Gunny's TVC is now on television. His lovely tail stars in the Ikea TVC at about 13 seconds in.
http://www.bestadsontv.com/ad/39022/IKEA-Catalogue-Rent
The pet guardian in me says, I wish there was more Gunny in it, but the film and TV person in me says it is about the living space, not the cat - so the focus is appropriate. It's funny, that was about 60 - 90 minutes of work on set, to get about 2 seconds of footage.
Monday, 12 September 2011
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Letting dogs be dogs
I've been quite busy in the last few weeks, but we've still managed to squeeze in a little bit of "dog time".
Buddy, the Chihuahua, has had his time in the spotlight again and has gone back to his breeder. He was so happy to se her - it was so gorgeous! The Curtin film students for "Heart Donor" will be in post production now, so it'll be a little while before we can see Buddy on the screen again. At least, watching him on DVD!
Before he went back, my cousin and I did a short hike around Lion's Lookout in Kalamunda. I do love that walk. I expected to need to carry the short dog after a while, but Buddy stuck at my heels for the whole 6km walk - I was most impressed at his stamina.
It is such a beautiful walk in Spring, the weather and wildflowers make it a perfect place to be.
Here's to finding great walks around Perth!
Buddy, the Chihuahua, has had his time in the spotlight again and has gone back to his breeder. He was so happy to se her - it was so gorgeous! The Curtin film students for "Heart Donor" will be in post production now, so it'll be a little while before we can see Buddy on the screen again. At least, watching him on DVD!
Before he went back, my cousin and I did a short hike around Lion's Lookout in Kalamunda. I do love that walk. I expected to need to carry the short dog after a while, but Buddy stuck at my heels for the whole 6km walk - I was most impressed at his stamina.
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| Buddy and Joc |
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| At certain points, you can see as far as the Perth city |
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
Good Karma Trifecta
Today good things have come in three. A dog found me, I made some kids laugh and I received a free coffee. The free coffee was actually the most boring good thing!
The day started quite early at the Trackwest grounds, as there was a Track and Search trial on. I walked the predetermined track at about 9:30am and at 12pm Drift the lovely weimeraner set off to find me. The Judge deliberately has the end of the trail near a road so the track layer can leave and easily go back to the 'hide' rather staying at the end of the track contemplating the universe for several hours. So, good deed #1 - I helped a dog get closer to her Track and Search title.
Once Drift had found me, I rushed off to the Centre for Cerebral Palsy in Malaga - they do such a great job. Swan the Border Collie came with me to help with the high need client's therapy. Many of their clients are non-verbal and for some it can be very difficult to engage them. There was one particular high need patient that made everyone very excited today. For the first time at the Centre, the staff heard her laugh. Animal therapy is amazing. Good deed #2 - engaged a very special group of people in a very positive way
After spending just over an hour at the Centre, I headed home and stopped off at a drive thru coffee shop. I was buzzing after interacting with the CP kids and had a great chat with the Barista. So, he did a good deed by giving me a free coffee for my good deeds :)
Gotta love Karma.
The day started quite early at the Trackwest grounds, as there was a Track and Search trial on. I walked the predetermined track at about 9:30am and at 12pm Drift the lovely weimeraner set off to find me. The Judge deliberately has the end of the trail near a road so the track layer can leave and easily go back to the 'hide' rather staying at the end of the track contemplating the universe for several hours. So, good deed #1 - I helped a dog get closer to her Track and Search title.
Once Drift had found me, I rushed off to the Centre for Cerebral Palsy in Malaga - they do such a great job. Swan the Border Collie came with me to help with the high need client's therapy. Many of their clients are non-verbal and for some it can be very difficult to engage them. There was one particular high need patient that made everyone very excited today. For the first time at the Centre, the staff heard her laugh. Animal therapy is amazing. Good deed #2 - engaged a very special group of people in a very positive way
After spending just over an hour at the Centre, I headed home and stopped off at a drive thru coffee shop. I was buzzing after interacting with the CP kids and had a great chat with the Barista. So, he did a good deed by giving me a free coffee for my good deeds :)
Gotta love Karma.
Saturday, 13 August 2011
A big decision...
In the last fortnight, I've made a big decision to retrain Joc's contacts. For the uninitiated, a dog must touch both the up and down contact on the see-saw. dog walk and A frame. In the video, you will see the contact area painted white. If a dog leaps off the obstacle without touching the contact area, that is regarded as a fault.
