Puppy Talk – Détails, épisodes et analyse

For dog owners:

1. Always keep your dog on a leash. Listen to podcast episode 118. 
2. Never allow your dog to bark or lunge at another dog or people. Create distance immediately if this happens.
3. Work with a trainer to prevent rectivity. Teach sit, wait, “watch-me” as alternative behaviors to reacting to stimuli. 

For parents of children:

1. Never allow your child to pet a dog unless the dog is on a leash and calm.
2. Never have your child reach their hand toward a dog's face or put their face close to a dog's face.
3. Only allow the child to pet the dog on its side while the dog's owner holds it calmly on a leash. 

Related Episodes: #118 on October 7, 2025, and #97 on April 7, 2025. 

News story on WHNT News 19: https://youtu.be/JdtAaPczUoc?si=3CmznHd_sHV08uT9

If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources.

Our Sponsor is Top Gun Dog Training
In-home dog training services in the Huntsville, AL area at http://www.topgundogtraining.com

RESOURCES:

• Podcast Website: http://puppytalkpodcast.com
• Sponsor Website: http://www.topgundogtraining.com
• Dale's books: https://www.amazon.com/author/dalebuchanan
• Potty Training Your Puppy: https://pottytrainingyourpuppy.com/

Top Gun Dog Training in Huntsville, Alabama. Dog Trainer near me. Puppy Training in Madison, AL. Dog Behavior in Huntsville, AL. 

Embarking on a career as a dog trainer may seem daunting. With vast knowledge to acquire and numerous pathways to explore, it can be challenging. Yet, by breaking it down into straightforward steps, the journey becomes manageable. In this episode, I will guide you through the essentials of starting out, from enhancing your expertise to establishing yourself as a reliable professional in your community.

If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources.

Our Sponsor is Top Gun Dog Training
In-home dog training services in the Huntsville, AL area at http://www.topgundogtraining.com

RESOURCES:

• Podcast Website: http://puppytalkpodcast.com
• Sponsor Website: http://www.topgundogtraining.com
• Dale's books: https://www.amazon.com/author/dalebuchanan
• Potty Training Your Puppy: https://pottytrainingyourpuppy.com/

Top Gun Dog Training in Huntsville, Alabama. Dog Trainer near me. Puppy Training in Madison, AL. Dog Behavior in Huntsville, AL. 

In this episode, I discuss how to set your puppy up for success by making better decisions to replace unwanted behaviors. 

• Stop directing them
• Allow them to decide independently - use leash training for this.
• Do the chair exercise.
• Praise them subtly when they make a good decision
• Target training, light agility training, and dog puzzles.
• Give them a chance to succeed.

The chair exercise: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDK-H52SBgm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Target Training: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFBXwE1yOXJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Indoor Agility Training: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-BznCQshcN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources.

Our Sponsor is Top Gun Dog Training
In-home dog training services in the Huntsville, AL area at http://www.topgundogtraining.com

RESOURCES:

• Podcast Website: http://puppytalkpodcast.com
• Sponsor Website: http://www.topgundogtraining.com
• Dale's books: https://www.amazon.com/author/dalebuchanan
• Potty Training Your Puppy: https://pottytrainingyourpuppy.com/

Top Gun Dog Training in Huntsville, Alabama. Dog Trainer near me. Puppy Training in Madison, AL. Dog Behavior in Huntsville, AL. 

In this episode, me and Trish discuss how to properly manage multi-dog households, with a special bonus of how to manage dogs and cats in the same home. 

Trish is a certified professional dog trainer and certified dog behavior consultant, with a Masters Degree in animal behavior. She specializes in training and behavior modification work using positive reinforcement with dogs, cats, and horses. 

Trish is located in Mars Hill, NC and her website is trishmcmillan.com and I’ll place the link in the show notes.

Questions:

• How many dogs do you have?
• How do you manage all of them without any conflict between them?
• What should current dog owners know about brining another dog home to the family?
• How much work is it to own 2 dogs? 3 dogs? 4 dogs?
• What are some things that could go wrong?
• How common is multi-dog household aggression? 

Visit our website at http://puppytalkpodcast.com

If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources.

Our Sponsor is Top Gun Dog Training
In-home dog training services in the Huntsville, AL area at http://www.topgundogtraining.com

RESOURCES:

• Podcast Website: http://puppytalkpodcast.com
• Sponsor Website: http://www.topgundogtraining.com
• Dale's books: https://www.amazon.com/author/dalebuchanan
• Potty Training Your Puppy: https://pottytrainingyourpuppy.com/

Top Gun Dog Training in Huntsville, Alabama. Dog Trainer near me. Puppy Training in Madison, AL. Dog Behavior in Huntsville, AL. 

