Pure Dog Talk

Skin is Your Dog’s Largest Organ, Keep it Healthy! Dr. Marty Greer, DVM joins host Laura Reeves for a deep dive on skin problems in our dogs, how to avoid them, what causes them and how to treat them. Pro Tip? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In previous episodes, Marty and Laura discuss allergies and external parasites , but today’s topic covers hot spots, seasonal alopecia, demod...

Breeding Theory Q&A From LIVE@5 Host Laura Reeves leads a conversation on breeding theory, replayed from a LIVE@5 live podcast from 2022. “As we all know, dog breeding is something of, to put it mildly, a passion project,” Reeves said. “Doing it well is something we all strive for. There are some tools that we can use to accomplish that goal. No matter what type of breeding program we have, we...

OFA Launches New Testing for Brachycephalic Breeds [caption id="attachment_11998" align="alignright" width="266"] Dr. Kathleen Smiler, DVM, Pug Dog Club of America Health Committee Representative.[/caption] Eddie Dziuk, Chief Operating Officer at the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, and Dr. Kathleen Smiler, DVM, Health Committee Representative from the Pug Dog Club of America, join host Laura Re...

AKC’s New Genetic Testing Program to Offer Expanded Insights [caption id="attachment_11992" align="alignleft" width="358"] Dr. Claire Wiley, VMD and her Portugese Water Dog.[/caption] Dr. Claire Wiley, Executive Director of the AKC DNA Program, joins host Laura Reeves with breaking news about the expansion of their testing capabilities. AKC’s DNA program will soon include the option to identify tr...

Canine Bladder Stones: Diagnosis and Treatment Dr. Marty Greer, DVM joins host Laura Reeves for a deep dive on bladder stones in dogs, how to diagnose and treat them. The following information is provided by Dr. Greer. Bladder stones are the quintessential “which came first, the chicken or the egg” question. By this, we mean that a dog can have a bladder symptoms that are caused by a bladder stone...

Routines Create Coping Skills in Traumatic Times [caption id="attachment_11966" align="alignleft" width="352"] Dr. Angel Iscovich, MD, author of "The Art of Routine"[/caption] Dr. Angel L. Iscovich, M.D. joins host Laura Reeves to talk about creating routines as a coping mechanism in traumatic times. An emergency room physician and Miniature Schnauzer enthusiast, Iscovich’s book “ The Art of Routi...

Bumble’s Story: Behind the Scenes with Donna Beadle Donna Beadle joins host Laura Reeves to share the epic, joyous and eventually tragic story of Bumble the Berger Picard. [caption id="attachment_11955" align="alignleft" width="332"] Bumble, in his glory days as the #1 Owner Handled Berger Picard, with Donna's husband, Mike Beadle.[/caption] Bumble was lost for 10 days in the high desert of Wells,...

Owner Handler Winner: "These Dogs Are Worthy" [caption id="attachment_11905" align="alignleft" width="311"] Dr. Cheryl Stiehl hard at work in her veterinary practice.[/caption] Dr. Cheryl Stiehl, DVM joins host Laura Reeves to discuss the journey that brought her to the pinnacle of the Owner Handled Series with her breeder-owner-handled Irish Setter. Stiehl and Declan, GCHS Bramblebush Piper At Th...

New Tufts University Course: Breeders Teaching Veterinary Students Gale Golden and Susan Patterson join host Laura Reeves for a conversation about the new and exciting AKC Tufts Whelping Program that provides information to veterinary students about dog breeders. Golden, the AKC coordinator for the program, said that the growing difficulties with finding breeder-friendly veterinarians was a huge c...

Applied Structure and Anatomy LIVE Join the live studio audience with host Laura Reeves at Bonneville Basin Kennel Association to discuss why our dogs are built the way they’re built. Laura and members of the audience address structure and why our dogs are built the way they’re built. Form and Function go together There are a lot of differences between herding dogs, depending on the type of herdin...

4Ever15: Choose Kindness [caption id="attachment_11746" align="alignleft" width="369"] Nick Carroll winning Best Junior Handler at the Great Dane specialty in Des Moines, IA.[/caption] Denise Carroll joins host Laura Reeves to share her story of how the twin epidemics of school bullying and teen suicide affected her, after her son, Nick, took his life last month. Nick Carroll was Denise’s adopted...

Lessons from Orlando and Holiday Musings The extravaganza of purebred dogs that is the AKC National Championship week in Orlando has come to a close. I skipped the last couple years with the pandemic and all that entailed, so it was really good to be back with the people I so rarely get to see. I think we all learn something new each time… Like how it’s possible to walk 10 miles and never see the...

