxiety can start

5:28  Warning signs that your dog might be developing separation anxiety

7:50  How we can be contributing to the anxiety

14:09  Is medication helpful

16:31  How to enter and exit your home

20:00  The role of exercise in treating anxiety

21:21  Using food to help the problem

23:45  How practicing stay can improve separation anxiety

28:30  Training tip of the week

Links

Kong

My Youtube Chanel

Odds are you’ve probably heard of clicker training, but do you know what clicker training really is?

Although I don’t regularly use clicker training I have used it very successfully in the past and I know what a powerful tool it can be. Those who use it swear by it’s amazing ability to train complex task much quicker than without it.

To give you some info on it so you can see if it might be something you should experiment with I brought on my friend and clicker trainer, Jenna Gallicchio. Find out what this kind of training is all about and then see how your dog responds to it.

In this episode

1:55  The most bizarre question I’ve even received

9:15  When I used clicker training and how it worked out

11:47  Clicker training defined

15:13  Why clicker training works

17:53  What clicker training is good for

25:35  How to teach a basic behavior with a clicker

30:08  Do you need to use a clicker forever

37:12  A cool trick Jenna trained using the clicker

42:45  Training tip of the week

Links

Clicker on Amazon

Bob Baily’s chicken camps

Click to Calm by Emma Parsons

All Star Paws – Jenna’s website

Jenna on Facebook

From Puppy to Pal

Odds are you’ve probably heard of clicker training, but do you know what clicker training really is?

Although I don’t regularly use clicker training I have used it very successfully in the past and I know what a powerful tool it can be. Those who use it swear by it’s amazing ability to train complex task much quicker than without it.

To give you some info on it so you can see if it might be something you should experiment with I brought on my friend and clicker trainer, Jenna Gallicchio. Find out what this kind of training is all about and then see how your dog responds to it.

In this episode

1:55  The most bizarre question I’ve even received

9:15  When I used clicker training and how it worked out

11:47  Clicker training defined

15:13  Why clicker training works

17:53  What clicker training is good for

25:35  How to teach a basic behavior with a clicker

30:08  Do you need to use a clicker forever

37:12  A cool trick Jenna trained using the clicker

42:45  Training tip of the week

Links

Clicker on Amazon

Bob Baily’s chicken camps

Click to Calm by Emma Parsons

All Star Paws – Jenna’s website

Jenna on Facebook

From Puppy to Pal

Do you know what’s in your dog’s food? Is it healthy and really good for your dog?

Believe it or not, most commercial dog foods (especially those you find in pet stores or see commercials for on TV) or not the best choices to feed your dog. Many actually contain harmful ingredients that can greatly effect how your dogs feels daily, as well as even limit his longevity.

The time for trusting a bag of food without looking into what’s really in it are over. Luckily we have a lot of information at our disposal  nowadays and we’ve learned so much in recent years about how to better take care of the dog’s we share our lives with.

To help clear the air on what really is good nutrition for your dog I brought on canine nutrition expert Jeff Coltenback to give us the real story.

In this episode

3:30  How bad are many of the dog food out there

5:52  The shift in dog nutrition over the past 5 years

7:31  The effect of a bad dog food

10:48  What makes up a good food

12:10  Why a raw diet is so good

15:50  The proof is in the poop

17:48  How to feed a raw diet

18:42  The cost of feeding a good diet

20:57  Other good food choices

23:34  Ingredients that are hazardous to your dog – watch out for these!

30:01  How to transition to a new food

37:18  Do puppies need a different kind of food

43:27  Weekly training tip

Links

Jeff’s PDF on canine nutrition including how to transition to a new food

Paradise Pet – Jeff’s holistic pet shop

Jeffcoltenback.com

blogtalkradio.com/jeffcoltenback

Jeff’s Facebook page

Freeze Dried Liver – buy on Amazon.com

This past Sunday my poochy pal, Hayley turned 13. It got me thinking about all we’ve been through and how she (and I) have changed over the years. It made me realized just how different every stage of a dog’s life is and how we need to adapt to the marching of time.

As dogs get older their needs change and there are different things you should be aware of and focusing on. Their energy level shifts, their daily needs may change and we need to adjust the things we do with them each year.

