Madcap Radio

Puppy Culture Potluck: Ep44 - From Raw to Kibble: Preparing Puppies for Kibble‑Feeding Homes

This episode’s question comes from the discussion group for my new weaning and early puppy nutrition course, “Weaning For Life: From Gut Biome to Behavior, A Whole Approach to Early Puppy Nourishment”. [https://shoppuppyculture.com/products/weaning-for-life] “Some of my puppies go home on raw, others to healthy kibble with whole‑food toppers. Historically, I always include at least one kibble meal—often from toys or snuffle mats, sometimes mixed with whole foods. Is there a more refined or appropriate protocol?” In this episode, we dig into the real‑world question breeders face every day: If, and how, to transition raw‑weaned puppies when their future homes will be feeding mostly kibble. This podcast covers: * How I prepare raw‑weaned puppies for life in kibble‑feeding homes * What other breeders are experiencing when transitioning puppies from raw to kibble * Practical strategies for helping puppy owners either stay with raw, or significantly upgrade their kibble feeding with whole and fermented foods Visit our website www.madcapradio.com [https://www.madcapradio.com/puppy-culture-potluck-podcast/episode-44-from-raw-to-kibble-preparing-puppies-for-kibble-feeding-homes] for further reading.

Puppy Culture Potluck: Ep43 - Puppy Camp for Litters

We got this question about breeders sending their puppies to “camp” before going to their new homes: “[a friend] has a litter of puppies 8 weeks old and she is placing them out to her friends until they are 10 weeks old. They decided it would be good for socialization and to prevent separation anxiety for the puppies until they go to their permanent homes at 10 weeks. That doesn’t sound like a good idea to me. Anyone have experience with this?” This episode discusses: * When and how sending litters to “transitional” homes is beneficial * “Bite inhibition” and exposure with littermates vs adult dogs * Breeder experiences and practices Visit our website www.madcapradio.com [https://www.madcapradio.com/puppy-culture-potluck-podcast/episode-43-puppy-camp-for-litters] for further reading.

Puppy Culture Potluck: Ep42 - Troubleshooting Free Stack Training

This episode’s question is from one of our Killer Free Stack [https://shoppuppyculture.com/products/killer-free-stacks] show training students, but my answer is equally applicable to anyone training a dog: “Hi all, I have a 10-week-old Labrador puppy. I have the Killer Free Stacks video… when I try to get a moment of stillness to mark, she auto-sits. If I hold the food in front of her, she digs at it hard and will sit. Any tips for teaching a stack would be great!” In this podcast I cover: * Tips for hand position to avoid cueing sits * How to know if your puppy understands what you want him to do * What to do it your puppy’s just not “getting it” Visit our website www.madcapradio.com [https://www.madcapradio.com/puppy-culture-potluck-podcast/episode-42-troubleshooting-free-stack-training] for further reading.

Puppy Culture Potluck: Ep41 - Freestyling Mother's Pudding

This episode is about using mother’s pudding for lactating dams: “I was just wondering what brand of cool and serve vanilla pudding mix you are all using for mother’s pudding…The last litter I had, the puppies got diarrhea on day 3 (nightmare) and we never got it fully resolved until they got onto food at 3 weeks... We ruled out EVERYTHING we could think of…the only thing we could come up with was the mother’s pudding…[this dam is about to have another litter and] I want to use it because they do so much better on it with the calories. Help!” In this episode, I explore: * Allergens that are theoretically possible to be passed through mother’s milk * Homemade mother’s pudding and switching up ingredients in mother’s pudding for different situations * Whether or not you should be concerned about mother’s pudding for your dams Visit our website www.madcapradio.com [https://www.madcapradio.com/puppy-culture-potluck-podcast/episode-41-freestyling-mothers-pudding] for further reading.

Puppy Culture Potluck: Ep40 - Why and When to Give Egg Yolks to Pregnant Dogs

This episode is a follow-up question about one of our most popular episodes, “An Egg Yolk A Day Keeps Mastitis Away” [https://madcapradiolearning.podbean.com/e/episode-3-an-egg-yolk-a-day-keeps-mastitis-away-1683809772/]: “At what point in the pregnancy should I begin giving my dam egg yolk to help prevent mastitis?” In this episode, I discuss: * Why egg yolks are a benefit for pregnant and lactating dogs * Best practices for when to begin feeding egg yolks to your brood bitches * Cooked vs Raw egg yolks and egg whites Visit our website www.madcapradio.com [https://www.madcapradio.com/puppy-culture-potluck-podcast/episode-40-why-and-when-to-give-egg-yolks-to-pregnant-dogs] for further reading.