Barks from the Bookshelf

Greetings Bookshelvers We are coming to you a few days late this week as the team is currently knee dee in Crufts shenanigans. If anyone of you are visiting Crufts this year do pop by and see us at Hall 3 stand 117 as we'd love to meet some podcast listeners! Todays offering has been a long time coming. As many of know PACT are a member organisation of the Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC). We set up a special podcast to speak to Hanne Grice and Jane Williams so they could tell you folks all about the ABTC. We took a whole bunch of Bookshelver questions and amalgamated them to ask Hanne and Jane. We had a blast exploring its structure, purpose, and the importance of being a registered practitioner. We talk about the rigorous assessment processes, the need for regulation in the industry, and our (and others) community's role in supporting that mission. Hanne and Jane also talk about the importance of ethical training and the ongoing efforts to improve standards within the animal behaviour and training sector. We tried our best to get all questions answered but we did have time constraints that meant we couldn't get to them all. We'll just have to invite them back :) You'll get the idea of just how passionate we all are about the importance of open communication and ethical considerations in our industry. Link to find out more about the ABTC:  https://abtc.org.uk/ [https://abtc.org.uk/] Link to get a DOGX ticket at a discounted rate until 10th march 2025: https://www.pact-dogs.com/dogx2025 [https://www.pact-dogs.com/dogx2025] Link to interesting paper all about regulation: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=paij [https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=paij]     Link to interesting paper all about regulation: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=paij

The wonderful human being that is Chirag Patel is this years DOGx 2025 Keynote Speaker so it was only a matter of time before we got together to chat! What resulted was one of our favourite ever episodes and we couldn’t be any more excited for this years conference. Click the link below NOW to register your interest to know when the tickets go on sale at an exclusive early bird rate and make bloomin’ sure you botty is on one of those seats! Register your interest for DOGX 2025 now! https://www.pact-dogs.com/dogx2025#register-your-interest [https://www.pact-dogs.com/dogx2025#register-your-interest] This was a jam packed show where we left no stone unturned. We explore Chirag's early experiences with the dog named Kane that sparked it all, how some wonderful early mentorship opportunities have shaped his views on giving back to the training community, delve into how we us trainers can foster creativity and the importance of observation. We also discuss mindfulness, how engaging fully with clients can lead to wonderful outcomes and where we should be putting our efforts in terms of inspiring the next wave of awesome animal trainers. We celebrate the realities of where positive training has got us and talk through the potential pitfalls of any movement that doesn’t follow the evidence. Chirag also muses on how societal changes have evolved our training styles and talks about being a proud Radical Behaviourist. No chat with Chirag would be complete without a good dose of Skinner and Chirag talks passionately about Skinner's philosophies including areas he wrote about that many haven’t explored.  On top of all that we also chew the fat over how social media can distort perceptions of animal training practices, How the very nature of scientific inquiry requires a level of uncertainty to flourish AND the importance of balancing technical knowledge with practical application when it comes to dog training. As an added “Bookshelver bonus” we’ve also captured Nat’s LIVE reaction to seeing Benson Boones performance at the Grammys (spoiler…she enjoyed it)  Honestly this was one of our favourite shows EVER and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it from start to end! Now make like a Benson, flip off a piano and get this episode in you ear-holes... WOOF!

Grab yourselves a Wethers Original Bookshelvers... Let's chat about about getting old  “Dogs are living up to twice as long as they did 40 years ago which has implications for ageing dogs’ healthcare and wellbeing. As the life expectancy of canine golden oldies increases, so does the amount of time our dogs spend in poor health, but it may be difficult for us to distinguish between normal age-related changes and serious diseases that require veterinary treatment. To help address this, BSAVA PetSavers funded a major research project at the University of Liverpool – Old Age Pets – to help vets and owners provide the best care for their senior and geriatric dogs.” We were thrilled to talk with the amazing  Lisa Wallis and Carri Westgarth about their fascinating research on aging in dogs at what their research found. We touch on cognitive development, owner and veterinary perceptions, and how the practical applications of their research led to the creation of an exciting practical resource called the Aging Canine Toolkit. Lisa and Carri share fascinating insights from their experiences researching this topic we all discuss the need for more open conversations about aging and how best to care for our dogs in their twilight years. All that and the usual tangential banter including a discussion about the reality show 'Traitors' which we are all addicted to. Go on… Pop it in your brain holes! WOOF!

In our first episode of 2025, Steve, Nat and Corrin celebrate the New Year with light-hearted waffely banter and reflections on our holiday experiences. We dangle the carrot and discuss upcoming podcast episodes featuring special guests, share funny stories about injuries during the holidays, and provide updates on what PACT has in store and future plans for the podcast. We also look reflect on last years successes, particularly the free canine body language course, and share exciting plans for future events, including DogX 2025. Then in the second half we talk on the importance of dog happiness and training goals, hopes and what we want to see more (and less) of in the upcoming year.

In our last episode for 2024 the whole gang reflect on a year of wonderful podcasts and answer a Santa's sack full of Bookshelver questions. Thank you so much to all who've listened to us this year and we really hope you have some lovely festive time off. We'll be back in 2025 for another year of dog podding! BIG LOVE!