I’ll go through the 5 life stages of dogs and tell you what you need to know so that you can keep your dog happy and healthy as he gets older.

In this episode

1:25  A big thanks for listening

3:30  My new podcast coming soon

4:00  Happy birthday to my dog Hayley

5:10  How our dogs change throughout life

6:23  The first life stage for dogs

9:41  The most important things to concentrate on with puppies

11:36  Surviving adolescence

14:59  What happens when dogs become adults

19:00  The effects of middle age

24:10  Helping your dog enjoy the golden years

28:40  The importance of regular vet visits

33:27  Training tip of the week

Links

Make Dogs Your Life Podcast about puppy socialization

 Walking on a leash is not something that just comes naturally to dogs, it’s something that they have to learn – and it’s our job to teach them.

There’s lots of different ways to train your dog not to pull on leash and what works best for one dog and handler might not be the best choice for another. It often takes some experimentation and trial and error to discover what works best for your dog.

In this episode I go over a few of the more common techniques to achieve loose leash walking that you can try with your dog so that you can enjoy your walks together.

In this episode

1:35  dog rescue t-shirt thanks

2:57  a dog’s perspective on leash walking

5:30  tools for leash walking

8:13  my favorite tool for leash pulling

9:50  the goal of leash walking

10:52  where should your dog be on leash

14:26  five different ways to train loose leash walking

24:24  why I don’t teach Heel

25:39  how to deal with excitement on leash

28:00  training tip of the show

In this episode I go over 9 things you need to understand are keep in mind when living with your dog. These keys will help you learn why your dog does what he does and know how to get the most out of your relationship together.

Some of these lessons will seem obvious but you’ll soon learn that you may be applying them in the wrong way or not considering everything involved. Others will open your eyes to things you never thought about that can have a huge impact on how you live with your dog and the joy you’re able to give each other.

One thing I’m sure of is that after listening to this show you’ll really understand your dog better and that will allow you to see things in a whole new light.

In this episode

1:22  listener question about helping dogs living together get along

6:22  understanding wants vs. needs

10:24  how breed impacts behavior

13:30  the challenges of two different species living together

16:41  learning about what motivates your dog

18:03  what your relationship with your dog should be

21:23  how repetitions shape your dog’s world

23:27  why you shouldn’t compare you dog with another

25:30  invest for the future with your dog

27:00  the power of fun

31:20  training tip of the week

Having two dogs is much more than twice as hard to manage. And adding a third or fourth to the mix can complicate things even further.

If you think you’re ready to bring another dog home, this episode will help you figure out if it’s the right thing to do, how to make a smart choice of which dog to choose, how to introduce the new dog to your existing pack and how to train multiple dogs at once.

There’s a lot to think about and it’s easy to get in over your head pretty quickly. However, if you get informed and do things the right way it can be an awesome thing for you and your dogs.

In this episode

2:13  Should you add another dog to your family

4:45  Picking the right dog that will fit in

8:24  How to properly introduce dogs

11:05  Why rules and structure are a must

14:56  What to do if the dog’s don’t get along

18:30  Status issues between dogs

20:54  Training more than one dog

25:45  Training tip of the week

Patricia McConnell’s video of her working stay with her dogs

What’s the best way to train your dog? Is positive training the way to go or is it more effective to give your dog corrections?

So many people have different opinions (including dog trainers) that it might be hard to know what’s best for your dog. I started my dog training education on one end of the spectrum and now, years later after much research, experimentation and dopey mistakes, my pendulum has swung the other way.

To sort through it all I invited dog training and behavior legend Dr. Ian Dunbar to give us his take on this topic.

In this episode

1:10  Winter concerns for dogs

6:00 Why reward training is so effective

8:01  Why it’s better to reward inconsistently

9:12  The dangers of inconsistant punishment

11:40  The definition of corrections and punishment

13:23  What to do when your dog misbehaves

17:00  Bringing back verbal feedback

20:15  What Ian feels is wrong with dog training today

27:38  The many things we can use as rewards besides food

29:39  How to use behavior problems as rewards

36:54  Why people turn to corrections

42:42  Creating a working relationship with your dog

50:55  Ian’s biggest training tip

56:42  Weekly training tip

Links

My podcast on collars and leashes – GDA 5

Dog Star Daily

Ian’s free puppy books