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Canadian pet photography

CUSTOM DOG PORTRAITS: BETH WHITLOW PET PORTRAITS

dog-portrait-1-Beth-Whitlow dog-portrait-2-Beth-Whitlow dog-portrait-3-Beth-Whitlow dog-portrait-4-Beth-Whitlow dog-portrait-5-Beth-WhitlowI recently discovered these incredible pet portraits by Beth Whitlow and I must say they are a delightful breath (or brush) of fresh air in the animal artwork world. Bright, vibrant and bursting with quirky mannerisms, each commission is a beautiful oil on canvas, gallery wrapped for ideal hanging in your home.

Give me a dog in a hat any day and I will be completely in love! But what I adore most about these pieces are that they could hang in a home forever and age gracefully with the changing times while still looking stylish.

I would highly recommend visiting Beth Whitlow`s website for even more amusing pet portraits. Seriously, pour a cup of tea and spend some time browsing her galleries — I dare you not to smile!

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HEALTHY DOG TREATS: LOL DOG TREATS

BK-LOL-Beef-500x500 BK-LOL-Chicken-228x228 BK-LOL-Peanut-new-500x500It’s been a long time since I’ve found a wholesome, hearty dog treat that has knocked my socks off, which is why I just had to share with you the LOL (Lick-out-loud) Dog Treats from Buddy’s Kitchen. I picked up a bag of the Yummy Chicken treats last week for Lucy’s training and both she and Rory are bonkers for them!

WHY WE LOVE LOL DOG TREATS

Reason #1
They are all natural, wheat free dog treats — two things that are extremely important for good canine health and diet. I feel good giving my fur monsters treats that are bursting with natural goodness — plus they are low-cal, which is ideal for training.

Reason #2
They are local! At least, they are local if you live in Toronto. The Buddy’s Kitchen headquarters are in Aurora, ON. Nothing makes me happier than being able to support small businesses, especially ones that are a hop, skip and a jump away from where I call home. Locally made — how refreshing! Plus, the name of these treats is absolutely adorable, don’t you think?

Reason #3
These treats are produced in small batches, which means there is a greater quality control ensuring that our pets are getting the best! How wonderful is that? In a world dominated by mass-production at every turn, having something artisanally made for our dogs is a welcome change.

I would highly recommend these dog treats for any occasion, whether you want to further your dog’s training, reinforce what they already know or just spoil, knowing that each tasty bite is packed with nutrients.

Visit Buddy’s Kitchen today for their great selection and free shipping on orders over $50. And for behind-the-scenes fun, take a peek at their Instagram feed. So fun!

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TORONTO DOG PHOTOGRAPHER: CUTE DOG QUOTES

Toronto-Posh-Pets-Photography-27a copyHappy Monday ladies and gents! How was your weekend? Nothing short of fantastic and memorable I hope!

Things have been very busy around the Pawsh neck of the woods lately. Not only am I busy editing photoshoots, editing copy and brainstorming layouts for our upcoming edition of Pawsh Magazine (scheduled for release October 21st by the way), but I’m also organizing content for the soon to arrive holiday months and working on Pawsh Studio’s web page. Phew!

Sometimes, I get intimidated by the idea of change and overwhelmed when I decide to try something new or take on a new challenge here at Pawsh. But then I think of our canine companions and how they always naturally put their best paw forward, whether running after a tennis ball, chasing a pesky squirrel or nimbly trying to jump onto the bed without waking anybody up.

So with a few deep breaths, an endless supply of tea and a stash of emergency chocolate safely tucked away in my desk drawer, I’ll be diving head first into the next chapter of Pawsh this week — and posting updates along the way too! Wish me luck! xo

{Photography by Posh Pets Photography}

{NOTE: All dogs featured in our weekly ‘As Dogs Would Say’ column are available for adoption through Toronto Animal Services North. Please visit share this post to help bring awareness to the countless animals in need of loving homes.

This week’s featured pup is called Ralph — a one-year-old Pekingese or Pekingnese mix.}

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DOG TRAINING ADVICE: HOW TO TRAIN A DOG NOT TO BARK

train-a-dog-not-to-bark-pawsh-2About a year ago, I moved to Toronto and into a new apartment. It was everything I was looking for in a space — hardwood floors, separate office space, working fireplace (a nice perk). But being in the heart of Toronto it was also a little noisier than Rory was used to compared to our sleepy Ottawa residence.

As a result she developed a bad habit — barking. Not only would she bark whenever she heard anything unexpected, but she would bark and charge down the hallway whenever she heard neighbouring dogs, people on the street or even our upstairs neighbours shuffling around in their apartment. Needless to say, it was a habit that had to stop.

So I started a strict training regiment. Using nothing but positive reinforcement, Rory’s frantic barking is now manageable and civilized. Here’s how I did it:

STEP 1: ACCEPTANCE
There is a saying — “if you can’t beat them, join them” — and that is the approach I took with Rory’s barking. There is no way you are ever going to stop a dog from barking and nor should you try.

A dog barks to tell you something isn’t quite right, that there is ‘danger’ nearby and to raise the pack’s attention. Trying to debark a dog through bark collars and negative reinforcement is like trying to combat a natural, engrained instinct that is programmed into a dog’s DNA. So instead, I chose to embrace Rory’s barking.

It is good that she raises the alarm when something is not quite right in her books — the key then became controlling the bark. In other words, I needed to train her to have an ‘off switch.’

STEP 2: REDIRECT
Every dog has at least one trick that they love to do and never fail to do when asked. For Rory this trick is ‘go to your bed.’ So I began to use that phrase to redirect Rory’s charging bark. Every time she started barking, I would tell her to ‘go to bed.’ Of course, she didn’t always go when asked in the beginning, so I would need to choral her to her bed and once all four paws landed in her bed, reward her with a treat right away.
train-a-dog-not-to-bark-pawsh-1STEP 3: TREAT RIGHT – AND RIGHT AWAY
Just any old treat wouldn’t work in this situation, because you are trying to distract your dog from a high-energy and agitated state. In order to aptly capture Rory’s attention, I needed to be offering something truly fantastic, so I alternated between cheese and dehydrated cow’s lung.

I also made sure to reward Rory as soon as all four paws were in her bed so that she associated completing that action with the tasty treat. Any pause between command and completed command can cause confusion in a dog’s mind.

STEP 4: BE CONSISTENT
The trick to this sort of training technique is consistency. I couldn’t intervene in Rory’s barking display once in a while and then let it slide at other times. Regardless of what I was doing or where I was whenever at home, if she barked I intervened.

Every single time she barked I would follow, tell her ‘go to bed,’ direct her there if need be and instantly reward with a high-value treat. Every – single -time. You would be amazed how quickly dogs can learn new habits when rewarded positively.
train-a-dog-not-to-bark-pawsh-3THE RESULTS
Now we have a happy quiet home once again. Yes, Rory still barks when she thinks something is wrong, but she is now enabled with a debark word/command. One quick bark, a word from me and she settles down again. In fact she has now got to the point that she barks once, sometimes twice, and then takes herself to bed to await cross-pawed for a treat.

Rather than punish Rory for giving in to her natural instinct and alerting her family that there might be danger, I have instead managed to reign that enthusiastic barking into a controllable and manageable habit. Rory feels like she is doing her job (protecting) and I am no longer getting frustrated (albeit sympathetic) calls from my lovely neighbours. It is a win, win, win situation.

{Photography via Pawsh Instagram}

PAWSH PERK: Expert advice for training a dog not to lick.

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