calvin and hobbes

Funny Dog Comics: Baby Talk Corporate Meeting

I alway s love when Doug addresses his stuffed animals. Playing around with an idea for a chapter in the upcoming graphic novels to take this to another level.

In case you wondering what the difference will be between the comic strip and the upcoming graphic novels, think of it as an old school TV show versus a Marvel Movie. Not that I don’t like the comic strip, far from it. It’s just that the old newpaper format to limiting. The comic strip is a spring board for the graphic novels.

For example, take the foster dog strips. I loved writing them because they were funny and sad. With four panels you had to get to the point and strip away anything that was filler. Now, that’s not to say expanding into a graphic novel means you’re going to stuff the pages with superfulous gags and such. Far from it. I’m taking the streamlied essence of the strips, the heart of the story if you will, and exploring in a much larger world.

One of the themes of the foster dog strips is that every dog has a purpouse. I expanded on that theme in book one with an epic space adventure where the cats help the foster dog find a home by blasting him into space. All because Sophie didn’t specify which planet to find the home on. So I get to use the same theme excpet now, the foster dog gets to go on a longer journey to find that purpose. And I get to draw space ships and a cosmic muffin (wait and you’ll see).

Funny Dog Jokes: The Sad Side of Fostering Dogs

The downside to fostering dogs is that it’s awalys hard to see them go. No matter how many dogs you have plodding through the house, you get attached. The plus side is that they go to great, loving homes.

Jack and his siblings will be returning in the upcoming graphic novels. This time, they get to go on a Monty Python inspired dragon hunt with Sophie. You can read a preview of that chapter at Pibble Productions.

Funny Dog Comics: Michael Bay Directs Baby Movie

Ya, I said it. I love Michael Bay movies. Especially the Transformers series. I always thought it would be funny if I had different directors direct the strip. Obviously I’ve kind of done that with Tim Burton.

I think I’ll try to work this idea into the graphic novels. It’ll have to be in book three, as I’m wrapping up book two right now. Stay tuned, I’ll be sharing a lot more soon.

Free Funny Dog Comics: 5 Simple Tips for Crate Training Your Dog

We never crate trained any of our dogs or fosters. We did have crates out, mostly for dogs that wanted a comfy, safe place to chill. We use customizable pens. They come in super handy for keeping dogs separated or keeping certain parts of the house off limits.

Of course we have an advantage in that we work from home so we didn’t have a need to crate train. And crate training can be a good foundation for more advanced training and also helping anxious dogs feel more comfortable. A pack structure fixes a lot of dog behavior issues.

In case you are planning on adding a dog to the family and plan on crate training, here are some simple tips that may help:

  • Cover the crate with a blanket to make it more den-like and comfortable.

  • Put the crate in a quiet area of the house where your dog won't be disturbed.

  • Start by letting your dog stay in the crate for short periods of time, such as 15 minutes. Gradually increase the amount of time your dog spends in the crate each day.

  • If your dog starts to whine or bark, don't let them out of the crate right away. Wait until they are quiet before letting them out.

  • If your dog has an accident in the crate, don't punish them. Just clean it up and try again later.