A Dog's Life with Anna Webb – Details, episodes & analysis

To conclude our August Archive Season, this week we’re joined by the legend that is Dr Jean Dodds talking about vaccines. As one of the pioneers to research the duration of immunity (DOI) of modern vaccines, Dr Jean has led the way for the WSAVA (The World Small Animal Veterinary Association) to recommend Titre Testing over annual boosters. Having studied how the DOI of initial puppy shots can last a minimum of three years, if not a life time, Dr Jean believes in #TestBeforeYouTreat and that’s for annual vaccines as well as wormers. A Titre tests picks up the serological immunity that your dog has developed against the core diseases: Parvo, Distemper and Hepatitis, and helps pet guardians manage their dog’s immunisation rather than over vaccinate.  For over five decades Dr Jean has noted the side effects of many vaccines, not least from the ingredients or adjuvants that are added including Mercury. We chat about the difference between active vaccines and non-active vaccines, and the possible side effects from the latter, and what you can do to minimise the risks. We chat about the best time to vaccinate your puppy, and we also discuss Hemopet the blood bank Dr Jean founded in 1986 where bloods for Thyroid assessments are sent globally. In 2015 Dr Jean published the best selling book Canine Nutrigenomics - foods to heal your dog naturally. We also talk about environmental stressors and the food chain too!

For more information click here

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Jean's book

if you love A Dog's Life and would like to help support the show why not become a Patreon backer where you can also have access to some exclusive content.

If you want to move your dog to a raw diet or even switch brands we wholly recommend Paleo Ridge

For more about Anna go to annawebb.co.uk

Music and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People Productions

Cover art by Jaijo

Cover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff Pawtraits

To advertise on or sponsor A Dog's Life email: [email protected]

As our August Archive Season continues Anna meets up with Author & Journalist, Genevieve Fox, and her Miniature Schnauzer, Pepper on Hampstead Heath. Retracing their time training on an ‘experience’ walk, where Anna highlighted some training tips. That walk was for an article in The Observer magazine about walking your own dog, and how it helps your dog’s and your own well-being.  Passionate about punctuating your dog’s day, and building proactive games into an everyday walk for extra enrichment.  Anna demonstrated how to connect with your dog and make the walk interactive. Genevieve and Anna chat sitting on a log that became a fun agility obstacle. They chat about why its important to train a perfect recall, so your dog is never a nuisance to other people or their their dogs. Why spending quality time with your dog means you get to know your dog. And why training and adapting life around your dog through their life stages helps keep them on the ball, and reduces anxiety. But they also discuss how dogs enrich our lives, often in times of crisis. Apart from highlighting how Pepper helped Genevieve and her family through the Lockdowns, but when Genevieve was diagnosed with cancer. We chat about her book, Milkshakes and Morphine and why Pepper helped the family cope and pull through this testing chapter. We talk about how social media influences are connections , even to dogs, but ultimately why a house is not a home without a dog!

Read The Observer piece here. 

For more on Genevieve Fox

Today's episode is sponsored by Sniffe and Likkit. Check out their whole range at sniffeandlikkit.com and use the promo code ANNA15 to get 15% all products.

For more about Anna go to annawebb.co.uk

Music and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People Productions

Cover art by Jaijo

Cover photo by Rhain Ap Gruffydd at Gruff Pawtraits

Dr Lise Hansen returns to discuss the latest and indeed landmark news from the WSAVA (The World Small Animal Association) on their latest guidelines to recommend NOT to spay or neuter as a routine procedure. Following on from several episodes discussing the growing body of science to backup these guidelines, Dr Lise talks about her award-nomination book — The Complete Book of Cat & Dog Health as being the only resource to highlight some of the many health issues associated with neutering and spaying.

Dr Lise Hansen's book is available again.

For more about Anna go to annawebb.co.uk

Music and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People Productions

Cover art by Jaijo

Cover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff Pawtraits

To advertise on or sponsor A Dog's Life email: [email protected]

This week Anna is joined by Roz Lishak co-founder of By Benji to chat about Trick and Treat on Howl-O-Ween. We chat about the range of unique Biltong beef treats that are made in the UK by slowly air-drying the beef in a herbal marinade for extra tenderness and palatability. And why By Benji is all about championing healthy species appropriate treats to complement a healthy natural diet for your pooch. Anna is conscious that many people forget how treats count to the overall health and calorie intake for your dog. And why using high value rewards you can train the most complex ticks, but above all it's about training the basic cues, not least the elusive recall that is essential in today’s busy public spaces. Roz highlights the range that includes enrichment chews, handy training treats, the biltong sausage varieties that are softer and crumblier, ideal for older dogs and puppies. And there’s the Biltong food topper, which is great to get fussy eaters eating. Ultimately Roz champions training and using the delicious biltong to bring joy to both the dogs and their pawrents.

