Ten tips for bringing home your new puppy

Did you or someone you know get a puppy for Christmas this year? Are you sitting with an adorable puppy snoozing away in your lap right now, wondering what exactly you are supposed to do with this thing for the next 10-15 years? That puppy breath with be gone before you know it, but don't worry, with my top ten tips to a new puppy you will be ready! 1. The first night: your puppy may very likely cry. I know it's heartbreaking, but you just have to let him cry it out. I suggest to set an alarm every 3 hours and get up and take him out to potty (you shouldn't have to do this more than the first few nights). You don't want to ignore a cry if he really has to go, but you also don't want to reward crying. Put a blanket, towel or sweatshirt in the crate that they can snuggle up with. I also like to put a warm water bottle (a Nalgene or some other hard plastic they can't chew) and also a clock with a second hand that ticks - these two things act like the warmth and heartbeat of his litter mates and can be very soothing.

2. Potty training is a full time job. Some puppies pick it up much easier than others - it can take 2 days or 2 months. As a general rule, take your puppy out to potty within a couple minutes of eating or drinking. Their little bodies are so tiny whatever goes in comes out almost instantaneously. When you go outside, wait until they go to come back in. If they try to play, ignore them. Use a command, I say "go potty", and use it consistently. After they go potty, praise them in your best cheerleader voice with love and treats. 

3. Socialize, socialize, socialize! According to Dr. Ian Dunbar, "as a rule of thumb, your puppy needs to meet at least a hundred people before he is three months old." (read more here). Socializing your puppy will play a huge role in determining your puppy's temperament for years to come and you only have about 4 weeks before the socialization window closes! This article talks about socialization with people mostly, but I think it is important to expose puppies to people, babies, sights, sounds, other dogs (as long as you know they are fully vaccinated and healthy), car rides, etc...  You can't socialize your puppy enough during this time and please believe me that you will be very glad you did in the long run. If you think I'm a little too excited about this socialization thing, maybe you can relate to this: excuses to not socialize your puppy.

4. Bite inhibition. Puppies like to bite, partly because they are exploring their world and biting is how they play with their siblings, and partly because they are teething. Those little puppy teeth can be needle sharp, but not nearly as painful as a grown dog, so now is time to teach them how to have a soft mouth. This is surely something you will go over in your puppy kindergarten class, but here is a great article to give you a head start.

{my life of dogs} when I was 9 our black lab had 11 puppies at our home. It was summer and I spent most of my dogs playing with the puppies. We have a hilarious home video of 11 puppies chasing me down the hill and I am screaming and running full speed to dive onto the hammock. My legs were full of bloody little scratches from the herd of puppies biting at my legs.

5. Puppy classes. Your puppy may be a very quick learner, he may have mastered "sit", "down" and "stay" at 9 weeks, but I still highly recommend a puppy class for these reasons: 1) the training is more for you than the pup, 2) it's great socialization and supervised play - it's easier to prevent behaviors than try to fix them later, and 3) you have a professional to answer all the questions that come up over those crucial 4-6 weeks - google has it's limits ;) Here are a couple I recommend:

Jeff Tinsley and Sound Animal Services

Paws 4 Training first week at home

6. Teething. Your pup isn't necessarily trying to be a troublemaker, he may be teething and actually be in pain! Try giving him an ice cube. Also, you get a rope toy wet, put it in the freezer overnight and let you pup work on that for a little numbing relief.

{my life of dogs} My lab, Bailey, used to love to push an ice cube around the hardwood floors and slowly gnaw on it.

7. Toy basket. If you are anything like me, the 2nd most exciting thing after getting a puppy (1st being the actual puppy of course...) is going on a dog toy shopping spree. Make sure to pick up a toy bucket or basket while you are at it. Only let you pup have three toys out at a time, and rotate them every couple days. If they are all laying out at once, your pup gets bored of them and can possibly think that everything on the floor (your shoes?) are fair game. 

8. Pet Insurance. I know, this may sound crazy, but this is essential. I hate to break it to you, but something, at some point, is going to happen with your puppy. Maybe they ate a lego and now aren't eating or pooping right, or maybe they get a cough, or who knows.... but it will happen, and you will feel a lot better about swiping your credit card knowing that you will be getting up to 90% of the bill back. I highly recommend it to all of my clients and every time they go to the vet they tell me how happy they are they have it. My favorite company is Healthy Paws Pet Insurance - use this link and save 10% off for life. Another great company is Trupanion - both are local!

 {my life of dogs} My fiance has a 9yr old German Shepard without insurance and he has spent over $20k on surgeries from eating socks, tire biter toys, etc.... Don't learn the hard way!

