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Hound Opinions
Hound Opinions episodes
- Yay muzzles!
It's just me this time around and I'm talking muzzles with y'all! There are so many great reasons for your pup to wear a muzzle. And in fact, I tend to think that most dogs should be taught to comfortably wear a muzzle just as a matter of course. It's that useful of a skill.
No matter why you decide to muzzle your pup, proper fit and properly conditioning them to wearing it are super important. And that's what this episode's about.
Big Wags Chicago is online at www.bigwagschicago.com. You can also find Big Wags on Facebook, BlueSky, Discord, TikTok and Instagram under the handle @bigwagschicago. Have a question you want answered in a future episode or just want to say hi? Email [email protected].
11 min - Season 5 premier - all about anticipatory grief
Welcome to Season 5 of the pod! Brace yourselves. It's gonna get emotional. Trigger warning: This episode talks about pet death.
I brought back one of my favorite guests - Alex Fliess - to talk about anticipatory grief. Alex is a licensed clinical social worker in Chicago. After starting work in a group therapy practice in 2016, Alex went on to open their own practice – Three Tales Therapy – in 2018 and also co-owns Chicago Center for Sex and Wellbeing.
Anticipatory grief tends to hit pet guardians because unless your pet is one of those turtles or birds that live 100 years, the odds are you’re going to outlive your pet. And that’s weird because it means that you spend this time you have with them knowing that the time is limited.
Big Wags Chicago is online at www.bigwagschicago.com. You can also find Big Wags on Facebook, BlueSky, Discord, TikTok and Instagram under the handle @bigwagschicago. Have a question you want answered in a future episode or just want to say hi? Email [email protected].
52 min - Season 4 finale!
It's the finale of Season 4! After this episode, the pod’s going to go on a break for a bit. But I’ve already got some fun stuff lined up for season 5. And you never know. I might pop in with an unofficial episode from time to time, but the new season will officially drop sometime after the 4th of July.
We’re going to start by talking about leashes and why
it’s so important to have your dog on a leash while you’re out and about in the world. Why? Because spring and summer are upon us and I’m already starting to see LOTS of off-leash dogs out in the wild and honestly, I’m pretty annoyed by it.After my leash rant, I’m going to answer a listener question. My very dear friend Rachelle asked if I could talk about best practices for bringing a dog into your home when you already have a dog. And it's one of my favorite things to talk about.
DON'T FORGET: I want to answer YOUR training and behavior questions on the pod. And I want to play your voices asking those questions. You've got two options:
- Use your audio recording app of choice to record yourself asking a training or behavior question and email it to [email protected]. I will then play it on the pod and answer it.
- You can actually jump on a recording session with me and we'll go over your question together. That'll let me ask you follow-up questions and really dig deep into the issue. If that's the route you want to go, shoot me a quick email at [email protected].
Big Wags Chicago is online at www.bigwagschicago.com. You can also find Big Wags on Facebook, BlueSky, Discord, TikTok and Instagram under the handle @bigwagschicago. Have a question you want answered in a future episode or just want to say hi? Email [email protected].
36 min - Unsung heroes: Veterinary social workers
Nobody takes their pet to the emergency vet when things are great. No matter why you’ve taken your pet there, it’s always stressful. It’s always scary. And all those factors make it hard to focus on anything, much less digest complicated medical information and make potential life or death decisions for your pet.
My guests this time are Laurie Maxwell and Claire Johnson. Laurie is the director of social work for MedVet, a chain of emergency and specialty veterinary hospitals with over 40 locations around the country. Claire is the veterinary social worker at MedVet’s Chicago location. Laurie and Claire will give us an inside look at just what veterinary social workers do and how that work can help make a really scary time for you and your pet a bit easier. A quick trigger warning, by the way: This episode does discuss pets in various states of medical distress, emotional trauma and euthanasia.
DON'T FORGET: I want to answer YOUR training and behavior questions on the pod. And I want to play your voices asking those questions. You've got two options:
- Use your audio recording app of choice to record yourself asking a training or behavior question and email it to [email protected]. I will then play it on the pod and answer it.
- You can actually jump on a recording session with me and we'll go over your question together. That'll let me ask you follow-up questions and really dig deep into the issue. If that's the route you want to go, shoot me a quick email at [email protected].
