The Secret Life of the Dog (Part 1_6)

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??

My first German shepherd

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

In the doghouse

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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