Archive for September, 2009
When Hermes meets horses
The play by Peter Shaffer, where a psychiatrist attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological sexual obsession with horses, is reminiscent of the work of US photographer Monica Stevenson she uses luxury goods such as Tiffany bracelets and Hermes Scarves on and next to equines as the focus for some of her major work.
This piece of a horse wearing a luxury scarf ‘Hermes Scarf Horse’ won Stevenson a place in the ‘Advertising photographers of America’. It makes you ask the following questions inwardly, is that a horse? What is tied around its ears? and touches on the use of animals as commodities. It makes you study the scarf in a way that you might not normally, were it simply presented on a model or in a Vogue or Vanity Fair centre spread.
A lot of Monica’s personal work extends to equine photography and so it was a natural progression for her to mix her work in advertising for luxury brands such as Tiffany and Co, Cartier, Hermes and Gucci with her love for horses.
Her photographs are potent and sexy, although, is there is something wrong about liking it? It feels as if Stevenson is pulling back the curtain and unveiling a taboo, daring us to keep watching.
The work has almost a sadomasochistic edge to it, highlighted by the use of horse and human hair wound around Iron stirrups and leather straps, oddly enough a similar thing is depicted on this vintage Hermes scarf.
Stevenson also used bugs in her work, something that isnt instantly recognisable in fashion photography. She holds the piece up to you, as she is saying “Look at it, really take time to look!”.
What I love about her work is that it encapsulates a story in each shot, takes you into a fairytale world of Stevenson’s making, and although this world may not be a beautiful one much like the mind of Equus’s young hero, it is an intriguing one, and one that you seek to understand and return to again and again.
Havanese Training As Answer to Shyness or Submissive Dog Behavior
A too-submissive or too-shy Havanese is something that seriously stands in the way to reaching the target of an optimistic and positive-personality dog. A dog may be in such a condition if, say, it acts frightened or cowers from its owner, who simply is trying to get a leash on it, and recalls no incident of hitting the dog. Then, still another sign among the many possible is of the dog that refuses to sit when asked to do so during grooming, and actually curls up in response to the brushing. Lastly, the dog may also refuse to pee or poo when told to do so, and instead stares at the owner sideways and licks its lips, all of which are signs of submission. Where in these scenarios can havanese training play its role?
Training definitely can help improve the dog’s situation, first by helping pin down and identifying what exactly is the matter with the dog; shyness and submission are two behaviors that have different triggers, effects and of course solutions. In case of shyness, one solution is to bring the dog to at least 5 new places a week and staying for some ten to fifteen minutes. In a few weeks of hard work, it is actually possible to have a dog that is greatly improved.
How about responding to a submissive dog? For starters, there is so much meaning in human body language and postures that humans take for granted, but which mean so much from a canine point-of-view. A consequence of this is that anybody who wishes to put the dog at ease need to avoid standing and leading over it. Instead, all humans need to try squatting at the dog’s level, allowing the dog to approach if it wants to. A good way to stand near the dog is to do it facing sideways. With these steps and many more, a person is thus capable of appearing more friendly and approachable.
An even more vast source of confidence builders and self esteem boosters are havanese training for puppies, agility classes, obedience, and therapy dog titles; its a great plus point that havanese dogs usually do not think twice demonstrating before people how much they learned. Lots of patience will be needed to help a shy or submissive dog overcome itself, but results are possible if the owner takes the first step!
Potty Training Puppies with 4 Simple Tips
When potty training puppies, many folks become frustrated at the whole process in general. Getting frustrated is understandable, and mistakes can be quite frequent as most puppies are still getting acquainted with the way the world operates. But the one thing that most people don’t realize is that a big determiner of your puppies behavior is the way you react to his actions. Here are a few things to remember as you potty train your puppy:
RESPECT: That’s right – potty training puppies need respect too! Dogs respond to emotions and feelings, and can tell when they’re being respected, even though they are not necessarily verbal animals. Most of the time they will respect your rules better if they feel like they are beloved members of your family.
TEMPER: It’s tough to keep your temper in check when your puppy leave a “doodoo” in the middle of the living room floor! But the truth is that yelling and screaming won’t get nearly as favorable a result as calm commands will. Losing your temper will confuse your puppy and delay his progress.
