TRAINING DAY — Four&Sons
Art&Culture, Community, Design

TRAINING DAY

Illustrated advice to keep pups—and humans—on good behaviour all year long.

s READ MORE
CLOSE

TRAINING DAY

Puppy school is all well and good, but Lithuanian graphic designer Diana Molyté thinks education starts with the human. In 12 postcards, she offers a year’s worth of useful advice and clever dog-rearing tricks, each charmingly illustrated using various textures in collage-like form.

Molyté’s family run a Rhodesian ridgeback kennel and her chats with soon-to-be puppy owners revealed a common misconception: that purebreds inherently come with an expected shopping list of traits (Labradors are friendly, poodles are smart, etc.). This got her thinking about training for people rather than pups. “For all the best character qualities to shine, every dog (purebred or not) should get a lot of care, attention and be properly socialised,” she says.

Painting each scenario from a hound’s-eye-view, Molyté explains how our own behaviours might skew our dogs’ assumptions, and how to avoid some classic miscommunication. “Dogs are very perceptive: over time they learn to anticipate our actions. But we humans are confusing creatures, acting differently depending on various circumstances,” she says.

In each of her lessons, the key is consistency – whether you’re teaching your dog its new name or how to keep it together when you get home. “I love when people recognise themselves and their pups in these illustrations,” she says. “They flip a postcard, smile and say, ‘I wish we knew that when we brought Max/Bella/Luna home.’ Then they start sharing their own funny stories.”


All artwork courtesy of Diana Molyté
@diamol

CLOSE

PACK OF DOGS

Have you ever imagined Amy Winehouse or Nick Cave as a Chihuahua, Neil Young as a Vizsla, or PJ Harvey as an Afghan hound? That’s exactly what San Francisco-based artist Michael Gillette has done through his unique illustration project, blending beloved, iconic music legends, both past and present, with their dog counterparts. Pack of Dogs, our first foray into book publishing, is a celebration of pup and pop culture for music and dog lovers alike.

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Spanish photographer Sara Monsalve strives to ‘capture your memories’—to immortalise the beauty, innocence and wisdom of our pets.

JUMP FOR JOY

Photographer Rebecca Rinaldi knows that to capture a dog’s true essence, play is the key ingredient.

PLAY DATE

An antidote to mass-produced dog accessories, MiaCara’s range of carefully crafted toys are designed to surprise, endure and delight.

POODLE ELITE

Jouk Oosterhof photographs Amsterdam’s beloved family members (with a dash of lifestyle accessory).

TEAM EFFORT

What started as a fundraising effort to save photographer Kristoffer Paulsen’s beloved dog Josie, morphed into Melbourne’s most in-demand pet portraits.

Loading...
Loading more posts...