Your Family Dog Podcast

Socialization is often described as exposing your puppy to a wide variety of people, places, dogs, and experiences in a positive way. Those are important aspects to socializing a puppy, but Tina Spring and Julie Fudge Smith explore the idea that enrichment is also a form of socialization and one that can be easily achieved during these uncertain times.   For show notes and more information please...

Are you considering adding a dog to your family? Whether this is your first dog, your fifteenth, a solo pet, or another canine companion, there are things you will want to consider when making this decision. Tina Spring and Julie Fudge Smith talk in detail about how you can improve your chances of making this a successful addition to your family. For show notes and more information please see: You...

Annelise Halliday Norman had a Corgi shaped hole in her heart for many years before she was able to fill it. She joins Tina Spring and Julie Fudge Smith to discuss the research, preparation, as well as the surprises that came with adopting a puppy as a single woman and graduate student. For more information and show notes please go to Your Family Dog

Thomas King of the Cleary Company, in Columbus Ohio, and Nathan Coker of Stanfield Air Systems, in Athens Georgia, join Tina Spring and Julie Fudge Smith for a discussion of how dogs, their owners, and contractors can work together. Whether the job lasts an hour or a month, learn what you can do to make sure that the job gets done and everyone is happy!   For more information and show notes please...

Julie Fudge Smith and Tina Spring continue the discussion from episode 131 on crate training by talking about enrichment and how to help your dog learn to love her crate, ex-pen, or other cozy enclosure! For more information and show notes please go to: Your Family Dog

Tina Spring and Julie Fudge Smith talk about the value of having your dog not only accept, but love her crate and how you can get your dog to think this is the best idea she ever had!   For more information please see: Your Family Dog

Does your dog see aliens in every corner of the yard and let you know the invasion is imminent? Perhaps he's come more sensitive to noises such as thunder, or is scared by shadows? If you're lucky, your dog may be able to sense space invaders before they land! But, more likely, she's getting older and her senses are dimming, and movement, noises, and shadows are now scary for her. In this episode,...

Tina Spring and Julie Fudge Smith address some of the most common questions they get from listeners and clients about canine diet, weight, age, and of course, so much more!   For more information and show notes please go to: Your Family Dog

"I'm sorry, but your dog has cancer," can be heartbreaking and terrifying for owners to hear. Dr. Erin Malone, veterinary oncologist at MedVet Columbus joins Julie Fudge Smith and Tina Spring to talk about cancer, treatment, quality of life, and what it means for the many pet owners who will face this diagnosis in their beloved pet.   For more information and show notes, please go to: Your Family...

What role does creativity play in helping dogs or children learn to navigate their worlds? Does structure aid in the creative process and how does that apply to raising kids or training dogs? These are some of the questions we explore with Dr. Sara Wyckoff, Assistant Professor at The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences.   For show notes and more information please see: Your Family Dog

In part 2 of our series with Barbara Dobbins on spaying or neutering your dog, we have a far ranging discussion that includes: the role of hormones in the life of a dog, the effects on behavior when you alter your dog, and whether or not a connection exists between spaying and neutering and cancer.   For show notes and more information please see: Your Family Dog

To spay or neuter your dog may seem like a no-brainer decision, but is it? Are there unintended consequences to when or if you alter your pet? Is this always the right decision for you and your dog. In Part 1 of this two part series on Spay and Neuter we talk with Barb Dobbins, author of the Whole Dog Journal article,  To Neuter, or Not to Neuter Your Dog: That is the Question , about this not not...

In this episode Tina Spring and Julie Fudge Smith give listeners the inside scoop on what trainers talk about with each other, how they view the world of dogs and humans and, some of the challenges they face as dog owners and trainers.   For show notes please see: Your Family Dog  

In part 2 of our series with Dr. Ryan Yamka, we look at the recent controversy over grain free foods and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Are they really linked? What started the debate and what do you need to know? For more information and show notes please visit: Your Family Dog 

Dr. Ryan Yamka, PhD, FACN, PAS, Dipl ACAS, is a canine nutrition expert and founder of Guardian Pet Food.  He joins Tina Spring and Julie Fudge Smith for a discussion of canine nutrition and what dog owners need to know to choose the best way to feed their best friend.   For more information and show notes please go to:   Your Family Dog

Dr. Zazie Todd, author of the Companion Animal Psychology blog, joins Julie Fudges Smith and Tina Spring to discuss her new book, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy.   Join us and learn what you can do to make your dog the happiest one on the block! (This is Dr. Todd's second appearance on Your Family Dog, so be sure to check out our first episode  with Dr. Todd: Making Happy Dogs Happier)...

Welcome to Part one of this two part series for Mother's Day. In this episode Tina Spring and Julie Fudge Smith have a wide ranging discussion with Dr. Sara Wyckoff of The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences , San Marco, California about kids, dogs, moms, culture, and what we can do to help all the members of our family thrive. For more information and show notes please go to: Your Fam...

In Part Two of this Mother's Day special we continue the lively discussion about kids, dogs, and families with Dr. Sara Wyckoff of The University of St Augustine for Health Sciences , San Marco California.   For show notes and more please go to: Your Family Dog

Tina Spring and Julie Fudge Smith talk about the Potcake dogs from the Carribean islands. Tina owns two of these special individuals and has an insider's perspective on their special characterstics, temperaments and needs. For more information and show notes please go to: Your Family Dog

This very wet spring, along with the Stay At Home mandate, has created many opportunities for at home play and training for the dogs of Julie Fudge Smith and Tina Spring.  Join the discussion on what you can do to prepare your pups for good weather and renewed social interactions.   For show notes, please go to: Your Family Dog

In Part 2 of our series on play, Karen Deeds joins Tina Spring and Julie Fudge Smith to discuss how play can be a form of behavior modification, a way to teach important skills such as dropping an object or focusing on the owner, as well as the best way to introduce toys so your dog is not as likely to develop any bad habits associated with play.   For more information and show notes please go to:...

Rehoming dog is a topic that often evokes strong emotions as well as opinions. In this episode, Tina Spring and Julie Fudge Smith welcome Charlie, a client of Tina's, to talk about how and why she and her family made the difficult, painful, but also compassionate decision to rehome their dog. For show notes and more information please go to: Your Family Dog

In this first episode of a two part series, Karen Deeds, of Canine Connection  in Ft. Worth Texas, joins Julie Fudge Smith and Tina Spring to talk about how to get a reluctant dog to play, how to figure out your dog's style of play, and using personal play to get your canine to engage with you in a fun and meaningful way. For more information and show notes please go to: Your Family Dog

In part two of our discussion on canine dermatology, Julie Fudge Smith and Tina Spring talk with Dr. Natalie Theus, Board Certified Veterinary Dermatologist about allergies, common misconceptions about skin issues, ears, stress, and so much more! For more information and show notes please see: Your Family Dog

Dr. Natalie Theus, Board Certified Veterinary Dermatologist joins Tina Spring and Julie Fudge Smith for two episodes to talk about a variety of canine dermatological issues. In this first part we discuss skin manifestations of thyroid disease, hot spots, allergies, and what you can do to help prevent skin problems in your dog.  For more information and show notes please see: Your Family Dog