9. Keep a routine! Dogs are very routine based animals and they like things kept the way they are supposed to be. Routine will keep your puppy happy, so try to feed them, walk them and everything else as consistently as possible.

{my life of dogs} Bailey knows when I pick out my clothes whether we are going to play or I am going to do something out her. She dances or pouts accordingly.

10. Don't get overwhelmed! As I'm sure you are already aware, a puppy is a huge responsibility and a lot of work. It will get harder before it gets easier. It can be frustrating trying to communicate with a little pooping/peeing/chewing/barking/whining creature that just looks at you with that head tilt and puppy eyes after chewing your couch cushion. The time and commitment you put into this puppy will all be worth it one day. Bailey was one of the most stubborn trying puppies I've met to this day - but I consider her (and her faults) my biggest accomplishment and every day I look at her and am proud of how far we have come. If you need a hand, hire a dog walker! One of the services I provide at ballwalkpark are puppy visits - myself or Nancy comes over for a 20 minute visit and help reinforce potty training, provide socialization and play time, and help guide you through the stages of puppyhood. I also provide a puppy package that are two puppy visits a day - timed to be 3-4 hours apart so your puppy is never alone too long while you are at work. There are a lot of great dogwalkers in Seattle - set up consultations and make sure you are a good fit with your walker and it is someone you feel comfortable with.

Training a puppy can seem like dieting - there are hundreds of books and methods and opinions on how to teach the same thing. It can get really frustrating and if you try to take everyone's advice you will lose your mind. Figure out what works best for you and your puppy and stick with it - consistency is key. We are all a little different and so are our dogs - what works for one dog may not for another and there is nothing wrong with it.

And most importantly, take lots of pictures!!! Puppies grow up way too fast - capture these precious moments!

Puppy vs. the Christmas tree

In the past week or two there have been a few incidents of my clients (the dogs, not the humans!) eating Christmas tree ornaments. The ornaments almost always seem to have sewing pins, glass, or something else a puppy definitely shouldn't be eating. It brings me back to my first Christmas with Bailey....

It was my first Christmas tree of my adult life, my roommate and I picked it out, set it up and decorated it with cheap ball ornaments from Fred Meyer.  The next day I came home to find broken shreds of glass (or whatever they are) all over the ground. A red, green, silver and gold glass shred confetti party on my living room floor. We turned the tree to hide the bare spots and display our other ornaments. Moments later, I watched little puppy Bailey leap up into the branches of the tree and CHOMP down on an ornament. How did I not realize this ball-obsessed retriever could understand these ornaments were anything but her favorite thing in the world - a ball for her to play with?! So, needless to say, we had a very bare Christmas tree that year.... Bailey was fine, going to the bathroom wasn't her favorite activity for a few days, but other than that she was perfectly healthy.

Here are a few of my suggestions for making sure your puppy and your Christmas tree both survive the holidays:

- Do not use tinsel on your tree, or if you do, make sure it is far out of puppy-reach. Tinsel can be very very dangerous for dogs - from the American Dog Trainer's Network:

Tinsel and Other Christmas Tree Ornaments

When ingested by a dog (or cat), tinsel may cause obstruction of the intestines, and the tinsel's sharp edges can even cut the intestines. Symptoms may include: decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, listlessless and weight loss. Treatment usually requires surgery.

- Be mindful of ornaments that may seem like a toy to a dog or puppy - anything ball shaped or plush stuffed animals. Bailey had a heyday with some little wooden Nutcracker men that had white poofy hair.... Keep these ornaments high up, or keep them in the box for this year... A sparse tree is better than destroyed ornaments and a puppy in the ER!

- Don't leave any presents under the tree that have food, especially Chocolate! Dogs can smell much better than we can and they will find that bar of chocolate or fruitcake or whatever else you may be gifting.

- Other holiday dangers you'll want to avoid with your pup are on the ASPCA page. Take a look - there may be some things you didn't know about - Holly? Mistletoe?

- Most of all, don't leave your pup unsupervised near the tree. Confine them in a different part of the house if you are gone during the day, or if they are crate-trained, this is a great time for them to hang out in their "house".

- When your pup is allowed to be near the tree, try giving them a super amazing toy (this is my new favorite - the only toy ever that has proven to be indestructible to Miss Bailey - you can get it at All The Best). If they only get this new toy whenever they are around the tree, it may help distract them from all the shiny fun toys hanging from the tree. Stuff with peanut butter and freeze overnight for longer lasting effects.

- Remember, this too shall pass! It's all a part of the joys of having a puppy. Yes, even if your puppy is 3 or 4 years old.... or older!  If you come home to a ornament confetti like I did, I highly suggest taking a picture before you get too mad or start cleaning it up. And post it to my facebook page ;)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!  

