Dogs are animals of integrity. We have much to learn from them.
Year: 2021
The last Picture Parade for February.
But yet more dog photographs from Nimbushopper!
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These are such beautiful photographs and that’s not all! I have just chosen the photos of the dogs looking at the camera. For the eyes of most dogs are just captivating.
Let me share with you a couple of the photos I have taken of our dogs.
Brandy!
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Oliver, as a younger dog being hugged by Jeannie
See you all next week!
There’s no limit to the joy that we get from our dogs!
This article was recently seen on The Dodo and features a Romanian tale.
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They’re best buddies ❤️️
By Lily Feinn Published on 2/10/2021
The streets were empty during a recent snowstorm in Romania.
But, while most people were staying warm at home, one little boy and his dog decided to go for a “walk.”
To make the most of the snow, 12-year-old Andrei attached a sled to his bicycle and his dog Pufi hopped on. True to Pufi’s name, the dog’s fluffy coat protects him from inclement weather, but the little pup seemed grateful to play with his human and not have to get his paws wet.
As Andrei started to cycle home, Pufi was a very good boy, balancing on the sled like a pro.
“Andrei and Pufi puppy conquered us hopelessly and reminded us of childhood when the simple things brought us the greatest joys: snow, a sled and a reliable friend next to you,” CERT Transilvania wrote on Facebook. “Today we also gave Andrei joy by giving him a brand-new bike, equipped with everything he needs for many years to come on the road to school or racing with Pufi.”
Now, Andrei and Pufi can safely sled and bike wherever they want together, through whatever weather comes their way.
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We just adore stories such as this one.
P.S. The above video doesn’t want to play!
I have relaxed my rule about posts from commercial concerns.
For the first time since July, 2009, I am presenting a guest post from a commercial business. This is how it evolved.
On the 11th February this year I received the following email:
Hi Paul,
Anne here from SpiritDog Training!
I came across Learning From Dogs while researching supplementary dog training materials and I am impressed with the articles you shared on your website.
I noticed that you are accepting guest contributions on your blog and I was wondering if our team can contribute an article for your site?
Our founder, Steffi Trott, has been featured in major publications such as Reader’s Digest, FitBark, Romper and Rachel Ray In Season so you can be assured that the content will be of high-quality.
I’ve prepared some topics here which I’m sure your readers would enjoy:
1. How Much Exercise is Too Much?
2. How To Teach Your Dog To Bark On Command
3. Which Doodle is The Best Fit For Busy Families?
4. Dog parks: Yay or nay?
5. Fetch or keep-away? How to teach your dog to return his ball every time
6. Nail trim horror? How to get your dog used to doggy pedicuresPlease let me know if you are interested in any of these.
Looking forward to hearing from you, Paul!
Kind Regards,
Anne
I was minded to accept the invitation. I have received no income and I am not endorsing SpiritDog Training. But I thought that on balance this post should be allowed.
First, some words from Steffi Trott:
I am Steffi Trott, the dog trainer at SpiritDog Training (and hopeless dog enthusiast!). I am an energizer bunny who loves everything related to animals, the outdoors and – of course – training. I have four dogs of my own that I – of course – train every day and that participate in competitive agility as well.
I am always committed to finding the right approach for every dog and owner team – taking into consideration the individual disposition and natural strengths and weaknesses of everyone involved.
I have been teaching dog training to thousands of clients both locally and through online lessons since 2013.
I train with clients all over New Mexico and travel to teach seminars – which has taken me as far as Germany!
I studied dog training with European trainers such as multi-worldchampions in agility and European Open winners Silvia Trkman, Polona Bonac, Martina Klimesova and Anna Hinze as well as US trainers like Kim Terrill and Daisy Peel.
I have a lot of personal interest in dog cognition and behavior and keep up to date with all scientific publications on the matter.
