Pure Dog Talk
Laura Reeves
Pure Dog Talk is the VOICE of Purebred Dogs. We talk to the legends of the sports and give you tips and tools to create an awesome life with your purebred dog. From dog shows to preservation breeding, from competitive obedience to field work, from agility to therapy dogs and all the fun in between; your passion is our purpose. Pure Dog Talk supports the American Kennel Club, our Parent, Specialty and All-Breed Clubs, Dog Sports, Therapy, Service and Preservation of our Canine Companions.
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Top 10 Pure Dog Talk Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Pure Dog Talk episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Pure Dog Talk for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Pure Dog Talk episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
04/21/25 • 47 min
Own Your Digital Property with an Optimized Website
[caption id="attachment_13813" align="alignleft" width="431"] Matt Stelter from Better Breeder Institute with one of his collie puppies.[/caption] Matt Stelter from Better Breeder Institute joins host Laura Reeves for a LIVE@5 live podcast about SEO and how to optimize your website. “Somewhere along the line, conservation dog breeders took on the mindset that they should not be marketing themselves, apparently because it's just something that for profit or commercial breeders do,” Stelter said. “However, nothing could be further from the truth. It is a limiting belief that harms our conservation breeder community. And puts us at a disadvantage. “Conservation breeders have failed to make themselves visible. They failed to plant their flag in the ground and they failed to market themselves. Sharing the tremendous value and the story that our purebred dogs possess. We have hid our light under a barrel and given the antis and the doodle mania a free pass to indoctrinate the general public. “Ask yourself, would you rather rent or own an asset, be it a home, real estate or even a vehicle? When you spend money on paid online advertising or social media, you are investing good money and effort as well on rented digital property and renting is generally a poor long term financial decision. “If and when you stop paying for it, the traffic stops instantly. My recommendation is that you never spend money on rented digital real estate. Puppy marketplaces, paid online breeder directories, and social media are all rented real estate that you unfortunately. Will never control. The number one strategy to get more and better puppy buyers is an optimized website. A website is owned real estate that appreciates in value and performance over time. “Facebook has changed dramatically over the past 15 years, and it no longer works the way it used to. All the while, the power of an optimized website has continued to increase. An important fact to realize is that while ideas and inspiration may start on social media, most purchases begin on Google. “When a prospective puppy buyer starts looking for a breeder, just like with any other important purchase, the grand majority are going to start with a Google search. There's a famous quote from Jimmy Wales who is the founder of Wikipedia and he said if you are not on Google you don't exist. And it really is true when it comes to selling puppies. “It is Google's world and to be successful, we need to be playing in it. And I can tell you what puppy buyers won't find at the top of Google your Facebook page. An optimized website is simply the strongest digital asset a breeder can have. It is owned digital real estate that is yours, and its value and performance are going to appreciate over time if managed properly.”
11/22/19 • 22 min
History: To Understand the Present, Must Know the Past
Lesley Hiltz, long time Beagle breeder and conformation judge, details a new history project launched by Beagle enthusiasts worldwide.
“The Beagle History Resource is a non-profit website with the aim to preserve the history of beagles and the community surrounding it for the future. All is maintained by volunteers and beagle enthusiasts, and we rely purely on donations to keep the service free for the public,” according to the website.
The driving forces behind this initiative are: Toke Larsen from Denmark, Hiltz from the USA, Jonathon Willis from New Zealand and Alice Cancikova from Czech Republic. Additional volunteers are needed, Hiltz noted. Email the committee to help in any way, she added.
Saved to the cloud
Hiltz praised Larsen for his technology skill and abilities to preserve the history utilizing the “cloud” into perpetuity “or whatever comes next.” The website has the capacity to host photos, writings and other documents.
Other breeds also have developed similar concepts, including:
https://whippet.breedarchive.com/home/index
http://borzoipedia.com/ (currently under construction)
Beagles at sea
Hiltz’ story of transporting two of her early Beagles from England to Australia via cargo ship is mesmerizing and puts all current import/export complaints in context. Actively involved in Beagles since the early ‘60s, in Australia, England and the United States, Hiltz offers a wide ranging and compelling narrative of her personal history in the breed.
Preserving her breed and its history is the driving force for Hiltz in working on the development of this online resource. But she envisions it as an opportunity to develop a worldwide, all breeds repository.
