Agility training for dogs

This article will start a short series on Agility training for dogs in cooperation with Alpha Dog Training in Vancouver. Nina Houghton of Alpha Dog Training teaches basic obedience as well as Agility and she asked me to help create a photo series to demonstrate what dogs (and owners) learn in Agility Training.

In the next few days there will be a new gallery on my website with more images of the training session which will show a number of the exercises uses. And together with Nina I will create a few blog entries where the exercises will also be explained.

Most importantly, the exercises are FUN!

Harley is showing a perfect smile during this loop exercise!

You can see how Harley enjoys this obstacle course. If you want a big smile from your dog, you may want to try Agility Classes with nina at Alpha Dog Training.

Watch this space for entries from Nina to learn about Agility or contact her at any time for class schedules.

Is it the egg before the hen or vice versa?

Did you ever follow the head-hurting consideration about who was there first - the hen or the egg? What did you come up with? The egg - well then who laid it. The hen - well, where did it come from?

Sure enough, in today's economy the egg most certainly comes before the hen! That is because egg farmers will make money of the egg, not the hen. Actually, the hen could be considered a cost centre! To reduce the cost - because the egg farmer is interested in a healthy margin and profit at the end of the year, the space for the hen was reduced to something smaller than the size of my blog on your computer screen. Actually, about two hens per letter head paper is roughly the amount of space our egg-producers are granted.

Unless, of course, you choose free-run, free-range or certified organic eggs.

Here is a small "eggucation", curtesy of the SPCA Animal Sense Magazine, in egg terminology:

Free-range: Free-range hens have the opportunity to go outside if they choose.
Free-run: In a free-run operation, birds are housed indoors.
SPCA certified free-run: the hens are indoors but with sufficient space to freely move about, nest boxes and areas to do what hens tend to do - forage, dust bathe and perch.
Certified organic: Chickens range free on organic pasture and are fed certified organic feed. The feed is GMO free, all vegetarian and does not contain any animal byproducts. There are no antibiotic or synthetic chemicals used in either the feed or flock management. Hens are completely cage free both inside and outside the barn. (Source: Rabbit River Farm)

In conventional farms, hens stand on wired cages their entire lives, they do not have the opportunity to maintain the distance common hen-curtesy requires, they pick on each other and they may not even be removed if sick or dead until spotted later.

SPCA certified farms are cage-free. Hens can choose (what novice idea) to either rummage around the farm floor or sit on the perch. They can keep a distance or cuddle up to their best mate!

One way of course, to choose your certified organic or certified free-run eggs is to look a the labels on the packaging. SPCA labels can be easily identified with the red barn image. Rabbit River Farm eggs are also clearly marked.

I have long made the choice to never buy non free-run or certified organic eggs, unless I can absolutely not avoid it. Even my dog only gets certified organic eggs. They taste better, are healthier and they support a better life for the bird that delivers about 320 eggs per year to us, regardless if it came before or after the egg.

Join me in the "eggolution"and boycott eggs from conventional farms. That is the only way to change the way farmers treat their hens.

You will feel good about it once it has become part of your normal routine.
Thanks for your consideration!

Keep your friends safe these holidays

The holiday seasons come with many hazards for your pet friends. Keep them safe this year by following these little tips:

Girdie with Christmas bells

• Chocolate and alcohol are toxic for your dogs - ensure that they are out of reach!
• Some holiday plants are poisonous for your pets, this includes holiday favourites such as mistletoe and poinsettias. If your pets have a taste for your green decorations, make sure they are lifted off the ground or that your pet are always supervised in your decorated family room. 
• Christmas trees may be treated with preservatives and other chemicals. Dogs and cats should not chew them or drink the water in the tree stand. 
• Tree decorations are a particular attraction for your cats and dogs. They are often made of glass and have little hooks attached - needless to say they can cause severe damage if your dog or cat ingests any. Supervise your pets when in your holiday room. 
• Lots of extra electrical cords for your pets to get their teeth into. Keep them under furniture or out of reach for your critters. 
• Antifreeze for your car seems to be really tasty to dogs - but it is also very poisonous. Keep it out of reach!
• With all the coming and going of your holiday guests it is easy for your little puppy or kitty to escape. Make sure you keep an eye on them, perhaps lock them away until all guests have arrived. Keep your best friends ID's up-to-date and make sure they wear them on day busy with arrivals. While organizing a search party with all your friends may have a fun aspect, they may rather indulge in your culinary art than hunt for Fido. 

