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,Continue reading “The “why” of Zeta Centauri”
Category Archives: Musings
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,Continue reading “The risks of openness”
They’re not puppies, they’re small dogs
This is probably going to sound weird, but I don’t actually look at these little nuggets as “puppies” – meaning a category that is usually associated with “cute and adorable”. Before you think I’m Cruella de Vil, let me explain… When I look at them, I see early blueprints of adult dogs. I knew itContinue reading “They’re not puppies, they’re small dogs”
Why you should think twice before breeding your pet dog
I originally wrote a draft this post two years ago after responding to someone in a Facebook discussion. When I recently strumbled across it in my drafts, I thought it might be a good time to revisit it – this is a lightly edited version to make it more like a coherent blog post. JustContinue reading “Why you should think twice before breeding your pet dog”
Loving a spaniel means working with them
Since it’s Valentine’s Day… a story about how just loving them is not enough for spaniels. One of the biggest lightbulb moments I’ve ever had was the day realised how important it is for spaniels to WORK with their human. I will never forget that moment at our first hoopers class in the summer ofContinue reading “Loving a spaniel means working with them”
The legacy of Zeta Centauri
It’s almost been a full year since our furry North Star left us – I recently had to send my phone to be repaired and temporarily switched to using my old one – coincidentally I got the new phone almost a year ago, so discovering the last pictures here was quite emotional. I can nowContinue reading “The legacy of Zeta Centauri”
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 youContinue 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 ofContinue reading “The priceless gift of resilience”
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 lovesContinue 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 sheContinue reading “Teaching my dog to ask for safety”
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