A walk with my dogs and camera

Yesterday I went on a lovely forest walk with Pinot and Maggio. Two hours of exploring, playing, enjoying, just being: and for me: photographing the dogs. I had this massive inspiration to just experiment and test different things: play with light, shadow, shooting right into the light, getting flare, trying to control it (as best as I could) - seeing what would happen if I didn't even try to control it and playing with backgrounds. 

Here I will leave you with some of the resulting images. Bless these dogs: they are truly amazing - unbelievably cooperative and happy to test and try what we're going to do next. I think they really like seeing the camera come out; they're well-paid models! 

Pinot certainly seems to soak it up and actually gets a bit frustrated with me when I tell her it's Maggio's turn and she needs to wait. She will then go on to place herself in a beautiful sit or down near Maggio and pose toward the camera - as if she's still part of the "show" - I just tell her how gorgeous she is and she seems to be happy with that arrangement. She doesn't know I cropped her out of the frame. (unless of course she reads this blog post or goes to check out the photos. LOL). 

Enjoy the photos - Maggio is sporting his True Retriever Colours: mud and muck, twigs and dirt pretty well covering his body. The measure of Enjoyment for a dog :-)

Maggio posing and doing his typical "goofy face". Pinot is impatiently waiting for her turn right below and in front of Maggio...cropped out of the frame.

And then - Pinot's turn to "smile" for the camera. Doesn't she just look like she is soaking it all up??

Play hard and then crash

They are either On, or OFF, aren't they?! This was the scene on Monday after working on the photo shoot with the Brittanys for a while. The Puppies had had a BLAST zooming about in an ex-pen, in the studio, doing all things they were't "supposed" to (having a Great Time!). Carla of Hunter's Heart commented and said it was probably the most fun these puppies had had in all their 8-week lives. What an awesome time!

Posing for photos.
Not posing for photos: but going over and kissing the photographer instead. 
Licking and then perhaps also just a tiny bit...biting her ear.
Getting tangled in her lovely long hair. 
Smelling her clothes: does she have cookies?
Tasting the camera strap. 
Licking the lens.
NOW: Getting a toy, playing tug with the photographer. 
Tasting a treat. Yummy! 
Going back to business.
Posing some more. Or not. 
Running away again. Having a GREAT time. 
Running and playing until...

Well, it takes its toll. All that exploration, all that newness of a new place. New smells. New experiences. Being a Super Model.

Crash and Burn. Just like that. On the spot.
It's hard work, man.

The Cuteness Factor

Oh what a bundle! I had the great joy of photographing a whole litter of nine 8-week old Hunter's Heart Brittany puppies just the other day. It was so much fun, the puppies were wild and crazy and awesomely fantastic - 
looking back at these images one does have to really ask and wonder "Were they EVER that still?"
:-)

Toward the end of the shoot, they crashed completely and were all zonked out in the ex-pen set up right in the studio. I admit, I was pretty exhausted, too :-) IT's not completely un-complicated to photograph busy puppies. Ha!

But what little treasures. The cuteness factor; no denying it.

Who was at Suzanne Clothier's seminar?

In November 2012, Wags unlimited had the great pleasure of hosting Suzanne Clothier for a first seminar. It was a huge success and the feedback was overall incredibly positive and warm. 

Some of the comments (that were made in evaluation forms) that left us thinking about areas where we can improve, had to do with the fact that some attendees had walked away wishing they could find ways to connect and network with other seminar attendees more. As an organizer, I felt that was significant, and have spent much time since the November seminar trying to come up with creative ways of embracing that desire that people have to Connect. 

A few ideas were born and implemented this past weekend when we had Suzanne back for a second time (April 13-14, 2013). Some additional ideas will be implemented in future seminars.

This Poster - below - was one of the ideas that came out of the November feedback. Thus: Thank You to all who take the time to fill in evaluation forms and write or email comments! It does make a difference and we do take you seriously. And also a very warm THANK YOU to all who attended this past weekend and joyfully participated in the "Networking Box" project by submitting your business card for sharing!

The poster full of business cards will be sent out to all participants as an email attachment - but more fun and interactive than that: you can find it on Wags' Facebook Page where we've asked participants to tag themselves and tag their business pages. With all of the "tags" the poster becomes a live network, full of clickable links. Let's put those links to good use!

We have all attended the seminar for the same love and passion for dogs, we have all found meaning in Suzanne's RCT Training approach; so let's connect and share the good vibes - for the sake of Dogs! So, visit FB; go find those pages - "Like" them and let's build the connections and network. 

Happy tailwags - I personally can't wait for November - and especially looking forward to the "wine and cheese" event in conjunction with the evening lecture. 
The November 2013 seminar will take place over Remembrance Day weekend Nov. 9-11 and registrations are open. Sign up right away and Save up to $80 on your registration! Email and request the "Super Early Bird Special" before May 15th.

Favourite quotes by Suzanne Clothier

This past weekend was spent in the company of Greatness. Wags unlimited had the great pleasure of hosting Suzanne Clothier for a second time; she was here (in Calgary, Alberta at Sit Happens!) in November 2012 and back now again April 13-14, 2013.

As a new addition and a small side-game for the seminar participants, we asked people to post favourite quotes to Wags' facebook page/  things that Suzanne said that either made them laugh or think and reflect, or both. I will share some of the highlights of the more Reflective kind of quotes here. Words of Wisdom, shared by Suzanne Clothier:
"The real thing is....does the dog choose to?"

"We are looking for the edge of the iceberg."

"Look at the sensitivity of the animal."

"Identify the moment of decision."

"Time the treats so that it's clear."

"She's not getting away with anything, she's doing exactly what she thinks the rules are."

"Is the handler being reactive to dog behaviour or pro-active?"

"Hysteria is not Drive."

"He's just doing it with tremendous power and at great speed. That's not drive, it's crazy amounts of arousal."

"Adolescent dogs are trying to mess with your head.

Like Tax Attorneys, if they can see a loophole, they'll drive at truck through it."

"Goal number one, help him feel Safe."
"Genes are like toothpaste. Leave the cap off & push down& something comes out."

"Muttle through it! Sometimes it's the best you have that  day."

"If this dog had a cell phone, she would let it go to voicemail. She would not answer! Your dogs should not let you go to voicemail."

"The norm is not necessarily normal."
"Keep the light in their eyes."

"How is this for you?"

"There is no Good or Bad, I'm just looking to see how each puppy handles it."

"Individual socialization matters a great deal."

"The dogs are always telling you what their truth is."

***comments made by participants:

"Suzanne Clothier is a genius and funny to boot. If you were to take ONE class about dogs, our relationship to them, and how to train them, pick Suzanne. What a fun, and informative day!" shared after Day 1 on Facebook by Sherri Olsen.

"What an awesome fun filled insightful weekend with Suzanne. Thank you Wags for hosting a great seminar. Could not think of a better way to spend a nasty weather weekend. Look forward to attending further seminars with Suzanne in the time to come." shared by Cindy Maynes.

This is a good time to mention that Suzanne is coming back to Calgary Nov 9-11, 2013. Registration is open and there is a "Seminar Special" in effect for Super Early Birds who register before May 15, 2013. Save up to $80 on your registration! Send Annette a note here to get the registration package sent to you.