Big Wags Chicago Dog Training and Dog Walking

After a slight delay, a new episode of Hound Opinions is out today! This time, I'm talking #fostering and how it's always a learning experience. Check it out wherever you get your #podcasts. #Podcast #DogPodcast #FosteringSavesLives #FosterDog #Husky

Ok, so I love posting videos of appropriate #dog play. Especially when it's rough-looking appropriate dog play. I think it's helpful to see play that LOOKS rough and explain why it's still very appropriate. That said ... You'll probably notice that both Bodhi and our foster, Damien (he's the #husky) are both moving very quickly. They're mouthing each other occasionally. They're vocalizing a lot, including some growls and barks. And it just kind of looks rough and if you're not totally sure what you're looking at, you might think it's a little scary-looking. I totally get it. But let me talk about why this is actually incredibly appropriate play. First - it's equal. If you watch closely, you'll see that they're going back and forth a lot. Bodhi will chase Damien and then Damien will chase Bodhi. Damien will lay down and then Bodhi will lay down. Bodhi will bounce on Damien and Damien will bounce on Bodhi. It's equal. It's fair. Nobody's being pushy. They're taking turns and going back and forth. Another important detail to note is that they're not constantly moving. They're taking very quick breaks between bounces and between chases. Those little breaks are super important because they allow the #dogs to kind of reset and check in with each other. Basically, each break, they're asking each other "You still cool? We still going?" And at the end, when they separate, neither dog is trying to keep playing. They let each other disengage. Finally, I'll address the mouthiness they're both showing. Note that neither is biting down. They're just opening their mouths and putting them on each other. And they're not doing it constantly. When it comes to play, every dog has their own style. In this case, the dogs are playing fast, bouncy and a little mouthy. That's their style. And it's really cool that they're doing this even though Damien's only been here a week. Some dogs prefer slower play, some dogs prefer faster and rougher. Some dogs like to play loud, some dogs don't make any noise at all. So when you're figuring out if your dog is playing appropriate, that's what you look for. Look for equal play. Now it's important to note that "equal" doesn't mean exactly the same. Example: Some dogs like to play by being on their backs. So while in some cases, I'd say that if one dog is spending all their time on their back, the session should end, in some cases, it's ok. The way you figure it out is you look for whether the dog on its back is CHOOSING to be there. If so, awesome. But if one dog is preventing the other from rolling over, that's not so awesome. Make sense? Ok, so that's my appropriate play shpiel! #DogTraining #DogBehavior

Season 5 of Hound Opinions is upon us! It gets a bit heavy as I talk about anticipatory grief with returning guest Alex Fliess! Get it here - https://lnkd.in/gUxeVpF2 - or wherever you get your #podcasts! #Podcast #DogPodcast #AnticipatoryGrief #HoundOpinions

It's the Season 4 finale of Hound Opinions! I can't believe I've been doing this for so long! Season 5 is going to be fun, by the way. I've got some cool stuff lined up. For the moment, though, enjoy the finale! We're talking about leashes and how to incorporate a new #dog into your family when you already have a dog (or two or three). Enjoy!

Did you know veterinary social workers existed? I didn't until recently! When I found out these cool people existed, I had to know more. That's why I'm excited about this episode! My guests are Laurie Maxwell and Claire Johnson. Laurie is the director of social work for MedVet, a chain of emergency and specialty veterinary hospitals. Claire is the veterinary social worker for MedVet Chicago. Claire and Laurie give us some awesome insights into this fascinating profession and talk about how they really help make what is always a terrible experience - a trip to the emergency vet - a little easier. Check it out at the link below or wherever you get your podcasts!

Resource guarding is a serious thing that you want to try to handle as soon as it pops up. On the latest episode of Hound Opinions, we're talking about what resource guarding is, how to spot it and a bit about how to handle it if you see it happening. Check it out at the link below or wherever you get your podcasts!

A new episode of Hound Opinions is live now! We're talking the pros and cons of #crate training on this episode. Spoiler: It's complicated. Check it out at the link below or wherever you get your #podcasts. #Podcast #DogPodcast #HoundOpinions #DogBehavior #DogTraining #CrateTraining #CrateTraining101

The Lancashire Heeler is the newest breed to join the American Kennel Club and we learn all about them in the latest episode of Hound Opinions! https://lnkd.in/ghPQVZtN

Ok, folx. I need your help! I want to answer YOUR training and behavior questions on the Hound Opinions podcast. And I want to play your lovely voices asking those questions. You've got two options: 1. Use your audio recording app of choice to record yourself asking a training or behavior question and email it to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@bigwagschicago.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. I will then play it on the pod and answer it. 2. You can actually jump on a recording session with me and we'll go over your question together. That'll let me ask you follow-up questions and really dig deep into the issue. If that's the route you want to go, shoot me a quick email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@bigwagschicago.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. So yeah, let's have your #dog questions, y'all! Photo of my walking buddy, Rosie, for tax.

Hound Opinions is back from hiatus and we're talking fostering this time! Check it out wherever you get your #podcasts!