FernDog Podcast: Dog Training & Behavior Tips and Advice

Since the holiday season will be headed our way before you know it I thought I would do a few podcasts about my favorite dog products. In this first installment I discuss my favorite dog toys. You find out what my top 10 battle tested dog toys are and what kinds of dogs each toy is a good fit for. This will help you know what would be a great gift for your own dog, as well as give you some ideas for all the canines on your holiday shopping list. In this episode 1:32  Make dogs your life 3:20  Oprah style intro 4:22  My most favorite toy 6:25  Saving you from slobber 9:56  A frisbee your dog can sink his teeth into 13:54  For the aggressive chewer 16:53  The cat toy for dogs 18:38  Durable squeaky toys Links Learn how to become a dog trainer Kong Chuck It Hide-A-Squirrel Tail Spin Flyer Tricky Treat Ball Planet Dog Orbee Romp-n-Roll Ball Flirt Pole Awful Mad Kitty Squeaker Matz

The big problem between dogs and people is that we are speaking two very different languages and neither of us is really understanding the other. As humans, we rely on verbal methods of communication, whereas our canine companions are non verbal. So we both keep talking but very little of our messages are being received as intended. Now I know your dog is smart and can make many word associations, however he’ll never learn the language of English. So it’s up to us to bridge the gap and learn how to speak in our dog’s language. The good news is that it’s not the hard if you learn how. And that’s what I’ll be teaching you right here. In this episode 0:49  All of Fern’s Spanish 1:40  Three cheers for 4Knines.com 4:01  The problem between people and dogs 4:49  Does yelling work? 6:42  Can dogs sense fear? 10:30  The impact of eye contact 13:33  How you can use physical presence 14:40  How much discipline is necessary 16:57  The best way to communicate with an anxious dog 18:00 Think like a dog This episode is sponsored by 4Knines: high quality car seat and cargo covers for your vehicle. www.4knines.com GDA SPECIAL: use this coupon code at checkout and get 10% OFF your purchase: ADVENTUR

In this episode I sit down with Steve Dale, the co-editor of the book Decoding Your Dog to dig through the issues that are really facing those of us living with dogs. We hit all the hot spots of dogs in this very candid interview. We’ll dive into the book and go over some great ways to make sure you and your dog can stay together happily for years to come. In this episode 2:30  Hello Steve Dale! 7:30  How pets became Steve’s focus 13:14  The good and bad of Cesar Millan 15:44  The most common issue Steve gets asked about dog behavior 18:00  How the book Decoding Your Dog came about 22:37  Advice from Veterinarian behaviorists 28:15  All dogs need a job 33:40  Enrichment ideas for dogs 39:29  When you need to get to a vet 45:55  Steve online Links Leave a review on itunes Buy the book, Decoding Your Dog, on Amazon Steve’s blog at Chicago Now Steve on Facebook

Do you know how to play with your dog? Sounds kind of silly doesn’t it? Well if you’re just letting your dog run around like a crazy dog you could be setting yourself up for some behavior problems. In this week’s podcast I’ll go over the smart way to play with your dog so that your pooch will be well mannered at playtime and other times as well. In this episode 0:57  My new website! 3:20  This is all Victoria Stilwell’s doing 5:50  How to most people play with their dog (that’s not helpful to you or your dog) 7:21  Play, the great reward 9:35  The rules of play 10:15  My one big rule for play 11:42  Who’s idea is it? 13:30  Watch the energy 15:54  Using training in play 17:34  Tug of war – good or bad? Links My new website This episode is sponsored by 4Knines: high quality car seat and cargo covers for your vehicle. www.4knines.com GDA SPECIAL: use this coupon code at checkout and get 10% OFF your purchase: ADVENTUR

I’m a rescue guy so it should come as no surprise that I’m against puppy mills. They are barbaric dog factories where the animals are poorly treated and are creating unhealthy and bad mannered puppies. What I’m always most surprised at is how many people don’t understand how to identify which places are puppy mills (especially online) and how we can stop them. So invited Carol Araneo-Mayer on the show to give us the real deal on puppy mills. Carol is co-founder National Puppy Mill Day and a board member of The National Puppy Mill Project and has been leading the fight to stop these horrible places.  In this episode 1:41  How hard it is to find a good breeder 6:10  Definition of a puppy mill 10:19  Is it legal? 13:05  Pet store problems 17:15  How to find a reputable breeder 19:58  Beware of breeders you find online 24:30  Health problems with puppy mill dogs 25:55  What we can do to stop puppy mills 33:46  The condition of dogs rescued from puppy mills 35:16  My assignment for you Links National Puppy Mill Project Adopt-A-Pet New Jersey

