Ben Mcfuzzylugs crafty bits and dog agility

Horror Kokeshi dolls

2011-11-29T15:59:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I have a cutie overload and have to break out with something a little darker

Dobie

2011-11-28T15:57:00.000-08:00

I do love black and tan dogs

Scottie

2011-11-27T15:55:00.001-08:00

Just for comparison here is the westie and scottie together

Some feedback

2011-11-23T07:04:00.000-08:00

I have been working on dolls house sized dogs for a wee while now. Mainly to challenge myself, the more detail you can put in a small piece the better the bigger dogs will be.
I just thought I would share this lovely feedback I got from a lovely lady who has 3 of my dolls house pets

Perfect for everyone who, as myself, are really frustrated not being able to find decent pets for their dollhouse. After you try these you'll never go back to poor resin and ceramic copies. These ones are fluffy, tender, posable, realistic: will bring life to any dollhouse
it's awesome how these animals are tiny and realistic at the same time

It is so nice when people take the time to give you lovely feedback like that.

Spirit hound

2011-11-21T11:32:00.000-08:00

I have always been interested in the history of Boudica

What is not to love, a woman who led the revolt against Rome in Britan and burned to the ground their capitol city and at least two other cities

Pretty amazing lady

I have been reading the Manda Scot series of books on Boudica and it inspired me to make my own spirit hound

Read the books and you will understand :) and join me in platting kill feathers into your hair, grabbing your horse and calling your hound to battle

Teddy

2011-11-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

The other weekend I did the Scottish Bear Fair again, so I thought I should make a few teddies

Not alpaca this time, regular merino, but he developed a great wee character while I was making him

He is falling back on his front paws with his little toes curling over

Another collie

2011-11-19T11:24:00.000-08:00

I do love my border collies
I couldnt resist making another one
This is one of my smallest - she is actually dolls house sized (although her head is a little big - for detail and cuteness)

Tiny cat

2011-11-18T11:21:00.000-08:00

This tiny cat is 1 inch to her shoulder
She is a custom order and on her way to Russia.

It is exciting to think how well traveled my little fuzzies are - they get to more places than me!!

Big head Westie dog

2011-11-16T07:49:00.000-08:00

My mum was asking me what the difference between a Scottie dog and a Weastie was
Well the easiest way I could think of to explain was to make one of each

and for some reason I decided they wanted to have big heads :)

When will we three

2011-11-15T07:45:00.000-08:00

The alpaca teddy animals all together

Alpaca Teddy leopard.

2011-11-14T07:43:00.000-08:00

The final of the three

any idea for names?

Alpaca teddy lion

2011-11-13T07:40:00.000-08:00

2nd in the series - a lion with a silky soft alpaca mane

Alpaca Teddy tiger

2011-11-12T07:37:00.000-08:00

Using the lovely Alpaca fleece I found on my summer holidays I have tried a range of artist teady animals
The alpaca makes them silky soft

Dachshund

2011-11-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

Trying to felt every breed of dog I possibly can
So any suggestions??

Also trying out photographing in my brand new dollshouse

New listing - PDF instructions!

2011-09-05T15:44:00.001-07:00

As I know so many craft people want a try at needle felting I decided to make my own tutorial.

The 1/2 splat bookmarks are actually a great beginners project as they are built from basic shapes and a bookmark can be completed in around two hours.

This listing in my etsy shop is for a 14 page pdf file of step by step instructions and photographs to make one of my bookmarks.

This is something a little new for me :) hopefully it is something people are interested in. I shall also make up some kits at a later date

Alpaca

2011-08-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

The alpaca fleece is lovely to felt with, silky almost soapy

Although the girls who donated the fleece to me were shorn when I was them I made my little fuzzy in full coat

To do that I firmly felted a short alpaca then added fleece ontop of that and softly felted it to give him his teddy bear coat, but a 'crust' of fibers needle felted ontop to keep him in shape. He feels lovely to hold, solid in the middle but sooooo soft and fluffy on the outside

Pomeranian

2011-08-03T16:07:00.000-07:00

and a little happy pom

Sheltie

2011-08-02T16:04:00.001-07:00

another of the long haired ones - a little Sheltie with a ball in his mouth

Monkey!

2011-07-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

I have been practicing with longer hair on my fuzzies

So this little fuzzy (who reminds me a little of cuddles the monkey - or I am the only one old enough to remember him) has his lighter brown areas done in the new alpaca fleece and the rest is merino

Say hello to the ladies

2011-07-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

Just back from holidays (will blog about it later) and went hunting for some new fibers

Found this stunning location

With these lovely lads and ladies

Are they not the cutest little things?

I have tried alpaca before but I guess it wasnt good quality because the fleece from these guys is totaly lovely

Smooth and silky, soft as anything with an almost soapy feel

and the great news is its also hypoallergenic

already tried felting with it and it is lovely

and mum is knitting socks :)

Mia

2011-06-29T14:47:00.001-07:00

I have a little niggly feeling that Mia has been in the bin again

No trail of destruction - just a little fashion statement

Hopefully it is not a request!

Needle felted Boxer dog

2011-06-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

Heres my latest felt

He stands a little taller than the others at about 6 inches and he is a brindle boxer dog

I tried again to give his nose more texture by adding nail varnish to it - Im much happier with the effect this time

He is solidly felted with just a little wire in his legs

any ideas for a name?

Ben agility, Prestwick

2011-06-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

Our first agility show in almost a year

Our first show in grade 5

Errm and our last show in grade 5!! Ben only went and won out!

2 first places, a 2nd and a 3rd!!

Not the best handling by me but great running by my little boy.

Our speeds are getting much better as well - In jumping grade 1-4 combined we were the fastest of all the dogs by over 5s.

But we are a good way off the times of the grade 5 and 6 dogs - something to work on

So pleased by my little boy - and loving the more difficult courses

Donkey

2011-06-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

Donkey has big dreams

He knows he is a little knock kneed

but he dreams one day he will be a great show jumper

All your pillows they will be mine!!

2011-06-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

The little lady likes her comfort but I think she is taking things a little far nesting all the cushions together :)

A beardie splat

2011-06-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

I was asked to see if I could splat a bearded collie

A challenge for a splat because they are a hairy dog and I try and have no loose hairs on a splat as it is designed to be used

Hope I captured the shaggy dog ness here :)

LoLaBuLand Drumming challange

2011-05-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

If you havent been over there already you should really check out http://www.lolabuland.com/ for some amazing agility and tricks training.

She is running a competition just now so we decided to try entering

For it I had to teach the dogs to drum and then post a video and the one with the most likes wins one of her amazing training videos

So please please please go over here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDlwh0NLPT8

and if you like it 'like' it for me :)

Mia quite likes this trick - it involves her stamping her feet and being rude!!

Ben - hmm well we are working on it - he is so polite :)

The secret is out

2011-05-25T04:58:00.000-07:00

Following on from my shhhh post - Pat was almost correct!

In my street there are three of us who train our dogs at agility, and of course we chat to all the other dog walkers while we are out and about.

Lots of people have expressed interest in teaching their dogs agility and we have given them the contact details of the clubs and classes in the area - but people have been coming back to us and saying the classes are all full.

So we decided to start our own dog agility training club The Phoenix Flyers for Paisley, Renfrewshire and the surrounding area

The support we have got from this venture has been amazing. We have already got and refurbished a set of agility equipment, a local business has given us access to a secure field to train on and a unit to store the equipment and another local business has offered to cut the grass and keep the field in tip top condition

and we have actually started getting interest from the website even tho I havent even launched it properly yet

So here it it :)

Please click to see The Phoenix Flyers dog agility training club We are still building it just now so bear with us :) but feedback would be welcome

Lynx

2011-05-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

Another crazy challenge for me

A lynx

I have always loved these small big cats with their tufty ears

I decided no to leave loose fibers but to felt them solid more like a 3d cartoon

Not sure if it comes across in the photographs but as I was making him I kinda thought he looked like a cross between the pet from the cartoon thundercats and a kind of Manga sidekick

Why oh why do I keep going for the spotty ones? All those tiny spots have to be felted in individually - but I think it was worth it

Tiger

2011-05-20T13:22:00.001-07:00

Tiger in the grass :)

We had a whole day of sun so I could do a photoshoot outside

I havent made a tiger for a while so thought I would have another go

The stripes took FOREVER but I am quite happy with how he turned out

For a change I used lovely green glass eyes - they were not easy to line up so he didnt look crosseyed!

Mias new trick

2011-05-01T15:34:00.001-07:00

Just started a new trick for the dogs

Mia is really getting the hang of it - wrapping her paws around the pole. She can do left paw, right paw or even both paws

I haven't got any of it on verbal command yet but it is very cute

Bless Ben!!