Having said all that - have fun these holidays and make sure your pet has some fun too. Christmas shaped dog biscuits may just be one way to spread some holiday cheer!

Happy Holiday Season from PPP-Photography

P.S. If you're still looking for gift ideas - consider a voucher for a pet photography session. Check out our website for suggestions.

Are there tricks in pet photography?

From my pet-photography-tool-box!

I have been asked to write about tricks in pet photography so I will write a few posts on this topic over the next month and back them up with images. Please don't hesitate to add your comments and raise questions and I will do my best to answer them.

I want to start with the easier scenario - photographing your dog indoors. Your pet has less room to roam and run away from you or simply run around like crazy. You will find many opportunities in your home. Capture your pet on his or her bed or a favourite sunny spot. If your dog is permitted on furniture, you can set up lovely images on the couch, bed or other favourite furniture. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Go down - lower yourself to be on the same level as your pet. You may even try to go lower and shoot upwards.

Too many distracting items on around Belgian Shepherd Kaela

Clean composition - try and get your pet in a clutter-free environment.

Too many items around your pet are only distracting from your main subject as shown in this image to the right.

Don't be afraid to use the crop tool afterwards and you can improve many images and give them more focus.

An engaging portrait of Belgian Shepherd Kaela

In this image, despite the less than ideal background, Kaela is the clear subject of the image. The image is filled with her portrait, it is engaging and there is good eye contact.

Don't be afraid to get close!

The dreaded glary eyes! 

Lighting - if you are lucky you can work with natural light coming through the window or a skylight. Avoid a light that is too harsh but natural light can work really nicely. If it is too dark, you will need to use a flash. A point and shoot camera usually has a weak flash - so move close to your subject. Avoid the dreaded glare in the eyes by shooting your pet from the side or in profile. Or deal with it later on the computer. The image to the right shows the effect, apart from other compositional issues and a less than flattering pose of my dog Sidney!

If you have an SLR and you are able to remove your flash from the camera it is going to have the best results. Position your flash at about 45 degrees, ideally bounce the light from the ceiling or a white wall onto your pet or use a reflector for the flash of your camera.

In this lovely image of Irish Terrier Tony I used natural light on the stairs coming from a sky light. I think the soft light and the shadows work really nicely in this image and the small depth of field provides this image with a lot of atmosphere.

Most importantly, make sure you and your dog are having fun when you photograph your animal and it will show!

Did you see the Easter Bunny?

Did you have a Happy Easter?

I remember when I was a little kid, my mother and grandmother used to take my sister an me to the edge of the woods to look for the Easter Eggs, the bunny had hidden for us. As we scurried around the bushes, trying to find those delicacies and handed them back to my mother and "Oma" to carry safely in the bag, they just through them back into the bushes to go and find them again! I am not sure if we noticed!!!

I hope you had  great Easter and enjoy spring or whatever season you are in at the moment. Spring may not come to us in Vancouver this year. I hope summer will show up, though!


Share your story of this Easter or any funny Easter story of your childhood here!http://ppp-photography.com/kirby2010

Pet food - Garbage in - garbage out?

Today's post is about dog food. I have become passionate about feeding the raw diet to my dog based on my experiences with my last two dogs. Both of them were adopted being about 3 years old and both had serious digestive issues. My present dog, Sidney, was considered to be a dog suffering from EPI, a pancreatic insufficiency that can lead to a dog starving, even so it is eating huge amounts of food. It luckily turned out that he did not suffer from EPI but from colitis. And even more lucky for us, we overcame this by switching him away from all processed foods towards a diet that was initially based on cooked food. He had to take antibiotics for a very long time (about 3 months) and was then able to move slowly to the raw diet. Sidney is doing marvellously on this and could not be a happier dog.
I invite you to share your experience regarding pet food here.