The Reward Is In The Find

Since Earl was a young pup, I've always enjoyed hiding food/toys in the house and garden for him to find. He's always loved doing this, and has always had an able nose. However, since Ethel came into our lives, I haven't done it as much with him as I did before. Therefore, I decided to give it another go, and involve Ethel in it this time, too, in the hope that she would love it just as much! And she did!

A proud pair of pooches.

Before we began, I had to hide the balls for the dogs. I made them wait for me while I did so.

Hiding a ball.

When I released them, their eyes lit up and they were on the search.

The search begins!

Searching high and low, experienced pro Earl discovers a ball.

Once he has enjoyed his ball, he goes and helps Ethel with her ball search. Soon enough, however, Ethel discovers the complex hiding place for the ball on her own! We were all impressed with her!

Young success!

She has a good nose!

The dogs proceed to enjoying their balls as rewards. The reward for searching is what they discover.

'Look what I found!'

It was such fun! I'll be doing this again with them both soon!

We're joining our hosts Snoopy's Dogblog, Alfie's Blog and My Brown Newfies in the Monday Mischief Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.

Turning Back Time

Here in the UK, we're turning back time! This morning, we can enjoy another hour in bed, lying in in bliss. I'm sure we'll all embrace a lie in... even our dogs!

We're joining our hosts Dachshund Nola and Sugar The Golden Retriever in the Black And White Sunday Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.

SS - All Mine

A provider of fun and amusement on a regular basis...

It doesn't appear as though he's planning on sharing it with anyone!

We are delighted to be cohosting the Sepia Saturday Blog Hop alongside Ruckus The Eskie! We send many thanks to our fellow host, and you can join in below.

Tricks Are NOT 'Pointless' Nor 'Cruel'!

It always infuriated me to hear someone telling a brilliant dog owner/trainer that teaching their dog tricks is 'pointless' and/or 'cruel'. Leaning new skills, for our dogs, is fulfilling their desire to work, keeping them both mentally and physically in good condition, broadening their horizons and stretching their capabilities as an intelligent species, strengthening the bond between human and dog, and doing all these things to the handler, as well. Therefore, as you can see, teaching your dog tricks is NOT pointless.

As for being 'cruel'... have I EVER heard anything more ridiculous in my life? NO! A simple search on YouTube should suggest to you that dogs performing tricks with their owner are NOT unhappy. ANY kind human interaction, for our dogs, makes them incredibly happy. REAL cruelty is beating a dog, shoving him/her in a cage full of his own business and underfeeding/watering him. Oh, and much, much worse. As you can see, Earl here LOVES performing with me, and so does Ethel; you can see her ear near my leg!

Does this face look unhappy to you?

To all those wonderful dog enthusiasts out there that love teaching their dogs new skills and exercises, continue to listen to your dog and enjoy him; have fun!

All in all, there is nothing I love to see more than a happy dog and a happy owner learning as a team!

P.S. If your dog doesn't enjoy tricks, for any reason, we obviously accept this! However, most dogs who are trained positively and will care and kindness adore performing with their loving owners, who only hold good intentions for their beloved dogs.

We're joining our hosts SlimDoggy, To Dog With Love and My GBGV Life in the FitDog Friday Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.

Moving On

... To another wall for all of our winnings! We have over hundreds of rosettes!

We knew it would happen sometime soon! And, following the previous weekend's successful competitions, it happened to happen then! We're up and going for more awards! More room for when Ethel acquires some, too! Never mind Earl's continuous churning of them! Haha!

We're joining our hosts Ruckus The Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By A Husky and Barking From The Bayou in the Thoughtless Thursday Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.