You know you're a dog person when...

This last weekend I got some time off and was able to go to a hot spring for a family reunion. My first reaction to the idea?
Dread, worry, stress.
You might be wondering why?  Honestly it just makes me uncomfortable to leave my dogs. I tell that to some people and they just stare because they don't understand.

It kind of got me thinking  what other situations are unique to dog people.

For example:

You know you're a dog person when you worry more about your dog's diet than you own. Extra points if you are willing to spend more on healthy food for them while you are eating PB&J sandwiches.

You know you're a dog person when you leave somewhere early because it's time to feed your dog.

You know you're a dog person when you no longer notice dog hair on your clothes.

You know you're a dog person when your time off is filled with dog related activities. Extra points if you do dog sports that require travel and using vacation time.

You know you're a dog person when it starts to affect your decor.

You know you're a dog person when you spend all your money on things for your dogs.

You know you're a dog person when talking about anal glands and poop consistency are totally normal and not gross topics.

You know you're a dog person when you are more likely to shop at a store if your dog can come too. Thank you Home Depot, Lowe's, Sportsman's Wearhoue, Cabella's, and of course pet stores.

You know you're a dog person when you actually know what a bully stick is.

Not that kind of bully.

You know you're a dog person when you not only know there are different kinds of dog training, but you have read up and studied them to find out what works best for you.

You know you're a dog person when your idea of hanging out with friends includes getting together and training dogs.

Bottles and Dogs.

Work has been busy this week  with everyone leaving going out of town for  spring break Combined with the fact that because we are so busy we are not allowed to bring our dogs to work. So what the means is I come home exhausted to two bored and under stimulated dogs. Sadie for the most part is a piece of cake and will adjust her energy level to whatever the people are doing. Feel sick and want to sleep for three days? Sadie will snuggle with you as long as you let her out for bathroom breaks and feed her. Want to go on a hike for a few hours? Sadie will race around and play like there is no tomorrow like I said she is amazing.

As for Simon.

Well Simon is a 1 year old husky who is used to getting a lot of exercise and mental stimulation. He is also prone to being very vocal when bored. Now that being said he is pretty good doesn't destroy the house. But he will chirp and whine and try to get anyone to play with him or take him somewhere.

I was way too tired to entertain him so I decided to make dinner enriching and fun. I stuck the food into some empty gatorade bottles and let them bat those around. I figured that would make dinner a lot more . I watched them push them around for about 15 minutes and both dogs seamed to really enjoy playing with them. I went to go get something to eat and when I came back I noticed Sadie had chewed the top off her bottle. There were still about three pieces stuck in the bottom so I took it away from her and helped her get the last pieces of food out for her. Simon had managed to get all of the food out of his without destroying the bottle. It struck me as a good example of how different my two dogs are.  Sadie couldn't get something so she ripped it open. If  Simon had had an issue he would have either given up brought it to me or let Sadie open it for him or found something more fun to do.

Over all the idea worked up pretty good and it was a free puzzle toy that both dogs enjoyed. I plan to do it again but I will only do this when I can keep an eye on them to make sure Sadie doesn't accidentally eat any of the bottle.

Simon got his CGC

I am so happy and kind of surprised to announce that Simon got his Canie Good Citizen (CGC) title last Wednesday. It makes me smile every time I think about it. My little guy just makes me so happy. My little Simon Monster.

We had been working really hard on the skills needed for the CGC for the past few weeks and he has been doing a pretty good job.  However due to poor weather conditions and not a lot of free time this has mostly been done in my house with a fair amount of treats. This is not a good set up for a test that is out in public with strange people, dogs where you are not allowed to use treats.  Also work has been super busy with spring break so Simon has had to stay home and he has a huge case of jungle fever. He is hyper and overly excited about everything since he is getting less exercise and mental stimulation than normal. 

I also help the local obedience club put on the test so there is extra stress for me. To say I was frazzled and nervous would be an understatement. I decide to take Simon outside away from all the people and dogs so we can practice a bit and get on the same page. He wanted nothing to do with it and just wanted to run and chase the ducks.

Simon: WOOOOOOOOOOO! I got to go somewhere and do stuff this is great. Let's run and play and explore!

Me: We need to work on heeling and downs and stays.

Simon: New grass! New tree! DUCKS!

