A new shoe box with fresh wrapping paper – can’t leave that opportunity slip by 😂 Deer treatos in bits of paper and layer in… voilà! Also doubles as a bit of patience training when you’re “forced” to observe the process – some huffing emerged when the human was just taking a ridiculous amount ofContinueContinue reading “DIY enrichment with boxes”
Author Archives: Elina Halonen
The path to a “well-trained dog” is paved with tiny tiles
Dogs have taught me to become a much more patient person – progress is gradual, skills are learned in small increments, and some days, you just have to let it go with a shrug. But if you persist and just keep doing small things every day (or every 3 days!), one day you’ll realise youContinueContinue reading “The path to a “well-trained dog” is paved with tiny tiles”
The priceless gift of resilience
Yesterday we had a car problem on the motorway between Den Haag and Amsterdam and had to call the recovery services to check it out. You can’t sit in the car, so we had to entertain ourselves on the grassy area by the road. It was an odd situation so I did some bits ofContinueContinue reading “The priceless gift of resilience”
TV for dogs
Every once in a while I put on animal videos from YouTube – it’s always interesting to see how Grace reacts to them and which ones she pays attention to. We’ve previously watched a lot of videos of cats, mice, birds and even underwater life which was utterly fascinating. Before this I already showed someContinueContinue reading “TV for dogs”
Letting puppies loose
Most pictures of Grace in the first year were like this – I considered it success if she was actually IN the picture, including head, and not a blur 😂 She was off leash from the third day after she came to live with us aged 16 weeks and she has been that way forContinueContinue reading “Letting puppies loose”
Much ado about retractables
Controversial POV: I’m a HUGE fan of flexis – so much so that I wish there was a 10 metre one in small, but unfortunately 8m is the longest that they make. I even walk my dog with a flexi AND a collar. In short, I’m one of those people who the Dog Internet lovesContinueContinue reading “Much ado about retractables”
Teaching my dog to ask for safety
We had an unusual walk today after a dog briefly harassed Grace – I was shoving unruly poop bags back into my waist bag for a few seconds when it happened so I didn’t see how it started, just that Grace squealed. It’s very rare that Grace is shaken by something but this time sheContinueContinue reading “Teaching my dog to ask for safety”
When you have a food-ambivalent dog
Recently, I’ve been thinking about how much of our interactions with dogs and “customs” around dog training are built on the assumption that a dog is interested in and motivated by food. When that isn’t the case, you have to think much, much harder and often dig deep for empathy when nothing seems to workContinueContinue reading “When you have a food-ambivalent dog”
Loving a dog is more than just feelings
Leaving aside whatever views you might have on the show or the dog trainer in question, this is a good illustration what can happen when people get a dog “for the family”. Watch the video by clicking the image – it’s on Facebook and can’t be embedded. CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO I’ve spent the pastContinueContinue reading “Loving a dog is more than just feelings”
If in doubt, don’t get a dog!
We have been caring for a lovely 1 year old spaniel recently on behalf of her breeder who is my friend. She is the sweetest dog you can imagine, and we absolutely adore her but unfortunately Lady Grace is not a fan so we are helping to find a forever home for her. I’ve hadContinueContinue reading “If in doubt, don’t get a dog!”
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