Madcap Radio

Puppy Culture Potluck: Ep13 - Canine Nutrition Potpourri with Magda Chiarella

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.

Puppy Culture Potluck: Ep12 - What’s the Best Age to Place Puppies?

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.

Puppy Culture Potluck: Ep11 - Biting Fingers When Taking Treats - Puppies with "Rough Mouths"

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 hand
What you should do about it
Tips for working with puppies or dogs in groups
Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

Puppy Culture Potluck: Ep10 - Challenges and Frustration. How much is too much?

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.

Puppy Culture Potluck: Ep9 - Puppies That Terrorize Adult Dogs

Today’s question is about puppies who terrorize adult dogs:“Does anyone have experience with a pup obsessed with chasing the older dog (Labrador pups adult GSD). The GSD runs from him and has turned and bark/snarled at him, but he won’t leave her alone when he sees her. Suggestions?”
In this episode I cover:
Is this a normal puppy behavior?
What to do about it.
What the long-term outlook is for this situation.
Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

Puppy Culture Potluck: Ep8 - Morning Sickness in Pregnant Dams

Today’s question is on dams who refuse to eat when pregnant:
‌“Ok friends, I’m having a REALLY difficult time getting my girl to eat…
I have mixing pumpkin purée, we currently have three different dog foods that I have been trying different combinations of. She was eating Badlands Ranch and Orijen really well, before that it was Royal Canin, but all of these she eventually has stopped eating. I have freeze dried medallions I break up and mix in, I have canned (Royal Canin) I try mixing in…anything to get her to eat. What else can I do to get her to eat?”
In this episode, I talk about:
What is and is not normal as far as loss of appetite and nausea in pregnant dams
Why dams get morning sickness and pickiness about food, and
Suggestions and ideas to get your reluctant dams to eat
Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

Puppy Culture Potluck: Ep7 - Teenage Dogs

Today’s question is a fan request for an episode on teenagers:
“I wonder if you could do a podcast covering what you have learned works best regarding how to frame the adolescents mind and some general guidelines around training and general standards we should be aware of at this time in her development. You know, like with the puppies at their different stages.”
“Adolescent dogs” is a huge topic spanning several developmental periods, but in this episode I’m throwing out some big, universal landmarks that I have observed in adolescent dogs. I discuss:
The shift in reinforcers around the time of teething – why it happens, what it looks like, and what to do about it
The shift in brain capacity for different kinds of learning – when it happens, how you know it’s happening, and what to do about it.
Major considerations and priorities for guiding dogs through adolescence
Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.

Puppy Culture Potluck: Ep6 - Motion Sickness in Puppies

This week’s star question is from a puppy owner who’s puppy is drooling and throwing up in the car.
They’re wondering, is it general anxiety or carsickness?   It’s very troublesome because these puppy owners have lots of big plans for travel with their pet and it’s important that their puppy ride well in the car.  What can they do to fix this situation?
In this episode I answer these questions and look at:
The evolutionary reason we experience motion sickness
How to treat and manage carsickness
Carsickness prevention protocols for breeders, and
The prognosis for carsick puppies
Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.