New Years Resolution: Battle of Achilles

Well today was interesting in terms of my back of the truck goal. As we were about to leave the park I took Achilles out by himself, on leash, to try and coax him into the truck with a piece of chicken. I had set the treat pocket thing on the tailgate on the other side of me. He would get half way up and then back down again. When he was backing down, he swiped the treat pocket. Normally I would just grab it back, but this is the 160lb Great Dane who swallows tennis balls whole. I really didn't want him to swallow the entire (full) treat pocket.

Resourceful thinking kicked in and I grabbed a cookie a client had given me earlier in the day from my dashboard. I broke up the cookie and put it on the ground and luckily Achilles chose the cookie and coughed up the treat pocket. 

After this small victory, Achilles was a little too excited to jump in the backseat and ended up catching his leg on something and falling back out which totally freaked him out. From there on it was like trying to tame a bucking bronco. Needless to say, today was not Achilles' day for the back of the truck.

On the other hand, Cooper was a rockstar and rode to and from the park in the back of the truck! He was not totally convinced about this idea, but he was a really good sport. I gave him treats every time we stopped and he didn't even charge when I opened the gate to let Miles in. Good boy, Coop!

New Years Resolution: Part 1: Party in the back

My New Years Resolution (Part 1, there will be more to come) is to teach all of my dogs

to ride in the back of the truck. I bought this truck two years ago today, and the whole reason for trading in my trusty 4Runner for a truck was to get have "human space" and "dog space". I dreamed of having a clean car where I could escape from the dog farts and mud while chauffeuring my beloved pups around town. One by one, I started making exceptions for dogs that were allowed to ride up front. Two years later, I am having to schedule my park trips around the available seats in the front seat of my truck, while the canopy area is nearly empty at times! The dogs have totally won this battle and it's time for me to make some changes.

Life in the 4Runner was good. It was a perfect way to start my business and build my pack and I wouldn't take it back at all. Being close to the dogs definitely had its benefits, I couldn't stand being with wet farting dogs for hours a day. The smell was seeping into my skin and I was coughing up dog hair like a cat with a hairball. Not literally, but I felt like it could have happened any day...  If this business was going to continue, something had to change.

The day I decided to start looking for a truck, my dream truck popped up on Craig's List. It was meant to be, and with the help of the wonderful people at Barrier Audi, I was driving home my Toyota Tundra that very same day. I don't know about you, but when I get a new car, I make all sorts of resolutions to myself... I'll never eat in the car, I'll take off my shoes before getting in, yeah right.... Well my one resolution with this truck was NO DOGS IN THE FRONT.

I think it took me less than a week to go back on my dog free front seat resolution. There are many good reasons for putting dogs up front; new puppies need to adjust to the routine, small dogs (frenchies) may get trampled or upset (see Harley's protest poop story), or sometimes I just can't physically get the dog in the truck. The first two will always be welcome in the front until they are comfortable moving to the back, which may never happen for the little guys and I am OK with that, it's the last category I'm talking about...  This is the main area I am focusing on with my current dogs. I know once you get a taste of first class it's hard to go back, but those guys in back get to party the whole way to and from the park. I need to convince certain dogs that they want to join the party, not be the teacher's pet.

My plan is to work with each of these dogs with an empty back of the truck and deep pockets of delicious dog treats. This is going to take some one on one time, outside of the park, what some refer to as "free time", but it is going to be worth it in the long run. I think with the right amount of dedication, you can train a dog to do just about anything (at least jump in a truck), so I am dedicating myself to helping these dogs get over their fears and join the party in back. Check back to hear about my progress. I am counting on you guys to hold me to this!

Tricks of the trade: follow the leader

Some of my avid readers (if such thing exists) may recall a blog I wrote months ago about when a puppy reaches the teenage phase. If you haven't, you can read the blog here, but this pretty much sums it up:

It’s that moment when the “teenager” stops a few paces short of the gate and stares at me that I realize he’s grown up. He realizes that he actually has a choice whether he follows me or not. It’s when he actually considers the fact that there might be better things in the world than the scraps of treat left in my coat pocket.

Sound familiar? Have you ever found yourself standing at the front of the dog park, ready to leave, hopelessly calling your dog who is essentially giving you the middle finger while running victory laps around the park? Have you yelled "Ok, Bye Fido, see you later...." hoping for a response? Well I have a little secret for you... they're on to you! They know your routine and they know it's time to go and they don't want to!

I've been very fortunate to have had so many puppy clients and been able to help raise and train them. Inevitably, puppies will turn into defiant teenagers, and well trained adult dogs will have a stubborn streak. It's all a part of the fun! I'm sure you can imagine what a mess it would be if all 8 of my dogs protested leaving the park at once (it's happened), so I have a few tricks to avoid this debacle that you can use on your own pup.

