Dr. Amanda Tinkle, project manager of the Dog Aging Project, is back to share some exciting updates about this massive canine health study design to help unlock the key to increasing the “healthspan” of our dogs.  Based on notes and feedback from “citizen scientists” who have enrolled their dogs in the program, Dr. Tinkle and her colleagues noticed comments and concerns about cognitive canine decline.  She chats with Karen and Jean (both owners of senior dogs) about the project’s new area of focus specifically on senior dogs,

Ironically, the Dog Aging Project didn’t set out to specially focus on senior dogs, rather its goal is to study how dogs age.  To date, thousands of dog-lovers have turned into citizen-scientists to record and share information about their dogs’ lifestyle, habits, nutrition, general health and behavior.  As Dr Tinkle and her colleagues continue pouring through information shared by dog owners, other areas of focus will emerge.

Dr. Tinkle and her colleagues still are actively enrolling dogs of all ages, from all across the United States, including purebred and mixed breed dogs, to join the Dog Aging Project.  They are especially interested in large breed, active dogs (agility, working dogs, etc.) and dogs from the mid-west and south-east.   Poppy is very proud to be dog number 31, 934 in the program.   Join this important effort and nominate your dog at dogagingproject.org

Let’s be honest, as much as we love to be outside with our dogs, there are days when walks have to be cut short or you can’t swing a multi-mile hike.  In this episode of the pawdcast, Jean and Karen are joined by Dr. Laura Sharkey to discuss getting the most from a short walk and how to create enriching indoor canine activities. Dr. Sharkey is a certified professional dog trainer with a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and the owner of Woofs Dog Training Center in Arlington, Virginia.  The key to success for you and your dog, no matter what the activity, is to let the dog choose and have fun.  Here’s another hint, let them sniff!

Dr. Sharkey is an early disciple of positive training and opened Woofs Dog Training Center in 2002.  As a result, she has a significant following in the Washington, DC area.  Her expertise and passion for positive training and behavior has made her a popular national speaker and instructor.  Her work with thousands of families has also led her to develop what she believes is the ideal dog breed – and yes, we chat about that as well!

To learn more about Dr. Sharkey’s work and Woofs Dog Training Center visit www.woofsdogtraining.com  

Seeing possibilities in all animals, Columbus, Ohio based Speak for the Unspoken focuses its rescue efforts on special needs dogs and cats.  The animals that come into their foster-based rescue are visually and/or hearing impaired or have unique medical problems all due to bad breeding practices – think backyard breeders, hoarders and puppy mills.

In this episode of the pawdcast, Jean and Karen chat with Andrea Kochensparger, the executive director of Speak about the joys and challenges of rescue work and why the animals Speak brings into its program are truly special in every way!

Many of the dogs that Speak works with are double merles – that means both parents have the merle pattern gene mutation.  When two merles are bred, each puppy in the litter has a 25% chance of inheriting the gene from both parents.  As a result, double merle dogs have a very high risk of significant health issues, most common are hearing and vision deficiencies.  

 In addition to placing dogs and cats in loving homes, a large part of Speak’s work is education.  Educating breeders on responsible breeding and educating the public on how resilient and loving dogs and cats with impairments are and they should not be euthanized simply because they are different.

 You can learn more about Speak for the Unspoken, their work and how to volunteer or adopt one of their amazing animals here – www.speakfortheunspoken.com

Part of the PawsGo mission is to support small and independent rescues, shelters and animal welfare organizations.  PawsGo is happy to support Speak’s efforts through the sale of our Aussie shirts – Australian Shepherds are just one of many breeds impacted by bad breeders resulting in double merle dogs.  For a limited time, we will donate $10 from each Aussie shirt to Speak.  You can find them at www.PawsGo.com

Enjoy the podcast and if you like it, please share it and give us a nice rating!

YUP!  Crickets. They are the primary ingredient in Chippin dog treats.  Crickets are also more kind to the environment.  Consider this, it only takes 1 gallon of water to produce 1 pound of cricket protein.  But it takes 2,000 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef protein.  Crickets are also remarkably healthy for dogs (and humans, but we won’t push that idea too hard). 

In this episode of the pawdcast, Karen and Jean chat with Kathleen Wojtowitz, head of marketing for Chippin, a woman-owned small business that’s hellbent on providing delicious and nutritious dog treats and food while reducing the pet food industry’s carbon pawprint.

Headquartered in the Washington, DC area, Chippin products are available in stores nationwide and through its website www.chippinpet.com In addition to crickets, products are made with highly sustainable ingredients like spirulina and the horribly invasive silver carp.  Crafted under the supervision of qualified veterinarians, many of the products provide pre and pro-biotics and antioxidants.

Go to https://chippinpet.com/discount/PAWDCAST and use the code PAWDCAST for 10% off your purchase.

PawsGo has not been compensated for this episode.  In fact, we purchased the products and had our focus group of dog friends try them.  Eight out of 9 dogs went buggy over the treats.  The outlier is super picky, Kathleen thinks she might have the perfect treat for him, so we will happily try again!

Happy New Year!  January is “National Train Your Dog Month” and in this episode of the pawdcast, Karen and Jean chat with Trevor Smith, of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT). 

APDT was founded in 1993 by renowned veterinarian, animal behaviorist, dog trainer and writer, Dr Ian Dunbar.  With a goal of helping trainers improve their knowledge and skills through education, APDT provides an industry standard of excellence for the dog training profession.

With over 5200 members in 48 countries, APDT has grown to be the largest association of dog trainers world-wide.

