Mrok has hip dysplasia. We found it in a dog who runs, swims and shows nothing wrong. How is that possible, what dysplasia actually is, and what can be done before any pain appears, we describe through our own case, without scaring anyone and without pretending to be vets.

Do cooling mats work? Yes. Do they work the way most people think they do? Usually not. The difference matters more than many owners realise.

A small camera on Mrok's collar gave me the answer, and it turned out to be far more interesting than I expected: a window onto how a dog's brain decides, second by second, which sense gets priority.

I'm describing a few traits that show up in the Australian Cattle Dog in a form that is either unusual or simply more pronounced than in most dogs.

Jego układ nerwowy zarządza dostępem do zmysłów w sposób znacznie bardziej wyrafinowany, niż sugeruje intuicja.

Does a physically intense walk with lots of play – tiring the dog out – bring them to low arousal? Absolutely not - it actually pushes them even higher.

August 2010. Over a hundred metres down, in the dark water of Rombakken fjord - the wreck of a Polish destroyer that sank in three minutes.

He disappeared into the bushes and came back… transformed. Later I found out why - a dead beaver, and the smell that stayed with us for days. Turns out, that’s what happiness can look like to a dog.

Three days by a frozen lake. No agenda. Mrok figured it out first.

A flooded coal mine in Croatia. More than 200 metres of tunnel, almost no visibility, and rails disappearing into the darkness. This is the story of diving in Tupljak.

Precision and accuracy are two different things. You can shoot very tight groups in the wrong place - precise but inaccurate. You can also have impacts centered but widely spread - relatively accurate, but not precise.

Winter was something I had been missing for years. Not the calendar version - but the real one. Deep snow, biting frost, and that quiet, crystalline light that only mountains can hold. This trip to the Sudets felt less like a journey… and more like a return.

Is This for Everyone? Should every dog handler carry similar equipment? In our view, it depends on several factors: Do you know how to help your dog in case of an accident? What kind of terrain do you move through with your dog? How far are you from professional help?

Microspikes, strap-on crampons, semi-automatic crampons What should a non-expert wear in the mountains - not necessarily high ones?

And one note for everyone bringing a new puppy or kitten into a home where animals already live: Always — absolutely always — the resident animals come first. They need to feel and know that the newcomer isn’t taking away their resources, including you. 😊

It’s learning based on confirming to the dog that he did something right — without giving him verbal hints. To make things easier, we divided the behavior into small parts and rewarded every correct step.

When sharing adjustments with someone else, give them in MILs, not clicks — their turret scaling may differ. So the earlier example would be 0.5 R on a 500 m target, or 0.5 R / 0.1 D at 100 m.

How come — don’t talk? Such a tiny, fluffy creature surely needs our words, our comfort, our soft tone... “Oh you little one,” “what a good boy,” “look how nicely you eat” — and so on, always with the name at the end.

We escaped the rain and the wild mood of the Obra River and drove onto Rügen.An ancient beech forest, giant ferns, turquoise water, white cliffs, and the relaxed atmosphere of a surfers’ camp.

The Obra River, wild and unregulated, winds through the forest, its banks heavy with overhanging vegetation.