He hasn't quite got it yet!

It took quite a while of getting him used to the pole for me to even get him to be anywhere close to the pole - which is interesting because if we are weaving or circling the pole Ben gets overexcited and headbuts the thing

So far he has got the idea that I want something to do with his paws, but it just makes no sense to him (check the face out)

I know I know - dogs should not play with sticks

But I didn't have the heart to tell Mia

I had a whole sackful of toys with me, even a ball with REAL rabbit skin stitched onto the end like a tail

But no the lady doesn't like any of them

and she was so happy with her stick!

Panda Splat

2011-04-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

For some reason I just LOVE felting Pandas

I have wanted to make a splatted panda for a while but just never got around to it

So finally I indulged myself

As I figured he would be perfect for childrens books I only made him a 1/2 splat so he could fit in any sized book

He is also slightly thinner than usual splats, just thought he would look nicer that way

Basset Hound

2011-04-26T14:19:00.001-07:00

My latest stabby critter

This time I went for a wrinkly Basset hound

She is a tricolour with biiig sad eyes, giant paws and lots of wrinkles

Took forever to add all the loose skin but it was a really good experience to try and get soft looking folds of skin - but make them very firmly felted

Shhh

2011-04-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

I have an exciting secret

Im not telling :)

Heres a little hint - see if you can guess

The Secret Life of the Dog (Part 1_6)

2011-04-25T04:36:00.000-07:00

This was on the BBC a little while ago and it is very interesting

In this clip they discover that dogs actually read humans faces in a different way from how they read other dogs faces, and it is actually the same way as humans read other humans faces

Will I grow into these??

2011-04-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

My first German shepherd

I couldnt resist giving her giant ears as I adore teenage pups with giant paws and ears

In the doghouse

2011-04-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

I just cannot get a good photograph of this little french bulldog to do him justice - hopefully if the amazing weather lasts I will get a chance again later.

Someone has been a bad puppy and is on the naughty step!! But he knows the error of his ways and is very very sorry (and you can bet he will be as full of trouble as usual in no time)

Border collie

2011-04-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

Going on with the cartoony theme I just had to make a border collie

One thing I have always struggled with is long hair on a sculpture. You can just felt fibers in making them free flowing, but when I try this it often looks messy.

So I took inspiration from ceramic sculptures and how they give the impression of hair.

All he needs now is a name - any ideas??

Pug

2011-04-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

In art class at school I was told not to do anything cartoony, cartoon was not a decent art form.

This has kind of stayed with me all my life, although I love manga and can see the amazing skill that goes into that work I have still struggled on and on to make my sculptures look as realistic as I can

Tried - and lets face it failed!

So I decided to see what would happen if I stopped fighting it

What happens if I actually set out to make my sculptures more cartoony

and so the first in my real attempts at cartoonifying my wool :)

A Pug

He actually made me smile all the time making him, although those wrinkles were A LOT of work

He is very firmly felted with large bug eyes, head and back wrinkles and little paw pads

The Glug

2011-04-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

When we were children my dad made up this little story for my sister and myself

The main characters in the story were two tribes of people, the Uggs and the Glugs

After my dad dying of Bowel Cancer a few years back and us remaining Duthie girls creating BACCAS - the bowel cancer charity

We had the idea of hopefully publishing Dads story for the charity

My sister Dawn is an artist and created the image of the Glug for us, and I attempted to make him 3D as a christening present for my little neice Taylor

Its my first real figure and it was really interesting making the nose and the mouth. I loved making those giant feet :D

Go on then - more snow fotos

2010-12-01T14:23:00.000-08:00

I know most of the UK are a little fed up with the snow but I know people from all over the world pop in here (and I am totaly amazed how many people drop in and say hello to my pair of nutty dogs - thankyou all!)

Thought I would share some more snow walks with you all

Not easy to get nice calm photographs of my pair when all the want to do is run and play

But it is amazing what you can do with a pocket full of sausages and a tennis ball

I know the snow is disrupting peoples lives. When its a total whiteout with the wind howling I hate the snow (or sky puke as C says)
But when you get days like this then its makes up for it

errm ben I think you have a little something on your nose
and your head
and

You have been making snow angels again havent you??

What a difference a day (or two) makes

2010-11-28T09:33:00.000-08:00

Friday was a wonderful day for walking the dogs along the the clyde.

But two days later look what we wake up to

Ben loves the snow, he loves to roll in it
Dig in it

But most of all he loves to drag his tummy along the cool snow, poor mad boy

Mia has only one real love in life

she loves to BOING
Crunchy leaves - boing
Long grass - boing
New people - boing

but most of all - SNOW BOINGGGGG

They just dont understand why I need to be on the step huddled up in blankets when there is so much fun to be had

September walks

2010-09-04T04:33:00.001-07:00

Im still waiting for the summer - but Ben is pointing out that its a bit late for that.

But still it was a lovely autumn day.

The leaves are already begining to turn and everything smells lovely!

Mia was attacked the other day but thankfully not hurt.

As you can see it dosent seem to have effected her mental state too much either - although it was a GSD AGAIN! so I dont know if she will ever like them

She was in the bushes out of sight for about 10s, I set the camera up thinking I would get an action shot of her running - but nope - she was bringing me a little gift!!

I know its natural!! But dosent mean I like it

She left it in a hedge - I make myself feel a little better by imagining the nice free meal we have left for a little fox or something

Ben mainly plodded around with me and tried to get in on all the photos - he knows sweeties follow the camera

Although he looks a whole lot better if he hasnt been driming out of muddy puddles.

Two tired happy dogs

No you be the leader

2010-07-17T02:43:00.000-07:00

All too often nowadays people are obsessed with becoming the 'pack leader'
Always suppressing our dogs and seeing a challenge to their status in every little thing the dog does.
This is all unfortunately because of flawed research done years ago in wolf packs.
The researchers thought they saw packs of wolves with an alpha pair who were the bosses leading with paws of iron

and the rest of the pack was made up of lower ranking wolves all trying to climb the social ladder to be the alpha dogs.
The alpha wolves were the only ones to mate.
People assumed this meant that only the strongest in a pack ever got to mate and submissive animals never got the chance to pass on their genes.

More recently researchers have realised that view was wrong.
A pack is not a group of individuals fighting to get to the top

A pack is a family. The alpha pair are the parents.
Wolves do not become sexually active till they are at least 2 so the other wolves in the pack are older cubs of the alpha pair.
There is no point in the younger animals striving to reach the top - that would mean them breeding with their parents.
When wolves become mature they go off and find their own mate and create their own pack - even the submissive ones.

So rather than the pack leader we should think of ourselves more as a 'parent' role.
Yes dogs need rules, guidelines and training.
But letting your dog on the sofa will not mean he will chase to postman.
Making them wait to eat after you will not make her recall when called

If you have a training problem address the actual problem rather than making up rules that make no sense for the dog

So for today's walk I let Mia be the leader. She found us a wee path to walk along - it seemed like a wee deer path - but I gave it a go.
Then it opened into the most lovely park and then a forest walk

and even me letting her 'lead' she still stayed when I asked for a photoshoot and she recalled when I called.

So I guess all this power hasn't gone to her head and she isn't going to steal my credit card just yet

A little felting change - a lil family

2010-07-17T02:36:00.000-07:00

I decided on a wee change from animals.

Kokeshi dolls

I am learning all the time while I am making them - the one on the right is the last one I made and I am much happier with her than the others.

They are around 2 - 3 inches tall so it is fiddly but good practise to get all the tiny tiny detail in.

In the garden - Lavender

2010-07-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

As you all may have guessed now my fingers are not the greenest.

Infact my parents used to drag me out of garden centres incase I could kill Bonsai trees just by being in the same room as them

I love them but they dont last long with me!

So in the past few years I have tried to only plant useful plants, herbs and veg,

I built myself a little raised bed outside my kitchen door and loaded it with herbs.

and I left them too it

Gardening by Darwinian principles

One of the winners in the battle of the herbs has been Lavender.

This really is the king of plants.

Not only a stunning purple colour but loved by bees.

I always have some essential oil lavender in my house as it has so many uses
Helps you sleep
Sooths and heals cuts and burns

and it zonks crazy puppies out totally.

What better plant to have outside your door??

ROOOARRR!!

2010-07-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

Careful Ben
Theres a lion on the prowl!!

My latest felt critter

I had splatted a Lion so I thought I would have a go at another 3D one

I did get a little carried away with his mane, couldnt help myself he just wanted a big fluffy mane :D

He took about a week to create but I just wanted to make sure he was totally solid with plenty of detail.

