Today's Topic: When you adequately prepare your dog for a visit to the vet, it can reduce stress for all parties (dog, dog parent(s) & vet staff) and contribute to an overall smoother experience at the vet. But what is the best way to prepare, and how do you know you're doing all that you can to make the vet experience as positive as possible for y…

Today's Topic: As positive reinforcement dog training continues to grow in popularity, so has the awareness around the different types of dog treats available to help you train your dog. But what are dog treats, exactly? What are the regulatory requirements, if any, around dog treats to ensure that you're giving your dog something nutritious, delic…

Today's Topic: Having an overexcited dog can present a variety of challenges for dog parents. The exuberance and high energy levels of such dogs can lead to difficulties in training and managing their behavior, which can make simple daily activities like walks or playtime more demanding as these dogs may require extra effort to channel their excess…

Today's Topic: In the United States, the country in which modern commercial greyhound racing was invented, the sport is nearing its end. It’s been a long slide for greyhound racing, which reached its peak in the 1980s when there were more than 50 tracks across 19 states. There are now only 2 dog tracks remaining in one state (West Virginia). The in…

Today's Topic: Did you know that 1 in 5 dogs experience joint pain and mobility issues? So what can we do when our dogs start exhibiting mobility issues due to injury, old age, obesity, disease, etc.? And what are the latest trends, technology and methods that are crucial to get our dogs "back in the game"? That's why we invited triple-board-certif…

Today's Topic: Golden Retrievers are incredibly popular as pets, known for their friendly demeanor and versatility. Their gentle nature makes them great family companions, and their intelligence shines in various roles, from therapy dogs to loyal household members. As such, what can we do, especially early on in their development, to ensure that th…

Today's Topic: It's disheartening to note that over 50% of pets in the U.S. are classified as overweight or obese. This excess weight contributes to a myriad of health issues, with obese dogs being predisposed to arthritis, diabetes, and reduced lifespan. The toll on their well-being is a reminder of the urgent need to address pet obesity through r…

Today's Topic: In the pandemic's early days, we've all heard how adoptions soared as people sought companionship during lockdown, famously leaving many dog rescues without any dogs to adopt out. But what happened after the pandemic? Did this surge in adoptions lead to a surge in dog surrenders? If not, what is the current state of dog rescues today…

Today's Topic: Join us in this episode as we tackle the common struggles of potty training for dog/puppy parents. Tune in for practical insights on how to keep a potty schedule and a step-by-step guide to start the potty training journey confidently. In addition, discover effective mindset changes to help you stay measured during the process, and h…

Today's Topic: Despite having access to all the information we could ever want on how to train your puppy via the internet, just like anything else these days, there is a lot of outdated, old-fashioned, and just plain wrong information out there on how to train your puppy effectively. This, of course, doesn't mean that those disseminating this info…

Today's Topic: For many of us, we're keenly aware of how the parenting style of our own parents (whether it was an authoritarian, authoritative, permissive or uninvolved style) influenced -- and continues to influence -- how we behave and view the world as an adult. As such, we've ALWAYS wondered how our individual pet parenting style (whether we'r…

Today's Topic: Ask any positive dog trainer that has any experience working with leash-reactive dogs, and the one thing that many of them will have in common is their LACK of videos of dogs that they've trained exhibiting leash-reactive behaviors. And the reason for this is simple: when a positive trainer sees a dog exhibiting leash-reactive behavi…

Today's Topic: There is no breed of dog (or, more precisely, a grouping of mixed-breed dogs) that has captured the hearts and minds of many, more fully, in recent years (for good and for bad), than doodle dogs. And it's not hard to understand why. The combination of their (purported) hypoallergenic and shed-free coat, their uber-cuteness, and their…

Today's Topic: Ask any positive dog trainer that has any experience working with leash-reactive dogs, and the one thing that many of them will have in common is their LACK of videos of dogs that they've trained exhibiting leash-reactive behaviors. And the reason for this is simple: when a positive trainer sees a dog exhibiting leash-reactive behavi…

Today's Topic: Buying a home today, especially if it's your first home, can be a dizzying emotional roller coaster ride characterized by stress, frustration, elation, anxiety, and, let's be real...REJECTION. And in the midst of this (at times) chaotic experience, you have to make sure to do all the research necessary to ensure that the home and the…

Today's Topic: In the first part of our 2-part series on Leash Reactivity, we discussed a whole host of topics with certified professional dog trainer, the founder of Perfect Pals Dog Training, and the co-creator of the most comprehensive digital dog training course on the subject, "Help! My Dog Is Reactive On Leash!", Erin Gianella, including how …

