Wouldn't it be great if dogs automatically knew what we wanted them to do in certain situations? Well, with a little training and a few nibbles of cheese, they can! That's the magic of "default behaviors-" those behaviors dogs learn to offer automatically whenever a signal is given or a particular situation arises. Join Julie Fudge Smith and Tina Spring to learn what default behaviors are, how to train them in your pup, and how they can help make life easier for both you and your dog.

For Show Notes and more: Your Family Dog

Sometimes, it really is okay to dial it in- at least, it is if you're talking about the Dial Method. What's the Dial Method, you ask? You're about to find out! Today, Julie Fudge Smith and Tina Spring sit down with Dial Method creator Justine Schuurmans to talk about her new program designed to improve how families relate to, live with, and train their dogs.

For show notes please go to: Your Family Dog

No scheduled topic today! Instead pull up a chair and join Tina Spring and Julie Fudge Smith for some general, dog-related chitchat. Grab a cup of coffee and listen in as the conversation ranges from socialization to learning your dog's body language to what effect (if any) Covid lockdown had on canine behavior issues.

For show notes and more: Your Family Dog

he subject of giving what we think of as "human" medications (such as anti-depressants) to our dogs has come up before on the podcast. But why is it, exactly that some medications- Prozac, for example- work incredibly well across species, while others, such as NSAIDS, don't? Does spaying or neutering your dog at an earlier age have the same effect as sterilization at younger ages in humans? And how are environmental factors affecting the hormones and health of both us and our dogs? Joining Julie and Tina to dig into these topics today is endocrinologist Dr. Mike Morales. Tune in to learn about all this, plus why cortisol is actually your friend and the one fact about the endocrinology system that everybody should know.

For show notes and more: Your Family Dog

The whole idea behind training your dog is to get rid of the behaviors you don't want, while encouraging the ones you do. Sounds simple enough, right? Until, despite your best efforts, you end up accidentally doing the opposite. Today, Julie Fudge Smith and Tina Spring talk about how we can unintentionally reinforce the wrong behaviors in our dogs, and offer solutions for what to do when that happens.

For more information please go to: Your Family Dog

For more information and show notes: Your Family Dog

Spring is here, which for many of us means more walks outside and runs at the dog park. But the great outdoors brings other things as well, namely distractions galore. How are you supposed to get Fido to behave when everywhere he looks there are bicycles, school kids, strange looking bushes, and squirrels? Today Julie Fudge Smith and Tina Spring tackle the topic of distractions and discuss ways to help keep your furry friend focused and well-behaved even in the busiest of environments.

For show notes, please go to: Your Family Dog

We've all heard the old adage that practice makes perfect. It would seem to follow, then, that we should be careful what we practice, lest we become perfect at the wrong thing. The same goes for our dogs as well- it's much easier to practice good habits right off the bat than to have to unlearn and retrain behaviors later. Join Julie Fudge Smith and Tina Spring as they discuss how to make sure that you and your dog are practicing the right habits the right way.

For show notes please go to: Your Family Dog