I was thinking of a teenage Lion here, mane grown in, strutting his stuff but still not grown into his paws yet.

Now to think of a name!

Eeeppp Blood!!

2010-07-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

I was tending to the garden and letting the dogs play about in the garden
When out of the corner of my eye I spotted red on Bens fur

Mind racing - who is hurt?? What did they get hurt on??

Then I looked closer at what the dogs were up to

I had been leaving the mushy strawberries on the grass for the birds or whatever.

Normally my pair dont like fruit

Today there seems to be a little more interest.

Ben grabbed a nice fat strawberry, happily rolled on it and then munched it down

So Mia had to try too

Then Ben cleaned the 'blood' from his fur

Whew - they do worry you!!

Strawberries

2010-06-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

Wimbledon is on and for a change the weather has been perfect for strawberries.

Last week I took my first crop - yum

For some reason yesterday I was tempted by some in the supermarket - then I thought to look if any were ripe in the garden

£3 in the supermarket for the forced mass produced ones - or FREE from my garden

I know which ones have Bens stamp of approval

Drawing - on location!!

2010-06-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

OK I am not v good but I thought I would share anyway :D

A good friend was visiting this weekend. She has just started art classes and is loving it.

As it was a lovely weekend we thought we would have a go at sketching things

We found a lovely spot to sit with this view - and she suggested we sketch

Perspective is something I have never been v good at and the angles looked interesting here

Not amazing I know, but a great way to spend an afternoon.

Great friends, great weather, 2 dogs and a sketch pad

Using the magic of photoshop I superimposed them

Actually - not as bad as I thought!!!

Dont give up the day job eh??? :D

Kiss the dog - the website is live

2010-05-26T02:27:00.000-07:00

Finaly I have started work on the website for my dog training classes.

I have a fantastic venue for classes but for the summer I have decided to be more European and run outside classes. This means dogs and handlers can have more space from each other, but it adds real life distractions.

I have only got a few pages up so far but please let me know what you think - cick on the log to get there

More pencil drawings

2010-05-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

I guess practise makes perfect so I thought I would try some more pencil sketches of dogs.

These are only a few inches high

I know I need lots more practise but I thought I would post them so I can come back and compaire when I get good :D

Please be kind!

Car manners

2010-05-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been lazy posting for a while!!

I have solved Mias stress problems when I am driving!! After months of driving her places and rewarding her for being calm around cows, horses, dogs, sheep she was progressing, just very sloooowly
But I got a new car. Its big enough for her to be crated in the boot and not see out.
Result - very calm car rides and a much calmer Mia when we get where we are going.

As this is a totally new situation for the dogs and it would be very dangerous for the dogs to just race out of the car when I open the boot I have done some training on getting them to stay in the car till released

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDbZZ6Exa-w

The only commands I am using is for the dogs to get into the car and then the release word. I dont want to have to keep telling them to stay, I expect them to stay until released.

I have done lots of stays in place and impulse control work with my dogs. If your dogs want to bounce out the car then you are not rewarding them enough. They cant jump out of the car while you are rapid fire treating, then you can slowly build up pauses between the treats and slowly build up you moving away from the dogs.
The more you treat at the start the easier it is for the dogs to understand what you want them to do and the happier and more confident they become.
If at any point the dog jumps out of the car you have asked too much, take smaller steps or reduce the time and reward more. Dont tell the dog off just calmly put them back and start rewarding again.

If you punish your dog for breaking his stay they become less confident, staying in the crate becomes a stressful place and they will often creep towards you for reassurance.

My next steps are to release each dog one at a time and leave the other in the car.

Ben Agility April 2010

2010-04-17T05:42:00.000-07:00

Here is our first oudoor show of the year - 6 runs at Dundee

We had a fantastic weekend, lovely sunshine and well run rings ment we got the afternoon off playing in the sea.

Ben usualy gets about 75% clear rounds at shows but this weekend we didnt get a single clear!!

Sloppy handling from me and we need a lot more work on the weaves!! But looking back he didnt do too bad

The second agility run (4th run) the sun was quite low and the seesaw was right into the sun. He has never jumped off one before but lots of the dogs were doing it that run, I guess the light might have made it look strange - I will have to bear that in mind if it happens again.

Ne'er cast a cloot till May be oot

2010-03-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

Introducing my Granny. Who sadly died in the early 90's.
Many of us have lots of phrases that have been passed down to us from wise old ladies.
Granny Duthie - or 'Granny up a north' as we called her because she lived in Sandhaven which is about 50 miles north of Aberdeen, a long way from our Midlands home.

A few weeks ago I was on the beach with the dogs, almost warm and feeling summer on its way. Saturday the clocks sprung forwards so the weather should be getting better.
I was even thinking of putting my big coat away for its summer rest.
But it seems no one told the weather it should be getting better as tonight on the last dog walk I got snowed on AGAIN!
It reminded me of an old saying

' Ne'er cast a cloot till May be oot'

I always thought this was a Scottish saying, as many of the terms are unknown to my English friends but it seems it is an old English saying.

Anyway, to translate for those who have lost touch with the roots of their language ;D

Cloot - Can mean clod of earth or a smack round the head but in the case of this saying it means cloth
Ne'er - Never

So the first bit means Dont put away your warm clothes

Oot - out

There seems to be some confusion about what May it is - some people even say 'ne'er cast a cloot till the month of May be oot'
But the Hawthorn tree used to be called the May tree and its blooms were called 'May'
So it is likely that the May in this saying is the Hawthorn blooms rather than the month of May

Dont put away your warm clothes until the Hawthorn blooms are out

The Hawthorn blooms late April early May, but as we are further north up here in Paisley I think I will wait till the end of May before retiring the big coat.

A sneaky peak, Ive been splatting wildlife

2010-03-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share my latest splat!!

In a craft shop I found this amazing leopard print felt and thought it would be fun to make a leopard splat

He was great great fun to make but very hard work.

After making the base in white fleece I then had to try and blend some colours to match the felt as close as I could

Then came the spots!!

3 Hours of felting to work in all these spots! When I shut my eyes I can still see little dots!!

I hope you think he was worth it!! I should put him up in my shop in the next day or so.

Any ideas which photograph I should use as my first one in my shop??

Happy birthday Ben, 3 today

2010-03-20T12:06:00.001-07:00

Today is my little boys birthday, 3 today
Or 21 if you go by the 7 dog years to one of ours.

So thats it - he is a grown up now!

Today was the Glennifer agility show.
After stupidly doing a really long nearly 4 hour walk yesterday both Ben and myself were a little stiff

He did really well tho, 3 runs, 3 clear rounds.

Unfortunately we didnt get any places as there were some super fast dogs there today but I am really happy with him.

Mia was a little angel too, offlead running and then onlead a collie charged her all snarling and reactive and she wagged her tail and went into a play bow!! WTG girl!

Then after a quick visit to the pet shop for birthday toys we headed off to the rhubarb fields that friends have been telling us about.

The dogs had a great fun run about and have been sleeping ever since

I think he had a good day

Dog training methods - 4. Capturing

2010-03-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

Many of the behaviours you would like to train your dog to do they already do naturally.
Capturing just means rewarding/naming the behaviour as it happens naturally. Over time your dog will begin to associate the word with the action or will begin to offer the action more.

Often this is how we toilet train a puppy, wait till they are doing the toilet outside and then praising and rewarding them for going to the toilet in the correct place.
It can also teach a really strong recall behaviour if you call your dog when they are already running back towards you full pelt.

As dogs (and people and all animals) are more likely to repeat something that has been rewarding to them if you pick the behaviour you are wanting to train - say the down - and then reward every time your dog is lying down then you will find your dog offers lying down to you more often and you can add a command word to the behaviour.

You can also use this method to teach your dog to calm down in stressful situations. If every time your dog is totally chilled you say 'calm' to them then eventually they will become calm just by you saying the word.

It is important to remember this when we are interacting with our dogs.
It is very common for people to yell 'QUIET' at dogs when they are barking, the dog does not know the word quiet but if said often enough when the dog is barking and they will eventually learn to bark when you say 'quiet'
Better to say 'quiet' when your dog is actually being quiet!

Dog training methods - 3. Targeting

2010-03-15T17:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EoYPBg7yhA

Targeting is where the dog learns to interact with an object. This can be a target stick like in the video. You can then use this object to lure the dog the same way you would with a piece of food.

Many trainers prefer this to luring as it is not bribing. To be honest if you follow the steps to fade out the food lure properly I do not see a difference in the learning of a dog who follows a lure or a target.

