Month: December 2015

Learning to “Speak”

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It may not seem like the most obvious command you would want to teach your pet. However, being able to “Speak” on cue is one of the most commonly requested skills that PetLondon Models are asked to perform on film sets.

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When dealing with a dog, by the term “Speak” this would mean a Bark, Whine or Howl that you could ask him or her to do at a given moment. You can imagine the uses for this in for example a television commercial or a feature film.

In this short article we are going to give you the basics if you would like to give this a try at home. Please remember that as with all new skills, it takes plenty of patience and practise before it will be perfect.

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  1. Find what cue it is that makes your own dog bark at you. It may be that its a knock on the door, a phone ringing, holding their favourite toy in front of them etc.
  2. Reward and click the clicker when they bark
  3. If the cue is something not portable then find a way to mimic the cue. An example here, would be, if its a knock at the door, knock on a table or book, something that can easily be done anywhere…
  4. Every time he/she does bark when this cue happens reward your dog both verbally with praise and excitement and depending on your animals age and dietary requirements then with a treat (beware of overfeeding and use healthy snacks in moderation). You can also simultaneously use a clicker and click each time it happens just before the reward is given
  5. Repeat the cue-and reward for a bark-at least 20 times
  6. Say to your dog the word “Speak” every time, just as the cue is happening and just before they start to bark
  7. Do not click or treat for any barking other than in response to the cue
  8. If barking occurs at other times or in error, turn your body away and ignore the dog to make it clear this type of barking will not be rewarded

Its as simple as that! Happy Practising

River Island Shoot

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River Island contacted PetLondon Models searching for some fresh faced furry talent this winter to promote their new collection online. With some specific breeds in mind, three gorgeous pooches were selected.

First was Harper. Harper is a bright eyed, rare Blue French Bulldog with an infectious personality.  She has done a number of photo shoots and is very comfortable & calm in-front of the camera.  She will sit, lie down, stay and is happy to be put into positions and stay there.  Used to the antics of a busy set, she has great concentration & ability to focus on her handler. Her stunning coat colour is shown off to its full potential in front of the camera.

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The next talented dog selected was Afghan Hound, Iraida. Iraida is very well trained and used to being in front of the camera. She is calm and a pro at standing still or being around other dogs. For this particular shoot she enjoyed hanging out with some of the child models who were also in the scene with her.

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Last but not least, the very lovely West Highland Terrier, Poppy. She has an excellent temperament and loves attention. She also enjoyed playing with the kids on set and dressed up in her glamorous pink bow.poppy

All three did a fantastic job and had a great time. You can see some more of their work on the River Island website.

Pets Alone

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Three of our talented models recently took part in creating a viral video for Frontline. The brief was to recreate a scene from Home Alone but with a dog as the one left at home alone and a couple of “cat” burglars trying to break in over Christmas.

The casting process was tough and several animals were considered for the positions. In the end the lucky dog selected was Lottie, a crossbreed from Essex who has an impressive list of special skills.

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PetLondon Model Lottie

Cast alongside Lottie were siblings Birman Foxy and Maine CoonWolfie, two felines from Southend-on-Sea. This lovely duo often work together on set as they are both very talented and photogenic.

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PetLondon Models Foxie & Wolfie

The filming took place over a day and Lottie (aka “Kevin”) had to do some special practise rehearsals at home to get used to the actions required.

We were very excited to see the final video as the script sounded like a really fun storyboard and we are delighted to be able to share with you the results on here

 

Pug Love

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We have had a busy few weeks at PetLondon Models, as Christmas creeps closer and agencies look to pull on the nation’s heartstrings with an adorable animal or two! One exciting -not to mention adorable- project we have been keeping under wraps involved three of our pugs. Regularly in demand, we have some very beautiful and talented Pugs on our books so were able to put forward lots of options to the client who needed three Pugs to take part in a two day shoot.

The shoot was an opportunity to be a little more creative, so we needed some really big characters to take part! After some agonising decision making by the client, Gizmo, Peggy Sue and Bruce Willis were chosen. The three of them were eager to be involved and soon trotted across London to take part in a two day shoot.

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Gizmo was the star of the shoot as he landed the lead role, playing the bespectacled sidekick of a little boy in the lead up to Christmas. Seven year old Gabriel adored Gizmo, and the pair of them were inseparable for the whole two days on set- it was lovely to see their friendship blossoming!

“We had a blast, Gizmo loves the attention and dressing up so was right up his alley. Massive thank you to Adam who was amazing on both days, his hints and tips were a great help and most importantly how Gizmos well being was paramount to Adam and PetLondon which meant a lot to me.” Gizmo’s Owner Arti

It was the first time the three pugs had met each other so they had a little bit of time in the morning for a quick meet and greet (which also gave the cast time for some licks and cuddles). It didn’t take long for them to become firm friends, and they got to play together between shots.

The crew were very happy with the way the shoot went. Gizmo in particular was a real professional, as one of our most experienced Pugs he did exactly what was asked of him, the client commented ‘Gizmo was amazing’.

We are so excited to be able to share the final video with you all- take a look and let us know what you think!

As it was going to be one of our more challenging shoots, we sent along our expert animal trainer Adam to support the crew and models.

“It was a long couple of days but they all worked really hard and were a great team to work with. The crew went above and beyond to make the shoot look as good as possible- Gizmo and I particularly enjoyed the fake snow!” Adam our Animal Trainer

If you can’t get enough of Gizmo and his cheeky personality, we have an exclusive video showing some behind the scenes footage of what he got up to during the film shoot.

If you feel inspired by these pugs and this exciting shoot, you can learn a lot more about our PetLondon Modelling Agency here.

To Brush or Not To Brush?

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Yes, I know, in today’s busy world you probably barely have time to brush your own teeth so the thought of having to do your pets too might sound like a lot of work but seriously when you think about it….. It is just about 180 seconds of your day that could make a huge difference to the health and life span of your furry friend.

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Try to get into a routine where you brush your animals teeth in the evening after they have finished eating for the day. It’s a good idea to do it around the same time as you do your own nightly brush. That way you are more likely to remember. Keep your pets toothbrush in your bathroom where you will be likely to see it each night as a reminder.

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You can use a special pet toothbrush. There are lots of different kinds available to suit different types of dog or cat. The main choices are; finger toothbrush, tiny toothbrush or a dual headed brush that covers both at once. Then you need to select a pet toothpaste. Make sure you check the scent of this, meat flavoured ones might not lead to very pleasant breath! Its best to look for one that is minty or vanilla for sweeter puppy kisses.

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Brush your pets teeth just as you would your own. They don’t need to rinse . However make sure you carefully rinse out their brush under water each time you use it to avoid it getting stiff and also to keep it clean.

 

In an ideal world you would brush your pets teeth EVERY day but if you can manage even 3-4 times a week then you are doing better than most. For those of you who want another option, on nights when you cannot manage a full brush you can use a pet tooth wipe which is a 20 second quick solution that is better than doing nothing at all.

 

Once you start teeth brushing into your dog or cats routine you should notice a number of key benefits. Your dog or cat will have cleaner teeth and plaque will build up less quickly. This should mean better breath and less visits to the veterinarian for teeth cleaning over their lifetime. The teeth and gumline affect the whole health of your pet and most people are unaware that bad teeth can cause pain (which your pet cannot tell you about) and lead to other dangerous conditions such as heart problems.

 

Do your pet a favour and try to start today!