“I can envision a kennel club taking up this project and having a central location for all of the information that’s out there,” Hiltz said. “To understand the present, we must know the past.”
Pure Dog Talk is sponsored by:
10/01/19 • 29 min
MORE on Preserving Our Breeds. What can WE do?
Today we have more lively conversation. Pure Dog Talk’s host Laura Reeves moderates part 2 of a Saturday Symposium panel discussion at the Rogue Valley Kennel Club show on the topic of “Preserving Our Breeds. What can WE do?”
Panelists are Ed Thomason, professional handler and noted breeder of American Staffordshire Terriers; Michelle Santana, AKC Breeder of the Year of Doberman Pinschers; and, Fran Stephens, Saint Bernard breeder-judge and AKC delegate for Puyallup Valley Dog Fanciers.
The panelists discuss a recent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6CSNCXNvTk&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3c4bncwajc4Iv864FpqodihdE9h2-Zs2wwx8WS43pW0wax7a7d1ArLRog (presentation) to the delegate body by Bill Shelton and Doug Johnson among other areas of interest in which purebred dog fanciers can promote their breeds and purebred dogs in general.
Reach out to the community
“Quit blaming other people,” Reeves said. “WE need to step up and not just on Facebook, all social media is important. All breeders are on the same side. We don’t have to like how other people breed. We can help them do better. Help them improve.”
Thomason agreed. “Some of the greatest breeders in this country that ever bred dogs kept and housed over 100 dogs. Why wouldn’t we help these commercial breeders breed better dogs.
“We don’t breed enough dogs. It’s as simple as that,” Thomason said.
Go out in public with your dogs
Stephens related her all breed club’s struggle to get club members to come share their dogs at the Washington state fair on Labor Day weekend.
“We have a barn and booth space from PVDF,” Stephens said. “We see *hundreds of thousands* of people, families with children. come to see the dogs… It’s like pulling teeth to get club members to come. Go, take your dogs to public events. Put your dogs out in public so people can see you. Then breed more dogs.”
Audience member Ray Brinlee, who started showing dogs in 1959, noted that the ’73 oil embargo is what brought on dog show clusters in order to save gas. “It was a terrible mistake,” Brinlee said. “Dog shows need to serve the community.”
Just Be NICE!
An audience member, Rebecca, recounted her own efforts to educate clients who hire her for behavioral training of their dogs.
“When I recommend they come to a show and talk to people, the breeders start with why they shouldn’t own this breed,” Rebecca said. “It took *15* years to talk someone into selling me a show dog. It frustrates me that my clients go to people with no health testing on their dogs because those people are nice to them. It’s sad that we have to tell people to make friends in other breeds and get a thick skin. Hardest thing to be a new person, and you don’t know who you can go to…”
“The main thing we need to keep in mind,” Stephens said, “is we have to keep breeding our dogs. Our breeds. If we don’t, they’ll go away. It’s as simple as that. Deciding to spay/neuter everything not in your control is detrimental to the breed. The dog may have a fault you don’t want, but may have good qualities from your line that can complement someone else’s lines. We have shot ourselves in the foot by spay/neuter more than 50% of our litters.”
Borzoi breeder Kristina Terra ended the discussion with a positive idea. When members of the public as if one of her dogs is a rescue, she replies “No! In fact she hasn’t had a bad second in her life. And neither has her mother or grandmother…”
Pure Dog Talk is sponsored by:
09/20/19 • 32 min
Veterinary Voice: Allergies! Food, Inhalant, Fleas & More
Food allergies are not as common as people believe, according to veterinarian Marty Greer. Inhalant, contact and flea allergies are more prevalent. Food allergy is mostly associated with chronic ear infections and recurrent skin problems. Conclusive diagnosis requires tedious food elimination diets.
“Fall is a terrible time for allergies,” Greer noted. “Especially inhalant allergies and contact allergies of pollen in the grass. You can wash the dog’s feet at night to help reduce symptoms.”
Foot chewing is the top symptom for inhalant/contact allergy, Greer said. She also observed that allergies can also be additive. A dog may have a food allergy that is only triggered by the addition of a seasonal contact allergy, for example.
It only takes one!
Flea allergy is signaled by dogs that are itchy around the rump, Greer noted. She added that one flea bite is all it may take to set off an allergic response.