Happy Birthday Bailey!

My baby Bailey is turning 7 years old today! For those of you that don't already know, I get overly excited about my dog's birthday. I find it more exciting than my own birthday. I really like to celebrate her birthday, and despite what everyone says, I am convinced that she knows it's her birthday. On her first birthday, I remember we went to the Lower Woodland dog park and it was a miserable December day - freezing rain, windy, just horrible. I forced myself to spend at least two hours there, throwing the ball up and down that hill, so that Bailey could have a great first birthday. It wasn't until after that day did I learn that dog's don't have a concept of time like we do, and she didn't understand that I suffered through two hours of cold her for birthday celebration. Although I now know better, it hasn't changed how we celebrate.

When she turned 6 last year, someone mentioned that she was reaching her senior years. You would have thought someone just called her an old hag the way I reacted. I tried to defend her and say how active and energetic she is and how she could not possibly be considered a senior. Maybe if she was a Great Dane, but no way my little girl. Well, now that we have reached 7 years old, and her white mask is more noticeable, and her naps are more frequent, I am starting to accept the reality. My little girl is growing up.

This has been a pretty great year for Bailey and I. We did a lot of growing together, and even after all these years, I feel like I have come to understand her so much better.

First of all, age isn't going to calm this dog down. She is insane, intense, neurotic and 100% retriever. While at a neighborhood park, she was off leash and a couple of our dog friends were chasing her around to play - she took off on the other side of the fence, went into the 6' tall shrubs and started  frantically jumping up and down. I knew she had some sort of a plan, and seconds later, she popped a soccer ball off the top of the hedge that she must have smelled from 30 yards away. Honestly, I am totally amused when she does these things, but when we are at someone's cabin and trying to relax and she is scaling a tree to find the ball someone hid from her, I just really wish there was an "off" button. I'm afraid those instincts are with us for the long haul.

Second of all, we have learned how precious our time together is. The moment I decided to start ballwalkpark, it was after a long horrible day at the office and I came home to go on an "adventure" (think 2-3 hours trying to get lost on Queen Anne) with Bailey. I realized that walking with her and my iPod was the most therapeutic wonderful thing in the world and the one thing that could never fail to change my mood around. People ask me why I don't bring Bailey to the park with me every day, and while she definitely hates me walking out the door without her, we both enjoy our walks together much more than with the pack at the park. I've never seen a happier dog than when we are out walking, just the two of us. People stop me all the time and say "your dog is smiling!". She can go to the park every single day, but she is never more sweet, relaxed and just generally happy than when we have a lot of time together to go on walks and adventures. With that being said, you can probably imagine how she feels about "The Boot".

Third of all, she has learned to cuddle. After we brought little Bam home and everyone wanted to hold her and cuddle with her, Bailey finally caught on and realized why I was always trying to grab her and lay with her. When she was a little puppy I remember I asked the breeder why she didn't want to cuddle with me - she said some dogs just aren't cuddly dogs. I have to admit I was disappointed. I grew up laying by the fire with our labs and thought that was kind of a part of the deal. These days, she has no sense of personal space. I think she learned a little something from her little sis. When I wake up, she always comes to greet me, and in the past year she has decided that the best way to wake me up is to lay on top of my head and borderline suffocate me/not let me get up. I love it.

Lastly, Bailey has learned that I am not going to leave her. This may be our biggest development in the past year, and possibly in her life! I have always wanted the kind of dog that I could take everywhere, and could sit outside the coffee shop while I run in, or that could sit outside the grocery store while I go and grab dinner. I have never given up on this mission, but for the past 6.5 years she has sat outside and anxiously panted and barked at the top of her lungs - I swear it is the loudest bark I've ever heard. It has been described by many as "intense" - such as, "oh that's your dog outside? Wow... she's really.... intense." Needless to say, it was humiliating and made it hard to take her places. Especially when I tell people I work with dogs for a living, but yes, that is my beast outside. Well, all of a sudden, a few months ago, she realized she could just relax and I would come back. I kept looking at the window expecting her to have escaped or something horrible, but she was just laying there watching people go by.... My heart melted. For whatever reason, that was a turning point for her, and now we can go everywhere together. She loves going to the grocery store and seeing the rest of the Queen Anne dogs tied up at various locations along the ave. This simple little thing makes both of us so happy and able to spend even more time together.

Bailey may drive some people crazy, but I am pretty damn proud of this dog I have raised.  For 7 years I have paid more attention to her health issues than my own, bought her new toys when I couldn't justify buying myself anything, decided to use my college degree to give her the best doggie life possible, and nearly seriously put my relationship with my fiance on the line when bringing her on long car rides.... I never knew it was possible to love anything as much as I love my little girl.