PRAISE: Remember to always give credit where credit is due. This means to constantly reinforce good behavior. Petting, praising, and loving your puppy will not only improve behavior, but will also help reinforce the bond between you, and will strengthen the mutual respect for each other.
STRIKING: Many folks believe that hitting their dog helps establish “who’s boss” when potty training puppies. However, the truth is that your puppy gets freaked out by it, and it can cause psychological damage that can cause big delays in the process of potty training! Most of the main-stream dog trainers now recommend positive reinforcement over negative reinforcement, which can mean a major shift in many dog owners’ thought processes. So, if you feel your self getting mad, just walk away and deal with it after you’ve calmed down.
By following these four easy tips, you will strengthen the relationship between you and your dog, and your dog’s behavior will improve, thus speeding up the potty training process. Good luck!
Should You Get a Wireless Pet Containment Fence?
Wireless pet containment fences are an innovative solution for desperate pet owners who are trying to find a product to contain their pets within predetermined area. They have some advantages over traditional fences, for example, your dog can’t jump over them or dig a hole to go under it, which sometimes resulted in a stuck or injured dog.
A wireless pet containment fence comes with a remote control that sends radio waves at 17,5 Kilo Hz. It also includes a light-weight receiver collar worn on the dog’s neck, 50 training flags and an instructional booklet that aids in training the pet. Once the transmitter is plugged into an outlet at home, it starts emitting radio signals which are in turn interspersed by the receiver. Using the radio signals, the collar can detect when the dog comes close to the fence, in which case it will emit a warning sound. If the dog continues to try to cross the fence, the collar will administer a harmless but annoying electrical shock that will make the dog fall back into the safe area.
The installation of a wireless pet containment fence is simple. Just follow the instructions given on the instruction manual or the DVD that comes with the set. Because of the great number and variety of models, dog owners are advised to spend some time researching in order to get the most appropriate fence for their needs.
Tips for Selecting a Wireless Pet Containment Fence
The collar that comes with the system should be comfortable to wear and able to resist bad weather and rought treatment. The coverage area should be big enough to cover the area that you want to assign to your dog. For bigger areas, you might purchase additional transmitters.
As mentioned before, an instructional booklet or DVD explaining the operation of the wireless pet containment fence you purchase is very much essential since this would clarify everything including installation and training to the management of the pet. For this reason, it’s suggested that you make sure the product you choose to buy comes with clear, concise directions.
How Do Invisible Fences Work?
A respondable dog owner has to consider how to take good care of it. Basic safety tools include a leash and an identification collar, but you might want to consider fencing as well. One of the options that you should consider is invisible fences. This option will allow you to keep your dog restricted to a certain boundary of your choice, and keep it safe at the same time. The following includes some details about invisible fencing to help you decide if this form of fencing is right for you and your dog.
How Invisible Fences Work
Invisible fences work with radio signals as opposed to physical obstacles. These signals can be detected by a collar that your dog will be wearing. This way, when the dog gets anywhere near the invisible fence, there is a tone that warns the dog that they are too close. If the dog still moves on, it’ll recieve a mild electrical shock. Of course, the shock isn’t intense enough that it will actually harm your dog. The feeling is not very different from the one we get when we walk on rugs or carpets.
Good Looking, Yet Safe
People invest in invisible fences because they want to protect their dogs but may not want fences built around their land. The reasons for this may vary. Sometimes this may be because of aesthetic reasons; they find traditional fences ugly. Sometimes it may be because their landlord or community prohibits traditional fences. Invisible fencing is great because it keeps a dog from going too far off of the property and can protect them from getting run over by cars. This way, you know that your dog can get some fresh air and exercise without having their safety compromised. An invisible fence can really make all the difference when it comes to owning a pet and keeping it safe. Thus, investing in invisible fencing is the smart and responsible thing to do.
See What Invisible Fences for Dogs Can Do for You
invisible fences for dogs are one of the most practial tools for taking care of dogs. In fact invisible fences are often recommended by veterinarians and by dog trainers alike. If you have a dog and are responsible for it, then you should know that invisible fences are one of the best ways to keep your dog safe. These fences combine the best in dog training and technology to give you a product that will let you rest at ease, knowing that your dog is safe from outside harm.
