Your Family Dog Podcast

Visiting new people and places can be fun for everyone, your dog included. Colleen Pelar and Julie Fudge Smith have tips that will help your dog enjoy this new adventure and make the most of your time away from home.   For more tips and information: Your Family Dog

Headed on a road trip with your favorite canine? Colleen Pelar and Julie Fudge Smith give tips that will help to make this adventure fun and safe for you and your dog.   For more information: Your Family Dog

Picnics and fireworks are great fun for people, but are they really fun for our dogs? This week, Colleen Pelar and Julie Fudge Smith talk about keeping your dog happy, cool, and safe in the sun and water for your dog.    For show notes and links: Your Family Dog

Julie Fudge Smith and Colleen Pelar talk about reasons why you might choose to NOT walk your dog. Weather, health, and behavior issues can all play a role in determining the best course of action for you and your dog.    For Show Notes and more information: Your Family Dog

Is your dog one of the 45% of dogs who are overweight or obese? Colleen Pelar and Julie Fudge Smith discuss some of the problems associated with obesity in dogs, some easy things you can do to improve your dog's health, as well as a quick and easy way to determine if your dog is too fat, too thin, or just right.   Julie's Blog on food: Food, glorious food!   Other show notes: Your Family Dog

Colleen Pelar and Julie Fudge Smith talk about arousal versus friendliness. Are they the same? How do you tell the difference, and can your dog be hyper aroused and friendly at the same time?   For links and show notes: Your Family Dog

Colleen Pelar and Julie Fudge Smith discuss the heart wrenching decision to rehome your dog and how this very difficult and emotional choice might be the best gift you could give to your dog.    For addtional show notes: Your Family Dog

In 15 seconds of controlled chaos, two teams of four dogs each compete in a relay race. Each dog leaps over four hurdles, hits a pressure-controlled box that releases a tennis ball, catches the ball in mid-air, and then brings the ball back over the four hurdles so that the next dog in line can start. It's crazy, loud fun for dogs who love flyball. All About Dogs trainer, Amy Tram, joins Julie Fudge Smith and Colleen Pelar to talk about her experiences in the sport of flyball. For show notes and more information, please go to: Your Family Dog

Dr. Zazie Todd joins Colleen Pelar and Julie Fudge Smith in a discussion of how to make happy dogs even happier with simple and easy enrichment games.   Addtional information and show notes can be found at: Your Family Dog

Colleen Pelar and Julie Fudge Smith talk about dogs and furniture. When is it okay and when isn't it appropriate to share your couch or bed with your dog.       For show notes: Your Family Dog

Dr. Suzanne Terrant joins Colleen Pelar and Julie Fudge Smith in a discussion about the rather speedy dog sports of agility and lure coursing. Zoom on!   For additional information and show notes go to: Your Family Dog

Oh, those sharp puppy teeth! Julie Fudge Smith and Colleen Pelar discuss how to handle puppy nipping and how to teach your pup appropriate use of his mouth.   For show notes and links: Your Family Dog

This week Dr. Wendy McIlroy joins Colleen Pelar and Julie Fudge Smith to discuss scent games and how to get started on Search and Rescue with your dog.   For more information, including videos of Search work and Julie's blog on the canine sense of smell, go to: Your Family Dog

Colleen Pelar and Julie Fudge Smith answer three questions from listeners: 1) What to do with a puppy who is showing early signs of resource guarding;  2) What to do about a dog who has developed a noise phobia and a fear of the kitchen; and 3) What do you do about the neighbor's aggressive dogs who threaten your dog and make it hard to use your backyard? 

In part 2 of our series on older dogs, Dr. Alicia Karas, of Tufts University, joins Julie Fudge Smith and Colleen Pelar to talk about the most difficult question: How do you know it's time to say goodbye?   For more information and show notes: Your Family Dog   Two terrific resources are Dr. Karas's Comfort Diary for Dogs and the HHHHHMM scale.