Author Archive
February 2012 – Karen Phillips
There is still an opportunity to garden in the hottest month of the year. There is always a cool spot under a tree, around a pond or in the evening that benefits from some extra attention. Enjoy this time of the year. A little work now will result in a productive and great garden throughout […]
Teaching dogs to love a ‘pet-icure’ – Karen Phillips
A popular question on the Better Pets and Gardens Facebook page last month was how to deal with dogs that don’t like having their nails trimmed. This is a perfect example of dogs forming a negative association with something after having an unpleasant experience. How you deal with things that your dog doesn’t like can […]
Training Games for Cassie – Karen Phillips
As cute as my new puppy Cassie is and as much as I want to spoil her rotten, it’s important that I’m not complacent by allowing undesirable behaviours to develop. Behaviours that may seem fine in a puppy can become real problems in an adult. Now is the perfect time to be working on some […]
Meet Cassie the Papillon – Karen Phillips
November saw the arrival of a new furry addition to my family. Not a border collie this time but a papillon puppy called Cassie. I’ve wanted to train a small breed of dog in agility for many years so when little Cassie became available I knew she was meant for me. Bringing a new puppy […]
December Gardening – Sue McDougall
What a fantastic spring for the garden! With the absence of extremely warm weather through spring WA gardens are looking fantastic. Aside from lots of aphids, the roses are brilliant, the lawns are bright green and citrus are full of fruit. Western Australian soils become water repellent very quickly so to keep these plants looking […]
November 2011 – Sue McDougall
What an amazing October! Soaking rains and only a few hot days has resulted in some glorious spring gardens. The roses are brilliant this year – not to mention the size if the aphids as well. The ladybirds are certainly lagging behind this spring. One ladybird, in its lifetime will munch its way through up […]
October 2011 – Sue McDougall
October is the month of gorgeous spring days. It is time to enjoy the garden. All the hard work that has gone into it has paid off, the garden is abundant with flowers and the bees, butterflies and birds are all happy. What to do Looking for a plant suitable for a hanging basket that […]
It’s Still Yer Choice – Karen Phillips
Last month I introduced you to a great game called “ItsYerChoice” developed by Susan Garrett*. This month we are going to move on to the next stage of the game. Hopefully by now your dog has gotten the idea that by showing self-control when the treats are in your hand that he earns reinforcement from […]
It’s Your Choice – Karen Phillips
One of my favourite dog training games is called “ItsYerChoice”. This game was created by my favourite dog trainer, a lady by the name of Susan Garrett*. ItsYerChoice is essentially a game about creating self-control in your dog. When you see people out with their dogs, whether down the park or at dog training classes, […]
September 2011 – Sue McDougall
September is the month to get planting and improve the soil in the vegetable patch. Sandy soils need lots of organic matter and soil improver added to make rich soil suited to growing vegetables. After that, all the hard work is done. You can then get down and dirty on your hands and knees planting. […]