In this episode, I provide tips for crate training your puppy.  The goal is for the puppy to associate a positive experience with the crate.  This can take some time and patience.  Don't try to rush the process. 

Tips of what to do:

1. Use treats to lure puppy into crate
2. Have puppy lie down in crate with lure or one time saying “down”
3. Feed using their food bowl, or Lickimat, or Kong (do not close door to crate)
4. Play games with puppy and crate (see Instagram videos for Top Gun Dog Training)
5. Close crate door for intervals of 30 sec, 1 min, etc., and work up to several minutes at a time while puppy is being calm.
6. Use a camera to observe what puppy does in crate when left alone.

Tips of what NOT to do:

1. Do not throw your puppy in the crate
2. Do not yell at puppy in crate when they are barking or crying
3. Do not put any bedding in crate if they are a chewer or not potty trained. Just use the plastic crate pan.
4. Do not let puppy suffer in crate, go back to steps of what to do and work on those. 

Visit our website at http://puppytalkpodcast.com

If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources.

Our Sponsor is Top Gun Dog Training
In-home dog training services in the Huntsville, AL area at http://www.topgundogtraining.com

RESOURCES:

• Podcast Website: http://puppytalkpodcast.com
• Sponsor Website: http://www.topgundogtraining.com
• Dale's books: https://www.amazon.com/author/dalebuchanan
• Potty Training Your Puppy: https://pottytrainingyourpuppy.com/

Top Gun Dog Training in Huntsville, Alabama. Dog Trainer near me. Puppy Training in Madison, AL. Dog Behavior in Huntsville, AL. 

For this episode I provide 4 tips on how to stop overstimulating your puppy. This is a follow up to Episode #18 on The Importance of Puppy Relaxation. 

Here are the 4 tips:

1. Stop talking to your puppy so much
2. Stop playing with your puppy on floor or couch
3. Do mental stimulation with your puppy
4. Make sure that hard exercise is not in the apartment, house, or yard

Be sure to visit our Sponsor https://topgundogtraining.com/

Visit our website at https://www.puppytalkpodcast.com/

If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources.

Our Sponsor is Top Gun Dog Training
In-home dog training services in the Huntsville, AL area at http://www.topgundogtraining.com

RESOURCES:

• Podcast Website: http://puppytalkpodcast.com
• Sponsor Website: http://www.topgundogtraining.com
• Dale's books: https://www.amazon.com/author/dalebuchanan
• Potty Training Your Puppy: https://pottytrainingyourpuppy.com/

Top Gun Dog Training in Huntsville, Alabama. Dog Trainer near me. Puppy Training in Madison, AL. Dog Behavior in Huntsville, AL. 

In this episode, I talk about how to raise a puppy in an apartment. I've had puppies, and adult dogs, in apartments for that past 14 years. and there are a few things you need to know and implement into the puppies life to make it work most effectively.  These tips will hopefully minimize the risk of puppies eliminating, chewing, and barking  inside of the apartment. 

There are 4 things that you puppy will need to help living in an apartment. Without all of these, in the right doses, your puppy will  likely develop behavior issues. 

1. Exercise
2. Mental Stimulation
3. Socialization
4. Enrichment

Visit our website at http://puppytalkpodcast.com

If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources.

Our Sponsor is Top Gun Dog Training
In-home dog training services in the Huntsville, AL area at http://www.topgundogtraining.com

RESOURCES:

• Podcast Website: http://puppytalkpodcast.com
• Sponsor Website: http://www.topgundogtraining.com
• Dale's books: https://www.amazon.com/author/dalebuchanan
• Potty Training Your Puppy: https://pottytrainingyourpuppy.com/

Top Gun Dog Training in Huntsville, Alabama. Dog Trainer near me. Puppy Training in Madison, AL. Dog Behavior in Huntsville, AL. 

Laura Donaldson, is a PhD, CDBC, KPA CTP and the owner of Four Paws, Four Directions Dog Training & Behavior Consulting, LLC at https://fourpawsfourdirections.com

The episode will focuses on THE IMPORTANCE OF RELAXATION FOR PUPPIES (& ALL DOGS). Topics covered include mat training for puppies, calming enrichment activities and the cognitive as well as emotional underpinnings of the RELAXATION RESPONSE that we want to teach our puppies.

TEN WAYS TO HELP YOUR DOG LEARN TO “REALLY” RELAX ON A MAT!

1. Do not use a clicker or other excitatory marker with mat training – if you want to use a marker, use a CALMING one like “Niiiiice,” or “Gooooood,” said in almost a subliminal tone of voice.