Today's Topic: Living with and taking care of a reactive dog can be difficult enough when they're inside the home, or out and about in the world, with you, but what if your dog is reactive INSIDE THE CAR? This type of reactivity can create unique, unpredictable and potentially dangerous situations for even the most empathetic and diligent of dog pa…

Today's Topic: When your dog REALLY wants something from you, whether that thing is your attention, your food, your affection, or an adventure outside, your dog may use the one thing that comes naturally to him/her to get it: BARKING. But for some dogs, they may learn (over time, and due to some of our inadvertent reinforcing behaviors), that this …

Today's Topic: When your dog starts to exhibit resource guarding tendencies, it can start to feel like you're dealing with a completely different dog. And what can make the situation worse, is a lot of the advice out there telling dog parents to exert their dominance over the dog to make them bend to their will, which can often make the situation w…

Today's Topic: When you're dealing with a fearful or anxious dog, it can sometimes feel like you've hit a wall, and the traditional tools that you're using are only getting you so far, resulting in a relationship with your dog that can feel belabored, frustrating, or just plain, UN-FUN. That's why we invited the founder and creator of "The Play Way…

Today's Topic: Leash reactivity is one of the top dog behavioral issues that clients come to us for, and for good reason: here, in Denver, we're (almost) ALWAYS outside...and with our dogs. So, for anyone who expects their outings with their dog to be fun, pleasant and peaceful experiences, they may quickly find themselves seeking behavioral soluti…

Today's Topic: Do you regularly find yourself feeling guilty about the dog parent that you are, and the care and life you're able to provide your dog? If so, you're not alone. Just as many parents feel guilty about the time and care they're able to devote to their human child, many dog parents today feel similar guilt, which is often spurred on, an…

Today's Topic: Have you just learned (or are starting to suspect) that your puppy may be going deaf or blind? Or is your adult dog showing signs that their hearing or sight is becoming more and more impaired? These are, by nature, difficult waters to navigate, and finding reputable resources to help guide you and your puppy or dog during this time …

Today's Topic: Do you have a dog that just LIVES to hunt? And do those hunting behaviors, whether it's orienting, stalking, chasing, and even killing and eating, get in the way of how you would like to live your day-to-day life with your dog? That's why we've invited certified dog trainer, dog behavior consultant, and the author of two books on for…

Today's Topic: Some might say that anxiety is THE malady of our hyper-connected always-on world. But what if you find that your dog is suffering from anxiety, and more importantly, what can you do about it? And what can we learn about how anxiety works in the brains of our dogs, and what medical and behavioral professionals do to manage that anxiet…

Today's Topic: Whether we're aware of it or not, the way that we behave is SIGNIFICANTLY determined by the set of beliefs that we hold that help us make sense of the world...and ourselves. We call this set of beliefs our mindset, and it influences how we think, feel and behave in any given situation. Our mindset around our dogs works in the same wa…

Today's Topic: The process of getting and raising a new dog seems pretty straightforward, right? You look for and choose the dog with that "special something", you take him/her home, and if your dog has any behavioral issues, you'll look for resources to help your dog adjust their behavior to live safely and happily in your world, right? But what i…

Today's Topic: We thought we’d change things up a bit and invite former Family Pupz clients, Mandy Kovach and Ted Rosenbaum, to the pod, to talk about their experience with their first puppy, Australian Shepherd/Pit mix dog, Myki, and to share their personal experience working with Tanya on Myki’s behavioral issues. You’ll get an insider look into …

Today's Topic: As we all know, dogs are incredibly smart animals, therefore it is crucial that we provide them with plenty of mental stimulation to exercise their brains, which can come in the form of activities designed to meet their physical, behavioral and instinctual needs, or else they can quickly get bored and start to develop a wide range of…

Today's Topic: We noticed in our work with clients that there is a wide variety of dog parenting styles, whether it’s those that are characterized by rules, obedience and punishment, or those that are more neglectful and uninvolved in nature, and everything in between. So it got us wondering where these dog parenting styles came from, whether it wa…

Today's Topic: The holidays are coming! And with that, there is a tremendous amount of preparation that families across the globe are making, whether it's the food, the drinks, the travel, or the decorations, to ensure that the time we get to spend with our loved ones, especially after everything we've all collectively gone through in the past two …

Today's Topic: Having a dog who displays aggressive behaviors, whether it’s directed towards other dogs, people, or things in the environment, can be difficult enough to manage and live with when your dog’s triggers are known and reliably trigger your dog. But it can be made more difficult to deal with when the aggression is significantly more rand…

Today's Topic: Ask any dog trainer about which type of dog training methods they believe works best, whether it's predominantly rewards-based (treats), aversive-based (punishment), or balanced (treats and punishment), you'll discover an abundance of differing, and incredibly passionate, opinions. For some, they believe that the use of any punishmen…

