Empowering breeders and owners to raise stable, healthy, well-mannered puppies that enrich people’s lives.
Do you wish your dog was better behaved? This show will help you give the right beginning to a young dog and improve an older dog’s behavior, too — featuring the wisdom of three veteran trainers, Gayle Watkins, Lise Pratt and Marcy Burke — who will take turns co-hosting. They have also spent decades breeding and competing healthy performance Golden Retrievers — and created Avidog, a system to help breeders and new puppy owners raise well-behaved companions.
Hosted by Tracie Hotchner, Gayle Watkins, Lise Pratt, Marcy Burke
Good Dogs! (03-06-2017) #6065: Gayle from Avidog International explains what a dog’s “prey drive” is — especially when re-directed at other dogs. The dog’s brain focuses only on the prey and they cannot see or hear you trying to stop them when their brain is filled with neuro-chemicals that feel good. Preventing aggression towards other […]
Good Dogs! (01-09-2017) #6063: Lise from Avidog International discusses adolescence in dogs. At 18 months the “true dog” emerges and s/he is now becoming the dog s/he is meant to be. Tracie laments the change in her own 18 month old, Wanda and her prey drive towards other dogs. Lise explains that going after something smaller creates a chemical reaction in the brain that is so exciting that the dog can become deaf and dumb to your attempts to your attempts to stop her. The trick is to interrupt it before it is triggered.
Good Dogs! (12-19-2016) #6064: Kristen Collins is head of the ASPCA Rehab Center and featured in the new ASPCA documentary “Second Chance Dogs,” now available on Netflix. The film follows six extremely fearful rescued Malamutes taken to the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center (the first and only facility dedicated to rehabilitating dogs suffering from severe fear […]
Good Dogs! (12-05-2016) #6062: Lise from Avidog International discusses delaying spaying a female dog (as Tracie has with her young Weimaraner, Wanda) purely for health reasons and the challenges of dealing with a bitch in heat for a novice like Tracie. Buyers of Avidog Golden Retrievers actually have to sign a contract not to spay […]
Good Dogs! (10-31-2016) #6060: The challenges of training small dogs! Marcy from Avidog International says to make training the “wee ones” a game! It needs to be fun for both of you — and should include a mountain of very small delicious treats to reinforce commands — especially the basic “Come!” command. MP3 Audio [12 […]
Good Dogs! (10-10-2016) #6061: Marcy from Avidog asks: Should people treat and view their small dogs as canines —– or babies? Because they are “babies” with teeth! If you keep holding that little dog in your arms instead of letting her be a dog, you are setting her up to bite. MP3 Audio [12 MB]DownloadShow […]
Good Dogs! (09-19-2016) #6059: Can separation anxiety affect a dog later in life? Lise says it can — and that the best way to minmize your dog’s anxiety about your departure is to be unpredictable in your exiting behavior. Change the time and routine of how you leave and your dog won’t have a chance […]
Good Dogs! (09-05-2016) #6056: Want to know what a “screw up cookie” is?! Hear that and more of Gayle Watkins’ training tips from Avidog International. Myth-busting: you do NOT have to end training on a positive note (keep it short & sweet). Make it FUN! MP3 Audio [9 MB]DownloadShow URL
GOOD DOGS! (08-08-2016) #6058: Margaret Tumino Mills, who does the marketing for Halo, Purely for Pets — also volunteers as a dog trainer at the North Hempstead shelter, where she focuses on recognizing the individual personality of each dog that is up for adoption. She discusses “rewarding ‘nothing’” and what that apparent contradiction means. MP3 […]
Good Dogs! (07-11-2016) #6054: Marcy discusses re-homing issues and how it affects resident pets. Bringing in another dog always influences the harmony of the household — assume the worst can happen and if it does, be prepared to let go of that new potential canine family member because the welfare of your existing pets come […]