2. Do the “Be Still/Reward Nothing” game on the mat. No movement, not even a wagging tail.

3. Every time you place a treat down on the mat (because we’re feeding the mat, not the dog), ask your dog to TAKE A DEEP BREATH. The sequence would be:

Calming Marker -- Ask the dog to TAB -- Place treat on the mat

4. Give your dog a LickiMat spread with baby food, squeeze cheese, xylitol-free yogurt or even an overripe banana on his/her mat. There is science & hard data backing up that calm repetitive licking induces both a physical & neurochemical “feel good” sensation that is very soothing.

5. Do some massage with your dog on the mat.

6. Do Tellington TTouch Ear Slides with your dog on the mat.

7. Give your dog a stuffed, frozen Kong on his/her mat.

8. Dogs use social mimicry to interpret their environment, so if the human stands by the mat and practices relaxed, deep breathing, dogs will often imitate what their human is doing.

9. Have your dog on their mat & plug in a pheromone dispenser nearby.

10. BE CALM & RELAXED YOURSELF AND CHANCES ARE THAT YOUR DOG WILL BE (MORE) CALM & RELAXED!!

Visit our website at http://puppytalkpodcast.com

If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources.

Our Sponsor is Top Gun Dog Training
In-home dog training services in the Huntsville, AL area at http://www.topgundogtraining.com

RESOURCES:

• Podcast Website: http://puppytalkpodcast.com
• Sponsor Website: http://www.topgundogtraining.com
• Dale's books: https://www.amazon.com/author/dalebuchanan
• Potty Training Your Puppy: https://pottytrainingyourpuppy.com/

Top Gun Dog Training in Huntsville, Alabama. Dog Trainer near me. Puppy Training in Madison, AL. Dog Behavior in Huntsville, AL. 

In this episode I talk about  the New Your Times Article liked below.  The name of this article is The People Who Got Puppies Were in Over Their Heads. Now professional dog trainers are all booked up. While you wait, they have some advice to share.

Here is the article link https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/style/dog-trainers-pandemic-puppies.html?searchResultPosition=3

Here are other links mentioned in this episode:

Pandemic Puppies: https://topgundogtraining.com/blog/f/the-problem-with-pandemic-puppies

First 5 Things to Teach your Puppy: https://topgundogtraining.com/blog/f/the-first-5-things-to-teach-your-new-puppy

Puppy Schedule: https://topgundogtraining.com/blog/f/new-puppy-schedule

Our website is https://www.puppytalkpodcast.com/

If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources.

Our Sponsor is Top Gun Dog Training
In-home dog training services in the Huntsville, AL area at http://www.topgundogtraining.com

RESOURCES:

• Podcast Website: http://puppytalkpodcast.com
• Sponsor Website: http://www.topgundogtraining.com
• Dale's books: https://www.amazon.com/author/dalebuchanan
• Potty Training Your Puppy: https://pottytrainingyourpuppy.com/

Top Gun Dog Training in Huntsville, Alabama. Dog Trainer near me. Puppy Training in Madison, AL. Dog Behavior in Huntsville, AL. 

Kim Brophey is an applied ethologist and professional Family Dog Mediator™ working to solve problems between people and dogs with modern science.  Kim is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA)

I’ve seen Kim’s presentation on Ethology for Dogs in the Aggression in Dogs Master Course and the Aggression in Dogs Conference, and both times I was blown away by her level of knowledge, experience, and information.

I’m currently reading Kim’s book “Meet Your Dog”, The Game Changing Guide to Understanding Your Dogs Behavior.  

You can see more about Kim on her website dogdoorcanineservices.com.

Questions:

• What is applied Ethology
• How does the understanding of applied ethology help dog owners?
• How does the information gathered from applied ethology help new puppy owners or potential new puppy owners?
• Why is it important for people to choose the right dog for their needs and lifestyle? 
• Not in Kansas anymore (on website)
• (L.E.G.S) learning, environment, genetics, self. 
• Fix it mentality (Mike’s podcast)
• Tell us more about your book Meet Your Dog?
• On your website you have Matchmaker, where your team helps people find the right dog. Tell us more about that. 

Be sure to visit our website at http://www.puppytalkpodcast.com/

If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources.

Our Sponsor is Top Gun Dog Training
In-home dog training services in the Huntsville, AL area at http://www.topgundogtraining.com

RESOURCES:

• Podcast Website: http://puppytalkpodcast.com
• Sponsor Website: http://www.topgundogtraining.com
• Dale's books: https://www.amazon.com/author/dalebuchanan
• Potty Training Your Puppy: https://pottytrainingyourpuppy.com/

Top Gun Dog Training in Huntsville, Alabama. Dog Trainer near me. Puppy Training in Madison, AL. Dog Behavior in Huntsville, AL.