Where luring comes into its own is the fact you can have other parts of the dogs body interact with other targets. For example the paw cross is taught with a target the dog interacts with its paw with, then the dog learns to cross its paw and finally the target is faded out.

Because the dog is not forced into position with manipulation and it has to use its mind I find dogs are much happier and more attentive with this method. They learn faster.

Also sending a dog to its bed or on to a mat is an example of target training, the dog targets its whole body onto the mat.

This is the point where training methods get a little muddled up because in the video you can see the actual training the dog to touch the target is a capturing behaviour, and later for the shy dog it is using the luring method.

I doubt any trainer uses just one method, but a mixture of many.

Dog training methods - 2. Luring

2010-03-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19SZTwQkpEw

The next step for most trainers to a more hands off type of training is to lure the dog into the behaviour using some food or a toy.

Examples of this

Sit

Hold a treat in front of the dogs nose then slowly raise it above his head. As the dogs head goes up its bum should go down

Down

Take the treat from the dogs nose slowly down between the dogs paws then sweeping forwards along the floor

Recall

Hold treat or ball out for the dog to see.

This methods is fantastic to motivate the dog, it knows what it is going to get if it does the right thing.

Some people dont like the idea of bribing their dog to work, but sometimes we need a little boost to know what the point is

When you are at a job interview do you ask what the pay is going to be or do you just do the job in the hope the pay will be worth it??

The problems with this methods can be

The dog dosent work if he dosent see the food - this is usually a trainer error, if you ONLY give the dog a treat when you lure him and then dont ever give a treat when you dont lure him then they learn pretty quick there is no point unless you have a treat

The video above explains how to prevent that happening, getting the behaviour then quickly fading out having the lure in your hand, then fading out the hand signal.

If it is already a problem then the best thing to do is for a short while always have treats on you, then if your dog does something amazing for you you can immediately whip out a fantastic reward (no point running to the kitchen - he needs to have the reward right away) then he learns that there is always a chance of a treat and so he tries harder to get that magical treat.

People also complain that the dog learns to look to you too much with this method. This does not have to be the case. With Ben teaching the weaves I lured him, but I noticed at the end of the weave he was always looking to me for his treat

Easily sorted. As he passed the last pole I chuck the treat, then after a short while I hold back with the treat, he naturally drives ahead out of the weave looking for his treat, and I chuck it. He learns to run ahead coming out of the weave

Simples :D

This is a foundation method many trainers use, often along with other methods. It is pretty fast, it makes sense to both the human and the dog, and it makes for a happy focused dog who enjoys training times.

Dog training methods - 1. Compulsive/manipulation

2010-03-12T11:43:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqCXBjkmzBk

The more traditional methods of training a dog is by manipulation, physically putting the dog in position.
Examples of this

Sit
Push the dogs bum till he sits
Down
Push on the dogs shoulders till he lies down
Paw
Pick up the dogs paw
Stop
Stop dog with lead
Recall
Reel dog in on lead

In the video above you can see the guy tugs down on the dogs lead to make her lie down.
This is the way many animals in the past have been trained and it does work for some animals.
It is fairly simple for the human to understand, put the animal in the position you want enough times and it will slowly learn to go into the position.

There are several problems with this method.

Firstly it is actually using punishment to train the dog, the shoving is something slightly unpleasant for the dog (I know its not like beating it) so he learns to avoid being shoved to get into the position. Often the dog can even look happy once they have figured this out and the trainer thinks they have a dog who works for no rewards and is so motivated they love to work for you.
Sorry to burst your bubble, if you train with punishments then for your dog its reward is the avoidance of the punishment, your dog is happy because he isn't getting shoved or yanked.

Also it is not natural to go where you are shoved.
Try it on someone, if you push then gently then to remain upright they push back a little. You can see in the clip even with a 'trained' dog when he is pulling on the lead she is resisting and being dragged down.
Over time you could injure growing joints with a battle to push your resisting puppy to the ground until they understand they have to go the way you are shoving.

You can get around that by teaching your dog to respond to pressure. A good way is to have your dog on the lead and stand behind them and give very slight pressure on the lead. Wait. When the dog turns to face you click and treat. The dog will learn that pressure on the lead means to go where the lead directs.

Compulsive methods are thought to work more slowly than other methods because the dog does not have to engage its brain.
A good example was my mum trying to teach Ben to give a paw.
He sat nicely, happily let her pick up his paw and then give him a treat. He just seemed v happy, crazy lady picks my foot up then gives me food. It never seemed to occur to him that he could speed up the process by lifting his foot himself.
Using a combination of methods but most of them compulsive it took aver six months for Ben to give a paw, and even then he is slow and not overly confident giving a paw.
Using different methods for Mia to give a paw took less than a minute and she is very happy to show her trick.

I am sure we all at some point use some compulsive methods, take a dogs collar, pull on the lead or something. Many dogs dont mind but it can make a dog shy to have its collar taken and other methods can use your dogs brain more and make them happier to learn and perform their trick

Dog training methods

2010-03-11T11:22:00.000-08:00

I love training my dogs, I think training ANYTHING is great for your dogs.

Everything we ask our dogs to do is a trick to them, sitting, coming when called, doing an agility round or dancing on their back legs - its ALL tricks to them.

There are several different ways we can train our dogs tricks

1. Compulsive/manipulation

2. Luring

3. Targeting

4. Capturing

5. Shaping

Over the next few days I would like to spend a little time going into all the methods, looking at what they mean for us and for our dogs, the pros and cons of each method and how we can combine the methods to create quite complex tricks that not only stimulate our dogs but also give our brains a workout as we have to try and out-think our dogs.

If you have any videos of you training your dogs or any methods you would like to share please post them here and I might include some in future posts.

Please remember if you would like to vote for this blog as the top dog blog (and I would love it if you would) you need to sign up for the newsletter at http://www.trainpetdog.com/ and in a couple of days they will ask you to vote for your top dog blog. There will be prizes not only for me but for you lot too if this blog does well in the contest

BenMcfuzzylugs is a 2010 top blog award FINALIST

2010-03-08T11:19:00.000-08:00

2010 Dog Blog
Award

Wow, thankyou all so much! This blog ( http://benmcfuzzylugs.blogspot.com for those of you who read it on facebook or multiply) has made it to the final!
The first two stages were for the blog to receive enough votes from the public and then for the judges to pick the top 20

Thankyou all for voting, and the really fantastic news is that being a finalist dosent just mean $6000 of free advertising for this blog but I they will also be giving me $44,400 worth of prizes for 10 of you lot!! More of that later - I needed to make this post before I become eligible for those prizes

The next stage is a vote from all their newsletter subscribers.
The vote starts on 11th March so can I ask a huge favour
Please can you sign up for their newsletter so you can vote for me - pretty pretty please??! It only takes a second.

Thankyou all for your support to get me to this stage, BenMcfuzzyugs is 1 top 20 top dog blog!!

Clear run agility show Feb 2010

2010-03-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

Our second and last agility club show of the year was last Sat (sorry I am a little behind with blogging)

I took Mia along too, not to run her just for the socalisation.
Lots of different dogs for her to see.
This one on the right totaly freaked her out!

In the main she was really really good, able to focus on me and do some tricks. We were able to walk past some dogs and even at one time play a game of 'walk into the venue, get a treat, walk out again' and she was really enjoying it

Unfort about the 5th time when I was coming out with her there was a guy with a GSD comming in right at us. Mia did have a reaction and the guy looked at us like we were scum! But she did calm down v quickly and was able to play 'Look at that big scary dog' game with him

Ben was a little star too
He totaly jumped off one contact but appart from that he didnt put a paw wrong, confident and (for us) pretty fast. Someone even thought we might have got a place in one of the runs but I didnt see.

It was a great day, went really quickly with all the dogs to meet, people to chat to and fab horsey things to investigate
This is totaly the best indoor venue in the world!

Some friends dogs did really great too. A few from Mias class ran.
Louis, who is reactive to strange men, managed into the venue and even had a go in the practise ring. He did have a bit of a zoomie but he had a great time!

Ellie did all the obstacles, not ness in the right order but she and Y had a great time and they were fun to watch. Blue had a great clear round and was so enjoying himself it was great to see and Buster had the fastest time, although he didnt go clear it was pretty amazing to watch his speed!! Once he gets control he will fly up the grades.

It was really great to see the mix of dogs too, I love border collies but I am a bit fed up of agility only seeming to feature them. At the show there was an amazing mixture of all breeds and of course amazing mutts.
Great to see the puppies growing up too, couple of years and they will all be stars of the show

Thankyou everyone for a great day

Needle felting, beagle, stage 10

2010-03-05T13:08:00.001-08:00

Now the feet!!