“Flea control products today are really good. Topical or oral, they are very effective. Vacuuming regularly is an important control system for fleas,” Greer said.
Newer flea/tick control products affect the nervous system of only the parasite, Greer said. Older organophosphate-based products were not as good, she added.
Pro/Con of flea/tick preventatives
Oral meds are not recommended for patients with a history of seizures, Greer said. “They are not going to make a normal dog have a seizure. But they could trigger seizure sensitive dogs. Bravecto is the only oral medication labeled for breeding dogs,” she added.
Advantages to the oral preventatives are that they leave no residue on coat, Greer said. The advantages of topical treatments is they are not a concern in seizure sensitive patients and they make a repellant shield to biting insects. Topicals also get rid of fleas/ticks more quickly.
Anti inflammatory treatments
“In the last 10-15 years, new products have come on the market to help to replace long-term steroid use,” Greer said. “Short course steroid use is effective and the side effects are minimal.”
Links and information from Dr. Greer to learn more:
Atopica https://www.elanco.us/products-services/dogs/atopica-cyclosporine-capsules-usp-modified (https://www.elanco.us/products-services/dogs/atopica-cyclosporine-capsules-usp-modified) Dog Quiz: https://us.atopica.com/survey-dog (https://us.atopica.com/survey-dog) , Cat Quiz: https://us.atopica.com/survey-cat (https://us.atopica.com/survey-cat)
Apoquel https://www.zoetisus.com/products/dogs/apoquel/index.aspx
Cytopoint https://www.zoetisus.com/products/dogs/cytopoint/the-itch-cycle.aspx
Do not use APOQUEL in dogs less than 12 months of age or those with serious infections. APOQUEL may increase the chances of developing serious infections, and may cause existing parasitic skin infestations or pre-existing cancers to get worse. APOQUEL has not been tested in dogs receiving some medications including some commonly used to treat skin conditions such as corticosteroids and cyclosporine. Do not use in breeding, pregnant, or lactating dogs. Most common side effects are vomiting and diarrhea. APOQUEL has been used safely with many common medications including parasiticides, antibiotics and vaccines
CYTOPOINT is a monoclonal antibody (mAb)* treatment for dogs that specifically targets and neutralizes canine IL-31,† an important cytokine‡ involved in sending the itch signal to the brain in chronic atopic dermatitis2
Because it is highly targeted to a specific cytokine involved in canine atopic dermatitis, CYTOPOINT has minimal impact on normal immune functions3
CYTOPOINT is eliminated via normal protein degradation pathways in the same way as naturally occurring antibodies; metabolism does not involve the liver or kidneys
02/06/20 • 30 min
Healthy, Happy Travels to Westminster Kennel Club
Dr. Marty Greer provides thorough and thoughtful advice for keeping your dog healthy and happy on the way and at the big show.
Preparing the Dog
- Enter the dog.
- Assure the entry has been accepted.
- Arrange travel.
- Have an appropriate travel bag or crate, depending on if the dog will travel in the cabin under your seat or in cargo, with or without you on the airplane.
- Do NOT try to pass the dog off as an “ESA” – Emotional Support Animal if this dog is not certified as such. There is current proposed legislation that will restrict the use of this term as it has been overused and misused by many travelers.
- A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) is required for all animals crossing state lines. This applies whether you are driving or flying the dog to the destination. Most of the time, you will not be asked for this document. However, if you are without it, your travel plans may be interrupted. This must be issued by a veterinarian who is “Accredited” by USDA. Not all Veterinarians are accredited so be sure you have a veterinarian who can sign this paperwork.
- A current rabies certificate is also required for all dogs traveling.
- A “Letter of Acclimation” if the dog is flying in cargo. This will reflect the temperatures the dog has been acclimated to prior to travel. This is issued by your veterinarian.
- Microchip and identification collar with your current cell phone number.
- Anti-anxiety medication if indicated. Acepromazine and Benadryl/diphenhydramine are NOT anti-anxiety medications. Alprazolam, trazodone, or gabapentin may be suitable if indicated and prescribed by your veterinarian.
Preparing the Equipment
- Make a list of the least amount of equipment and supplies you can manage with. Consider shipping these ahead to the hotel.
- Arrange to rent equipment
- Travel bag, leash and collar. A quiet toy to keep your dog busy and avoid annoying fellow travelers.