Me: SIMON!

Simon: What?

I was just making myself more stressed and upset. Simon wasn't playing attention and if he was all he would see is stress. I decided to take a break to change how Simon and I were acting and feeling. I took a moment to relax and enjoy the nice weather. Then I decided to play a little "tag" with Simon. It consists of me pushing him a little on the shoulder and then running off. He will chase after me and when he gets close I "tag" him again and run off on an other direction. Simon loves this game and I think it's a lot of fun. At the end we were both smiling and we ended up singing with each other. I then worked on some heeling and he did it and even was checking in with me.

However I couldn't get him to do a practice down. I don't know if he was just too excited or just didn't want to for some reason but if he wouldn't do it in the ring we were going to fail.

It was finally our turn we had decided to do the easiest part of the test first which is just being friendly to a stranger and letting them touch him with a brush and look in his ears and at his teeth. For some dogs that is pretty stressful but Simon has no issues with strangers. After that we were in the ring for the obedience portion. I was very happy with how Simon acted. He kept his attention on me and had lot of very good eye contact. Even with all the distractions his stays and recalls looked amazing he he seemed to enjoy working with me. I left the ring and felt super pumped up and happy.

The last part I was kind of dreading. It was the supervised separation and when Simon took the test as a 6 month old puppy it was the part he totally failed.  The dog is left with a stranger for three minutes while the owners are out of sight. It doesn't matter if the dog walks around but they have to not freak out about it. Last time Simon did it he screamed so much that after just a little bit they came and got us. I was really hoping that wouldn't happen this time. Most people just go around the corner but I was so nervous that I took Sadie and left the building. Three minutes seemed to take forever but I was so happy when I heard that he had passed. We went outside and ran around and howled to celebrate.

Simon I am so proud of you way to go.

Week two obedience class.

Week two update.

Sadie really impressed me this week. During the winter Sadie is pretty much a slug; staying inside and napping.  Over the last year most of the focus was on raising Simon and exposing him to as much as we could to help him grow into a well rounded adult. Because of this, Sadie spent a lot of time hanging out with Nik while Simon and I went out and experienced as much as we could. 

With us slacking on her training I expected it to take a little work to get her back into step with training. She has gotten back into so fast and is doing a great job staying focused on Nik while other dogs misbehave around her. The chicken we are using for treats really help her. She is also doing really well socializing with other dogs at daycare and at the dog park her reactions have been spot on and I am so happy with her. The downside for the week and why I don't have any pictures of her is that Nik has been really sick and he wasn't able to make it to class on Wednesday. But they have been working together at home and she is doing great and she seems to be having a lot of fun.

On to the Simon monster. On Wednesday my day really went to the dogs. I took them to the dog park and then took Simon on a super long walk. After the walk we took a quick nap and then headed out to dog class. At class we worked on 'fronts' and heeling. Simon is doing really well with heeling but his fronts are a little crocked so that is something we need to work on.  He is also getting better at not jumping on people at class.  I intentionally stayed near the dogs that were barking and misbehaving to make it harder for him and he did really well. We hung out for the next basic class and worked on relaxing while other dogs were excited close by. 

Over all it has been a good week for training and the dogs I am so happy I have two wonderful amazing dogs in my life and I wouldn't trade them for the world. 

Summer fun in difficult times.

Maya is getting along fantastically with Simon and Sadie. Simon and Maya will be starting obedience class soon. The three of them love to romp around and play in the backyard.

Sadie laughing and soaking up the sun.

This had been a difficult while I have been sick and getting worse for a few weeks. 

Pibbles have fantastic smiles.

 It has been really hard to have the energy for work and life and the dogs while I am feel weak and in pain.

Maya is all grown up.

Thankfully I am lucky to have lots of family close by that are very helpful and the dogs have been happy to play with each other. 

Maya mid bark.

 They have also be fantastic and keeping me company sleeping on the bed or on the couch.

Pretty girl hanging in the yard.

 I am doing everything I can to be healthy soon as well as not letting sickness get in my way. 

And we are off to the races.

I have spend a few afternoons sitting outside in the sun watching the dogs play. 

Simon and Maya love a good game a chase.

These are some pictures from one recent afternoon doing just that. 

Simon also loves playing in the water of the pool.