In my final post of September, Resources for Trainers and Trainers-To Be, I noted three podcasts that offer great resources for anyone interested in dog training and behavior: The Bitey End of the Dog, Drinking from the Toilet, and Paws and Reward. For this week's favorite things post I'm writing about two more dog training podcasts and introducing two of my favorite non-training podcasts.
In Be Right Back! The Separation Anxiety Podcast, Julie Naismith covers all things related to separation anxiety. Dedicated to helping people and their dogs, Julie also runs the program I completed this year to certify trainers to work with separation anxiety cases. In her podcast she offers a wealth of information as well as kind, compassionate advice for being more patient with our pets and gentler with ourselves.
For an excellent podcast about enrichment, try the Enrichment for the Real World podcast, run by Pet Harmony's Allie Bender and Emily Strong. Though they focus mostly on enrichment, they also discuss a range of other topics, including practicing empathy and compassion toward our clients and ourselves, understanding how medical problems can influence behavior, and working with species other than dogs.
I first stumbled on Buffering: A Rewatch Adventure in the early days of the pandemic when the podcast was called Buffering the Vampire Slayer. Hosted by musician Jenny Owen Youngs and writer Kristin Russo, Buffering covers all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the new audio-play Slayer (on Audible). Every episode about Buffy ends with an original song written and performed by Jenny, sometimes with guest vocals. The podcast developed a HUGE following among Buffy and Angel fans (you can find spin-off podcast Angel On Top in the same space as Buffering). Live and online events like an annual prom and a bookclub have brought people together into a lovely community. These days Jenny and Kristin are rewatching and talking about The X Files.
When I need to laugh—like really laugh out loud—I listen to Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. He speaks with actors, musicians, politicians, and comedians with guests ranging from former president Barack Obama to Justice Sonia Sotomayor to actor and musician Flula Borg (who was in the funniest episode I’ve listened to so far). And because it's a podcast, Conan's interviews can range much further than they did in his late-night TV show.