- Travel crate, absorbent material, leash, collar, ID, small bag of food enough for one meal, bowls (the kind that flatten are easiest) and a toy to keep your dog busy.
Preparing you!
- Buy tickets for admission to Westminster.
- Make flight arrangements. Be sure you include the dog(s) on the reservation.
- Make hotel reservations. Be sure you include the dog(s) on the reservation.
12/21/20 • 26 min
Danish Swedish Farmdogs – Friendly, Low Maintenance, Sturdy
Dr. Marty Greer joins host Laura Reeves to talk about the FSS breed with which she’s fallen in love. Danish Swedish Farmdogs date to the 1700s but were saved from extinction by the joint effort of the Danish and the Swedish Kennel Clubs in 1987.History
Greer notes that the breed was originally from Denmark and their job was “sort of an all-purpose farm dog”.. so they were to herd, they were to play with the kids, be able to be Watch Dogs ... “that's kind of what appealed to me about them, is they’re a hardy little dog.” “They’re cool little dogs,” Greer said. “I find them to be absolutely fascinating and really easy to get along with. Every time you see pictures of them, they are stacked on top of each other sleeping. They don't have that terrier snarky, sparring kind of attitude.Size and Grooming
“The males are probably 22 to 24 pounds. The females are 18 to 20. They are small enough dog that you can pick them up under one arm, you can put them in a Sherpa bag and fit them under the seat of an airplane. So if you're going to be traveling they're portable. “One of the things that appeal to me about them is that easy to maintain coat. When I got into Corgis back in the 1980s, you'd wash your dog, you blow her out and you take her in the ring. You didn't do anything else. Now there's quite a bit of grooming that goes into a Corgi ... I find that to be a little upsetting when you're supposed to be showing a dog that's natural. "Well, this dog really is natural. There's no trimming. There's nothing you could trim other than their toenails. When you travel with them you just need a towel. You don't need a brush. You need a towel and a leash.Temperament and Activity
“There’s no dog aggression, no people aggression. Just kind of chill little dogs ... they come in the house, do one loop-through, flop down on the couch and hang out with you the rest of the day. I really appreciate that about a dog because, by the time I'm done with a 14-hour shift, I don't really want to come home and throw the tennis ball for two hours. So I appreciate a dog that has the ability to settle in the house. At the same time, there are a lot of activities that people do with them. They're doing lure coursing, lots and lots of flyballs, lots of agility. They can be shown in FSS in AKC. “They do have the ability to jump. My 4-month-old Farm Dog puppy is already scaling expenses. They're relatively quiet. They will bark occasionally if the Corgis set them off, but they don't usually initiate the barking." For more information, check out these resources. http://www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/356g02-en.pdf https://dsfca.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=0&club_id=45902512/14/20 • 29 min
Drentsche Patrijshond: Hunting Dog, Property Dog, Family Dog
Rare breeds spotlight continues with the “Drent,” short for Drentsche Patrijshond, the all-purpose hunting dog of The Netherlands. Brian and Jenna O’Connor join host Laura Reeves to share their passion for this ancient breed. “(The breed is) about 350, almost 400 years old,” Brian said. “They were brought up through the Spanish occupation that went all up through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, in that little bit of western Germany. They brought over camp followers and their dogs, and they deposited all these dogs along the way. The Drent is one of these dogs that was kind of brought up through this phenomenon. “Part of what makes the history of the Drent really unique is the province of Drenthe. It is a province with rolling hills. That's where Vincent van Gogh came from ... all those dark brooding skies is very typical of that landscape out there. ... “The common man had the right to hunt there... This is 300 years ago. That wasn't normal. So, if you were a priest or farmer, any professional class, you had the right to hunt. That was even unique within the country of the Netherlands, where hunting was reserved for nobility.SUV of hunting dogs
“So, you were this relatively poor person, odds are you were a farmer, and you could afford one dog ... that one dog had to be able to do everything. So, if you were hunting Fox ...if you're hunting Swan or pheasant or Hungarian Partridge, if you’re hunting ducks whatever... oh, and by the way, when you needed to cart your milk or cheese or your vegetables to market on Wednesday, you would rig up your dog and the Drent would haul your goods to market for you. “They're really close to their people, even if they don't need to be sleeping on you. They're going to be near you. There are the kind of dog that will not thrive in a kennel environment because they build that bond with their people and they're not going to do well without their people. We don't have a lot of reports of