Last week, I asked the people on my email list, and my Facebook community, whether they listened to any animal-related podcasts, and if so, which ones.
I don’t know what I expected, maybe a handful of answers. Little did I know…
517 people answered, and I just summarized the wealth of data that they provided.
First, let me just say that the “most-listened-to” is based on my particular community of people interested in animal behaviour, learning and wellbeing, so it might not reflect the actual audience numbers of these podcasts well at all.
Also, the last six months or so have seen an influx of a huge number of new podcasts, and although some of them have been discovered and already top this list, others are still unheard of for their intended audience.
In other words, a small audience isn’t necessarily a reflection of the quality of the podcast.
I should also mention that I’m not much of a podcast-listener myself, so I’m unfamiliar with most of the podcast listed below.
Let’s have a look at what people answered..!
do people listen to animal-related podcasts?
Whether people listen to animal-related podcasts was quite variable.
Some people didn’t know they existed: “Never heard about them”... “Wish I understood what they are & how to access them.”… “I never thought about it, but I will now”…
For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of podcasts, they are the modern version of radio programs; short recurring (20-60 minutes) audio recordings, typically a conversation between the podcast host and an invited guest. They are normally available on a website, or through an app on your phone. Find out more here. Many people listen to them while commuting, gardening or folding laundry… 🙂
The reason why some people answering the poll actively chose not to listen to podcasts had to do with time, overload or other preferred learning routes: “I am more of a visual learner”… “I think a lot of them would drive me crazy”… “I actually listen less now as there are more options, as it is overwhelming”.
Another reason for not listening to podcasts was that people haven’t found the right one: “Actually, I don’t but would like to!”… “something I keep meaning to do”… “I don’t have enough time to sift through different podcasts looking for the good ones”… “Don’t know of any good ones”.
Hopefully, you’ll get some inspiration below!
And yes, turns out there are MANY podcasts out there. This collective of 517 people listened to no less than 160 different podcasts.
So, I thought I’d present to you, out of those 160 podcasts, the 68 which got mentioned at least twice.
Let’s start with top 10.
The top 10 most-listened-to animal-related podcasts.
A mind-blowing 149 people (29%) mentioned Hannah Branigan’s podcast Drinking from the toilet:
90 people mentioned Ryan Cartlidge’s Animal Training Academy.
Absolute dog’s Sexier Than a Squirrel got 63 mentions.
“In Sexier Than a Squirrel, the Official AbsoluteDogs Podcast, veterinary behaviourist Tom Mitchell and international agility competitor and professional dog trainer Lauren Langman talk training your dog, transforming your dog training struggles and getting real-life results through GAMES!“
Sarah Stremming’s Cog-Dog Radio was mentioned by 56 people.
Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast got 55 mentions.
Alexandra Kurland’s and Dominique Day’s podcast Equiosity was mentioned 49 times.
The Bitey end of the dog with Michael Shikashio had already 41 mentions, despite being only a few months old and having aired only 8 episodes.
Shaped by dog from Susan Garrett received 39 mentions. That’s also a novel podcast, dating back only a few months.
Learning about dogs with Kay Laurence and Sue McGuire was mentioned 31 times.
Dog talk with Nick Benger was mentioned by 23 people.
That concludes top 10. Remember, the list is based on how often they were mentioned by the people taking the poll, and does not reflect a quality rating.
Let’s have a look at the other podcasts mentioned!
other podcasts mentioned at least twice
The following list contains animal-related podcasts mentioned at least by two people who participated in the poll.
