Madcap Radio

This week’s question is about whether doing Puppy Culture or any other early socialization program can guarantee good outcomes for puppies. “…I was talking to a breeder about Puppy Culture and I told her that if she would just adopt the program, she would eliminate any temperament issues with her puppies.  Am I right about this?  Isn’t Puppy Culture a guarantee that puppies will have good outcomes?” In this episode I tackle: Re-thinking the line between nature and nurtureThe partnership between breeders and puppy owners for raising a good dogThe evolutionary reasons why breeding “good” dogs is so difficult Visit our website madcapradio.com for further reading.

This week’s question is about whether you’re supporting or interfering when you help mom with her neonate puppies: “…I've noticed that you lay in the box with Velvet and provide significant assistance to her. Among many groups of breeders, there is a faction who strongly advise to essentially let Mom alone in the first days as she has instincts and knows what to do, and that the presence, participation, and assistance of humans may be bothersome to her. So, I'm wondering if this is breed dependent? Or an individual preference?” In this episode we talk about: The variability of maternal behaviorHow much assistance you should give your dam with caring for her puppiesSupporting your dam without interfering with her instincts Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

This is part two of my podcast, answering many questions one of our fans sent in about raw feeding puppies.   In this episode I cover: AAFCO’s “Complete and Balanced” designation and why it’s relevant to kibble but not relevant to you if you feed a varied raw diet.Safety suggestions for feeding, sourcing, and handling raw dog food.Special considerations when feeding raw diets to puppies. Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

This week’s episode is a fan request on feeding puppies a raw diet: My breeder uses and recommended Puppy Culture as a resource for my partner and I in preparation for our Toy Poodle pup that we'll be picking up in a week or so. We've completed your Puppy Owners Course, the Puppy Culture and Attention is the Mother films, and have started binging your podcast- love your stuff! I'm wondering if you could make an episode on feeding dogs raw food. We plan to feed our pup raw (the breeder currently feeds raw) but it is a bit intimidating for people who are new to this diet! I'm wondering if you could cover a few things: The science behind it / health benefitsWhy you feed raw / how long you've been feeding rawThe dangers of it / how to avoid these dangers (proper practices for purchasing, handling and feeding raw)Any challenges you've experienced / seen with feeding rawTips for starting raw diets - where to begin!Whether the meat has to be a certain quality / where to purchase ingredients for homemade raw (I've heard that grocery store meats aren't safe because of their allotted salmonella/bacteria thresholds?)How to handle raw treats (bones with raw meat) - do you have to clean bedding, etc. every time raw treats come in contact with it? Do you have to wipe down your pup's face/paws after contact?Would LOVE if you could share some recipes for homemade raw food! Or other resources/recipe books on feeding rawWhether puppies need special recipes or if they can eat the same recipes as adult dogsI know a lot of this is google-able lol, but I've found that there is a lot of fear-mongering around feeding raw (from both owners and vets) so I wanted to reach out and see what your thoughts are! There were too many great questions here to fit them all into one episode, so I’m doing this in two parts - In this episode, which is part one, I talk about: Why we feed raw to our dogs and our experience with feeding raw for the past 26 yearsThe challenges of raw food and why some people are understandably more comfortable with kibbleTips and resources for getting started feeding raw without losing your mind - it’s easier than most people make it out to be! Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

This week’s conversation is the result of an interview that I did with Jean Donaldson a few weeks ago. In it, Jean mentioned that it’s now a “thing” not to offer puppy play groups for puppies. The thought is that allowing puppies to play will make them less likely to pay attention to their owners. This raised a big discussion in the Puppy Culture Discussion Group, with many pet owners, breeders, and trainers coming down hard on the side of not taking puppies to puppy play groups. What I found through this exchange is that the theoretical truth and the practical truth do not always align… In this episode, I discuss: The benefits and parameters for puppy play groups.Why there is a perception that puppy play will diminish attention to the owner and/or create hyper focus on other dogs.​The practical limitations and realities of puppy play groups and thoughts for the future Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

This week’s question asks what the earliest is that breeders have observed consistent personality traits in a puppy: “Out of curiosity, how early have you noticed personality traits developing in your litters that did stick around until the time they went to new homes or even beyond? (Caveat: I know a puppy's personality truly doesn't settle until they are much older which is why temperament tests aren't predictive of adult temperament as we learn in PC. This is just for fun / curiosity and because my current litter seem to be showing consistent temperaments at only 3 weeks and my last litter didn't really start to show that until around 5 weeks!)” In this episode I discuss: Various breeders’ experiences with early personality traits.Why adult personalities will often seem inconsistent with puppy personalities.​Practical advice regarding breeder observation of early personality traits. Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

