Professional Dog Photography ... anyone?

I have always been fascinated with professional photography since school days, but I didn't have the time really to practice my hobby rather than taking random pics of my kids. I have over 20,000 photos taken [by me] of my children since their births. I use a Canon DSLR and a Powershot of the same brand. 

Taking pictures of your dogs is identical to taking pictures of children. Dogs move a lot - you just can't imagine (they also blink when the camera flashes!). So, the best shots are usually when they are asleep or chewing a bone or you may simply want to take 100 shots and try your luck and maybe 1 would turn out to be a good one!

This is my favorite shot so far:

Check out this website and this for some ideas (and angles) of capturing your dog's special moments. If you are interested in taking your dog to a studio, there's one located at the International Veterinary Hospital - a studio made just for dogs :) (note: I did not try it)

I really want to be a professional photographer (not just a dog's photographer!) - What about you?

Clicker training - the best method [so far] for training your dog!

Try it, I got my clicker from here.

Dogs = Blackberry?

Some people in Kuwait treat dogs as an accessory, few treat them as "pets" and many as slaves. For the past couple of weeks, I've noticed that owning a dog in Kuwait is getting more and more popular and common. You see people walking, swimming, cruising and even TRAVELING with their dogs (mind strangers' harassment). Dog owners in Kuwait usually tend to dress their dogs with the latest collars, tags, harness and leashes.

So, are dogs becoming an accessory? Does it mean that if you own a dog, you are posh? Click here.

The Good Treats Cookbook for Dogs

Only if I really enjoyed cooking [for my family], I would have bought this book for my dogs.

To sterilize or not to sterilize - that's the question.

That's a tough one. Pure bred Golden Retrievers are very hard to find in Kuwait and many people ask me if I am interested to breed - not anymore.


Even though it's a routine procedure in most of the veterinary hospitals, I read a lot about neutering "King" (my Golden Retriever) before going ahead with the decision to do it.


Here's why I did it:

1. Neutering offers 100% protection against testicular tumors and partial protection against prostate disease and perianal tumors, both of which are stimulated by testosterone
2. Marking: Unneutered Golden Retrievers spray their urine on vertical objects so that other males can smell it -- it's a way of marking territory. Marking can become an obsession with some unneutered males, who will tow you toward every fire hydrant and telephone pole. 
3. Fighting: Unneutered Golden Retrievers are more likely to pick fights with other unneutered males. Even if your OWN male isn't inclined to do this, dog aggression is still a potential problem because an unneutered Golden is more likely to be attacked by other males because he's a potential rival. 
4. Sexual arousal: The signs of sexual arousal can be embarrassing in mixed company. Unneutered males often lick their genitals and hump other dogs, pillows, stuffed animals, and sometimes people's ankles. 
5. Distractibility: The eyeballs of unneutered males tend to rove up and down the street looking for females or potential male rivals -- rather than focusing on YOU. 
6. Distress around females in heat: Females in heat give off chemical pheromones that can be scented from a mile away. Unneutered males can become extremely agitated - whining, drooling, pacing, sometimes escaping their house or yard. 
7. Dominance: Unneutered Golden Retrievers are more likely to challenge you because their increased testosterone goads them into resisting and challenging authority.

I do not regret doing it AND I also do not advise anyone to do it for his/her pet unless they are 100%. I did King's surgery at AlRai Veterinary Hospital for just KD60. He needed 6 days to recover and get back to normal.

Read more about the surgery's disadvantages here and here.

Stuff you never think about, but you'll find at Amazon?

This is one of my best pet purchases from Amazon. It's simply a very stylish leash hanger. This is very useful if you have more than one dog.

It costs only $13 (excluding shipment). I love it!

Best place in Kuwait for pet supplies?

My all-time favorite store for pet supplies is Ace Hardware. Not only that they offer a wide variety of dog stuff, but also, is the most convenient and nearest place to where I live. It opens everyday from 9AM-10PM (in normal non-ramadan days). Products include the hard to find retractable Flexi leash in all sizes, beddings, wide variety of cool outfit and a whole section of dog food, bones and vitamins. This is not to mention the other cool stuff that Ace sells.

Besides Ace, you might also want to check the Pet supplies store located in the International Veterinary Hospital or you might just wana shop online at Animal Care. There's absolutely no need to shop at amazon anymore ;)

Have a dog with behavioral problems?

Not anymore! I have been looking for a while for a good "professional" dog trainer who uses positive training techniques to train my 3 year old Golden Retriever "King".

I was actually impressed to find a lot of them here. So, I did my research and called up Animal Friends, Yasser Asad, Bo Rawan and Samantha. I decided to go with Bo Rawan since his program was the most convenient and the facilities that are shown in his website were quite impressive.

We took King for the 2-week intensive obedience training at the facility in Chabd and a day before the completion of the course the trainer gave me a one-to-one lesson on how to continue training the dog at home. I have to admit that I was very impressed with the results especially that I kind of lost hope with my Goldie! He is now a wonderful, smart and obedient fellow. I paid KD150. 


If you have a dog that needs training, you might want and call the following to compare: 


Bo Rawan 97365436

Yasser Asad 99711232

Animal Care 66573430

Samantha 66950630

Believe me, it's worth it!

My Munchie

We’ve purchased Munchie, our male Yorkshire Terrier, from a Friday Market dog seller as a filthy 2 month old pup. I couldn’t resist not to adopt him - even though we had a 2 year old Golden Retriever “King” at that time.

Today, Munchie celebrates his 1st birthday!

Look at him now, isn’t he just cute?

Mobile Grooming Van in Kuwait!

Yup, it’s a grooming van that comes to your place with 2 professional filipino groomers. They take your pet (dog or cat), fully groom it - all that right at your doorstep.

The service is amazing (I highly recommend it!), but a bit expensive (average KD22/dog) comparing it to veterinary grooming services.

To make an appointment, call 66572920.