Do you know what it means to be a good dog parent to your dog? Have you ever really thought about it? I invited dog training superstar Victoria Stilwell on the show to help you understand what that means as well as how you can do so that you’re doing the very best for your dog. We’ll go over the consequences of doing it the wrong way and give you some simple tips to ensure you and your dog will live happily every after. In this episode 1:05  Three cheers for 4Knines.com 3:46  Victoria Stilwell is in the house 5:45  How It’s Me Or The Dog came about 8:58  Defining a good dog parent 11:21  Differences around the world 13:50  How dogs think (and don’t think) 16:07  Victoria’s prescription for being a good dog parent 22:02  What to do when things don’t go according to plan 27:21  Bringing a rescue dog home 31:19  Victoria has a “sense of humor failure” 35:13  How to open other minds 40:10  Victoria’s #1 tip Links Victoria’s website Victoria on Facebook Victoria on Twitter Victoria on YouTube Victoria Stilwell Dog Trainer Academy – Link to come when it opens Leave a review for the show on iTunes Victoria’s Puppy Mill Video This episode is sponsored by 4Knines: high quality car seat and cargo covers for your vehicle. www.4knines.com GDA SPECIAL: use this coupon code at checkout and get 10% OFF your purchase: ADVENTUR

This is the first guided walking episodes designed to help you do some training with your dog when you’re out on a walk. If you haven’t already listened to Episode 82 you should do so first because that will explain what we’re going to do in this Walk n’ Train Trax. Once you’re ready, put in your earbuds, grab the leash and lets go! Links Wooftrax app

This is the first guided walking episodes designed to help you do some training with your dog when you’re out on a walk. If you haven’t already listened to Episode 82 you should do so first because that will explain what we’re going to do in this Walk n’ Train Trax. Once you’re ready, put in your earbuds, grab the leash and lets go! Links Wooftrax app

You’ve heard me go on and on about how important walking your dog is but did you know that you can use your walks as training opportunities? Oh yes – working on some training with your dog while going for a walk is a great way to get some better leash manners from your dog, increase your communication and make your stroll more of a team activity. This episode will get you set up on how to use your walks as partial training sessions, and the following 2 episodes (GDA83 and GDA84) will guide you through your walk. In this episode 1:10  Why the walk is so important 1:55  Defining the walk 3:23  Mix it up 4:01  Who’s walk agenda are you on? 5:59  Intro to the Walk n’ Train Trax 8:07  Setting expectations 11:00 Equipment needed Links Wooftrax app

As football season begins once again, I can’t help but think about Michael Vick and what happened to those poor dogs in his dog fighting ring. The book The Lost Dogs tells the story of these amazing dogs and shows us not only the horrors that they endured but their loving resilience as well. It’s one of my favorite all time dogs books and in this episode I bring the author Jim Gorant on the show to give us the inside story on the Vicktory Dogs. In this episode 1:03  My mini Michael Vick rant 3:59  4Knines.com 5:18  My new shirt design 7:45  Who is Jim Gorant and how he ended up writing the book 9:35  Pit Bull impressions 10:47  The “little brown dog” 14:00  Meeting some Vick dogs 16:22  How the dogs surprised all the experts 18:02  Gotta love Johnny Justice 19:12  Public reaction to the book Links The Lost Dogs by Jim Gorant My Vicktory Dogs t-shirt This episode is sponsored by 4Knines: high quality car seat and cargo covers for your vehicle. www.4knines.com GDA SPECIAL: use this coupon code at checkout and get 10% OFF your purchase: ADVENTUR