separation anxiety in the breed, but I would advocate for people to kennel train them. Otherwise, they're going to find something to get into. They fall in the category of that smart continental versatile hunting dog that never should be left on its own.” “(The Drent) really doesn't have a lot of grooming,” Jenna said. “You wouldn't treat a dog for a show much different than you would treat a dog going on a hunt or around the house. (A) good brushing once a week, maybe more when they shed once a year. Some Drents can get a little bit longer ear hair. You can either pluck it with your fingers or you can use a stripping knife and just pull that dead hair out. Other than that, they have feathering but you really don't trim that. If you want to trim their hair on the feet that's great but really they're pretty au natural.” “The numbers we just got last week was 3,600 (Drents worldwide). In the States, we have less than 150. Of that 150, less than 10% of those are approved for breeding. We only maybe have two ... active breeders. So we are definitely in the realm of needing some breed fanciers to step in and really invest some time into these guys 'cause they're amazing dogs,” Brian noted. For more info: Brian’s book: https://www.blurb.com/b/5491948-the-drentsche-patrijshond-for-the-north-american-f Drentsche Patrijshond Club of North America: www.DPCNA.org
05/04/20 • 18 min
Work Together to Leverage Resources in Rare Breeds
Dawne Deeley and Amanda Kelly are back for the second half of our conversation about rare breeds and their unique challenges.Who buys our dogs and why?
“It behooves us to think about the drivers for ownership,” Kelly said. “What is it that our breed offers that no other breed offers? What are the challenges that are unique to our breed? What are the barriers for people to consider getting one? Are they not getting any of these rare breeds because they've never heard of them? Or are they not getting them because there's something about them that is maybe not with the average home is looking for? I think that in itself is a really important thing that we all need to understand and think about.Set up for success
“We can breed the most beautiful dog in the history of the world but 99.9% of anything that we breed is going to go to a pet home... So what are we doing in order to ensure that we're setting our dogs up for success ... setting individual dogs up for success in the homes that they go to has an exponential effect in having people that meet them be more interested in every dog we breed. (They are) ambassadors for our breed. “My background is in marketing and communication. So I tend to think about things kind of from the perspective of pushes and pulls. We push out information, but we also need to have a pull ... we need to have people who are just interested in (the breed) and we need to figure out how we get the breeds in front of them and how we match up our breed with the right home.We're all in the same boat
“These breeds that are lower number, they’re the canary in the coal mine. A lot of the more popular breeds ... registrations in general are falling. It's something that the entire dog fancy is facing together. There's power in numbers and we all have an opportunity to work together, pooling resources, small breeds coming together to do big projects. There's lots of opportunities to do things, but we have to first recognize that we're all kind of in the same boat. “One of the examples that I can give you, a thing as simple as a pedigree database. Something that people can go online and look up pedigrees and do coefficient of inbreeding calculations or different tools that we might offer ... breeders in other breeds may not think of that as such a big thing, but it's just proving to be beyond our reach. “If there's opportunities that we can work with other clubs to do things, even something as simple as having access to a teleconference line to have meetings for your club. Our national breed club has struggled with technology, with a lot of older members who can't figure out how to use Skype or FaceTime ... until last year we were having our national breed club meetings in a chat room and typing back and forth to one another ... so there are opportunities to help, to support one another, to come together across breeds, to make things happen that will lift us all up, that I think that we need to think about.”Show more best episodes
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FAQ
How many episodes does Pure Dog Talk have?
Pure Dog Talk currently has 481 episodes available.
What topics does Pure Dog Talk cover?
The podcast is about Pets & Animals, Leisure, Hobbies, Kids & Family and Podcasts.
What is the most popular episode on Pure Dog Talk?
The episode title '404 – The Athletic, Wicked Smart, Primitive Xoloitzcuintli' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Pure Dog Talk?
The average episode length on Pure Dog Talk is 31 minutes.
How often are episodes of Pure Dog Talk released?
Episodes of Pure Dog Talk are typically released every 4 days, 4 hours.
When was the first episode of Pure Dog Talk?
The first episode of Pure Dog Talk was released on Aug 20, 2018.
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