Lots of people dont do feet but I like to add them.
Sometimes I just sculpt them on the leg but its a little easier to make each foot individually

Take a small strip of fleece and roll it fairly tightly into a ball

Carefully holding between finger and thumb felt all round to secure and begin to firm the ball

As you work one side looks a little flatter so flatten this out more by stabbing all along. Remember the fleece matts in in the direction of the needle so always stab in 90 degrees to where you want the surface to be (in this foto the needle is at the wrong angle - not easy to hold, stab and photograph)

Spend a good while stabbing all round so the foot is very firm and as smooth as possible

Repeat 3 more times so you have a little bunch of feet :D

They might not all be the exact same size. You could add more fleece to even them out. In this case I just used the two smallest for the front and the two biggest for the back

Win a painting!

2010-03-01T12:58:00.000-08:00

Pat Elliott is doing a blog giveaway to win this lovely gorrila
heres what she says

This original watercolour will be given away to one lucky person.To be in with a
chance to win this little fella, you need to do two things only.1) Be a Follower
of this blog. (old or new, no difference)Follower Box on the right hand side of
this page.2) Leave a comment on this post.(Click comments at the bottom of this
post)Tell me what you like - or dislike - about this blog and/or my gallery
site, Pat Elliott
Paintings.You have a week, before the Winner is drawn on the 8th March, 7am
GMT.Its my small way of saying "thank you" for your continued interest.Good
luckPat xx

Get over there for your chance to win

The APBC continues to challange Cesar Millans methods

2010-03-01T12:34:00.000-08:00

The Association of Pet Behaviour Councillors has issued this statement against Cesar Millan and his methods.

The APBC are a major body in the UK, if you have a behavioural problem with your dog and are referred from your vet it will be to one of their members. As such every day they work as the last chance for aggressive dogs so they really know what they are talking about.

Like many they are concerned that the advesrsive type training Cesar Millan uses not only compromise the welfare of the dogs but they can in the long run make the dogs more aggressive as the problems are not addressed and fixed just suppressed.

I find it really sad that for many years positive trainers have been changing the face of dog training with kind and effective training and behaviour modification which does not stress the dog and is safe for everyone to practise, but with one flashy TV show dog training has been put back 20 years.

Why is it so natural to the human species to enjoy the spectacle of a man wrestling an animal to the ground?

Needle felting, beagle, stage 10

2010-02-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

To attach the head to the body I take a large piece of fluffed up fleece and felt it into the back of the head

I then hold the head above the body in the position I would like it to end up in and I spend a long time firming up the neck, stabbing lots up into the head and down into the body to bring fibers through each and meshing the two pieces together firmly.

Keep stepping back and looking at the piece and adding more fleece to areas that are too skinny. At this stage you can pose the head a little, often it gets a little more life if you cock it to the side a little.
Spend LOTS of time felting the body now so it is very firm and smooth

Needle felting, beagle, stage 9

2010-02-26T15:55:00.000-08:00

Now the body is quite smooth and firm I bend the legs over into a more dog like shape

First just bending them over but then curving the back legs out slightly and back in again at the hock joint.

Now looking at how a real dog is build I add more fleece to pad it out. I fluff up the fleece between my fingers to it dosent show lines as it felts then I add some to the hips and chest, I also fatten up the body of the dog. Keep adding and felting until the dog is firm and dog shaped. At this point I am realising the front legs are a little short but I will deal with this later

Oh the weather outside is ......

2010-02-25T04:55:00.001-08:00

Just horrible!! I never thought I could get fed up of snow but this wet mushy slippy stuff is just no fun!! (unless you are a dog)
So a bowl of hot lentil soup with crusty bread and then I am back to felting my fingers to the bone!

At the weekend my kitty splat was featured in the Etsy finds mail and the storque

and things went crazy!! over 100 shop hearts in a 24 hour period, 6 sales (4 of them custom orders) and as many requests for me to let them know when kittys are back in stock!!
Whew.
So I have got 3 of the 4 custom ones done. A long gray tabby for hardback books, and a orange tabby (I think these cats liked the photo shoot too much, they are full of mischief! and a splatted back end of a long hair faun pup

Oh sorry! Were you expecting fotos of doggies in the snow?? Its just too wet to take the camera out.

Also my Beagle project has been put on hold a little! Check back soon for more stage by stages

Needle felting, beagle, stage 8

2010-02-24T15:42:00.000-08:00

With the wolf I didnt use a frame to make the body but often I use a frame to allow gentle posing and to help keep the size somewhere sensible (I tend to make them bigger and bigger)

I cut two lengths of pipe cleaner and fold in the ends (so there are no sharp bits of wire) I then fold them into a rough body shape and twist the middle together.
Starting with the legs I wind wool around the frame. It is important to felt lots here in lots of directions to smooth out the areas where the wool was wrapped

Also the firmer this base is the easier the next bits are to felt.
Keep felting until the fleece is smooth and firm, this should take well over an hour

Needle felting, beagle, stage 7

2010-02-21T14:19:00.000-08:00

The dogs ears are brown with black over the top.
First I lay down some brown in a large (these dogs have big ears) triangle shape. I tease out some black fleece so it is fluffy and add a little layer over the top.

Spend quite a long time felting the ears, if you keep them on the foam pad then turn them over frequently else it will start sticking to the pad. You can also hold the ears between your fingertips to make the edges more sharp

Looking at the dog his ears are attached quite low down on the head, level with the eyes.
I attach the ears by stabbing the ends into the side of the head.

I then hold the ear in the shape I would like it to be in, I stab gently in all directions to firm the ears in the desired shape.

Needle felting, beagle, stage 6

2010-02-20T15:44:00.000-08:00

Now the face is really starting to shape up and look a lot more like a dog it is time to work on the eyes.
First I add two ovals in black. The dents I made earlier make it easier to see where to put them.

Next I decide which way I want the eyes to be looking and add a C shape of white on the inside side opposite where I want the eyes to be looking. I leave a small amount of the black showing on the outside edge as this defines the eye

I then add a blob of the eye colour. Sometimes I just add another C shape but with small eyes this is fiddly and the blob makes the eye more rounded. Again I leave some black showing all round the eye, and if possible a little between the eye colour and the white adds a little more cartoon look.

Then I add a small ball of black to make the pupil and an even smaller ball of white to make a glint in the eye. Manipulating gently with the needle makes this ball into a more pointed shape I like but you can just have a spot of white.

Now I spend some time really felting the eyes in, sculpting them slightly rounded by felting more firmly round the edges and less on the top being careful not to distort any of the detail

Needle felting, beagle, stage 5

2010-02-19T13:43:00.000-08:00

The lips really help to give the dog expression and life

To make these I tease out a few strands of fleece twisting them to make a cord like a thin peice of yarn - the thicker it is the easier it is to felt but of course too thick will look too clunky

Then I take the center of the cord and felt it in below the dogs nose

Felting one side at a time I make an upside down V from the nose to the mouth felting the cord to the nose.

I then take the cord from the front of the mouth all the way to the back corner in a U shape

This helps define the dogs smile, it takes tiny delecate stabs with the needle to secure without burying the cord.
I then felt along the bottom lip to meet the ends of the cord in the middle of the bottom lip

Size dosent matter!

2010-02-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

Small dogs are just not treated the same way as large dogs. I saw several examples of that out and about today.

1. 3 tiny JRT's being walked by one woman. All three dogs were pulling so hard that their paws were scrabbling on the pavement and they where wheezing and panting.
If a large dog pulls people are more likely to deal with it one way or another, because it hurts them and it can be dangerous.
Just because a small dog isnt pulling you with as much force as a large one it is still hurting itself pulling with all its force onto a small collar.

2. A pair of poodles snarling, barking and lunging at passing dogs.
If they were GSD's or something of that size then people would be yelling at the owners to get their dogs under control but with these poodles people laughed and pointed.
No matter what size dogs are dogs, they are still able to cause injury to another dog or person if they choose to attack and even if they can be controlled on the lead the dog is very stressed when they are in this situation. This stress is not good for your dogs health

3. A pack of small dogs charging at other dogs with no control as their owners laughed. Just because the dogs were lucky enough to meet well mannered dogs who put up with their bad manners owners should keep control of their dogs no matter what the size!

4. A small yorkie in a 'princess' fluffy dress being carried and cooed over like she was a toy. Please let your dog be a dog!! If you want a doll but one!!

All seen in one day!! Dogs are dogs regardless of the size, if you wouldnt let a 15 stone dog do something then dont let your 2Kg dog do it.