General or exotic animal podcasts:
- Avian behaviour international
- Animal behaviour center (Laura Joseph)
- Animal training fundamentals (Barbara Heidenreich)
- Brain science with Ginger Campbell,
- Elite pet podcast
- Fear free
- From the Ranch (Ken Ramirez)
- KPCT (Karen Pryor Clicker Training)
- Let’s talk healthy pets with Dr Becker
- NEI Tec talks (Natural Encounters)
- Paws & reward
- The animal behaviour doctors
Dog-related podcasts:
- Bad dog agility
- Barks from the bookshelf
- Barks from the guild
- Bravo dog knowledge
- Canine conversations
- Cognitive canine
- Creating great grooming dogs
- Dancing hearts (Kathy Kawalec)
- Disorderly dogs with Rachel Harris
- Dog lab
- Dog tales
- Dog talk with Dr Jen
- Dog star daily with Ian Dunbar
- Enlightened by dogs (Kathy Kawalek)
- Everything dogs
- Functional breeding
- Hold the line
- K9’s talking scents
- Let’s talk canine fitness,
- Positively dog training (Victoria Stilwell)
- Pure dog talk
- Scentsabilities with Stacey Barnett
- Teach me about doggies
- The dog real talk (TROMPLO)
- The modern dog trainer
- Unleashed at work and home (Colleen Pelar)
Horse-related podcasts:
- Come Along for the Ride (Tracy Malone)
- Equine Clicker 101 (Shawna Karrasch)
- In the spirit of horse
- Journey On (Warwick Schiller)
- The Confident Rider
- The Willing Equine (Adele Shaw)
- Whole horse podcast
Swedish animal-related podcasts:
- Agilitypodden
- Etologinytt (Per Jensen)
- Häst och ryttare
- Hundcoachen
- Hundens huspodden
- Hundfeeling
- Hundpodden med Kicki och Fanny
- Hundpodden vår bästa vän
- Hundtränarpodden med Helen Lindström o Maria Brandel
- Morotspodden
To find these podcasts, simply type the name of the podcast and the word “podcast” into a search window, and you should have no trouble finding them.
As mentioned, being a visual learner, I hardly ever listen to podcasts myself, so I appreciate when they offer a bulleted list mentioning when during the recording a specific topic is discussed, or even better: a written transcript. That’s not always available, though.
Also, since I am unfamiliar with most of the podcasts listed above, please let me know if any of them might be unsuitable for this forum – hopefully, that shouldn’t be the case..! For instance, I do not endorse punishment-based techniques.
Oh, and if your favourite podcast didn’t make it onto this list, just mention it in the comments! 🙂
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I write the occasional blog post, do silly experiments, offer free webinars and Masterclasses as well as extensive online courses, all on the topic of animal behaviour, learning and wellbeing. Want to be notified the next time any of the above occurs? Just sign up below, and I’ll keep you posted!
Sorry, I had to block comments on this post, kept getting absurd amounts of spam…
None on cats!!!???
None on cats mentioned by at least two people… unfortunately!
Such an awesome resource! Thank you so much for sharing.
You’re welcome! 🙂
After answering the question, I rememberedhaving listened to another podcast. When I started learning Russian, I accidentally found a podcast “Zoomagnitka” about animals (mainly pets) od Magnitogorsk. It was a nice way to get accustomed to the sound of the language. Unfortunately the recordings are no more available.
My favorite is Why Do Pets Matter? It brings together a diverse group of people in service to animals!! No two episodes are alike. It interviews attorneys, veterinarians, animal, behaviorist, advocates, breeders, animal ethicists and trainers. Check it out. It is meant to be a place to hear multiple points of view about the subject “why do pets matter“. WhyDoPetsMatter.com.
Sounds interesting, thanks for sharing! 🙂
I listen to horse related podcasts while making up horse feed. You ha e my favourite ones there – come along for the ride – Tracey Malone , the whole horse podcast – Alexa Linton. Both these women interview fascinating horse people . Highly recommend these ones. Podcasts are great for people like me who like to multi task. I will try out some dog ones from list
Great! 🙂
That was a fascinating poll! In the top 10 you have provided me with two I didn’t know about. Now I have to find a little more time to listen Lol! I listen mostly while driving and also sometimes while mowing the lawn. It’s a great way of stimulating thinking about training concepts, though if it’s too good I often find that I want to stop what I am doing to make notes. I find it easier to learn if I am writing as well as listening.
Hannah Brannigan’s Drinking From The Toilet is my absolute favourite podcast. I never miss an edition.
hah, that’s one of the reasons why I find listening to podcasts difficult! If something interesting comes up, I have the urge to note it down…! 🙂