Dog training is a very new field and just over the past couple decades trainers have gained an understanding of how much we can influence a dog’s behavior with positive, game-based methods. I firmly believe that every dog trainer needs to strive to perfect their own training skills and never stop learning and exploring.
Let me join you in finding the best possible approach for your dog!
So to the guest post submitted by Anne Handshack, the marketing associate, on behalf of Steffi.
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By: Steffi Trott
In my work as a dog trainer, I frequently encounter the expectation that adult dogs should enjoy “playing” with other dogs. In many cases this is a misguided idea. It can cause owners to push their dogs into situations in which they are uncomfortable and may even show reactivity. Today we will look at how adult dogs interact and whether or not “playing” is a common behavior for them.
Everyone knows that puppies love to play. You can pretty much put any two puppies of any two breeds into the same space and they will run and wrestle with each other within minutes. This intense desire to play starts as soon as puppies can move around – as early as 3 or 4 weeks of age. Puppies retain the play drive until they are somewhere between 6 and 24 months old. In general, working or guard dog breeds stop to play with any other dog earlier, while companion dogs and many Doodles continue playing for longer. Some dogs completely stop any play – others get more selective in when, with whom and how they play.
Most friendly and socialized dogs do not dislike other dogs once they stop actively playing. They simply don’t want to race, tug and wrestle anymore. A well-mannered and social adult dog will still greet other dogs, sniff them and wander around and mark bushes with them. If your dog e.g. was friends with the neighbor’s puppy, chances are that they will both stop the wild playing at roughly the same time and switch to more laid-back interactions.
Once a dog reaches this specific point in his life at which he stops to constantly seek out play with other dogs, we need to rethink the social situations which we put him in. Have you been taking your dog to a busy park regularly? Chances are there were many other, young and playful dogs there. If they bother your dog with incessant playbowing, barking and running up to him, he may not enjoy these outings anymore and you may want to change your walking routines.
Ideally you should find canine friends for your adult dog that have the same energy level and are looking for the same interactions.
My clients frequently come to me with the same concern: Their puppy used to do great at his doggy daycare, but around the first birthday he stops interacting and playing as much with the dogs there. Their report cards say that the dog spent time sniffing around by himself or perhaps even got a bit snarly with the other dogs. Of course, owners are worried – is their dog regressing in his social skills?
Not at all. Again – daycares are mainly filled with young, boisterous, energetic puppies who want to play all day long. As dogs grow up, most of them reach a point at which that just does not sound like fun anymore. This is completely normal and not a reason for concern. Again, it is important to take your dog’s cues into consideration when deciding on activities for him. For a lot of adult dogs, daycare just is not so fun anymore. They might need to quit going there as the energy level is too high and they do not participate in wild play.
Even if you have an adult dog who does still occasionally play with other dogs, you need to monitor his play behavior. Dogs should ideally always be supervised when playing together so that owners can intervene if issues arise.
It might be that your adult dog enjoys a bit of play, but eventually wants to just sniff by himself and be left alone. If the other dog now keeps on pestering your dog the situation might escalate. You need to always be the dog’s advocate. If your dog doesn’t want to keep playing, help him to make that happen!
While puppies always want to play with any other dog; the same adult dog might have varying interests in playing based on the day. It could depend on:
Puppies love to play with any other dogs. Once they reach adulthood, it can be difficult for owners to recognize the signs that they are not so interested in this anymore. The change can be sudden or gradual.
It is important to never push adult dogs into playful interactions. Your dog will decide himself if or when he wants to play, and you should be mindful of his preferences. Perhaps he only wants to play with a certain other dog or only for a short time. Or maybe he does not want to play at all!
You need to always be his advocate and make sure that he can be comfortable in interactions with other dog.
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If any of the readers of today’s article have views as to whether or not this guest post should have been allowed then please I would love to hear from you.
And it involves dogs! Well in a roundabout way!
Back on Monday I spoke of Rik and his company Ahead4Heights.
