Private Dog Training Experience in Singapore

When we brought Bella home at 3 months old, we really had no idea what we were in for.

We had issues with toilet training but that was minor, because she was smart and picked up toilet training quite fast, play biting, biting our wall corners and the most annoying habit of all was barking at us when we closed our room door and she was outside in her playpen. At that time Bella was too young to be allowed to run around the house unsupervised.

So we decided that we needed the help of a dog trainer. I had looked around the Internet and asked for recommendations from friends. It wasn't an easy decisions because it's pretty expensive. I then narrowed down my choice to Waggies and Happy Dog Training. Waggies got my attention because they had videos of the classes and the price was more pocket friendly. At that time it was about $650 for 10 group lessons. The videos showed how well the dogs responded to the obedience training, And it seemed pretty fun, until the part I saw where at the end of the training session, you had to perform all the tricks in front of the whole class, I guess like an exam to show that you passed the class. We're not much on being the centre of attention kind of people. Lame, I know. The other reason we were leaning towards Waggies was because, well, he was friends with the Dog Whisperer himself, Cesar Milan!

But in the end, we went with Happy Dog Training because the price for 1 on 1 training was much cheaper than Waggies and a friend of a friend had gone through it and said it helped. Since our issues were related to things at home, I felt that 1 on 1 training would be more beneficial. But on hindsight I really wished we had done the group lesson so that Bella could've gotten more dog socialisation. But for group lessons pricing, Waggies is still cheaper as they were 10 sessions of 1.5 hours each, whereas Happy Dog Training's lessons are only 1 hour each for 7 sessions at $500.

Before the first lesson started we were really excited, but my initial impression wasn't that great because the trainer was late at almost half an hour and never bothered to contact me. Our area is a little hard to find because it's a new place, so I would have understood if you got a bit lost. Another thing that I felt would have been good is if he didn't take up the first lesson to find out what are the issues we wanted to work on, instead would be good if he perhaps asked us to message him what our issues were so he could prepare lessons accordingly. So for the first lesson, perhaps due to our excitement, we sat excitedly hanging on to his every word, expanding our puppy knowledge. Nodding at everything he said and some things were real eye openers.

We have now finished all our 6 lessons. I can say the best thing about this trainer is his flexibility in lesson timings, if you need to postpone a lesson to another week or something he is okay with it. However, here is the less than pleasing things I found with this trainer: I didn't feel like he connected with our dog very well, I'm not even sure if he remembered her name...called her Buddy at one stage. Secondly, I was a little annoyed when one lesson, after we had missed and reshuffled some lessons, he said to us, where were we? Have I taught you this? To me, I felt like it was a little unprofessional and disorganised, shouldn't he take notes after each lesson and review each stage before he comes? I guess perhaps it's such a casual atmosphere for the 1 on 1 lessons that a lesson plan wasn't necessary as each lesson is to work on the problems we have at home. We spent a great deal each lesson talking and sometimes felt like one lesson only managed to deal with one issue.

Third thing I wasn't that happy about was that at times, we felt like he talked down on us and made us feel bad for not being a better pup parent. Perhaps trainers forget that normal people have a life and other things to do and can't spend hours on end training their dogs. Progress may be slower. It also felt like we didn't get to do some of the things that was listed on the website such as come to you when called off the leash, walk nice on leash without pulling, how to socialise your dog nicely, etc. Some things were only briefly touched on. Maybe 6 lessons just wasn't enough. On the last lesson, we went to his house where he also does Dog Boarding, so the pups in training are able to go there and socialise with the other dogs there. I was quite excited because we don't get to meet so many other dogs in one go. It was a n interesting experience to watch how Bella reacted to other dogs while off the leash. He had a big grassy backyard where the dogs can roam around freely anytime, but be warned because we got attacked by lots of bugs on our legs so we were itching like crazy. My only annoyance for this lesson was I felt like we pay $100 for this lesson and all we did was stand around for an hour watching Bella sniff other dogs, and other dogs sniff Bella. The purpose for the lesson was to watch the dog's body language....and I guess that's it?? Basically we're supposed to just go out and socialise Bella much much more (which is harder to do than it sounds) and put her in time out in her pen whenever she does something we don't like. That in itself is exhausting.