Needle felting, beagle, stage 4

2010-02-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

To make the nose I use a small piece of black fleece.
First I roll it into a ball and then between my fingers I pinch a edge out slightly

Carefully holding this I gently stab into a kind of rounded triangle shape. At this point I have to be very careful to make sure I let the needle slide between my fingers rather than stab into my flesh (owwwch)

I do not firmly felt the nose at this point because I prefer to sculpt it into shape on the actual sculpture
Felt all around the nose onto the head shape being careful to angle the needle in towards the centre of the head, if the needle pokes out of the white fleece at this point it will have taken some of the black fleece with it and this will cause a tiny black spot to appear in the white fleece

Stabbing many times into each side not only forms nostrils in the nose but also makes sure it is well attached onto the head

Punishing is for the lazy

2010-02-17T14:03:00.001-08:00

Interesting where you can get inspiration for dog training.

Today on 'The Wright Stuff' on TV this morning I got some amazing advice from Joe Mangle from Neighbours.

They were talking about raising children and how some children are so out of control.

He had a amazing point

It takes time and energy to be consistent, to teach our children (or dogs) that actions have consequences and that we mean what we say.

It is far easier to give in and give the sweetie when the child is chucking a tantrum (or let our dogs pull on the lead because we are in too much of a rush to teach them to walk nicely on the lead)

Then we get angry with their behaviour and yell or punish them. This is confusing, sometimes they get what they want, sometimes they get punished.

If we are fair and consistent, make sure they know what we want from them, let them know when they are doing the right thing and, when needed, show them the consequences of doing the wrong thing (naughty step, no pudding, dont get to keep walking forwards on lead) then children and dogs will be better behaved, less confused and everyone will be happier

Needle felting, beagle, stage 3

2010-02-17T11:34:00.000-08:00

Now the head is fairly firm and in an almost doggy shape I start colouring it in.

The Beagle I am aiming for has reddish brown markings with a black cap so I apply fleece in the areas I want to colour and I firmly felt it in place

Stabbing many times in the same place creates dents in the fleece that gives me an idea where I would like the eyes to be. For felted eyes this is useful to stop the felt stick out too much. If you are using glass eyes this gives a nice eye socket for the eyes.

At this stage have another good look at your dog. I decided that he needed eyebrows above the eyes so I added a small amount of fleece above each eye socket to give a more realistic expression

The food bowl

2010-02-16T16:10:00.001-08:00

It is very sad that some training methods are not only misguided but they can be dangerous in some cases and spoil our relationship between us and our dogs.
One method that often causes problems is taking food off a dog.
Many people believe that to show the dog who is the boss they should be able to take food from the dog whenever they want to. To implement that they remove the dogs food bowl when the dog is eating.
Lots of dogs are very forgiving and just put up with our rudeness.
But
Some dogs begin to learn that they are not safe when they are eating their food and start to become defensive and aggressive when anyone comes near them.
The owner misreads this as the dog becoming dominant and then punishes the dog. The dog then learns that it was correct, it is not safe when it is eating, bad things happen and it can become even more aggressive.
If you imagine yourself if you are eating something yummy and someone comes and takes it away without saying anything. The first time you may be a little confused but say nothing, the second time you may yell 'HEY' the next time you might be holding onto your dish waiting for them to come.
Its true sometimes you may need to take food away from your dog, but rather than get into a battle it is better to teach him to trust you.
Around the food bowl (If your dog isnt already showing aggression) you could casually toss something really yummy into their bowl. You can teach your dog to 'give' you something in its mouth by swapping it for something even better - and then you can even sometimes give them the original thing back again.
Dogs and wolves do not take food off another dog, even the most alpha wolf will leave a cub that has food in its mouth.
This applies for your household dogs too, if you allow one dog to keep taking food or toys from the other dog then he may learn to guard items from other dogs. Mia was very bad for resource guarding from Ben until she understood the rules of the house, it belongs to whoevers mouth it is in.
No matter how nicely mannered your dog is it is also very important to teach children if they drop something it belongs to the dog. If something needs to be taken away from the dog then it should always be you that does it, not a child

Remember if your dogs behaviour suddenly changes check with your vet that there is nothing wrong and if your dog is showing aggression consult a behaviourist

Needle felting, beagle, stage 2

2010-02-16T11:11:00.000-08:00

Now the head and upper jaw are taking shape I create the lower jaw.

I take a piece of fleece about 1/4 inch thick - or less.

I softly roll it around the needle then flatten it by stabbing it a little onto the foam pad.

If you havent been felting long just make the lower jaw totally on the foam pad turning it over often.

I prefer to be more hands on at this point, but there is a risk of stabbing your fingers if you loose your concentration.

I hold the lower jaw between my finger and thumb

and gently stab into it to smooth the edges and firm up the whole jaw by taking the loose fibers from the edges right down into the middle of the jaw. I leave the end a little fluffy to make it easier to attach to the head

Using the loose fibers I then attach the lower jaw to the head adding more fleece if needed and always looking at the face from all angles to make sure it is looking right. Remember to open the mouth and felt inside as well as outside

At this stage I always think they look a little like a duck or a donkey, I think this guy looks a little mole like too :D but if the basic shape looks OK then once you add the other features it will begin to look more like a dog soon!

At this point spend a long time (at least an hour) making sure the head is really firm and smooth, keep looking at it from all angles and add more fleece to any areas you need to flatten out

Needle felting, beagle, stage 1

2010-02-15T10:55:00.000-08:00

I thought it might be fun to photograph another make so you could all see the stages involved in making a fuzzy dog.
This is not a tutorial for new felters, some methods I use will get your fingers stabbed, much safer (but not so much fun) to do all your stabbing on the mat)
First I need some inspiration. Sometimes I have orders or make dogs I know, sometimes I just make it up as I go along, today I liked the photograph on a magazine.

First I took about an inch thick piece of fleece and rolled it into a ball and stabbed it until it became fairly firm

Then I took another piece of fleece about 1/2 an inch thick and gently wound it around the needle to make a tube.
It is just softly wound so I can sculpt the shape as I attach it (this will become the nose and upper jaw)

I attach the nose to the head by pushing the needle right along the length of the nose into the head. If the nose is too long stab more towards the head, if it is too fat stab horizontally into the nose. If it is too thin you can add more fleece and if it is still too long after it has felted firm you can even cut bits off, the cuts can be closed over by felting with a thin layer of fleece

At this stage I stab lots into the underside of the jaw to make a dent, this strengthens the jaw and makes it more mouth shaped.

Bens gone digital

2010-02-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

Enchantedmemories on Etsy made me this lovely logo for my dog training business (when I decide to take the plunge)

Its a digital image of Ben with a kiss on his cheek

I think it looks fab!!

A splatted Kitty!!

2010-02-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

With the rest of the grey and white Nuno felt I decided to splat a cat.

This little cutie has blue eyes and black stripes

I was working on some slightly different photographs here as some people suggested that the flat out bookmark look made my bunny look a little like roadkill!!

So I have tried shooting her in the pages of a book.

I have also been working on a couple of other splats but I have to keep them a seceret for a little while!

Featured Dog website - Silvia Trkman

2010-02-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

Silvia is a totally amazing dog trainer with the cutest happiest dogs on the planet.

She is a world champ agility handler and trainer.

She also teaching the most fun tricks and is kind enough to post her method and fantastic you tube videos to inspire us all.

I totally adore her ethics, she does not drill her dogs and on the agility course its all about speed and fun.

Her dogs do not know a cross word and they are so happy and attentive that it is a total inspiration to anyone who want to train dogs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rums2zMvVn0

All her videos are amazing but this latest one with her dogs doing the housework just makes me LOL every time

She has some great tips for training agility, but most importantly I love the way she just focuses on teaching her dogs that learning is fun.

To treat or not to treat??

2010-02-10T06:03:00.000-08:00

Lots of people dont treat their dogs - Ben thinks this is really sad.

Arguments against include

'If I treat then he will become too focused on me'

Fantastic!! Your dog is really motivated by food!! Now he just has to learn that he has to earn his treats. Try carrying food in your pocket and surprise your dog when he does something really good, he will learn that treats arrive out of nowhere if he is good.

'he should want to work for me'

None does something for nothing! Even if its only the fuzzy nice feeling it gives you when you do something nice for other people. Some dogs are more motivated than others, some find a pat on the head or a smile from you really rewarding, but still why not have a nice treat for extra special behaviours - its like a bonus at work, it tells them that that thing they did was really great

'I cant always be carrying treats about with me'

Well actually you can - but you dont need to. The amazing thing of training with rewards is the more a behaviour is rewarded then the more the dog actually enjoys just doing the behaviour. Mia gets fed in her crate, she gets lots of treats in her crate, and many times during the day she just goes into her crate because it is a really great place to be. So can be walking to heel, sitting when asked, recall, anything.