Always keep them guessing. I never walk in the direction at the park. Some days I walk straight to the water then come back to water bowls in front, then to the big field, then to the side field, then out the gate. Sometimes we go to the side field first, then the water, then the side field again, then the big field then the gate. You get the picture... I don't have an order of the way we walk the park, that way, just because we are playing close to the gate to leave, doesn't mean we are leaving. When I decide it's time to leave, I can start leashing up some of the ones who I know will protest, and then start walking to the gate with the rest.

Check in. I always like to work on recall with my dogs, even the older well trained ones, just to have them check in with me and know that I'm watching them. I often call them over and have them sit and wait for a treat. I pet them, touch their collars, and hold on to them just to get them used to it. This way, when I want to put them on leash, they aren't expecting it and are less likely to put up a fight (not literal fight, stubborn fight).

After party. When the dogs get to the gate and are ready to leave, I give them a treat (not everyone, just the ones who are new to the routine or having a hard time remembering why I am so convincing) and lots of over-the-top cheerleading praise. Leaving the park is just as much fun as going to the park, RIGHT!??!

Leash 'em up. If you have any doubt that you are going to be able to get your pup out of the park incident-free, just leash 'em up. Once they experience the thrill of the chase and the anger in your face, there is no going back, they will want to make it a regular thing. Once you've had enough successful exits and cheerleader praise, and you feel that you trust him a little bit more, you can try and get closer and closer to the gate before you put the leash on.

Some dogs this is never a problem for and some dogs this is such a problem that their owners never take them to the dog park and never let them off leash. That's no way for a city dog to live, in my opinion! I hope this helps! Remember, you always win! 

What to do if you find a lost dog at the dog park

There was an incident at the park (Magnuson Off-Leash Park) today I wanted to share with everyone so that hopefully it will be handled differently in the future. Please feel free to share with anyone you know who frequents the park. This afternoon, a dogwalker came in with her pack of dogs and was picking up after them while they meandered around the grassy hill by the small dog park. Minutes go by and she realizes one of her dogs is missing. He obviously couldn't have gone far in the couple minutes it took her to pick up some poop. She walks around the park looking for the dog and asking all the other dogwalkers if they had seen the dog. While she is looking for the dog she comes across someone who says they had just talked to a woman who found a dog and called all the numbers on his tags and since nobody responded she was going to take the dog back to her daycare. She didn't ask any other dogwalkers if they knew of the dog or anyone missing a dog, she just left with the dog that was not hers. This should have never happened.

One of the best things about Magnuson park is the community of dogwalkers. For the most part, we all know each other and know each others dogs. If there is ever a dog missing, most likely one of us will either recognize the dog and know who it belongs to, or start spreading the word to all the other walkers to keep an eye out. I have told a dogwalker down at the water that I was looking for a dog, and somehow the next 4 dogwalkers I passed on the way back up to the field asked if I had found the dog yet. How did they know already? I don't know, but between passing one other, calling and texting we can play a pretty damn efficient game of telephone when we need to.

A note about "lost" dogs. When they're at the dog park, they usually aren't lost. It's easy for dogs to get turned around with all the excitement going on and then all of a sudden they don't know which direction their human went. One second they are walking with you, the next someone drops a treat they have to investigate, then a squeaky ball conveniently rolls their way, then another human tries to take it back, and then where is their human??!!? Things happen. The important part is that we work together and help each other when these things do happen. Sure, there are the rare times when someone intentionally leaves their dog at the park, or when who knows what else, but here are some simple steps to help you determine the best way to get this pup back to their human.

1. Ask a dogwalker! There's a good chance we will recognize the dog, and if not, we will get that massive game of telephone started. There's a chance their human is just on the other side of a mound picking up poop and is out of sight but not out of hearing range.

Also, there are dogwalkers at the park most hours of the day, so if one dogwalker is watching the "lost" dog and has to leave, they can pass the dog off to another dogwalker who is still there to keep an eye out for their human and continue the search process. Dogs are in good hands with dogwalkers.

2. Stay close to the front gates. Anyone looking for a dog will want to make sure the dog doesn't leave with someone else, and anyone that forgot their dog (?!?!) will be running back.

3. Follow the dog, but don't leash them. They may be trying to wander back to their human.

4. After asking around, call the information on the tags. No tags or no luck? You can take them to the closest vet and see if they have a microchip with contact info.

5. If all else fails, call Animal Control to have them picked up. They will be taken to Seatlle Animal Shelter where they were will in good care, and anyone who is missing a dog will know to look for them there. *Do not* take the dog to your house, nobody will know to find your dog at their house!

Whether a dog is lost, taking a self guided tour of the park, or trying to escape from their human who is horrible enough to make them leave the park, that dog came there with a human and should leave with that same human. We have a wonderful community at the park, of dogwalkers, park patrons, and of course dogs, and this is one of those times where we should take advantage of it. Let's help each other out and keep the pups safe and sound!