This week’s podcast is a fan request about the concerns one breeder has about the “corporate takeover” of veterinary medicine and how that is affecting her puppy owners: “What information and resources do you use to help your puppy buyers, especially new/first time dog owners, screen and select a veterinarian? In the past couple of years, and seems like more lately, I get these questions from my puppy buyers that their vet told them something that ranged from harmless but not really accurate to so aggressively incorrect it felt like a scam and even a danger to the puppy. I know stuff can get lost in translation, I know some medical professionals are better than others, and I know vets and their staff are stressed and overworked. But I also fear the rise in this issue is related to venture capital takeovers and it's going to get worse… Since it feels like a trend, and especially because I have a breed suitable for first-time dog owners, I would like to be more organized and proactive in providing information on how to vet a vet. I appreciate everyone's thoughts and suggestions. PS - maybe this would be a good podcast episode?” In this episode I explore:‌ How the corporatization of vet medicine affects puppy ownersCoaching puppy owners to advocate for their puppies at the vet’s office for routine careFinding a good vet when there’s a major veterinary problem with a puppy or dog. Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

This week, my guest, Jean Donaldson, chats with us about how to be a smart dog training consumer. We delve into both practical and ethical questions when it comes to finding a puppy class, and Jean shares the answers to her three questions you should ask any dog trainer: What exactly will happen if my dog gets it right?​What exactly will happen if my dog gets it wrong?Are there less invasive/aversive alternatives to what you propose? Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

This week’s podcast is about puppies and owners who can’t seem to bond with their owners. The original question is long, so here’s the gist of it:‌ “Functionally Mac is excellent. Crate/House training/Obedience excellent…He sleeps through the night. He is great at puppy classes...He is good with other people and dogs…He was good at the vets. No problems so far with loud noises or anything like that…The problem is that we have been unable to build a relationship with him. He doesn’t respond to affection at all. We find it hard to make his tail wag. He will briefly let us stroke him, but this usually ends with a bite. He is unwilling to let us pick him up. He will play enthusiastically with toys, but this will quickly progress to biting and frenzy…We have had rescue dogs before, we have had puppies before, but we have never experienced this lack of relationship…we have tried everything we can think of to improve the relationship... We fear that the situation will become worse”‌ In this episode I explore:‌ The three most common causes of “non-bonding” between puppies and their ownersWhen to take back a “non-bonding” puppy and when to try to work to keep the puppy in the homeIf keeping the puppy in the home is appropriate, strategies to improve relationship and bonding between puppies and their owners. Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

This week’s topic is the significance of trainer certifications: “Will knowing a trainer’s certification help you find the “Best” trainer?” In this episode, I discuss: The significance of different training certificationsWhy finding the “best” trainer should not be your first priorityWhy puppy class is fantastic, but not a requirement Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

This week’s question is about marrow bones: “Looking for advice and information on giving puppies bones.  I've heard so much conflicting information about the benefits and risks, but I'm thoroughly confused. A dog dentist once told me not to give my dog anything to chew on that I couldn't dent with my thumbnail. Yet here I see hooves and raw meaty bones being offered. Thoughts?” In this episode, I lay out: The risk and benefits of giving your puppy or dog marrow bonesThe relative risk for different dogs and breedsThe factors you should take into account when deciding whether or not to give your dog a marrow bone. Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

This week’s question is about your changing relationship with your puppy through his teenage months: "I was talking with a very respected breeder about my ten-month-old Bull Terrier and she told me that this is the age where I need to start being ‘firm’ with him. What does she mean by ‘firm?’" In this episode I explain: What we mean by “firm”Your process for deciding when and how to be “firm” as your puppy matures.Why being “firm” is important as puppies mature into teenagers, but inappropriate and harmful for young puppies. Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

This week’s question is about Breeder-Puppy Buyer contracts: Our puppies are 7 weeks old now and will be going to their new families in 3 weeks. I have been following along each day and this experience with the puppies has been incredible. Thank you for "holding my hand" throughout. We are getting to the part that I just feel I am not prepared or knowledgeable enough....THE CONTRACT. I, too, want to keep it simple.....feed healthy, train in a positive way, and bring back the puppy if something changes. Would you be able to share an example or a template perhaps? I would appreciate any assistance you can provide.   Episode highlights: How to decide what should be in your contract, and what should be in your puppy applicationHow to screen out some puppy buyers who would not comply with the terms of your contractWhy having a written contract is important Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

