Ask Dr. Caryn About Animal Behavior and Training

Dr. Caryn and The Happy Meemaw discuss resource guarding in dogs. What is it? What causes it? How Serious is it? Can it be fixed? Two Critical Mistakes to Avoid Never Punish the Growl: If your dog growls, she is communicating that she is uncomfortable. If you punish the growl, you might successfully stop the noise, but you haven't fixed the underlying fear. Instead, you create a dog that suppr...

Dr. Caryn and The Happy Meemaw re-emphasize the importance of the  critical socialization period  for puppies between eight and twelve weeks old, emphasizing positive exposure to new environments. Dr. Caryn offers practical strategies for managing  dogs  and setting them up for success at community events such as festivals and markets to ensure safety and comfort. Finally she addresses complex emo...

Dr. Caryn and The Happy Meemaw discuss the intersection between pet health and behavior . The discussion highlights why  aging dogs  may resist coming indoors due to physical discomfort, environmental stressors, or  cognitive decline . Dr. Caryn also recommends seeing a Veterinary Behaviorist to rule out medical causes of behavioral issues. And she offers practical strategies for  rehabilitating r...

Dr. Caryn and The Happy Meemaw discuss canine behavior and training techniques while answering questions submitted by a seventh-grade student. She emphasizes a  relationship-based approach  that relies on  positive reinforcement  rather than outdated, punitive methods. The conversation highlights how  human owners  are often the most difficult element of training, as they must learn to change thei...

Dr. Caryn and The Happy Meemaw answer questions from the public related to puppies with an emphasis that critical socialization period between 3 and 16 weeks. To prevent future fear based reactivity, owners must balance exposure to new environments...people, places, things... with vaccination safety, using tools like puppy backpacks or strollers. Socialization and training should start immediately...

In this show,  Dr. Caryn and The Happy Meemaw discuss the legal and behavioral distinctions between  ADA service dogs ,  emotional support animals , and  therapy dogs . She explains that while  service dogs  require specialized task training for a specific disability, they do not need official government certification and are granted broad public access. Conversely,  emotional support animals  and...

In this Episode, Dr. Caryn & The Happy Meemaw discuss  behavior modification and training  for dogs, addressing questions from the public about a puppy nipping at a vet, a dog exhibiting resource guarding by being overly protective of its owner, and an excited golden doodle that jumps and pees when greeting people. Dr. Caryn also provides  safety tips for dogs during the holidays , including p...

The Show that Started it All - The Happy Meemaw interviews Dr. Caryn and learns about her lifelong journey that eventually landed her in Colonial Beach VA Helping Dogs Fix Their People. The Happy Meemaw says: "This week's podcast features a woman who faced adversity in her youth but persevered, took care of her family, followed her dream, and has achieved many successes in the animal, non...