Today's Topic: Do dogs understand us? For many, this may seem like a dumb question, as some dog parents believe that their dogs can literally read their minds. But if they can understand us, how do they do it, exactly? For example, can they understand the literal words coming out of our mouths, or are they using other cues from us and the environme…

Today's Topic: Your child starts BEGGING you to get her a dog of her very own. What do you do? For example, how do you prepare your child to take on the huge responsibility of taking care of a dog's everyday needs, like walking, feeding, training, playing, cleaning, and going to the vet, for the duration of the dog's life? And how do you know that …

Today's Topic: Dogs can be afraid of just about anything. For example, a dog may exhibit a fear response around a certain person, object, noise, or in a specific situation or environment that presents an external threat—whether it’s real or perceived. While fear is considered a normal behavior that is essential for adaptation and survival, sometime…

Today's Topic: Did you know that the likelihood of a child sustaining a dog bite in their lifetime in the U.S. is 50%? You read that right: 50%! That said, many parents are woefully unaware that dog bites of babies and children are something to be concerned about at all due to the preponderance of "cute" videos featuring dogs and babies or children…

Today's Topic: As dogs have become more prominent members of the family in recent years, we've seen an incredible increase in the desire to learn how to raise a dog "right", often starting when a puppy is brought home for the first time. And there's no dog training subject that has gained more awareness and prominence in recent years than puppy soc…

Today's topic: How similar is the behavior of dogs to the behavior of humans? This is a question we've always wondered about, so we invited Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Karen B. London, PhD, on the pod to help us answer that very question! Not only that, but we talk to her about her latest book, Treat Every…

Today's topic: One of the most common complaints we hear from dog parents is some version of this statement: "My dog listens to me at home, but once we're outside, it's a TOTALLY different story!" To delve into why this happens, and to confirm or deny whether your dog is being stubborn, dominant, a jerk, disrespectful, spiteful and/or has the minds…

Today's topic: One of the biggest impending issues for a lot of dog parents is the prospect of their dog developing separation anxiety issues once they return back to the office. That's why we invited esteemed dog trainer, author and foremost expert on separation anxiety, Malena DeMartini-Price, on the Family Pupz podcast to discuss some of the nua…

Today's topic: While on the surface, being a dog trainer and a ballroom dance teacher couldn't be more different, upon further examination, the similarities are quite striking. They both teach people how to move their bodies in ways they've never done before, as well as teach people how to lead and guide their partners, whether that partner is a da…

Today's topic: We discuss "Frequently Asked Dog & Puppy Health Questions" with our very special guest, Dr. Beth Spencer, the Medical Director for the Goodheart Animal Health Center in Denver. On the pod, we discuss puppy socialization, Parvo, separation anxiety and fear, poisonous foods and items in the home, and dog/puppy nutrition! Guest Bio: Dr …

On today's episode, we discuss common dog training misconceptions that even the smartest, most educated and well-intentioned dog parents make, that are based on misguided, outdated and, at times, dangerous information. This includes common "oh, you should do this for that" tips and tricks for potty training, basic obedience, resource guarding, jump…

Today's topic: The basics and importance of crate training, and how to do it properly for the sake of your puppy, and for you! Heartbeat behavioral aid toy mentioned in the pod: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=heartbeat+toy&ref=nb_sb_nossBy Tanya & Charles Lim

A dog novice and a licensed dog trainer have conversations about the most commonly requested dog training and behavioral issues that everyday people encounter in their lives. In this episode, we discuss the #1 issue that people come to Tanya about: Loose Leash Walking. We chat about why it's such a struggle for many, how dogs think, how long walks …

Today's topic: We discuss some of the basics of dog training, from common terms, reinforcing vs. bribing, dog training vs. dog tricks, incorporating training in our everyday lives, the science of behavior, and much much more.By Tanya & Charles Lim

Today's topic: Tips, tricks and strategies on how to teach your dog to stop jumping up on people, whether that's your dog jumping up on you in your home, other people when out on walks, or on house guests in your home.By Tanya & Charles Lim

Today's topic: Our values and our principles, as we discuss our most recent blog post that dissects how our company tagline, "Because Training Your Dog Is Loving Your Dog" perfectly embodies how we view the world and what's important to us as a company. Links to things we talked about on the pod: Our blog post: "Our Values & Principles: What 'Becau…

Today's topic: How to train your brand spanking new puppy, with information about crate training, potty training, enrichment, positive reinforcement dog training, and much much more. Links to things we talked about on the pod: Puppy Socialization & Training Class at Ironton Distillery & Crafthouse on 9/28 (https://www.familypupz.com/events/puppy-so…