Elina Halonen

Dummy games

Health insights: 10 most important things to know about canine hip dysplasia

A technical but very useful article from The Institute of Canine Biology 👇 1. All puppies are born with perfectly normal hips2. The genes that cause hip dysplasia remain a mystery3. Environmental factors are also important4. Joint laxity is the primary cause of hip dysplasia5. Controlling joint stability is key6. Body weight is a MAJORContinueContinue reading “Health insights: 10 most important things to know about canine hip dysplasia”

A muffin mould meal

This morning’s improvised enrichment… We do DIY raw but occasionally forget to order more before the pre-prepared boxes run out, so this is a sausage from the pet shop, just squeezed into what was within reach… a silicone muffin mould (that has never actually been used to make muffins). Works!

Books on dog-human connection

BECAUSE DOG TRAINING IS NOT ONE-SIZE-FITS ALL Train the Dog in Front of You (Denise Fenzi) If there was one sentence in the blurb that describes this book, it’s this: “This book is practical, realistic, easy to read and….radically different from all other dog training books on the market.” I’ve never seen a book likeContinueContinue reading “Books on dog-human connection”

Toy review: Sumo Play & Dog Comets Ceres Treat Locker

These two excellent products arrived yesterday – they are nice alternatives to the classic Kong. The Sumo Play is basically the same thing, but I find it easier to fill with wet food for freezing, and because it’s a different shape, dogs need to learn to hold it differently (i.e. more mental stimulation and pawContinueContinue reading “Toy review: Sumo Play & Dog Comets Ceres Treat Locker”

Reads: Interesting article on canine osteoarthritis

Interesting article looking at two sides of the story when it comes to canine osteoarthritis: owners and vets. In short, lots of assumptions on both sides which leads to miscommunication and not always the best outcome for the dog. Also, apparently a lot of times owners don’t want to accept the diagnosis and think theirContinueContinue reading “Reads: Interesting article on canine osteoarthritis”

Wrap your puppy into a python

If you’re getting a puppy, something like this might be good to allow them to curl up into something like the BeezTees cuddle toy below.. Or, for a cheaper version, the IKEA snake does the same job and even older dogs may find it loads of fun – ours do! It’s curled up in, carriedContinueContinue reading “Wrap your puppy into a python”

Toy review: Kong Lock-It

Overall rating: 🐾🐾🐾🐾 (human also satisfied it’s good value) Interlocking balls that you can buy more of – pack has 3. Suits a small dog (up to 13kg) without strong jaws. The bigger size might be ok but this one is S. Suits Grace well so it will be just her toy 😊 Bought fromContinueContinue reading “Toy review: Kong Lock-It”

I’m Nell, and I’m a kleptomaniac

Nell has long had certain kleptomaniac tendencies and I’ve recently become more curious about it. A most precious stone By kleptomaniac I literally mean randomly picking up items that were of no value whatsoever and resource guarding them like Gollum. We’ve worked a lot on her resource guarding and mostly it’s predictable and managed (especiallyContinueContinue reading “I’m Nell, and I’m a kleptomaniac”

Struggling to keep your dog busy? Look no further!

I’ve been asked for toy recommendations a lot, and due to lack of time, I haven’t really kept up with writeups or reviews – and some have been bought before this blog started so by this point the toys are not new. But to save writing the recommendations again and again, I’ve collected some allContinueContinue reading “Struggling to keep your dog busy? Look no further!”