The Kathy Keats Show

Patricia has embraced a new adventure and delved into the world of fiction with her new book, Away to Me, involving a behaviourist and a murder in the sheepdog world. The book releases Feb. 24, 2026. Pre-orders are available now as of the posting of this podcast.
About Patricia:
Patricia B. McConnell, PhD, CAAB Emeritus, is an internationally respected animal behaviorist and author whose acclaimed books, including The Other End of the Leash, For the Love of a Dog, and The Education of Will, have sold more than 1.2 million copies. A former adjunct professor in Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and behavior columnist for The Bark magazine, her nationally syndicated radio show, Calling All Pets, played in more than 110 cities for 14 years and her television show Petline aired on Animal Planet for two and a half years. She lives with her Border Collies and a flock of sheep on a farm in Southern Wisconsin and can be found online at PatriciaMcConnell.com.

In this episode, I am honoured to host multi-award winning Scottish Trad fiddler Ryan Young about authenticity, excellence and how to keep going when people say you can't do it. We talk about the parallels of music, sport and dog sport in pursuing your passion and the inevitable obstacles one must overcome. Check out his links, his music, and his bio below.
You can find Ryan at
Website - www.ryanyoung.scot
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RyanYoungFiddle
Ryan in concert - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bV2B8UDnhw
Here's a bit about Ryan:
Ryan Young brings new and exciting ideas to traditional Scottish music, receiving international praise for his spell-binding interpretations on the fiddle. His debut album (Ryan Young) was recorded with four time GRAMMY winner Jesse Lewis (who has worked with the likes of Bela Fleck and Yo Yo Ma) and launched at Feakle Traditional Music Festival in County Clare, accompanied by renowned guitarist, Dennis Cahill (Martin Hayes; The Gloaming). Ryan was nominated for Album Of the Year at the 2024 MG ALBA Scots Trad Awards for his album "Just A Second"; Live Act Of The Year at the 2023 Awards, and for Musician Of The Year at the 2022 Awards.
Ryan brings new life to very old, often forgotten tunes by playing them in his own unique way. He sings through the fiddle and his playing is often described as poetry without words. Ryan’s music is brimming with fresh melodic ideas, an uplifting rhythmic drive and a great depth of dynamics and precision. His sound is very distinctive and takes the listener on an emotional and adventurous journey in any performance. He has toured extensively across the UK, Europe, North America and Australia delighting audiences wherever he goes.
Ryan holds both a first class honours and a Masters degree from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, was twice a finalist in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards, and twice a finalist in the prestigious BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of The Year. He was awarded ‘Up And Coming Artist Of The Year’ at the Scots Trad Awards in 2017, nominated for the Horizon Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2018 and awarded Folking.com's Musician Of The Year title, also in 2018.
Further MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards nominations include Album Of the Year, and Folk Band Of The Year. Ryan Young was also the only UK artist selected to perform at the prestigious World Music conference, WOMEX, in 2019.
“...a force of nature” ***** (5 STARS) The Scotsman
“I have known Ryan for many years and have watched his steady progress from student to accomplished fiddle player. He has created his own unique way of playing and is finding great emotional depth in his native Scottish Music. Ryan Young is an up and coming musician who is gaining more and more well deserved recognition. I feel that he hasthe potential to make a very significant contribution to the Scottish tradition.” - Martin Hayes
“In live performance, Young can appear possessed by his music. This may be a studio recording….but it captures Young in full, zestful flight, crisply accompanied by guitarist Craig Irving. Echoes of Irish mentor Martin Hayes - the swooping lilt and slow burn - can be heard…” ***** (5 STARS) The Scotsman
“Ryan’s music is inflected with a magical, lyrical quality. When he plays he radiates a hypnotic effect that is truly wonderful” - Duncan Chisholm
'Being a fiddler myself I have heard many,...

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Kayl McCann Bio
Kayl McCann is a 21x World Champion at Dog Agility. She has represented Team Canada with 6 different dogs at various World Championships each year since 2004. When she's not training & competing with her own dogs, she & her team run the McCann Dogs Agility Coaching Program. They offer in-person classes, privates and events at their Agility Arena in Flamborough, Ontario. Handlers can also train with Kayl using her Online Coaching Program.
Kayl has grown up in the dog training world, as her parents were two of the top competitive obedience trainers in North America back in the day. They founded McCann Professional Dog Trainers over 40 years ago, and today, it's run by Kayl & her husband, Ken. McCann Dogs offers both in-person and online programs for family dog training, agility, rally and parkour. They've also expanded to have a dog training product line and media company, which is home to 2 podcasts and several YouTube channels with over 1 million subscribers. They have a large team of talented dog trainers who all share the same passion for helping people have a great relationship with their dogs.

Faansie is an elite sheepdog competitor. Among his many accomplishments, he has won the prestigious Meeker Classic Sheepdog Trial, represented the U.S. at the ISDS World Sheepdog Trial and, out of 241 teams, was one of the 16 who made it into the Double Lift Final, as well as finishing 3rd at the USBCHA National Finals.
Prior to that, Faansie, who is originally from South Africa, won the South African Nationals 7 times, the Dog of the Year 13 times, and the National Brace title 13 times.
Faansie gives clinics throughout North America and has a comprehensive online training program.
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Frankie Joiris is one of the top-notch animal trainers in the film, commercial, and TV industry, and believes strongly in the tie between training and a great relationship with your dog. She has worked on popular shows like Sex and the City and Law and Order, as well as movies featuring stars like Angelina Jolie and Robin Williams. She also teaches popular dog trick training programs for film, tv, fun and trick competition.
Get Frankie's free training and trick ideas and learn more about her programs here.
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