Perfect Start, Safe Dog
Both “Perfect Start” and “Safe Dog” brands are examples of how electric fences can provide safe containment for your precious pets. The main advantage of invisible fences for dogs is that they allow the animal to run and play in an area previously set by the owner and which is known to be safe and danger free. For the owner, the advantage is the peace of mind that comes by knowing that your dog is perfectly safe and happy, not restrained by a leash, yet unable to run after cars or any other hazard.
Petsafe and Innotek are the two main manufacturers of invisible fences for dogs today. Dog owners that are looking for an invisible fencing system should turn their attention to companies that have constantly delivered solutions and that have a steady presence in the market. These two companies have been applying state of the art technology to the training and caring of dogs.
When you get yourself one of these systems, simply plan out the area where you want the invisible fence to be. Then, just bury the wire that comes with the system, “drawing” the perimeter you want and then connect it to the transmitter. Place flags along this perimeter and walk your dog around to get used to the boundary. Gradually introduce the collar using the techniques outlined within the included training materials.
Within a 2 week period of training, your dog will be perfectly and safely contained using an invisible fence
Winter Bird Feeders – Helping Backyard Birds Thrive During the Winter
Many gardeners love the idea of trying to attract birds to their home at the first sign of spring. We all love to have the sights and sounds of an active bird feeder, or the frenetic activity that often surrounds a bird bath.
But in the winter time many of the local birds don’t migrate away, and so we like to make some effort to be sure they have enough food and drink to get by in the winter time.Birds have it tough in the winter time because there is not as much of their natural food around, and what is around is often obscured by ice or snow cover.
One of the easiest things we can do is to put out a suet bird feeder. Suet is used because it has a lot of calories, since it’s made from rendered fat products, and to enhance its attractiveness to birds it is sold with other bird food products like corn seed or peanuts.Usually you’ll find these sold in prepared cakes that is similar in volume and size to a large sandwich.It’s easy to set the suet out in an open area available to your local birds, but the traditional way to put out suet is to use a simple cage feeder that can be hung and will help keep squirrels away. These can be a simple cage, or often they are combined with a hopper feeder to create a total feeding solutions.
Suet cakes and balls can last for some time, but if it’s natural suet then when the temperature exceeds about 70 degrees it may go rancid quickly, so don’t treat them as year round feeders. And there are other types of suet balls that may be better suited to your needs that keep better or repel pests.
Also make sure that the local birds have access to water that is not going to freeze quickly.Typically birdbaths will have a flat open design that gives the birds confidence that they won’t fall into the water.But the problem with that type of shape is that it is also perfect for cooling and freezing quickly.
The solution to this is straightforward enough, as there are a lot of bird baths with heating elements built into the bottom of the bath, but if you’ve already invested in a bird bath then it’s simple enough to buy a small heating element to put in the bottom of most baths. There are many types of birdbath de icer, with sizes and shapes to fit most any bird bath.If using a heater with a plastic bird bath take care to size the heater small enough that it won’t melt the bird bath when heating the water.
Thinking About opening a Bird Watching Business?
Alot of bird watching enthusiasts decide to start in the bird watching tourism industry with no research into the industry. People make the mistake of thinking that being a devoted bird watcher is sufficient to be successful in the bird watching tourism industry. Quite often this couldn’t be further from the truth. Like any other type of business, the bird watching tourism industry can be rather inconsistant. Besides, with so many people going into bird watching tourism, the competition has become rather steep. In fact, a lot of bird watching tour operations in India are no longer earning as much as they should. Alot of these tour operators have even stopped their operations for lack of money. If you are hoping to start a business in the bird watching tourism industry, you need to know more about the business. An important idea is looking for hummingbird house building to learn your trade.
Starting a bird watching tour business is just like setting up most types of businesses. Your best chance of success to develop a sound business plan. When we say good business plan, we simply mean that it is essential that you do you research. You could enlist the help of a bird watching tourism expert help in creating a thorough business plan, but hiring a specialist could be rather stressful on your pocket. Remember that a lot of professionals are very expensive. If you only have limited budget, you may find it difficult to afford the assistance of a bird watching tourism professional. Try building your own outdoor bird house as an option to obtain important information.