Though he has no doubt helped us on some issues, I don't think I can say that this was entirely worth the $600. First lesson yes, subsequently, no. And the more it dragged on the more I felt like I couldn't wait for the whole six sessions to be over. Maybe we just didn't have a connection, maybe others have, but this is just our experience and how we feel. I'm sure he's rehabilitated many many dogs and he's had many happy customers, but for me personally I think it was lacking great customer service, message replies are not very prompt or warm, eventhough there's a lifetime support, I'm doubtful that we'll get much support if we asked him questions now and I think it's important that he build a relationship with the dog and their owners. Just watch dog trainer Zak George on Youtube and you'll know what I mean https://www.youtube.com/user/zakgeorge21.

So if you're looking for a dog trainer, please think long and hard on what your needs are and what you are also looking for in the trainer themselves. Unfortunately we won't know what it's like until you've attended the first class but by that time it would be too late if you don't gel since you've already paid for all the lessons in full.

I would still love to sign Bella up for lessons at Waggies, but wish it was more affordable since we've already spent so much on her with the other trainer.

Rollie Olie Poke Bowl

A few weeks ago I went with my friend to Pasar Bella at Suntec for lunch and she had ordered a Poke Bowl from a stall named Rollie Olie. If you don't know, a Poke Bowl is a Hawaiian raw fish salad that's often served over seasoned sushi rice. It's basically like a Chirashi Don from Japan, where you have raw fish ie. Sashimi on top of seasoned sushi rice. As far as I can tell the difference in Poke Bowl and Chirashi Don is that Poke Bowl is more of a salad with more leaves and other ingredients instead of just raw fish. Really my type of food. It's so refreshing and appetising. On that day my friend had ordered the Yuzu Bliss Bowl.

Source: http://www.rollieolie.com/images/pdf%20files/RollieOlie_PasarBellaSuntec.pdf

She had ordered the Poke Bowl with Tea Infused Rice and I tell ya it was da bomb!! It was sooooo good. The tea infused rice is unlike anything I've ever had, it didn't give you a big hit of tea. On the first bite you taste the sushi rice vinegar seasoning, then the end note you get a subtle taste of tea (Early Grey I think?) and so you just want to keep going back to it. The Yuzu sauce was also on point. It was so fragrant and refreshing.

So today, I finally had the chance to go back to Pasar Bella and straight away I wanted to order a Poke Bowl for myself. I decided I should try a different flavour and chose the Seoul Surfer for $13.95. It had Salmon & Tuna, Lettuce, Carrots, Radish, Cucumber, Flying Fish Roe, Seaweed, Sesame Seeds & Spicy Korean Sauce.

Picture Perfect! 

You can see the flecks of tea on the rice.

This was such a yummy lunch!! And I would gladly come back and order another Poke Bowl again. In comparison to the Yuzu Bliss, I think I prefer the Yuzu Bliss because although I love spicy food, in this instance the Yuzu was just so fragrant and refreshing and just paired really well with the contents of the Poke Bowl. Two thumbs up!

Rollie Olie at Pasar Bella
3 Temasek Boulevard
Suntec City Mall, North Wing
PasarBella Suntec, #01-K42
Singapore 038983

The Bark Cafe

On one evening after bike riding at Pasir Ris park, we decided to have dinner at Changi Village. It was Sunday. Changi Village was packed. I was pretty disappointed because I had my heart set on eating some bbqed seafood like Gong Gong (sea snails) and Sambal Stingray 😢 In Singapore, where ever there is good food it will often mean no parking. So we drove around and around trying to figure out where to eat and hubby remembered a place his colleague had brought him to but he had no idea of the name, he just knew it was around the same area. So after driving around for a while, he pulls into a small little carpark just in front of the Changi Chapel & Museum. And right beside it was a little restaurant called The Bark Cafe. The carpark was quite full so I guessed the food must be good and they must have their own regulars because the cafe is kind of situated in the middle of no where.