Food Fight? Science Based Facts on Feeding Your Dog Rob Downey, President and CEO of Annamaet , foundational researcher in pet feeding, joins host Laura Reeves to discuss the pros and cons of raw vs kibble and how to make sure your pet is fed a healthy diet. “The real thing is, with any product, is how well it’s balanced and the raw materials going in to it,” Downey said. “You can’t say all raw is...

Holiday Gift Guide, SuperZoo, and Small Business Saturday Dr. Marty Greer, DVM, and host Laura Reeves throw out some GREAT ideas for holiday gift-giving for the animal-loving family. Greer's recent trip to SuperZoo and strong support for Small Business Saturday provide heavy influence on the list! Find links below to many of the products mentioned on the podcast and more. Small Business Saturday G...

From Chasing to Pacing: Troubleshooting In Ring Movement Issues Laura’s monthly LIVE@5 podcasts offer an interactive opportunity for listeners to ask questions and get personal insight. This particular topic revolved around questions regarding movement. Laura provides techniques to deal with dogs that pull, lunge, lack focus or pace in the ring. Q: (My dog) has this new thing where, on the go roun...

Dr. Gayle Watkins LIVE: Socializing Puppies Properly Four-time AKC Breeder of the Year in four different sports, Dr. Gayle Watkins, founder of Avidog, speaks about how we create working and competition dogs through proper socializing. Watkins observes that socialization is building social relationships with humans and dogs. And the current method of socialization causes more harm than good. Puppy...

Building Trust with Your Puppy During Socialization Dr. Gayle Watkins is back with part two of her presentation on proper socialization steps for raising competitive dogs. Watkins emphasizes the need for the owner and puppy to build trust during early socialization. This means being a “control freak” about safe-guarding your puppy’s interactions with people, places and other pets. “We are responsi...

Dr. Marty Greer’s Passion Project & Anniversary Episode Dr. Marty Greer, DVM and host Laura Reeves celebrate their fifth anniversary of sharing important veterinary topics on Pure Dog Talk. Greer’s passion project is Breast Cancer Awareness in dogs. “People sometimes forget that dogs get breast cancer too,” Greer said. “It's not an uncommon kind of cancer to find in dogs, unfortunately. It is...

"In Their Honor We Must Continue Their Paths" Tomorrow is All Saints’ day… It’s also Dia De Los Muertos … So I believe it is fitting to hold up our friends and loved ones today on All Hallows Eve….. Our tribe has lost legends, and legends in the making, just in the last few weeks, never mind during the course of the last couple years. The days are shorter, colder and grayer today. The mottled leav...

Spinone Italiano: Storied Bird Dogs of Gentle Character Long time breeder Allison Schultz, of del Caos Spinoni, joins host Laura Reeves for a Love the Breeds month discussion of the fascinating history and empathetic nature of the Spinone Italiano. [caption id="attachment_10948" align="alignleft" width="264"] Allison Shultz' "Limbo," shown by Nancy Martin, the breed's first Best in Show record hol...

Sealyham Terriers: Favorites of Royalty and Hollywood [caption id="attachment_10929" align="alignleft" width="264"] Leslie Jaseph with two of her Seabrook Sealyham Terriers.[/caption] Leslie Jaseph joins host Laura Reeves for the next in our Love the Breeds Month, by listener request, Sealyham Terriers. Sealyham Terriers were once the favored breed of Queen Elizabeth’s sister, Princess Margaret, a...

Finnish Lapphunds: Trainable, Lovable, Cuddly Dogs of the North [caption id="attachment_10909" align="alignleft" width="273"] Linda Marden and Tori.[/caption] Host Laura Reeves kicks off Love the Breeds month talking with Linda Marden, who imported the first Finnish Lapphunds to the US and worked to have them recognized by the American Kennel Club. “I very pointedly and purposely set out to import...

Canine Herpes Virus from the Veterinary Perspective [caption id="attachment_10897" align="alignleft" width="253"] BRUCE W. CHRISTENSEN, DVM, MS, DACT[/caption] Dr. Bruce Christensen, DVM from Kokopelli Assisted Reproductive Services , joins host Laura Reeves to talk about treating pregnant dogs and their puppies for Canine Herpes Virus. Last week we heard from Alaskan Malamute breeder Wendy Korr o...

Canine Herpes Virus: Early Detection Saves Puppies Alaskan Malamute breeder Wendy Corr joins host Laura Reeves to share her story of early detection of Canine Herpes Virus in her pregnant bitch and how she managed the situation to produce healthy puppies. This is the first of a two-part series which also includes an interview with Corr’s lead veterinarian. [caption id="attachment_10885" align="ali...

Consistency is the Key to Successful Dog Training Trainer and author Shannon Riley-Coyner joins host Laura Reeves to talk about the key to successful dog training – consistency. “Really, consistency is something that even as humans, we thrive on,” Riley-Coyner said. “Like if we have a relationship, whether it's with our children, our spouse, our friends. Inconsistency really creates fear. It creat...