Big Wags Chicago is online at www.bigwagschicago.com. You can also find Big Wags on Facebook, BlueSky, Discord, TikTok and Instagram under the handle @bigwagschicago. Have a question you want answered in a future episode or just want to say hi? Email [email protected].
54 min - All about resource guarding
Resource guarding is exactly what it sounds like – it’s when a dog guards something that it considers a resource. And it can be scary because dogs will go to great lengths to protect their resources, including snapping, nipping or biting at people or other dogs who they feel are trying to take their resource.
But what people often forget is that resource guarding
is actually a pretty common and normal-ish behavior. And it gets even more tricky because so many different things can be considered “resources”. So how, then, do you deal with it? That's what this episode is all about!DON'T FORGET: I want to answer YOUR training and behavior questions on the pod. And I want to play your voices asking those questions. You've got two options:
- Use your audio recording app of choice to record yourself asking a training or behavior question and email it to [email protected]. I will then play it on the pod and answer it.
- You can actually jump on a recording session with me and we'll go over your question together. That'll let me ask you follow-up questions and really dig deep into the issue. If that's the route you want to go, shoot me a quick email at [email protected].
Big Wags Chicago is online at www.bigwagschicago.com. You can also find Big Wags on Facebook, BlueSky, Discord, TikTok and Instagram under the handle @bigwagschicago. Have a question you want answered in a future episode or just want to say hi? Email [email protected].
26 min - Pros and cons of crate training
We're talking crates this time, y'all!
I make no secret of the fact that I love crate training. But crating is also controversial. It’s not a magic bullet and if a dog isn’t taught how to be comfortable in a crate, it can have serious negative effects on their mental health and in fact can have negative effects on their physical health if they decide to try to get out of the crate and hurt themselves. So what’s the right answer?
That’s a good question! And it's why I'm doing this episode!
DON'T FORGET: I want to answer YOUR training and behavior questions on the pod. And I want to play your voices asking those questions. You've got two options:
- Use your audio recording app of choice to record yourself asking a training or behavior question and email it to [email protected]. I will then play it on the pod and answer it.
- You can actually jump on a recording session with me and we'll go over your question together. That'll let me ask you follow-up questions and really dig deep into the issue. If that's the route you want to go, shoot me a quick email at [email protected].
Big Wags Chicago is online at www.bigwagschicago.com. You can also find Big Wags on Facebook, BlueSky, Discord, TikTok and Instagram under the handle @bigwagschicago. Have a question you want answered in a future episode or just want to say hi? Email [email protected].
26 min - Breed spotlight: Lancashire Heeler
We're learning all about the Lancashire Heeler today!
The Lancashire Heeler is the newest breed to join the American Kennel Club and I could think of nobody better to talk to than Sheryl Bradbury. Sheryl's the president of the United States Lancashire Heeler Club and the Nebraska Kennel Club. She gives us the inside scoop on the Lancashire Heeler and I even get her to talk a little trash and tell us why she thinks Lancashire Heelers should win the coveted Best in Show title.
DON'T FORGET: I want to answer YOUR training and behavior questions on the pod. And I want to play your voices asking those questions. You've got two options:
- Use your audio recording app of choice to record yourself asking a training or behavior question and email it to [email protected]. I will then play it on the pod and answer it.
- You can actually jump on a recording session with me and we'll go over your question together. That'll let me ask you follow-up questions and really dig deep into the issue. If that's the route you want to go, shoot me a quick email at [email protected].
Big Wags Chicago is online at www.bigwagschicago.com. You can also find Big Wags on Facebook, BlueSky, Discord, TikTok and Instagram under the handle @bigwagschicago. Have a question you want answered in a future episode or just want to say hi? Email [email protected].
43 min - Eris' Foster Tales
Hound Opinions is back, baby!
That's right! The holiday hiatus is over and we're diving back into it by talking once again about fostering.
Since Thanksgiving, my spouse and I have fostered a couple dogs. That's part of why we got a house, after all. The first experience was not so great and I'll get into why in the episode. The second was pretty great. I wanted to talk about both of those experiences
because they’re so different and they represent the real gamut of what fostering is like. It’s a tough experience and the fact that I’m aprofessional dog trainer who works with tough dogs every day doesn’t make me immune from having a tough time with a foster dog.So sit back, relax and strap it down, because it's going to be a little emotional.