I didn't take photos of the interior, you can google it and you'll find pictures. It is a casual cafe with choices of Western and Asian food. The cafe has a nice ambience, good music, and is semi al fresco, where you feel like you're sitting in someone's backyard having dinner. It is covered from rain and elements, but there are no walls, so everything is pretty airy and outdoorsy. But it wasn't hot either as there were lots of ceiling fans.

On the menu there were typical Western choices of fries, fried chicken wings, pizza, pasta and grills. On the Asian choices, there were things like mee goreng, hor fan, etc. On inspecting the menu, I was a little shocked at how pricey things were. Most mains on the menu averaged out between $17-$19 with the most expensive dishes at about $27 for ribs or steak! I'm more used to cafes that price their items at around $14-$15 for things like pasta and fish and chips.

So we decided to order the below food:

Fish and Chips $18.90, because Caelyn had a craving for it. It's probably one of the most expensive fish and chips we've ever had. But thankfully it was a big portion of fish, and it was tasty. The fish was huge and tasted fresh with no fishy smell and it was so moist. The batter was also light and non greasy and wasn't too thick, just nice. So thumbs up for that. The chips were delicious, I was surprised there were hints of truffles in the chips. I wasn't sure if it was meant to be truffle chips, or did they just put the chips in a container that had been used to prepare truffle fries which they have on their menu. The side salad was also a pleaser as it was nicely dressed in a Japanese sesame dressing. 

See how big the portion is compared to Caelyn? The chips didn't look much but was hidden underneath the fish.

We also ordered the Cheesy Hamburger with a homemade beef patty, topped with fried egg and bacon, $18.90. Again, it was a pretty big burger. Hubby couldn't fit the whole thing in his mouth so he ended up cutting it up with a knife and fork. I thought the burger tasted pretty good. The bread was nicely toasted, giving it a lovely crunchy contrast to the meat patty which I thought was quite juicy and flavoursome. The bacon was also nice and cruncy. However, can you see that cheese in my picture? It would've been good if the cheese had been melted over the patty rather than just simply an added topping to the burger. I've watched enough Food Network and AFC channels to know what constitutes a good burger. I'm not saying it was bad, but could be improved. It was nice that they also gave a side salad (dressing was same as the fish and chips one).

The next dish we ordered was the Black Pepper Smoked Duck $18.90 which came with mashed potato and side salad (same dressing as above). At first look, I really liked the presentation. The duck was sliced like an accordian and you can see the fat had been rendered. The skin wasn't exactly crispy but had a nice glaze to it. There was some kind of sweet sauce on the plate which made the duck taste better when you smeared the sauce on it. The mashed potatoes was nice, but a little stingy. A bit more and the plate would've looked fuller. The duck itself was okay. Hubby thought it was a little chewy, but I thought it was fine and how smoked duck was probably supposed to be. However I thought it had this slight funny taste, maybe slightly gamey. Usually when I eat duck cooked in Chinese way it doesn't taste gamey, so maybe it's the method of cooking or maybe I'm completely wrong and the funny taste was the glaze or something. The taste lingered so much that as soon as I got home I had to eat some ice cream to wash away the taste. Overall this dish was okay, but I wouldn't order it again. 

We also ordered a Diet Coke and a pint of Heineken and brace yourself, the bill came to $83.10 after tax and service charge! That to me is one expensive cafe dinner. Would I go back again....maybe...if someone asked me to go with them, but we as a family probably wouldn't intentionally just go there again to have dinner. Service was okay, not much warmth but they were quick to accommodate our needs.