I was doing running contacts with him with mixed results - mainly due to my sloppy training. When I say mainly, I actually mean entirely. Even with poor contacts we somehow managed to pass novice into excellent and when we got it right we did get some good results, but we would blow a course more often than not. While running contacts are faster on an agility course, they take much longer to train than the old "two on two off" (TOTO) position. I've decided that sacrificing a few seconds using TOTO is better than continuing to muddle along with my existing poor contacts and getting a DQ.
Before I made the big decision, I thought I would spend more time on his running contacts. I thought it was going fairly well at home, he was hitting the white contact a little higher than I would like, but it was acceptable. Then I went to the dog club, and his contacts were rubbish, despite all of the extra work I'd put in! We need to remember the necessity of proofing behaviours in different locations and scenarios, but I was hoping for something better than leaping off the top of the A frame.
So below you will find the retraining of Joc's contacts. I started the TOTO training last week and at the first session at the dog club, his contacts were looking much more promising, he was getting into the correct position consistently.
Then for a bit of fun with Buddy the Chihuahua and Gunny the Bengal.
I was doing running contacts with him with mixed results - mainly due to my sloppy training. When I say mainly, I actually mean entirely. Even with poor contacts we somehow managed to pass novice into excellent and when we got it right we did get some good results, but we would blow a course more often than not. While running contacts are faster on an agility course, they take much longer to train than the old "two on two off" (TOTO) position. I've decided that sacrificing a few seconds using TOTO is better than continuing to muddle along with my existing poor contacts and getting a DQ.
Before I made the big decision, I thought I would spend more time on his running contacts. I thought it was going fairly well at home, he was hitting the white contact a little higher than I would like, but it was acceptable. Then I went to the dog club, and his contacts were rubbish, despite all of the extra work I'd put in! We need to remember the necessity of proofing behaviours in different locations and scenarios, but I was hoping for something better than leaping off the top of the A frame.
So below you will find the retraining of Joc's contacts. I started the TOTO training last week and at the first session at the dog club, his contacts were looking much more promising, he was getting into the correct position consistently.
Then for a bit of fun with Buddy the Chihuahua and Gunny the Bengal.
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Animal Actors
Animals in film can be quite a interesting challenge. I have three roles within this month alone, not bad considering how small the film and tv industry is in Perth! When choosing animals in film, temperment is of most importance. It is a very stressful situation for critters, so each individual needs to have very good coping skills and be great with a whole variety of people.
Film and TV 1.
Today, Gunny (Mr Cat Fantastic) was shot as part of a television commercial (TVC) for our local Ikea store. My Bengal cat continues to amaze me, he couldn't have given me more if he tried. The director asked 'can he do this and that,' 'we'll give it a go' was my reply! We went on and over and through different pieces of furniture over and over again. How many cats can do that on short notice and off their turf?
This was a very short notice TVC. I was contacted on Wednesday, Gunny was approved by Friday and filmed on Sunday. Thankfully The Guz has a good skill set already in place.
Film and TV 2.
I am also producing my own short film, if nothing else it should be lots of fun. I wrote the script specifically to star a bunch of dogs. Six dogs and their owners are coming to my Movie Star class to train to the script and in six weeks, we shall film a short comedy.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the end product, I have a really good bunch of dogs and owners and I have a fabulous director on board, who (thankfully) is as mad as myself to take on this project! Never work with children or animals! Watch this space!
Film and TV 3.
Number three production is a student film, that will star Buddy the chihuahua. You may remember Buddy from TVCs such as Lotterywest Super Sleuth TVC. This one will be filmed at the end of the month.
I'm keeping fairly busy!
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| Gunny and Buddy lap sharing |
Film and TV 1.
Today, Gunny (Mr Cat Fantastic) was shot as part of a television commercial (TVC) for our local Ikea store. My Bengal cat continues to amaze me, he couldn't have given me more if he tried. The director asked 'can he do this and that,' 'we'll give it a go' was my reply! We went on and over and through different pieces of furniture over and over again. How many cats can do that on short notice and off their turf?
This was a very short notice TVC. I was contacted on Wednesday, Gunny was approved by Friday and filmed on Sunday. Thankfully The Guz has a good skill set already in place.
Film and TV 2.
I am also producing my own short film, if nothing else it should be lots of fun. I wrote the script specifically to star a bunch of dogs. Six dogs and their owners are coming to my Movie Star class to train to the script and in six weeks, we shall film a short comedy.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the end product, I have a really good bunch of dogs and owners and I have a fabulous director on board, who (thankfully) is as mad as myself to take on this project! Never work with children or animals! Watch this space!
Film and TV 3.