Drowned in Double Dog Park Trips

Whhewwww it was a wet one today! My second day back since the "dogwalker in a boot" saga and it was a full 8 hours of soggy doggy park trips and fun. Before I get into the exhilarating adventures of the dog park today, I have to share by amazing find with any of you who have suffered from wet, numb, filthy dog park hands. Dogwalkers, listen up, this may be as life changing for you as it was for me. These gloves, Atlas Snow Blower gloves, are the best gloves I have found, and believe me, I have been through many. They are completely waterproof with a cozy fleece lining. You can still bend your fingers and clip a leash, pick up a toy, and yes, even open a poop bag. The best part is, you can hose off your dogs and not worry about getting your hands wet and dirty at all! I know what you're thinking, getting your hands wet and dirty is not the end of the world, but when it is 36 degrees out and you have 6 filthy dogs to hose off, those fingers go numb really fast and it makes it pretty hard to work! I bought these gloves at City People's on the way to the dog park. I highly recommend them! Oh, and they are bright sexy orange ;)

Ok, on to the good stuff. We switched things up a bit this morning and I took Jambo and Pepper with my crew, they usually go with Nancy's. Pepper had fun chasing after Bonita's tail while Bonita was chasing Mokee for the frisbee. Jambo was stepping up and chasing Porter for the new rope/ball toy which I impulse purchased at City People's as well. I made it through an entire day without losing it, so it was a success! Porter and Dexter kept taking it and having a tug-o-war hold out where they just stood there and stared at one another with the toy in between them... Miles was super excited to catch the toy and have the whole crew chase him - he can really run fast when he has 7 dogs running after him! Coco made it through the whole park trip without rolling in a mud puddle - I was so proud of her! But then as we were walking out the gate to the truck, she ducked off to the puddle 15 yards away and flopped like a fish out of water, just enough to get a good coating. One of these days I am going to video her in action rather than try to get her to stop. Might as well provide some entertainment for all of us! I was really glad I had my new gloves at that moment. I took a few pictures, but it was so grey and cloudy nothing turned out very well... I really wanted to get a picture of Gracie and Porter, who looks like Gracie's mini-me!

Now for the afternoon trip... I picked up my trusty helper Michael and our little menace, Bam. We also got her sidekick, Violet. Our 2nd to last stop before the park was Cooper (yellow lab - not to be confused with Cooper black lab who was already in the back seat). Cooper's brother, Tucker, recently started going to the park as well, but they go on different days so they both get their own separate play time. This is one of those time it would be really nice to be able to talk to dogs and explain why this girl comes and takes them to the park but only takes one of them and why only one of them should be getting excited because the other one is about to get a door closed on their face.... Poor Tucker, hopefully it will make more sense tomorrow! I'm sure it won't, but at least he won't be the one getting the door closed on him!

By the time we got the park, it was absolutely dumping rain. It must have been refreshing for the dogs, because they were going 150%! It was like they all flipped a switch to Tasmanian devil mode (not really devils, you know what I mean). Luckily, they were a great group of retrievers (or at least dogs that like the game) so it was just pure running for an hour and a half. Those dogs got tired today! Considering I am just getting back into the rhythm of the park, my first big mistake today was forgetting to bring a squeaker toy for Sammy. To be honest, it crossed my mind on the way to the park, but I figured since I already stopped and bought my gloves and impromptu dog toy purchase for the day, I was not going to to buy another toy.... Probably not my best choice. When Sammy doesn't have a squeaky ball, he hounds every other dog that passes by with one. And by hound I mean he runs along side them with his big head right by their mouth, almost as if saying, "give it to me, you know you want to give it to me, come on, come on, come on!!!", which results in me going through a whole ringer of tricks to get the ball back. Over and over and over. Note to self: you DO need the squeaky. Even if just to keep in my bag as bribery, I can't go empty handed!

The highlight of my day had to have been while I was hosing off the dogs (with my new super cool gloves), and Chesa came up while I was bent over hosing a dog and jumped up on my face, knocking off my glasses and somehow licking inside my mouth... GROSS! I tried to wipe off my mouth but then realized my new super cool gloves were actually just wiping more water/dirt on my face. I can't tell you how often I get back in the truck to find mud wiped across my face... and I always wonder how many people I encountered who opted to not tell me! I love Chesa, but not enough to make out with her. That was really more than I had bargained for today.

As I was getting orally assaulted, Michael couldn't stand to see his little frenchie babies so wet and cold, so he took them back to the truck, turned on the heat and wrapped them in a towel. Actually, tied them in a towel. Like a two little baguettes in a basket. He is ridiculous.

It was a very soggy day and the dogs were unusually rowdy, probably still working off some cabin fever from the snow days, but regardless, it felt so good to be back at the park. There is nothing like walking around an empty park playing with 8 of my best four-legged friends. The best part about when it rains, is the park is totally empty and nobody knows the extent of the conversations I have with my dogs.... Commands? Yeah right... We've had a lot of catching up to do! Looking forward to the rest of the week, rain or shine!