What I disliked though is how the food came out all at different times. Fish and Chips came out first, then only about 10-15 minutes after the fish and chips did the burger come out, followed by the duck at another 10 minutes after that. If you are dining with family, I'd say it's ok to eat at different times, but if you were dining with friends, it's a little awkward if you had to eat first while your friend is waiting for their food. You could wait, but then your food would end up being cold and unpleasant.

The Bark Cafe
Address: 1000 Upper Changi Rd N, Singapore 507707

*this is an unsponsored review

Pressure Cooked Hard Boiled Eggs

Do you ever cook hard boiled eggs then when you go to peel it, the darn shell sticks to the eggs and you end up having like craters in your eggs! That ain't gonna work definitely when you need the egg looking all pretty for presentation purposes. So I read up on how to cook eggs in the pressure cooker, as scary as that sounded, I decided to give it a try. What's the worst that can happen (eggs blowing up!)?

To get the eggs to cook evenly, you would normally have to submerge the eggs in water. But with my Philips electric pressure cooker, you don't need to submerge them. In the pot of your pressure cooker, put a cloth on the bottom and put a steaming rack on top of the cloth. Then add about a cup of water. Arrange the eggs on top of the rack and close the lid. Set the knob to Seal and press the steam button, and set the keep pressure time to 6 minutes. Once it has finished cooking, you can let the pressure cooker release the pressure automatically. If you were doing this for a soft boiled egg, you would want to release the pressure manually so as not to over cook the eggs.

Once the floating valve has dropped, you can safely open the lid. Submerge the eggs in some cold water. This will help stop cooking the eggs as well as make it easier to handle. 

Once they're cool enough to handle, peel away!

I cooked about 25 eggs here and each and every one peeled off perfectly.

Here's a bit of tip, if you need the egg yolks to cook perfectly in the middle of the egg then you'll need to stand the eggs upright in the pressure cooker. You can use some old metal lids from bottles. But in my case for this instance, I was cooking the eggs for devilled eggs and I wanted to cook a whole bunch all at once, so there would have been no way I could have fitted that many eggs in the pot had I stood them up. But in not doing so, you can see in the picture that the egg yolks are on the sides of the eggs, so presentation wise not the best.

So this is what I made with all those eggs! Spider Devilled Eggs! Spiders were made by cutting pitted black olives and arranging them to look like spiders. Spooky? :)

Pressure Cooked Corn and Spam Rice

This is a really easy one pot dish that's popular with kids...unless of course your kids don't like corn or spam. But if they don't then you can substitute it with green peas and chopped ham or bacon. Sure you can cook this in a rice cooker, but it's so much faster in the pressure cooker.

First wash your rice as your normally would and add it to the pressure cooker pot and fill up with the right amount of water for your amount of rice. If you're using fresh corn off a cob, use a knife to cut off the kernels and add them to the pot with the rice. You can also use frozen corn. Now, get your can of spam and cut it into cubes and add it all to the pot. Add some salt and pepper and close the lid and turn the valve to Seal. For Philips Pressure Cooker, set it to the Rice mode and press start and that's it!

Once the cooker has finished keeping pressure, you can either manually release the pressure or wait for the pressure to be released automatically. I am usually very impatient, so will usually release the pressure manually with a long cooking spatula, and I will release it little by little, not in one shot.

After all the pressure is released, stir the rice, and if you want, you can add a dollop of butter to make it more rich, and taste to adjust the seasonings. You can take this recipe further and turn it into a baked rice. Spoon the rice into heat proof ramekins and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. A white sauce underneath the cheese is optional. Bake it in a hot oven until the cheese melts or you can place it under the grill/broiler to brown. If you have a Philips Air Fryer, you can also cook it in there.

If you don't like corn, feel free to substitute with any other vegetables such as frozen peas, capsicums, broccoli, etc.

Hope you try this recipe and let me know how it goes. Enjoy!