Madcap Radio

We Hit 100K Downloads 🎉 Thank you, listeners and all the folks who write in with the great questions that keep us curious! We could not produce such a great podcast without your insightful and interesting questions. Here’s to the next 100K downloads! To celebrate, I’m re-releasing our runaway top episode - “Dogs Eating Poop: One Species Evolutionary Meat is another Species Evolutionary Poison”. Somehow, that hit a major cord with everyone. Not sure if that says more about dogs or us, but it’s for sure a hot topic🐶 🍽️ 💩😅 ***** So, your dog eats poop. Is it deviant? Or an elegant evolutionary solution? In this podcast, Jane and Mark look at the research and talk about the possible functions of poop-eating, what works and does not work to stop it, and why. We won’t say you’ll come away happy that your dog eats poop, but for sure you’ll see it in a different light.Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading and studies referenced in this episode.

This episode's question is about whether and by how much we can modify temperament with protocols:"I was chatting to someone recently about nature versus nurture, and they said, you can get a bitch who has a poor temperament and using Puppy Culture, you can have pups who have great temperaments. My view is it's more complex than that.…Would love people's thoughts.​" Listen in as I discuss: The difference between temperament and behavior The ramifications of using behavior modification protocols in a breeding program Our ethical obligations as breeders vs as puppy raisers Visit our website madcapradio.com for further reading.

This episode answers a question about puppies who just can’t settle down in the evening: "What are your best tips for “witching hour”? We have an 11.5 week Spinone Italiano that we brought home just over two weeks ago. He settles down for naps during the day after some play and training, but after his early evening nap, some play, dinner, potty, he gets over aroused and overtired and we cannot for the life of us redirect his mouthing to a toy or chew and he cries in his X-pen and jumps at the sides. We are trying to establish a routine with a licky mat, Kong or other soothing activity to transition him and bring down his arousal. But it is a nightly struggle!" In this episode I talk about: Why it’s natural for puppies to be restless and difficult in the early evening Tips for dealing with a puppy who can’t control himself Management and bedtime routine suggestions Visit our website madcapradio.com for further reading.

This episode’s question is about fear periods. “What are the critical fear stages in puppies from 8 weeks on? Is it best to keep up their socialization during these periods or back off for a few days and then resume?” In this episode I discuss: How to recognize fear periods as opposed to general fearfulness. The evolutionary reasons that puppies have fear periods ​Navigating fear periods in puppies and dogs Visit our website madcapradio.com for further reading.

This week’s question is about whether doing Puppy Culture or any other early socialization program can guarantee good outcomes for puppies. “…I was talking to a breeder about Puppy Culture and I told her that if she would just adopt the program, she would eliminate any temperament issues with her puppies. Am I right about this? Isn’t Puppy Culture a guarantee that puppies will have good outcomes?” In this episode I tackle: Re-thinking the line between nature and nurture The partnership between breeders and puppy owners for raising a good dog The evolutionary reasons why breeding “good” dogs is so difficult Visit our website madcapradio.com for further reading.

This is part two of my podcast, answering many questions one of our fans sent in about raw feeding puppies. In this episode I cover: AAFCO’s “Complete and Balanced” designation and why it’s relevant to kibble but not relevant to you if you feed a varied raw diet. Safety suggestions for feeding, sourcing, and handling raw dog food. Special considerations when feeding raw diets to puppies. Visit our website, madcapradio.com for further reading.