Rik then sent me another piece of news about a film that he produced at short notice for Brixham Council.
Recent projects being a the Front page of the local rag, a roof inspection in Teignmouth for one of the largest local roofing contractors who is now on board and promising more work.
More interesting was a commission from Brixham Council for a short film showing the natural beauty of an area near Brixham in order to oppose a planning application for 400 houses. I received a call on that Friday telling me they needed the film for the public inquiry the following Tuesday! With only that Sunday looking good for flying I managed to fly, edit and upload the film later that evening so they had it for Monday morning, it was played at the hearing and has become a pivotal part of the evidence and was watched over 600 times over the following few days.
The land in question is dog walkers heaven and used by all the local residents.
Here is that front page of the Herald Express.
I regret that it is probably far too small a file to show the details. Never mind!
But the day is tinged with sadness!
Today, Tuesday, we went across to The Red Barn to get some hay, a regular occurrence.
Tyler, the manager, was not there but his brother, Zach, was. But just as important were Jean & I seeing Tully again. He is such a sweet dog and so full of life. A Labrador cross. But we learnt that recently he had been hit by a car, suffered severe injuries, and had to be put down. Even Duke, another dog of the same breed, seemed sad.
Apparently Tully was hit by a car and the driver didn’t even stop!
So on to today’s post.
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By Caitlin Jill Anders
Published on the 8th February, 2021.
Even though Dakota is almost 12 years old, she still acts like a puppy most of the time. She loves meeting new people and taking naps, and is happy pretty much all the time. Her absolute favorite thing in the whole world, though, is food.
“She acts like she is innocent but … is an evil genius inside when it comes to food of any kind,” Cheryl Dorchinsky, Dakota’s mom, told The Dodo.
When the family got a new dog door and wanted to teach Dakota how to use it, they of course turned to treats to help encourage her. She was scared of it at first, but once treats were involved, she quickly turned into a dog door pro and never looked back.
Once she knew how to use the dog door, though, she also quickly figured out how to use it to her advantage to trick her family into giving her extra treats.
Whenever Dakota goes outside and goes to the bathroom, she gets a treat, so one day, she came up with a genius plan. She decided to start going outside through the dog door, sitting right outside it for a little while, then coming back in as if she’d gone to the bathroom and asking for a treat.
What Dakota failed to consider is that the dog door is clear — so her mom can see her sitting right outside it, very blatantly not going to the bathroom.
“At first I believed her but then questioned how she came back in so fast,” Dorchinsky said. “I would watch and noticed that she was doing that. It’s almost like a child who thinks you can’t see them if they can’t see you. She always looks away. It’s funny!”
Even though Dorchinsky has totally caught on to the sneaky scheme, Dakota doesn’t care. She still does it every single day, because the potential treats are absolutely worth it.
“She seems very proud of her scam,” Dorchinsky said. “There is no shame in Dakota’s game.”
Despite knowing that Dakota isn’t actually going to the bathroom most of the time, Dorchinsky still gives her treats anyway. It’s hard to say no to that face.
“If I don’t react she will bark at me to let me know she went potty (fuzzy liar),” Dorchinsky said. “She is adorable and I totally give in. Maybe she deserves the treat for not going potty on the porch?”
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As I said, dogs are very smart!
A little promotional video!
My son, Alex, recently shared on Facebook a video posted by Rik Christiansen who is the son of my elder sister, Rhona, now dead unfortunately.
This is what Alex said:
Anybody who needs Drone survey’s, my cousin has a business in Devon
Please go across to Rik’s website, Ahead4Heights, and also watch his promotional video; luckily on YouTube so it may be shared.
This is a short promotional film that showcases Ahead4Heights abilities within the drone industry as well as our production and editing skills. All footage, music, sound design, editing and production was created in-house. We are a complete solution.
Who knows!
It is not the first time I have written about Rik! Here is a previous post.
Learning from Dogs 