You want a better dog. I know you do, otherwise you wouldn’t be here listening in. Everywhere you look there is information on how to go about getting your dog to behave better and there is no shortage of people offering their advice on the topic. But with so many ideas and so much to do it’s hard to know where to start and to understand what activities will be the most successful. That’s what this episode is all about. Here I’ll trim it all down to the 5 basic things that you can do that will have the biggest impact on your life with your dog. Do these five things and watch the positive effects it will have on your dog for years to come. In this episode 1:30  How dogs spell love 3:58  The power of scheduling 5:25  Learning with your dog with me 7:01  Human life is boring! 9:12  Don’t expect your dog to know what to do 11:18  The right way to use rewards 12:38  How much walking is enough 14:30  Recognizing when you have a problem 16:17  Dangers of taking short cuts 17:10  Please review the show in iTunes

If your dog is like most, he likes food. His food is good but your food is way better. And some dogs go to great extremes to attempt to get your meal when you’re sitting at the dinner table trying to enjoy it. This guys are annoying and embarrassing. Well, if that sounds like you help is here! I’ll talk about how to train your dog not to beg, steal or pester you when you sit down to eat your dinner. Prepare to eat in peace from this day forward. In this episode 1:30  Thanks to today’s sponsor 3:30  Are you inadvertently enabling your dog’s begging 3:50  A calm association to food is critical 5:03  Strategy #1 to train your dog be a pest at the table 7:25  Pick someone to work with the dog at meals 9:04  2nd strategy to get better behavior at the table 11:25  The reward schedule 12:48  Next round of classes is about to begin 15:48  Who is this class right for Links My video on impulse control Basic Obedience & Manners online class This episode is sponsored by 4Knines: high quality car seat and cargo covers for your vehicle. www.4knines.com GDA SPECIAL: use this coupon code at checkout and get 10% OFF your purchase: ADVENTUR

Whether you’re aware of it or not, your feelings are affecting you dog. Dogs are very intuitive and masters at reading others. This fact is sometimes a blessing, however your feeling can actually be contributing to your dog’s issues and greatly limiting your ability to communicate with him. In this episode I’ll go over what this all means and show you how to use your feelings to have a positive impact on your dog’s behavior. In this episode 1:18  never look back 3:39  The contagious nature of your energy 5:02  Hayley to the rescue 9:07  What dogs respond to 10:00  Energy affecting a pack 12:17  The consequences of not controlling your emotions 14:50  Steps to using your feelings to train your dog 16:53  The power of calm

So you’ve got a good dog, but . . . He’s a bit rambunctious, likes to play rough and bite the leash like it’s a game of tug of war. This behavior seems innocent enough at first but gets old real fast and is something you need to be addressed. I’ll explain why your crazy dog does what he does and what you need to do to save your hands from bruises and your leashes intact. In this episode  0:57  Enjoy your dog today 3:40  Why dog’s are mouthy 4:13  Always think of the big picture 6:45  Rules of play 9:55  Begin treating leash biting before you leave the house 11:35  Why dogs like to bite the leash 12:40  Your dog’s “sweet spot” 15:01  Making your walk a training exercise This episode is sponsored by 4Knines: high quality car seat and cargo covers for your vehicle. www.4knines.com GDA SPECIAL: use this coupon code at checkout and get 10% OFF your purchase: ADVENTUR

There’s a lot of confusion about feeding dogs a raw diet. I’ve invited on a special guest to the show to help you discover if a raw food diet is right for you dog and how you can go about doing it. I welcome Kimberly Gauthier from Keepthetailwagging.com to the show to tell us how she made her way to feeding her dogs a raw diet and pick her brain on the benefits and concerns, as well as the best ways to feed raw. If you’ve every thought about switching over to the raw diet but haven’t really understood what it really entails, this is the show for you. In this episode 0:55  A big thank you to . . . you! 4:24  Welcome Kimberly 9:55  Opening your mind 10:52  What is raw feeding 16:00  Very few trips to the vet 20:22  Benefits of feeding raw 28:30  Cost of feeding raw 36:18  A good place to start 38:57  Some recommended supplements 45:16  Is a raw diet good for all dogs 49:03  Raw bones 55:45  Alternating proteins Links Keep The Tail Wagging Raw Food Coops Raw Feeding A to Z eBook Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Probiotic Supplement Nupro Supplement Super Essentials Supplement Bonnie & Clyde Fish Oil Supplement  The Honest Kitchen This episode is sponsored by 4Knines: high quality car seat and cargo covers for your vehicle. www.4knines.com GDA SPECIAL: use this coupon code at checkout and get 10% OFF your purchase: ADVENTUR