Breeding Ethics, Not Aesthetics: What you need to know before adopting a brachy breed with Founder of Vets Against Brachycephalism, Dr Emma Milne #3

Raising a puppy can be challenging, and just when you think you’ve cracked the housetraining and recall… It goes out the window. You might even worry you’ve done something wrong! However, your puppy might be in regression, which can feel like the terrible teens for dogs.

We’re joined by clinical animal behaviourist and CEO of the Animal Wellbeing Centre, Antonella Marsicano, who will explain what regression is, what to expect from an adolescent dog, and how to continue your dog’s training as they get older.

This episode of The Pet Perspective covers:

• What to expect from an adolescent dog
• What is regression?
• How your own behaviour influences your dog’s training
• Understand what’s going on in your dog’s head and why they might be “naughty”
• How to find the reward that’s guaranteed to get your dog’s attention

In this week’s episode of The Pet Perspective, we're taking a deep-dive into many pet’s worst nightmare, bonfire night, and how to help anxious animals with noise phobias. (Including a few things to do at short notice to help keep your pet calm.)

This week we’re joined by veterinary behaviourist Dr Julie Ashton, owner of Life on Four Legs behaviour consultation service. She shares her expertise on how to help your dog or cat cope with the stress of bonfire night, and which gadgets and supplements are good (or bogus) when it comes to calming your pet.


This episode of The Pet Perspective covers:

• How to recognise signs of stress in cats and dogs, and explaining the traffic light system of stress
• The role pain can play in fear and phobias
• What to do in the days before bonfire night to help settle your pets
• Recognising when to get expert help, and who to approach
• Why some dogs really like 90s RnB

This week on The Pet Perspective, we’re going to be talking about autumn’s big holidays, Halloween and Bonfire Night, and how you can prepare your pet for the noise and activity they bring.

We’re joined by clinical animal behaviourist
Katie Scott-Dyer, who tells us all about why the autumn holidays can seem scary to our pets, and how you can teach them to cope with stressful situations from door knocking, to fireworks, and prevent fear from forming.

This episode of The Pet Perspective covers:

• What makes Halloween and Firework Night so scary for dogs and cats
• How to get your dog used to door knocking (without woofing!)
• Helping young pets so they don’t develop noise phobias
• Is it possible to teach older pets not to be afraid of fireworks?

Links and references: https://www.napo.pet/blog/podcast-14-can-training-help-pets-through-halloween-and-firework-night

Searches for “buy a puppy” increased by 115% during the pandemic. Yet many "pandemic puppy" owners didn't even see their puppy before buying them, something today’s guest warns against. 

Having built up a following of over 100,000 animal lovers on TikTok for sharing his matter-of-fact videos on pet welfare and health topics, Ben the Vet joins us to talk about how you can pick a healthy puppy that fits into your life. 

We talk about what to think about to find your perfect puppy, how to minimise the risk of future health issues, and red flags to look out for to avoid unethical breeding.

This episode of The Pet Perspective covers: 

• Considerations to make to find a puppy suited to your lifestyle. 
• How to make sure you pick a healthy puppy. 
• Red flags to help spot unethical breeders. 
• Common puppy parasites and how to prevent them.

Links and references: www.napo.pet/blog/podcast-13-picking-the-perfect-puppy-finding-healthy-pets

Nearly half of dogs in the UK are overweight or obese, and yet 80% of us believe our dogs are a healthy weight. So how can we better ensure our pups are eating right? 

Trusted by millions for his veterinary advice on This Morning, Joe Inglis has founded two successful pet food brands, making him the perfect guest for this nutrition-based episode of The Pet Perspective.

We break down how to evaluate your dog’s weight needs, the role of nutrition in long-term health, which diets could be best for your pup, and how to encourage the more fussy eaters.