Twitter: @bybenjiBiltong
Instagram: @bybenjiBiltong
Website: bybenji.com

Thank you to our parterns Dorwest Herbs. Listeners to a Dog's Life will get a discount of 10% with the code DOGSLIFE. Follow them on Twitter @dorwest and Instagram @dorwest

If you love A Dog's Life and would like to help support the show why not become a Patreon backer where you can also have access to some exclusive content.

For more about Anna go to annawebb.co.uk

Music and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People Productions

Cover art by Jaijo

Cover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff Pawtraits

To advertise on or sponsor A Dog's Life email: [email protected]

With firework season coming up Anna welcomes back Dr Sam Gaines of the RSPCA to chat about how you can start preparing your dog now to deal with fireworks that now start at Halloween, through Bonfire Night, Dwali, Christmas and New Year by learning to see the signs of stress in your dog and to create a safe space for them. Anna and Sam also talk about the progress (or lack there of) of various animal welfare bills currently in Parliament, the increase in dog biting, and a new media campaign to add more breeds to the list of Dangerous Dogs.

For more information go to the RSPCA website.

One good way to help keep your dog calm at this time of year is by giving them natural supplements from Dorwest Herbs. Listeners to a Dog's Life will get a discount of 10% with the code DOGSLIFE and follow them on Twitter @dorwest and Instagram @dorwest

If you love A Dog's Life and would like to help support the show why not become a Patreon backer where you can also have access to some exclusive content.

For more about Anna go to annawebb.co.uk

Music and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People Productions

Cover art by Jaijo

Cover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff Pawtraits

To advertise on or sponsor A Dog's Life email: [email protected]

This week Anna is joined by Jo Boughton-White, Managing Director of Dorwest Herbs. Visiting their HQ in Dorchester, the Dorwest team show Anna around the facility, and chat about how their award winning range of Herbal supplements are produced. Conscious of the very best practice with quality ingredients, the supplements are made to pharmaceutical standards. We chat about the history of the company, now run by Jo as the third generation of this family business. Looking back at press cuttings from as far back as the 1950’s , Anna and Jo discuss why the heritage of Dorwest is so significant as they move into their 75th year! Discussing the power of herbs as complementary Jo highlights the calming combination of the Dorwest Valerian Compound and Scullcap & Valerian tablets as being a natural solution to reducing anxiety in dogs, offering a better frame of mind to develop training in a host of different situations, helping dogs to cope better with scenarios, including ‘fireworks’ and we discuss some popular products including Keeper’s Mix and Keeper’s Mix Sensitive. And of course we talk about the trends for people to consider natural alternatives as part of an integrated approach to ‘holistic’ wellness.

Why not take us up on a special 10% discount across Dorwest’s range exclusive to our listeners by going to dorwest.com and using the code DOGSLIFE and follow them on Twitter @dorwest and Instagram @dorwest

For more about Anna go to annawebb.co.uk

Music and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People Productions

Cover art by Jaijo

Cover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff Pawtraits

To advertise on or sponsor A Dog's Life email: [email protected]

This week Anna is joined by Bill Lambert from The Kennel Club talking about London’s biggest dog event - Discover Dogs 15-16 October at the Excel Centre. It’s a doggy dream day out for all dog lovers, especially those aspiring to bring a dog into your life. As a fun weekend highlighting a host of dog activities like Agility,  we chat about how over 150 dog breeds will be showcased by their officiados, experts in every breed. It gives people the chance to get up close to the dogs they may have thought would be a perfect match. But may realise that a bark-less Basenji may be more suitable for their experience and lifestyle than a Bassett Hound. There’s the return of the hugely popular ‘Cuddle Corner’, which allows visitors to relax, and de-stress by stroking a host of different puppies and dogs. Apart from an opportunity to enjoy retail therapy galore, there’s a chance to listen to experts, and watch Medical Detection Dogs in action. Plus there's the penultimate Scruffts competition, with the finale at Crufts in March 2023. And for those football fans there’s the Woofball world Cup where Barkelona and Woof Hound United compete in the main arena. There’s also plenty on the British Vulnerable Breeds, those that for some odd reason have fallen out of popularity. That includes A DOG’S LIFE co-host, Mr Binks, an English Toy Terrier, who is technically more rare than a giant panda!

