As we’ve done 10 times prior—spanning three-plus years–today’s program involved setting aside the usual “Talking Animals” format in order to present the show-length feature, “Ask The Trainer.”
In each instance, listeners are invited to call or email questions about their dogs or cats, particularly involving behavioral issues or training concerns. The Trainer these listeners have an opportunity to consult is Glen Hatchell, the now-retired Behavior and Enrichment Manager at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, and an accomplished dog trainer and behavior expert. He is also a former WMNF programmer, and occasional “Talking Animals” guest host.
In today’s edition, before taking the first listener question, Glen spoke about the importance of recognizing that for desired behavioral changes to take hold—whether it’s in the family dog or in a human, like Glen himself—it can take variable lengths of time: It might need three tries, maybe it takes three days, sometimes it could involve 6 months, sometimes it could be longer than that. It requires patience, repetition, and encouragement.
From there, Glen fielded an array of calls and emails from listeners, starting with the initial, anonymous caller explaining that he has two Staffordshire Bull Terriers, both females, spayed, and one has suddenly become intensely aggressive. After asking a series of questions, Glen recommended taking the dog to the veterinarian for a complete exam, noting this kind of aggression can be caused by pain from an undetected ailment…
Vince from Pinellas Park phoned to politely correct Glen, who in the opening segment, had mistakenly mentioned Pavlov when he meant Skinner; Glen thanked Vince, genuinely appreciative that he caught the error…Jack called in about his three-year-old Coonhound Beagle mix, who’d lost his appetite for dry food, thought the reason might be dental problems (until the dog polished off a rawhide treat). Glen suggested adding thing to the dry food—chicken broth, wet food, vegetable broth, etc.—to make it more appealing.
Later in the show, Louis from Sarasota phoned, expressly to suggest to Jack that he sprinkle nutritional yeast over the dry food…There were other participants in the show, including Marilyn from California (whose dog panics whenever the phone rings), a woman who didn’t give her name (her Great Pyrenees seems afraid of everything, and so on. Resources include The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC)
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