DON'T FORGET: I want to answer YOUR training and behavior questions on the pod. And I want to play your lovely voices asking those questions. You've got two options:
- Use your audio recording app of choice to record yourself asking a training or behavior question and email it to [email protected]. I will then play it on the pod and answer it.
- You can actually jump on a recording session with me and we'll go over your question together. That'll let me ask you follow-up questions and really dig deep into the issue. If that's the route you want to go, shoot me a quick email at [email protected].
Big Wags Chicago is online at www.bigwagschicago.com. You can also find Big Wags on Facebook, BlueSky, Discord, TikTok and Instagram under the handle @bigwagschicago. Have a question you want answered in a future episode or just want to say hi? Email [email protected].
38 min - Bonus episode - Keeping your dog calm and safe during holiday gatherings
Look! It's a bonus episode!
The pod is technically on hiatus, but I wanted to chat a bit about how to keep your dogs feeling calm and comfortable during holiday gatherings. It's too late to help with that turkey-based holiday, but we still have Hanukkah and Christmas and other winter seasonal gatherings coming up.
And just so you're not worried, the pod *WILL* be back in earnest next month!
DON'T FORGET: I want to answer YOUR training and behavior questions on the pod. And I want to play your lovely voices asking those questions. You've got two options:
- Use your audio recording app of choice to record yourself asking a training or behavior question and email it to [email protected]. I will then play it on the pod and answer it.
- You can actually jump on a recording session with me and we'll go over your question together. That'll let me ask you follow-up questions and really dig deep into the issue. If that's the route you want to go, shoot me a quick email at [email protected].
Big Wags Chicago is online at www.bigwagschicago.com. You can also find Big Wags on Facebook, BlueSky, Discord, TikTok and Instagram under the handle @bigwagschicago. Have a question you want answered in a future episode or just want to say hi? Email [email protected].
19 min - Parental guilt and you
It’s safe to say that we all want to do the best we can for our pups. We want to give them the best food. We want to make sure we’re closely monitoring their health so that they’re always healthy and
comfortable. We want to make sure that they don’t’ find themselves in situations where they may feel uncomfortable and like they have to defend themselves.But none of us are perfect. We’re not able to have our eyes on our dogs 24/7. We’re going to occasionally miss things (or think we’ve missed things) and occasionally, our dogs are going to find themselves in situations where they’re not comfortable, despite our best efforts.
And that, friends, is where parental guilt kicks in.
I’m very excited to welcome Alex Fliess back to the pod. Alex is a licensed clinical social worker in Chicago. After starting work in a group therapy practice in 2016, Alex went on to open their own practice – Three Tales Therapy – in 2018 and also co-owns Chicago Center for Sex and Wellbeing. I wanted to talk to Alex because they recently went through an incident with one of their dogs that led to a LOT of parental guilt and I thought they’d be perfect to break down how it works and how they handled it.
A quick note before we get into things. First, Hound Opinions will betaking a holiday break after this episode. In fact, this is likely to be the last episode of 2023. The plan is to resume season 4 in January.
DON'T FORGET: I want to answer YOUR training and behavior questions on the pod. And I want to play your lovely voices asking those questions. You've got two options:
- Use your audio recording app of choice to record yourself asking a training or behavior question and email it to [email protected]. I will then play it on the pod and answer it.
- You can actually jump on a recording session with me and we'll go over your question together. That'll let me ask you follow-up questions and really dig deep into the issue. If that's the route you want to go, shoot me a quick email at [email protected].
Big Wags Chicago is online at www.bigwagschicago.com. You can also find Big Wags on Facebook, BlueSky, Discord, TikTok and Instagram under the handle @bigwagschicago. Have a question you want answered in a future episode or just want to say hi? Email [email protected].
39 min
About Hound Opinions
From the publisher's feed
Dogs are great. They're also weird, quirky, gross, challenging, loving and fun. I'm Eris Mayeroff, the owner and Chief Canine Officer of Big Wags Chicago. Hound Opinions is a podcast about all things dog - from behavior to training to the trials and tribulations of dog guardianship ... and everything in between!
New episodes come out every other Thursday. Check them out here or wherever you get your podcasts!
Have a question or topic you'd like me to talk about on the pod? Email [email protected]!