Is it ok to hug a dog?... How about if the dog likes to hug you? - Is that ok? A recent SBS TV show featured well known Aussie animal trainer Steve Austin...

...among others - trying to answer the question "Do Dogs Love Us?". 

We also had a listener wanting to have her say in this story which we've also included in this podcast.

You can also read more about Steve below and check out his new book! 

 

About Steve Austin & his new book!
Steve Austin isn’t your average dog trainer. When Steve was just thirteen he trained his dog, Sooty, to entertain crowds outside the pub. That’s when he first realised he had an affinity with dogs – and a unique talent for training them.

A down-to-earth Aussie larrikin of a bloke, Steve now takes shelter dogs and turns them into extraordinary, elite canines for vital missions internationally. In this feelgood, yarn-laden memoir Steve shares amazing stories and loads of tips from a career of working with dogs, culminating in his work for the ‘Young Diggers’ program, which pairs specially trained dogs with returned Diggers suffering from issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression – with astonishing results.

Steve’s dogs now work in the fields of drug enforcement, customs, wildlife protection, and more all over the world. From saving penguins and cheetahs to snuffling out truffles and cane toads, and from the icy conditions of Macquarie Island to hanging out with the LAPD, if you need something detected, Steve’s got a dog for that.

You can buy the book here