It’s important to note that there is no formal training, state licensing or national criteria to become a dog trainer.  Anyone can become a trainer without following an approved, regulated, or standardized training curriculum.  Too often owners are enticed by flashy marketing and the promise of quick results and entrust their dogs to unscrupulous, unqualified or under-qualified trainers.  APDT is working to rectify that. A first step was the creation of the LIMA standard.  LIMA stands for LEAST INTRUSIVE MINIMALLY AVERSIVE.  Members of APDT pledge to learn and then provide training that does not involve dominance tactics or use of aversive tools such as choke collars, prong collars or shock and E collars. 

Trevor shares questions owners should ask when speaking with potential trainers and why all dogs and owners will benefit from some form of training activity.

You can learn more about APDT, their work, their standards and how you can identify a qualified trainer here - https://apdt.com/

Can you think of a better gift?  What could be more cute and cuddly than 101 puppies?

In this episode of the pawdcast, Jean and Karen chat with their friend Kathy Callahan, aka the puppy whisperer, about her book 101 Rescue Puppies.

Kathy’s book is a delightful and heartwarming account of the 101 puppies she, her family and dogs have fostered over the years, through Homeward Trails, an all-breed dog and cat rescue based in Northern Virginia.

It was Kathy’s exposure to the puppies and their mothers that inspired her become one of the area’s foremost puppy authorities.  A Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Kathy shares some of her puppy training tips, as well as insights into puppy behavior – just like human babies, puppies begin to observe and collect knowledge soon after birth. 

You can find Kathy’s book on Amazon.  To learn about her work as a trainer and puppy socializer,  visit  www.puppypicks.com.

In this episode of the pawdcast, Jean and Karen chat with Jennifer Shryock, a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and founder of Family Paws Parent Education (FPPE) the parent organization of two International licensed programs: Dogs & Storks® and Dogs & Toddlers™. FPPE provides specialized programs for new and expecting families with dogs and offers a wide range of support to families, dog professionals (including veterinarians) and childbirth professionals to support success between babies, toddlers and family dogs.

Founded in 2002, FPPE’s goal is to increase safety and reduce stress in homes with young children and family dogs.   Jen works with – and is eager to expand an educated network of dog professionals, parents, shelters, rescues, breeders, veterinarians and pediatricians in an effort to decrease the number of dogs surrendered (or euthanized) due to preventable behavioral problems and common conflicts, like bites.

Jen is fond of saying that babies grow, but dogs age, which means a dog’s tolerance will change as it gets older.  A dog that was “great with kids” at two years old, may be less enthusiastic at six years old.

The holidays, also known as “bite season” is a stressful time for dogs.  Jen, Karen and Jean discuss numerous scenarios where humans unknowingly place dogs in dangerous situations and Jen offers guidance on how to keep everyone calm and safe during the holidays.

This pawdcast is packed full of resources and advice for all dog owners, but ESPECIALLY PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS.  Visit https://www.familypaws.com/ for a list of certified FPPE trainers and links to resources discussed.

As dog lovers we give thanks for our dogs on a daily basis.  They make us laugh, keep us active, provide companionship and comfort us when we are sad or sick.  In what is becoming a PawsGo holiday tradition, Andrew Hager, author and historian in residence at the Presidential Pet Museum, is back to share stories of dogs who are truly superheroes. 

Throughout history, dogs are credited with saving and improving the lives of humans.  Andrew joins Karen and Jean to share stories of some of his favorite dogs.  Among them – Sergeant Stubby, a stray bull terrier mix who served in World War I and saw action on the Western Front and Togo, the Siberian Husky that saved the village of Nome, Alaska from diphtheria.  And no, that wasn’t Balto.  Balto got the movie, but Togo did the work – Andrew will explain.

Listen along with your superhero and remind them how thankful you are for the joy they bring every day!

Not only is Andrew a great guy and SO fun to listen to, he  is the author of several books including Old Ike: The Fictionalized Story of Woodrow Wilson's Ram; Pushinka: The Fictionalized Story of John F. Kennedy's Dog and soon to be released All-American Dogs: A History of Presidential Pets from Every Era.  All are available on Amazon and make GREAT gifts!

In this episode of the PawsGo pawdcast, Karen and Jean chat with Cara Sue Achterberg – an author and animal welfare advocate.  This is Cara’s second visit with the pawdcast and she’s back with some very exciting news.

Inspired and supported by her work with Northern Virginia-based rescue Operation Paws for Homes, Cara has launched a new not for profit specifically to bring awareness and change to small municipal shelters and pounds, primarily in the south.  Through Who Will Let the Dogs Out https://whowillletthedogsout.org/  Cara’s goal is to connect those small rural shelters and pounds with volunteers, rescues and resources in an effort to change the heartbreaking outcomes for too many homeless dogs and cats.

Here's a look at what Cara is working to change –

These dogs live in sparse conditions with few resources and no extras. They are held in chain-link kennels behind police stations, at the city dump, or in squat concrete buildings with no heat/AC until their owners come for them or they are destroyed to make room for new dogs that arrive. Their pictures are not on a shelter website or Petfinder. Rarely is there anyone working to address their physical, emotional or behavioral needs, let alone search for an adopter. Their only chance beyond being claimed by their owners is for a rescue worker to visit the pound and ‘pull’ them, transporting them to rescues sometimes several states away.

To help support Cara’s initiative, PawsGo will donate $5 from each Not Alone wine bag sold online or at one of our pop-ups.  All PawsGo items feature original artwork and are produced locally to our home in Alexandria, Virginia.  These bags make great holiday or hostess gifts.  In additional to holding a bottle of wine – a bunch of tennis balls, dog toys or dog treats also fit perfectly in each bag – www.pawsgo.com