Madcap Radio

This episode is about using mother’s pudding for lactating dams:
“I was just wondering what brand of cool and serve vanilla pudding mix you are all using for mother’s pudding…The last litter I had, the puppies got diarrhea on day 3 (nightmare) and we never got it fully resolved until they got onto food at 3 weeks... We ruled out EVERYTHING we could think of…the only thing we could come up with was the mother’s pudding…[this dam is about to have another litter and] I want to use it because they do so much better on it with the calories. Help!”
In this episode, I explore:
Allergens that are theoretically possible to be passed through mother’s milk
Homemade mother’s pudding and switching up ingredients in mother’s pudding for different situations
Whether or not you should be concerned about mother’s pudding for your dams
Visit our website www.madcapradio.com for further reading.

This episode is a follow-up question about one of our most popular episodes, “An Egg Yolk A Day Keeps Mastitis Away”:
“At what point in the pregnancy should I begin giving my dam egg yolk to help prevent mastitis?”
In this episode, I discuss:
Why egg yolks are a benefit for pregnant and lactating dogs
Best practices for when to begin feeding egg yolks to your brood bitches
Cooked vs Raw egg yolks and egg whites
Visit our website www.madcapradio.com for further reading.

One of our fans wrote to me recently about a webinar she attended on the veterinary use of probiotics:
"The thing that intrigued me was…a study where one group of pregnant bitches was on a yeast-based probiotic, and the control group on no probiotic. There were benefits to both bitches and puppies, such as more stable GI tract and stool quality during whelping in the mothers on the probiotic, and they were less likely to have puppies of low birth weight.
I know Jane works a lot at supporting the gut biome, but interesting info about a specific yeast and a specific time."
This podcast untangles:
The difference between yeast and bacteria-based probiotics
How yeast-based probiotic supplements might help or harm a pregnant bitch, depending on the context
How to decide if a yeast or other probiotic is appropriate for your pregnant dam
Visit our website www.madcapradio.com for further reading.

This episode is a fan request:
"Looking for a podcast - My co-owner needs help. I’ve worked with them on training behaviors, and they’ve done a masterful job at teaching puppy (who’s about 3 months old now…) that barking gets attention. They wait until they just can’t take it anymore but then cave in just as extinction burst really ramps up.Is there a podcast that will guide them through navigating this? To be fair, one of them works nights and NEEDS their sleep! I can understand how they got here. But just like parenting - pay now or pay later, and this one is gonna sting! They do have PC curriculum - I told them to start looking through it again."
This podcast unpacks:
Straightforward advice for handling confinement and demand barking
Why that straightforward advice often fails to help puppy owners
How we can re-frame the emotional component of this issue for puppy owners and help them succeed.
Visit our website www.madcapradio.com for further reading.

This episode is about the possible reasons why very young puppies sometimes shiver after big sensory experiences, especially after eating food from a dish for the first few times.
We discuss:
The neurological organization function of shivering
Different theories about shivering after new experiences, such as being put in a new room or eating food for the first time
How shivering may prime the puppies' sensory system for “wonder”
Visit our website www.madcapradio.com for further reading.

This episode's question is about what to do when your “keeper” puppy starts showing significant fear issues:"…I’m really sad about my situation. I don’t want this to reflect poorly on my small breeding program that I’ve poured so much time, thought, stress, money, and emotional energy into.… my keeper puppy is now showing pretty significant fear issues…I was hoping to keep this puppy and eventually use her in my program. My biggest concern is that this is genetic fear and she will not outgrow/overcome it. This is depressing me quite honestly, and I’m feeling very deer-in-the-headlights about how to move forward…"
In this podcast I address:
How to tell if a fear issue is a developmental or genetic issue and what the line is between normal and pathological fear
My personal experiences and outcomes in this area
Words of encouragement for small program breeders, with thoughts for surviving emotional setbacks and staying in the breeding game
Visit our website www.madcapradio.com for further reading.

The question is about what to do with puppies that have meltdowns at shows or trials or any socialization situation:"My 7 month old puppy just had a meltdown. At our National this past weekend he showed OK on Thursday and Friday. A little unsure. But showed. On Saturday he was amazing and took Winners Dog. Sunday, he had a complete melt down. He has shows again in 5 days my inclination is to pull him. Work with him at home. Thoughts?"
In this episode I discuss:
When to hold back, and when to continue exposing puppies after meltdowns
Rating experiences for success
Thoughts about avoiding future problems
Visit our website madcapradio.com for further reading.

This episode's question is about whether and by how much we can modify temperament with protocols:"I was chatting to someone recently about nature versus nurture, and they said, you can get a bitch who has a poor temperament and using Puppy Culture, you can have pups who have great temperaments. My view is it's more complex than that.…Would love people's thoughts.​"
Listen in as I discuss:
The difference between temperament and behavior
The ramifications of using behavior modification protocols in a breeding program
Our ethical obligations as breeders vs as puppy raisers
Visit our website madcapradio.com for further reading.