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Episode 127 - Nature vs nurture, and How dogs combat stress

127_DogCast_Radio.mp3

Released Sat February 11, 2012
Length: 1:15:10
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How dogs combat stress

Touching our pets as we're talking and thinking through our problems helps us manage that stress and bring some clarity to our thought process.
 - Bonnie Church

Bonnie Church knows from personal experience how much our dogs enrich our lives - she has two dogs of her own as well as two grand-dogs. Plus Bonnie has seen the contentment a dog has brought to her mother's life.

Being a life and wellness coach she also understands very well how much dogs help us to cope with stress. Bonnie is a motivational speaker who has traveled nationally to speak at seminars related to living a fuller life, as well as being a Certified Nutritional Counselor and the co-author of "Coach Lydia's No-Nonsense Guide to Getting off your Butt and on with Your Life."

In this interview Bonnie explores many aspects of the human dog relationship and how we benefit from our canine companions and tells how the co-author Lydia Martinez found inspiration from her dog at the lowest time in her life.

To find out more about Bonnie visit the A Life Now website, and to find out more about Lydia visit her website.

Nature vs Nurture

They (Shiba Inus) are stubborn at times and yes all the ones I've seen have had prey drive to some extent but they've all been extremely trainable as well.
 - Debbie Connolly
Surely with the appropriate training these dogs (Shiba Inus) can lead biddable, fulfilling lives off lead.
 - Nick Jones

DogCast Radio listener Sarah Wilkinson wrote to express her enjoyment of Debbie Connolly and Nick Jones' discussion of dogs on beds and to pose her own question to our experts.

Debbie is a dog and cat behaviourist who also treats goats, pigs, and other pet livestock and has numerous published articles and media appearance including "Dog Borstal" and "Britain's Most Embarrassing Pets." Nick Jones is a Master Trainer with The Guild of Dog Trainers and is a proud full member to the Canine and Feline Behaviour Association. He has also given a number of interviews with the BBC on dog behaviour and dog training related matters as well as writing for Dogs Monthly, Field & Rural Life and Animal Health & Happiness magazines.

Here they discuss the character and temperament of Shiba Inus, as well as many other breeds, and debate whether nurture can overcome nature.

You can find out more about Debbie Connolly at the Safepets website, or on Twitter, and about Nick at the Alpha Dog Behaviour website or also on Twitter. If you have a question you'd like Nick and Debbie to consider do get in touch.

News and other items

In the DogCast Radio News, Kate & Nick bring you information about how you can help support the bid to have stamps celebrating working military dogs by signing the US War Dogs petition.

Also did you know that Kansas is currently in the process of considering adopting the Cairn Terrier as its official state dog. Currently eleven states have an official state dog breed:

Maryland has the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Pennsylvania has the Great Dane, North Carolina the Plott Hound, South Carolina the Boykin Spaniel, Massachusetts the Boston Terrier, Alaska fittingly chose the Alaskan Malamute, New Hampshire the Chinook, Louisiana the Catahoula Leopard dog, texas the Blue Lacy, Virginia the American Foxhound and Wisconsin the American Water Spaniel.

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