Blog

  • The legacy of Zeta Centauri

    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 now… Read more

  • Why structure matters for working spaniels

    Why structure matters for working spaniels

    A lot of people, especially in the working spaniel world, look down on dog shows – they’re seen as being about appearance and, as such, an unnecessary vanity. It’s all about PERFORMANCE for working cockers, so appearance doesn’t matter! The implicit subtext is that this focus on performance is somehow morally and ethically superior -… Read more

  • DIY enrichment with boxes

    DIY enrichment with boxes

    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 of… Read more

  • The path to a “well-trained dog” is paved with tiny tiles

    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 you… Read more

  • The priceless gift of resilience

    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 of… Read more

  • TV for dogs

    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 some… Read more