Find out more at discoverdogs.org.uk

Instagram @thekennelclubuk

Join the Dog's Life Club on Patreon. Help support the show and get extra goodies. Just go to Patreon.com/adogslife

Check out Paleo Ridge. If you want to switch to raw, we suggest you start there!

For more about Anna go to annawebb.co.uk

Music and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People Productions

Cover art by Jaijo

Cover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff Pawtraits

To advertise on or sponsor A Dog's Life email: [email protected]

This week Anna is over the moon to get the scoop on a new charity - Assistance Dog Assessment Association. She is joined by two of the Trustees, Richard Mearns and Selina Valentine, along with Richard’s Assistance Dog, Ziggy. We chat about why the charity has been launched; namely to clarify what defines an Assistance Dog in the UK. Often Assistance Dogs that are not partnered with a visible disability can lead to confusion with service providers and businesses. Especially with the discussion between what constitutes an Emotional Support Dog and a Mental Health Assistance Dog. We also chat about why independent assessment run by expert trainers can allow for more dogs to be trained and qualified as Assistance that perform tasks, helping their client navigate the world with task related assistance. Selina talks about her own assistance dogs and how they have helped her, and why she is passionate to help others find an easier way through assessment and qualification achieve their goal to benefit from a dog by their side. We chat about the team of experienced Trustees coming from a variety of charities and dog focused organisations, which is key to getting it right in the owner trained sector. We talk about raising awareness and how to donate.

Find out more at theadaa.org or follow on Instagram @theadaa_org and Twitter @theADAA_org

And if you haven't heard it, you can listen to Richard's story with Ziggy in Episode 80

Join the Dog's Life Club on Patreon. Help support the show and get extra goodies. Just go to Patreon.com/adogslife

Check out Paleo Ridge. If you want to switch to raw, we suggest you start there!

For more about Anna go to annawebb.co.uk

Music and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People Productions

Cover art by Jaijo

Cover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff Pawtraits

To advertise on or sponsor A Dog's Life email: [email protected]

This week Anna is joined by Georgina Montagu talking about her new coffee table book Top Dogs: A British Love Affair. The book reflects Georgina’s  own passion for dogs, especially Poodles whilst celebrating the special relationship between beloved British dogs and their devoted owners. We chat about some of the many intriguing personalities featured from The King’s Consort, Camilla Parker Bowles, to Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jasper Conran, and other Architects and the other famous, creative and hyper-successful people who have one thing in common when it comes to their canines: the strength of the bond between human and four-legged friend.  Exuberantly photographed by Dylan Thomas Top Dogs is not only wonderful eye candy, but it's a book about love and the great leveller that is man’s best friend.

Instagram: @georginamontagu

Order your copy of Top Dogs here

Check out Paleo Ridge. If you want to switch to raw, we suggest you start there!

For more about Anna go to annawebb.co.uk

Music and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People Productions

Cover art by Jaijo

Cover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff Pawtraits

To advertise on or sponsor A Dog's Life email: [email protected]

In this episode Anna talks to Chocolatier, Paul A. Young in his small shop in Camden Passage, Islington, London. As well as the UK's leading maker of fine chocolate, Paul is an author and more importantly proud dad to Billy, a minature Dachshund. Chocolate is obviously bad for dogs but not for Pet Parents. Paul and Anna sample some of his treats and talk about how he needs to keep 'his work' away from Billy.

Order Paul's new book The Joy of Chocolate or any of his delights here or follow on Instagram

Check out Paleo Ridge. If you want to switch to raw, we suggest you start there!

For more about Anna go to annawebb.co.uk

Music and production by Mike Hanson for Pod People Productions

Cover art by Jaijo

Cover photo by Rhian Ap Gruffydd at Gruff Pawtraits

To advertise on or sponsor A Dog's Life email: [email protected]