The DogCast Radio blog

Episode 82 of DogCast Radio is now available. This episode has an interview with one of those eccentrics you encounter occasionally in the dog world. Vlasidslav Roytapel is the Russian Dog Wizard. He now lives in the USA, although he has trained dogs all over the world, and currently he offers pet owners solutions to their problems.

Okay check this story out. Sarah Harding from pop group Girls Aloud has a new puppy. Aah! He's all cute, and he's so little he hasn't even got a name yet. Sarah described the puppy as her "baby" as she took him along to a meeting with her on the day she got him.

You know some people say that dogs and children don't mix? Well in my opinion dogs and violins don't mix. I have recently started to learn to play the violin. I can play piano a little, and quite a few woodwind instruments ( it's all the same basic concept - a tube with holes to make pitch variations), but stringed instruments have always eluded me. I was bought my first guitar when I was under ten years old. Now, quite a few years later, I still only know a few chords, and most of those I get wrong. I also take ages to change from one chord to the next.

So I decided to ask for a violin for Christmas. Not Christmas just gone, oh no, this was way

We've just got home from a highly enjoyable visit to Graeme and Maureen Sims. Graeme has a book out later this month, and having read it, I can thoroughly recommend it. Give a Dog a Home focuses on how best to settle rescue dogs into their new homes, and how to approach training them. Graeme uses two rescues dogs he has taken in, to illustrate how it can require lateral thinking to come up with a training regime that suits the dog. The interview we recorded today with Graeme will be in a DogCast Radio show later this year.

The book is a great read; Graeme is a brilliant

We've had snow this week, which has brought fun and problems. Working from home, and home schooling too meant no snow days, but we managed to get out and have some fun. The dogs were so excited by this sudden covering of strange white stuff, and ran around exploring it. We have learned from experience not to let Star go out in the snow for too long. We learned this late one Sunday evening when we were so excited ourselves about an unexpected snowfall that we were all out in the garden at ten o'clock in the evening. Because it was dark, we didn't realise until we went back into the house, that Star had amassed a huge amount of little balls of snow in her fluffy coat.

As you'll have noticed I like signs regarding the subject of dog poop. Not the bog standard (if you'll excuse the pun) ones that you see every day, but the more unusual ones. I've highlighted a few in this blog, and while going though old holiday photos I came across this beauty. Written in two languages, not just one, is a bonus, but the real joy is the illustration of the dog. I challenge you to name that breed!

It looks like the body of a Basset, the head a Dachshund, the tail of a Labrador, and legs made of cardboard tubes by the looks of them. There is the

Do you have blogs that you like to follow? Well obviously, in addition to this one! There are various ones that I like to check in with regularly, and I thought I'd share some with you.

High tech gadgets can be great fun, and there are some interesting ones available in connection with your pets. If you're into Tech for your pets, you can buy devices to help get a lost dog back, feed or water him, and more. For example, there's a combined camera and treat dispenser that enables you to interact via your computer or phone and reward the behaviour you want by releasing a treat.

The Paw Plunger can help get those dirty paws clean again. And now little paws can be accommodated. You can hear about the Paw Plunger from its creator, Brianne Leary in Episode 63 of DogCast Radio.

Meet the Petite!
Paw Plunger expands range to suit all breeds!

Whether you own a Great Dane or a Chihuahua you can wave goodbye to muddy paws forever as the Paw Plunger range has expanded. It’s time to meet the petite at Crufts on the Paw Plunger stand no:174. Hall 4.

Something to watch out for at Crufts:

 Support Dogs Introduces its First Canine Patron at Crufts.
NEC Birmingham, 5th-8th March 2009, Hall 2 – Stand 58

Support Dogs is pleased to announce that Saba, a rescue Saluki cross, has been honoured to become the first canine patron of this unique UK assistance dog charity.