Also food isnt the only reward in the world. Anything your dog enjoys is a reward, so you can chuck a ball, pat on the head, play a chase game, send them to play with friends, these are all rewards too

'He will only do something if I have a treat in my hand'

If that is the case that is because you have not faded out the lure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19SZTwQkpEw
Or your dog has learnt that he only ever gets a treat from you if he does something when you have a treat in your hand. Start hiding treats and surprising your dog with them, he will soon start working without the visual cue

'He isnt food motivated'
Yup that possible, but unlikely. Food is important to a dogs survival, if it dosent eat it wont live.
But if food is always lying about (If you free feed) and you just give out treats all the time for no reason then treats are not exciting.
Dogs actually enjoy having a job to do so build the importance of food, only feed at meal times, dont leave food lying about any other times and always ask for something before you feed them.
Get some really really high value treats, roast beef, chicken, cheese, or garlic sausage when your dog is hungry and reward it for simple behaviours, over time your dog will learn to love learning and food.

'I dont want a fat dog'
For me training treats are tiny! 1/2 the size of a fingernail or smaller. Compare that to a dog getting a huge bonio every night. Also you can use some of the dogs food, meals dont always have to come in a bowl! In the wild animals have to work for their food, they enjoy it in captivity.

'He should KNOW how to behave, why should I reward him for that?'

This one saddens me the most. People who assume dogs come fully trained and so anything they dont expect is the dog being bad and is punished
Sure the dog learns that way too - but its not really nice or fair

Dogs dont know how to live in our world, our rules are strange to them. Based on their personalities dogs just do what seems most sensible to them, then they see what happens. If something nice happens then they are more likely to do the thing again, if something bad happens then they are less likely to do it again.
I prefer not to punish as it isnt the dogs fault. But if your dog has been lying calm for 2 hours, playing happily with their toys for a while and you ignore them, then you only pay attention when they go to chew your shoe you have not only missed lots of chances to let your dog do the right thing you have also taught them that grabbing your shoe gets your attention and lying calm or playing with toys is ignored.

A bunny splat

2010-02-09T05:38:00.000-08:00

I have just too many ideas for animals that can be splatted now

teddies, cats, people, dragons, I am thinking of splatting them all.

But my latest was a bunny splat

I had created an extra large peice of nuno felt from the 1/2 splat suirrel white on the bottom and grey on the top

I used a peice of that as the bookmark and then crated the bunny around it

Again I thickend up the back legs and made giant bunny feet with elengoated pads

Hope you like.

Featured dog training book - Control Unleashed

2010-02-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

Over the past few years I have been buying lots of dog training books, from the really great to the amazingly rubbish.

This is my fave book out of the lot. I initially got it to help with Mias reactivity, and it has helped lots (and is keeping on helping)

But the more I read it the more I realised it helps with ALL dogs.

The programme is great for Mia, reactive, easily distracted, v smart, high energy with issues with other dogs.

It has taught me great ways to build focus in her using games and behavioural tools, how to deal with her triggers, to realise when she was about to go off on one and how to improve that.

But it has also helped lots with Ben, ideas on how to increase his focus and excitement for working, how rate of reward can really build value in a trick, position or command to make him enjoy doing it more, to understand more his level of arousal so I know whether he needs geed up a bit or calmed down.

Watching other dogs in classes, agility shows and out about in the street I can see how other dogs would benefit from a little Control Unleashed.

I have enjoyed reading and using it so much that I have even sourced a hall to hopefully run a kind of informal class and allow me to work Mia with more distractions.

If you have a great dog but want to understand them more get this book!

If you have a dog with a few issues get this book

If you have a dog with lots of issued get this book - but also contact a behaviourist

If you are thinking of doing agility or are doing agility but could do better GET THIS BOOK!

(can you tell I liked it??)

A splatted squirrel

2010-02-07T14:27:00.000-08:00

An interesting custom request

So far all my fuzzies have gone to animal loving homes. This time a lady asked me if I could do a 1/2 splat squirrel for her dad who hates them

I wasnt sure how well it would work out. I really wanted to do a fluffy tail but as these are designed to be used I had to firmly felt, a fluffy tail just wouldnt keep its shape

I also worked on sculpting the legs some more to show muscle - I always overdo custom orders and make them harder for myself!! :D
This time I nuno felted the body, white on the bottom and grey on the top. I have a little extra left over - so watch this space to see what else I am coming up with!

I hope her dad enjoys splatting squirrels :D

January goals, SMASHED

2010-02-06T12:26:00.000-08:00

To keep my focus I am being brave and posting how I am getting on with my targets for 2010
So
I had planned/hoped for 2 sales a week
For January I got 14 sales!! 6 over target!!

How I am doing this
1. Posting a new item or relisting every day
2. Being active in Etsy chat and forums
3. Increasing fan page visability with Link Love
4. Tweeting at least weekly
5. Blogging often
6. Creating as much fuzzies as I can before my arms fall off (I think its a danger, shoulder is creaking now!!)

What has helped

My biggest January thankyou goes to Pat - an amazing artist - who, a little bird tells me might be selling some of her lovely work soon - so stay posted. Pat has been so suportive of my new splat range, being my first customer and shouting about me from the rooftops - well forums :D

Thankyou so much

Etsy

I have been on Etsy for 18 months or so, but this month it has been really amazing for me. Many kind people liking my work and putting me in their treasuries, and then the cherry on the cake was 3 front pages this week! 3! You wait for 18 months then 3 come along at once!

Everyone!

This month I have got so much support from total strangers, it is lovely. Buying from a total stranger and having items shipped to you from all over the world. Much more exciting than buying in a shop.

Thankyou all for making January great! Heres to a good Feb for everyone

My latest splat

2010-02-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

Another order for a custom splat. They are really going amazingly!! I am so happy

This time a Miniature Pincher

I wet felted some of the red fleece to the bottom of the black to give him his red tummy.

His tail is slightly docked and his ears are fantastically huge - thats not be overdoing it!!

I have been thinking about making kits for people to make their own splats, will just have to weigh and photograph me making one :D

Featured dog website

2010-02-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

The Dog welfare campaign is a great website for any dog lovers

The aim of this web-site is to provide the media and members of the public with
more information about the behaviour of dogs, the possible consequences of using
aversive training techniques, and where to go for appropriate advice on training
and behaviour issues.

It contains some great information and links for finding good dog trainers and behaviourists in the UK.

It explains the problems with using aversive punishment training on dogs and has a list of all the experts and bodies in the UK who are specifically against Cesar Millan, his teachings, his TV show and his tour of the UK.

It is sad that so many experts in the UK voice concerns of the dangers of using these types of confrontational methods and yet he is still coming to the country, his shows still get the airplay on the TV.

If you have a problem with your dogs behaviour please please contact an expert, do not try and follow advice from a TV entertainer

'Red zone' dogs, compare Cesar Millan to poitive methods by a behaviourist

2010-01-27T07:56:00.000-08:00

Many people often comment that Cesar Millans more extream methods are OK because they are saving the lives of real OTT red zone dogs that would otherwise be put to sleep.
Most people do not realise that most behaviourists will deal with these type of dogs on a regular basis. In the main these methods are not shown on TV as they do not seem as flashy, the dogs are kept calm - not as interesting for TV as a 'out of control' dog, a man v's dog struggle and then a 'calm, fixed' dog turning up as if by some kind of magic.
So I am puting up a couple of similar examples for you to see the difference

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iX7oyAjJDA&feature=player_embedded

This first clip shows a positive way to do things.
At the start the dog is very stressed and giving out mixed signals to the dog. Sure its tail is wagging but look in its eyes, look at its face. This is a common problem with people with fearful dogs. This dog is stress panting, it does not know how to behaive with the other dog being there and has learnt the best way to cope is to bark and be scary because that makes the other dog go away (either the other dog is taken away or it is dragged away - either way it dosent have to interact with the other dog)
At this point the trainers are not training the dog, they are assesing the situation. The dog is not in a position to learn anything much, it is just reacting.
Like all flashy TV shows this is now cut as the dog is taught some better ways to behaive.
Training a dog at a great enough distance from the trigger (the other dog in this case) so the dog can be calm. It learns that nice things happen when the other dog is about and that the handler is not going to force it to interact with the other dog.
At the end of the clip you can see from the dogs body language that it is relaxed and happy, it is able to focus on the handler and is enjoying working with them. It is aware of the other dog being there but now the other dog being there is just a signal that nice things - like work and treats - are gonna happen, the other dog is no threat.
That dog is calm, happy and safe.