This week’s question is about using temperament testing to help match puppies with owners:‌ Temperament Testing: I have someone interested in our litter and training the pup for a potential therapy dog. They want to train him to do deep pressure therapy for her anxiety. She grew up helping train hunting dogs and they have trained rescues, so I know she can do this if we get her a good match. ​So how do you find someone to do temperament testing? In this episode I explore: The origins, benefits and limits of puppy assessment testsHow to use the information gained through the tests​How to find a good puppy tester Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

I feel like there is a general need for a new kind of dog professional. Don't you feel that many puppy owners could use something like IN PERSON "puppy parenting coach?" So not dog training per se, more like a breeder-mentor for puppy owners. It just seems like puppy owners throw a lot of effort agains things that are not really problems, but they don't know those things are not problems because they don't have someone with enough wisdom and experience to point that out. Someone who has raised 100 puppies, particularly if they raised puppies of that breed, could really save those owners a lot of trouble. What do you think? Would any of you be interested in doing this? Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

This week’s question is about puppies who growl when restrained: "Hey everyone! We're raising our first litter, English Setters, nearly 7 weeks old. All have lovely temperaments and have been going through the PC process like little pro's. One thing we've noticed over the last week is, if they want to hop down when a puppy family or friend is holding them, they'll do little frustrated growls or barks (I hesitate to say growl, though I'm sure you'll understand – it's just a "let me down!" kinda thing). We've introduced gentle restraint over the last week and they all get a little annoyed if they want to go play/explore etc but nothing out of the ordinary. I just wanted to check if this is normal - should we be upping gentle restraint, or something we should be concerned about?" In this episode, I cover:‌ What you should do about puppies who growl when restrainedWhether you should be concerned about puppies who growl or don’t like to be cuddledHow to balance the will of the puppy with the will of the puppy owners Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

Magda Chiarella joins me for this week’s podcast and, if Magda is here, you know we’ll be talking about canine nutrition! This week’s question generated a lot of interesting comments that we discuss in the podcast: “Hi I found a recipe for a dog Slushy for pregnant females. Its ingredients are baby kale, baby Spinach, coconut water and flaxseed meal. All ingredients according to Google are safe but kale. Says new studies show it can cause kidney and bladder stones. ​Any advice please? I'd love to supplement this to my pregnant girls but if the kale thing is a fact I’ll take it out of the list.” In this episode, we discuss: Does kale cause kidney and bladder stones in dogs?Is flax seed meal a phytoestrogen to be avoided by breeding animals?Should those who feed kibble be offering different formulas to their intact and neutered animals?Can flax seed meal cause cyanide poisoning? Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

This week’s question is about when puppies should go to their new homes: “I've known breeders who keep their pups till 8 weeks, and some till 10 weeks. Some even until 12. What are the deciding factors in how long pups stay with the breeder? Does it depend on breed, the specific litter, or does it just come down to breeder preference?” In this episode, I talk about: Optimal age for placing puppies.Factors that go into determining what that optimal age is.Extenuating circumstances that influence the decision when to place puppies. Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

When it rains it pours, and this week it’s pouring puppies who bite fingers when taking treats. We got FOUR posts on this topic this week! The questions came from both puppy owners and breeders, and in this episode, I give you a fresh perspective on this “problem”:‌ Why puppies take treats roughly from handWhat you should do about itTips for working with puppies or dogs in groups Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

Today’s question comes from a breeder, but it’s a topic that is applicable to anyone who owns a puppy or dog:‌ “How much frustration should a puppy have before changing the game a little to make the session successful?‌ Did the barrier challenge for the 1st time today...he was continually going to the wrong side to a closed section...At the 3-minute mark, I pulled the food bowl so a small portion went beyond the barrier, then placed him back at the starting point again. He was able to complete the challenge then. Should I have waited him out? I am second guessing myself.” ‌ In this episode I cover: ‌How do you know how much challenge is enough and not too much in any given training session?‌Why is so important that we try to guess right about the amount of challenge the puppy or dog can handle?‌What do you do if you guess wrong and make the challenge too difficult? Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.