Author Archives: Elina Halonen

Building curiosity and confidence in search

I’m quite opportunistic when it comes to training. What I mean is that I try to look at the environment on walks through the dog’s eyes and take training opportunities as and when I see them. In this case, our local forest is full of branches fallen after the big storm a few weeks ago,ContinueContinue reading “Building curiosity and confidence in search”

Disengaging from distractions

Disengaging from distractions is perhaps THE most important life skill for a puppy, and the sooner they learn, the better. Of course, their brains are not yet capable of a lot of things – impulse control being one of them, because the parts of the brain that control activation develop faster than the parts thatContinueContinue reading “Disengaging from distractions”

Proprioception and balance training in the forest

https://videopress.com/v/8m0udXfh?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true Forest gymnastics This is so easy to do yet so beneficial for dogs (and especially puppies) because it slows them down and really gets them to pay attention to how they navigate obstacles. That develops their proprioception and balance – abilities they will very soon need when they become adolescents. Dogs mature physically muchContinueContinue reading “Proprioception and balance training in the forest”

What goes in the cost of a pedigree puppy?

For years I’ve read comments on dog owner Facebook groups that complain about how expensive pedigree dogs are and how it’s better to adopt not shop. I’ve written about this before, but when we started this puppy project I decided that I will track the costs so that I can both see for myself whatContinueContinue reading “What goes in the cost of a pedigree puppy?”

The work of a breeder – part 2

In the previous post, I said that the male is the second most important choice in the process of breeding – the most important one is the mother.  The mother needs to meet the same kind of criteria as the father, and a bit more because they are a much bigger influence on the puppies.ContinueContinue reading “The work of a breeder – part 2”

The work of a breeder – part 1

Recent conversations made me think it might be interesting to shed some light on the work that has gone into these puppies – all of our families are aware and appreciate it, but I’ll write for those who I’ve not had these conversations with.  Many people think the work starts the day the puppies areContinueContinue reading “The work of a breeder – part 1”

The “why” of Zeta Centauri

As we learn more about raising puppies and the influence these early weeks have on dogs as adults, we also increasingly realise things that may have gone not quite as well for Nell, our first spaniel and our forever heart dog, without whom we wouldn’t have Grace and none of this would be happening. Nell,ContinueContinue reading “The “why” of Zeta Centauri”

The risks of openness

I posted something yesterday that (in my mind) was about how I’ve realised this process of breeding dogs is full of decisions. I think about this because my day job is about how people make decisions under uncertainty and how they evaluate risk. Some are big and significant, like the choice of male, health testing,ContinueContinue reading “The risks of openness”

First days with the A-team

It’s taken me a few days to edit this, but here’s a snapshot of our Saturday night. It was quite nerve-wracking to be a part of the whelping process, and you feel a little bit helpless because the mother dog needs to do most of the work. Grace did well though, and we just hadContinueContinue reading “First days with the A-team”