This episode of The Pet Perspective covers:

• How a dog’s food affects their behaviour
• Methods to tell if your pup’s the right weight
• Alternative feeding habits, like raw bones and vegan diets
• Where to find quality food, and whether to consider homemade meals

Links and references: https://bit.ly/3FoJhj2

Separation anxiety is a term commonly thrown around, but within it are a number of unique and complex problems that might cause irrational behaviours.

Whether you’re a new puppy owner focused on prevention, or you’re seeking help for an older dog suffering with these issues, Clinical Animal Behaviourist Hanne Grice joins us on The Pet Perspective this week to offer top tips on spotting these behaviours, and how to prevent/remedy them.

This episode of The Pet Perspective covers:

• Shocking links between separation anxiety and dogs’ physiology
• Methods of training independence in puppies
• What can be done for older dogs with long standing separation-related problems
• How long is too long to leave a dog alone
• The best tools to help you monitor and alleviate separation anxiety

Links and references: https://bit.ly/3FoJhj2

It’s prime holiday season, and for those of us with pets that presents a dilemma - do we take our furry friends with us, and how can we do it with ease and safety in mind?

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but to help you work out the best course of action we speak with wonderful Veterinary Behaviourist Dr Sophie White on The Pet Perspective.

Join us to help break down the barriers to holidays with your pet, how you can prepare them for tricky travel, options that suit individual pets’ needs, and more!

This episode of The Pet Perspective covers:

• Options to soothe pets who don’t handle journeys well
• How early preparation can ease the travel process
• Which guidelines to check for health and vaccination info
• Scenarios in which you should consider leaving your pets at home
• The best cat/dog hotel option, from catteries and kennels to home visits

Links and references: https://bit.ly/3FoJhj2

If cats could talk, you’d never hear one tell you that they’re an ‘indoor cat’ by nature. Their instinct to hunt remains unchanged, and it’s vital that we keep our cats engaged.

Returning by popular demand, feline behaviour expert Dr Sarah Ellis joins us to explore how we can help indulge the need for play & prey, ways to safely introduce cats to outdoor areas, and research to help reduce the amount of prey that your cat brings into the home.

This episode of The Pet Perspective covers:

• The ongoing issue around Australia’s ‘cat curfews’
• Adapting to our cats’ fundamental instincts being unchanged
• Options for indulging essential feline instincts of play, predation and exploration
• Why there’s no such thing as an indoor cat
• Looking after feline mental health

Links and references: https://bit.ly/3FoJhj2

Among the many myths of dog training, one of the longest standing is that of needing to be an ‘alpha’, which has the potential to cause far more harm than good.

Being a trainer and behaviourist with 12 years & 3 degrees’ worth of education, Rachel Rodgers - Founder of Nose to Trail - shares her extensive expertise on The Pet Perspective this week.

We’re busting some historic dog training myths, looking at how best to encourage positive behaviours, and highlighting red flags to avoid when seeking a behaviourist.

This episode of The Pet Perspective covers:

• The debunked mentality of needing to appear as an ‘alpha’ to dogs
• Teaching skills through positive reinforcement without always needing treats
• Discouraging bad behaviour without punishing our pups
• When to choose a trainer and when you might need a vet referral to a behaviourist
• Red flags in dog behaviourists, and how to find the right one for your dog

Links and references: https://bit.ly/3FoJhj2

Recent years have seen a huge increase in the number of furry friends in our households, but with some returning to the office after so long at home, separation anxiety is a real issue for dog owners in particular.

On The Pet Perspective this week, we’re joined by No More Kennels’ Owner Rebeckah Vaughan to chat about the better standard of care she’s inspired to bring her canine clientele, how to work with your pup to get through separation anxiety, and what you need to check when leaving a pet with sitters.

This episode of The Pet Perspective covers:

• Rebeckah Vaughan’s mission to give dogs the best experience when owners are away
• Advice for what you should check when leaving a pet with sitters in your absence
• Tips to help overcome your pet’s separation anxiety

Links and references: https://bit.ly/3FoJhj2