Now lets see how Cesar deals with a dog like that. (for some strange reason Nat Geo takes these clips down often - strange that - so it is working now but if it is gone when you try to watch then let me know and I will try and find one that is up)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eSERTmOrpk
At the start the dog is walking fairly close to the collie although it dosent look v happy it is not showing agression and there are plenty of chances for CM to reward the dog. But of course CM does not reward a dog for good behaviour he prefers to force it do the wrong thing so he can punish it and show it who is the boss.
So he keeps bringing the dogs closer together until the dog looks at the collie
Note there is STILL no agression here yet
But that is enough for CM. He kicks the dog and at the same time tightens the lead

Now people argue about the force of the kick, whether this is a 'foot tap' or a 'kick'
Have you ever been focused on something and not realised a friend is behind you until they tap you on the shoulder? Sometimes you whip round heart racing, you really jump
When you see it is a friend you calm down say 'what a fright you gave me' and have a laugh
But in Shadows case it isnt a friend behind him, its CM, who at the same time is tighting the lead up and cutting off the dogs air

Of course the dog will fight back, and it shows what a really good dog that is that it dosent do some real harm to CM. It could have if it had wanted to.

Now there is a battle, it ends when the dog gives up - whether it has run out of air or if it just gives up I do not know.
But what has it learnt here??
Strange dog is about, it is still scary, but this man is even more scary

The slideshow shows where CM goes from here
He muzzles the dog and surrounds it with strange dogs
If you look at the dog you can see it is NOT happy, it is NOT calm and submissive it is stressed and scared.
Now what do you think will happen when it sees another dog when CM is not holding the lead?? Do you think that the owners are going to be able to fight him like that to show that they are more scary than the other dogs??

Please remember if you like my blog to vote on it
Trainpetdog invited my blog to enter in its 2010 d0g blog award contest
To get to the next level I need 50 people to vote for my blog
All you have to go is visit them and enter this code 7cn2I in the box.
Pretty please! :D

Please spare 30s to vote for my blog

2010-01-22T08:30:00.000-08:00

Trainpetdog invited my blog to enter in its 2010 d0g blog award contest
To get to the next level I need 50 people to vote for my blog
All you have to go is visit them and enter this code 7cn2I in the box.
Pretty please! :D

Hare today

2010-01-21T08:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry folks, no dogs today, no dog sculptures, agility or antics of my crazy pair

dragonhouseofyuen from McEtsy team does lots of great work for bunny rescue and she suggested I may like to try making a Hare for the Hare Preservation Trust

Sounded like a fun challenge

So I gave it a go

He is made on a wire frame with merino white fleece. I then blended some camel fibre with Shetland wool to work on the shading, with a little more black merino blended in to make his back, ears and top of his head a little darker

He is posed just rising up on his hind legs - and wonders of wonders I actually managed to make him balance on his own in that position (fancy name - free standing :D)

I am stumped for a name for this one so any ideas???

Slowly starting to Kiss the dog

2010-01-17T09:45:00.000-08:00

Still planing for this to be the year when I take my first steps to be a dog trainer then a behaviourist.

I have the hall all lined up, just short of funds for a few weeks.

So my friends kindly let me practise on them and their dogs.

A pair of lovely crazy collies.

I was wanting to practise some of the 'control unleashed' stuff I have been doing with Mia, so I kind of used her as a demo dog while at the same time working on her with bigger distractions.

First I did a little focus work, showing them how to build focus in the dog and what to be looking for.

Mia gave a great demo, when I started she was sniffing about paying no heed to me at all and then as I clicked her for any interaction with me she quickly turned from no focus to lots and lots of focus.

The first dog Bu**** (white face in the fotos) is a typical collie with a high work drive so had no problem with focus so we were able to get onto moving a little and the beginnings of circle work

The 2nd dog Bl** is a lot more sensitive. He gets stressed by being asked for commands.

You can see in the first foto (sorry about quality) he is looking very dejected by the clicker being out and him being asked to work.

But within about 5 clicks he realised that he wasnt being asked to do anything he just was getting rewarded for paying attention to mom - then he really started to get it

We ended this bit here but you can see a total change in his body language - focus on mom, tail up, happy looking dog.

We did a little 'go to your place' Bu has been clicker trained and is used to free shaping so got this vv quickly Bl did v well too.

Not sure if I explained the point of this exercise well but hopefully they work on it a little because this would really help with Bu's reactivity when he is watching Bl work.

Finally as a little trick and to teach back end awareness I showed them 'brick work' Both dogs figured out getting their paws on the object so thats a good starts

Next step is getting the back legs moving :D

I talked a little about 'LAT' exercises, default behaviours (Bu showed a lovely default sit) and how to keep a training sesh really short espech for Bl to build motivation.

I had fun although it was a little weird, I hope I didnt do too bad.

Then we let the dogs play a bit and practised some weaves - Mia actually did pretty good and Bu was doing them better with his owner moving a little beside him.

Pretty fun day - and now Mia is crashed out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBS6bEuSlaY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Blo6YcFWNtw&feature=channel
At agility lots of people are saying they just dont have the imagination to teach tricks so I was wondering if that may be somewhere to make a start with some classes. I love training tricks, I think its the best way to make the dog think and sitting, doing agility, obedience, not chasing the postman, really they are all tricks for the dog

What to do when my fingers are to stabbed to felt

2010-01-16T06:48:00.000-08:00

I have been felting away lots trying to hit my targets for the new year.
I am happy to announce that I have smashed my Jan target for two sales a week with 9 sales already! Fantastic! Some are trades and some were charity listings so I am not rich but its really good to know that I can manage that target.
A downside is my arm shoulder and back are a little sore and my finger is v stabbed.
So yesterday I though I would have a little go at drawing again
Please dont laugh

The Boxer I am almost happy with, its just a quick sketch so not too much detail
The left eye went wrong but overall not to unhappy

I should have stopped there but no I had to try again

The weaving collie just didnt work out at all :(

So I felted - just a little - tiny - a poodle about 1 inch tall

My new range - SPLAT

2010-01-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

As I am stuck in with no pupils I have been trying to work hard at my plan of at least 2 sales a week average this year.

No idea if this is possible but you have to aim high!

So I have tried a totaly new range.

Splat

My needle felted bookmark range. - well I say range - only one so far but I will make some more.

I also did a little upcycling here too! Go me :D the 'body' of the splat was made out of an old fleece matt I had but that I had cut up for doggy coats as its so cold.

So this little guy is exactly the right size for a paperback book and you have his head and paws sticking out the front and tail and paws (with little paw pads) poking out the back.

I think I got a little carried away with the photoshoot with this one - he was just so fun to shoot :D

Clear run agility show

2010-01-04T10:22:00.000-08:00

Happy new year everyone. I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and New year

Yesterday was our first show of the year

A fun club show in the best venue in the world!

10 min from home, indoor venue with a cafe, bar, shop, restaurant! Fantastic

The weather put lots of people off coming out which was a shame but made it run quickly.

Ben really outdone himself. 4 runs 4 clear rounds!!

The classes are small, medium and large combined so I didnt expect to place at all but in the more difficult agility run we got 2nd place - only beat by a friends dog Aero, who is amazing, nearly lost his paw to a glass injury and has made a fantastic comeback. Of the 4 classed he won all 4!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

2009-12-21T12:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday over 5 hours driving in a total whiteout - so not fun! But made worthwhle by my dogs enjoying some proper deep and crispy snow Muuuummmmmm!! Whats this stuff??? Hmmm its crispy Its cold

Its pretty Yeeeeahhhhh its FUNNNNNN

Here is a small vid of them playing (first thing in the morning so they had to pee!)

Kiss the dog, my new venture has a name (and a facebook page)

2009-12-08T15:25:00.000-08:00

For ages I have been trying to think of names for dog behaviour training classes.
I am rubbish at names - and I know how important they are.

So thinking about what I wanted the name to say

First - that training should be kind and fair to the dog
Second - that its simple - too many training methods seem to over complicate dog training. Trying to imagine what your dog is thinking and figuring out how he is being bad, disobedient or dominant and then how to assert your authority over the dog.
For example - and this is something I have actually seen
Dog chases children
Problem must be dog is thinking it is too dominant
Solution
Dog cant go on sofa or upstairs and must wait till after owner has eaten before it gets to eat

Too complicated!!
Problem - dog chases children
Solution - teach the dog not to chase children

Simples (OK well there is more to it than that but you get the point)

So thinking of my old days in the world of business I remembered their fave acronym
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid
and thought that was perfect way to say what I wanted to say

Kiss The Dog, Kind Simple Effective dog behaviour training

What do you all think??