Number three production is a student film, that will star Buddy the chihuahua. You may remember Buddy from TVCs such as Lotterywest Super Sleuth TVC. This one will be filmed at the end of the month.
I'm keeping fairly busy!
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
A new Tracking Dog!
Today has been quite successful. We all got up in the dark to head up to the Gnangara Pine Plantation for a tracking competition, it has already been one year that I have been involved in Trackwest. Maybe that was my good omen for the day.
When the sun decided to peek from the horizon, it was a stunning clear day. Could not have asked for a better day to attempt Blake's track 3! A dog must pass tracks 1, 2 and 3 to be deemed a Tracking Dog (TD), then tracks 4, 5 and 6 to be a Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX), and finally the enormous track 7 to receive their championship. As you get further on, the tracks become more challenging.
For my track today, there was three corners and two articles (socks that the track layer had delibrately dropped). A track layer (unknown to Blake) walked the predetermined circuit and hid about 45min before we set off looking for her.
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He started well and headed off in the right direction, then he dithered a little and didn't commit to the scent straight away. However, we were soon heading up the first leg - which was huge! A T3 is 800 metres long and I'm sure that most of that was on the first leg. We then came to the first corner and he mucked about. He overshot the corner, he told me that he'd lost the scent and then started arcing around trying to find the scent again. Unfortunately, this section was a bit scrubby and Blake did a great job of tangling me up in dead branches, grass trees and tree trunks.
He found the scent again and decided he didn't want to commit, so arced back towards me, in doing so he spotted the Judge, the steward and Jason. Of course that meant they needed a big bull terrier bum wag and wide grin. However, he indicated the track again and off we went.
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He found the first sock and told me it was there very nicely, so he got a little game of tug with it. We continued down the track towards a fallen tree, which he jumped over, then told me the track wasn't there. Of course, in doing so he tangled the lead in the tree trunk. Once untangled, I cast him around me and he picked up that the 'lost' person headed down to the right. The next article (sock) was not too far from that corner, which he indicated beautifully again. When you are on an unflagged track, those socks are such a welcome sight!
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The third corner he went right around to the left with no concerns - perfect! By this stage I could see that he was getting a little foamy around the gums and he'd need a drink soon, I chose not to stop him as he was really powering, he knew he was close to the end.
By this stage, I had forgotten how many corners we'd done, I thought we needed to go a little further and there was a fence right in front of us - either a left or a right hand turn. But wait! Blake's hips and tail are going, he'd found the tracklayer! She was tucked in behind a bush on the right. What a good boy!
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Tracking gradings go as follows: fail, pass, good, very good and excellent. Blake was graded 'very good' for this track. He has now completed 1, 2 and 3, and the paperwork for his title is ready to be posted,
Blake TD - I like the sound of that!
When the sun decided to peek from the horizon, it was a stunning clear day. Could not have asked for a better day to attempt Blake's track 3! A dog must pass tracks 1, 2 and 3 to be deemed a Tracking Dog (TD), then tracks 4, 5 and 6 to be a Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX), and finally the enormous track 7 to receive their championship. As you get further on, the tracks become more challenging.
For my track today, there was three corners and two articles (socks that the track layer had delibrately dropped). A track layer (unknown to Blake) walked the predetermined circuit and hid about 45min before we set off looking for her.
My Judge giving me a quick chat about the track, Blake is raring to go!
He started well and headed off in the right direction, then he dithered a little and didn't commit to the scent straight away. However, we were soon heading up the first leg - which was huge! A T3 is 800 metres long and I'm sure that most of that was on the first leg. We then came to the first corner and he mucked about. He overshot the corner, he told me that he'd lost the scent and then started arcing around trying to find the scent again. Unfortunately, this section was a bit scrubby and Blake did a great job of tangling me up in dead branches, grass trees and tree trunks.
He found the scent again and decided he didn't want to commit, so arced back towards me, in doing so he spotted the Judge, the steward and Jason. Of course that meant they needed a big bull terrier bum wag and wide grin. However, he indicated the track again and off we went.
Blake circling back so his adoring public can admire him.
The third corner he went right around to the left with no concerns - perfect! By this stage I could see that he was getting a little foamy around the gums and he'd need a drink soon, I chose not to stop him as he was really powering, he knew he was close to the end.
By this stage, I had forgotten how many corners we'd done, I thought we needed to go a little further and there was a fence right in front of us - either a left or a right hand turn. But wait! Blake's hips and tail are going, he'd found the tracklayer! She was tucked in behind a bush on the right. What a good boy!
Blake TD - I like the sound of that!
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