To save some money, you will have to work on a business plan of your own. It may seem daunting but developing a sound business plan is not really than difficult. The easiest way to begin is to make a list of what you will need to do to start in the industry and then estimate the amount of money necessary for you to spend open the business and keep it running. You need to come up with a budget and let it determine your constraints. Wherever you can, do not accumulate more expenses than you can pay for. Many businesses fall short when they first start out as they are unable to manage their expenses. To make sure that you do not end up with uncontrollable expenses, set aside quantities of your initial investment and then spread these portions for about six months. Researching birds is key!
Know About Wren Bird House
Of course before you can really go through with any wren bird houseplans, you are going to have to learn more about what the wren is and this way you can make sure that you are going to be able to build the best possible wren bird house for them. There are a few details in particular that you are going to want to learn about the wren before you start building any wren bird house.
What is a Wren In Wren Bird House?
The wren bird is a really fascinating one, and that is for sure. Before you build a wren bird house you want to know more about the wren, and you should know that this bird is a very cute, small Buffy songbird, with a tail that is often held upwards, rusty underparts, a white eye stripe, and which is typically very loud.
If you ever hear a songbird in the bushes that is definitely so loud that you cannot ignore it, it may be the wren. These are really beautiful, surprisingly friendly birds that many homeowners love to build a bird house for and make sure that they are fed around the year. Of course if you live in a colder climate where you have a very cold winter, they may not be around again until the springtime.
Getting Started For Wren Bird House
Now that you know a bit more about the wren, you can get going on your wren bird house. The first thing that you are going to need to do is get some bird house plans. You can either make your own, which you will probably want to do if you have some construction experience, or you can get free wren bird house plans off the Internet, it is really up to you and your own personal preference.
Just make sure that you read plans over and have all the equipment that you need before getting started on it regardless of what particular plans you have decided to go with. The last thing that you would want is to get halfway through your plans only to find that you were missing a key piece of equipment.
Making your own bird house certainly does not have to be hard and in fact it can really be a ton of fun. Even if you do have construction experience, don’t forget to make sure that you do everything according to plan and take your time and read the instructions carefully.
Prevent Feline Diseases from Harming Your Cat
Even if your cat is indoors most of the time, he is still at risk of contracting one of the many serious illnesses that claim a large number of the feline population. In order to help stave off illnesses, you should have your cat vaccinated by your veterinarian. Read on to learn about when your cat should be vaccinated and what diseases a cat is most likely to contract.
While a kitten is feeding off of milk from his mother his body is taking in the antibodies that are supplied in the milk. When the baby starts to move on to solid foods, the amount of antibodies he receives will lessen until he no longer holds any immunity. Usually, by 20 weeks of age all of the immunity passed through the mother’s milk is gone, leaving the kitten unprotected from disease.
The first set of vaccinations is referred to as the “core” vaccines. These protect your cat from common feline diseases such as:
Distemper – a potentially fatal disease that most cats will be exposed to in their lifetime. Brain damage and other issues can remain permanently in a kitten or cat who contracts and survives the illness.
Rhinotracheitis – a virus that causes respiratory infection. Vaccination does not prevent a cat from contracting this illness, but it can tone down the symptoms.
Calicivirus – respiratory virus that can cause symptoms of runniness in a cat’s eyes and nose for the rest of its life, even after treatment.
Rabies – a horrible disease that attacks the central nervous system, which can be spread through bites or scratches and is capable of being contracted by any mammal, including humans.
You might ask your vet if there are any “non-core” vaccinations recommended for your cat. These are vaccines for illnesses that certain breeds of cat can contract, or for illnesses that affect a certain area of the country.
The vaccination schedule usually begins when a kitten reaches 6 weeks of age. Most veterinarians prefer to offer the first injection between 6 – 8 weeks of age. Two more injections will be administered three to four weeks apart, so most kittens are about four months old once at the last injection of the core shots. The vaccination process isn’t anything to worry about, for the most part. Your veterinarian will simply pinch a bit of skin from a fatty area and inject the vaccination there. The cat rarely feels anything save for a pinch or slight itchiness at the site of injection. You will need to take your cat back to the vet a year later for a “booster” shot, and then again every few years after that.
Visit HelpYourPets.com – Here to learn more about raising cats and dogs, or to purchase sturdy pet steps.