Here's to turning 7 B- I hear you're supposed to be "mature" and in your "prime" now.... yeah right! 

In case you haven't heard enough about my obsession with my dog, here is her birthday blog last year :)

Bailey turns 6!

adventures of bwp: ballwalkpark family

I can't believe how lucky we have been with the dry weather lately. It really makes life easier when I don't have to wrap the boot in Saran wrap and duct tape for each park trip, and save a ton of time hosing and toweling off the dogs. Not to mention less wet dog smell for all. I don't want to curse it, but I hope this trend keeps up! ballwalkpark has been going through some changes in the past few weeks, with Kendal joining the crew to help me while I am slightly gimpy, and Nancy has started taking daily park trips with Pepper, Jambo, Mokee, Woody and sometimes the little schnauzer puppies - Heinz and Rommel. Kendal is doing so awesome taking over the pack and the dogs just love her. She has just the right mix to discipline the dogs and still have the fun exuberant energy to play and have fun with the dogs. Nancy's dogs are are absolutely obsessed with her. They are her shadows, her entourage, her loyal followers. They get so excited when they see the other pack, it's all wiggles and fun, but as soon as Nancy starts to walk in another direction, they are like magnets, right by her side.

The newest addition this week has been the mini-schnauzer puppies, Heinz and Rommel. They are tiny, and shy at first, but have really opened up and seem to be having a lot of fun at the park! They are doing great in Nancy's pack. I have to admit, when she has them on leash, it looks pretty funny since they are so little and their legs move so fast and they wind in and out between each other!

Rex and Bonita have been on a roll lately. They have both been relentlessly stealing balls, dabbling with a little poop eating, and digging the occasional hole. Somehow those two always seem to get dirtier than the rest, even the other goldens.

Bonita has been pretty ridiculous about the ball stealing, to the point the other dogs have learned not to drop the ball when she is around, so I have enrolled her in my own version of bootcamp. In this case, I will call it "Bootcamp Bonita". What this means is basically that Kendal and I make sure to focus a lot of energy on the behavior we want to work on or change with Bonita. Every single time she steals a ball, we make her leave it and give her a treat and start over. In a normal situation, if she steals a ball that the other dogs didn't seem to care about anyway, she would take it over and seduce Harley into playing mouth-tug. Not this week. Bootcamp Bonita is learning to drop the ball like a big girl :)

Walker has rejoined the pack after spending the last two weeks at boarding while is mom is traveling. We ran into him at the park a couple times during those weeks, but we were so happy to have him back. He is sporting a new snazzy red coat. He had a great time running and being chased for the big blue ball with the Coopers, Sammy, Floyd and Bam.

Floyd, our new labradoodle, has been with the pack for a few weeks now. In the beginning he was very very attracted to Rex and was humping him nearly non-stop. He was recently adopted into his new home, received a new name, and has a lot of adjustments to go through. We moved him from the morning group to the afternoon group on Tuesdays so that he could meet some other pups and give Rex a break. He is doing much better in the afternoon group! He and Sammy are great retrieving/chase buddies. They both love the squeaky toy and it keeps them going in circles forever. I get tired just watching them. Floyd is very intense for the first 20 minutes or so - it's almost like he can't stop running even if he wants to - he just sprints in circles - round and round. There is almost no stopping him. After the initial period, he calms down and is a really well behaved pup who has learned recall pretty well and drops the ball and plays with the other dogs great. His owner texted me after the park today and asked how the "Furry Fury" had been - I definitely laughed at that! He was great :)

Milkshake was bouncing with energy. When he gets super excited he is literally like a Mexican jumping bean - bounding in the air on all fours. He got super excited when we found a huge stick that had probably been blown off a tree in one of the wind storms. He ran in circles almost taking other dogs out trying to invite them to play tug. He was missing his buddy Max, I'm sure!

In the past two years I've watched my pack change a lot and have gotten used to the ebbs and flows of new dogs and puppies adjusting to the pack and then eventually being the veterans who welcome the next generation. This constant flow makes for periods of time that can be very difficult, working to get new pups adjusted, or super easy going with all veterans. I love mixing up the easy times with a new challenge, and then I love when I realize the "new challenge" has settled in and things are running smoothly again. While I am used to this with my pack, I am not used to this with my humans (aka employees) and had a realization today. I was walking with Kendal and her pack, and realized my foot hurt and I would rather hang out with Nancy and her pack in the other field. All of "my" pack, even my own dog, Bailey, stuck with Kendal as she walked the other direction. I walked up I saw Nancy's pack attentively perched at her feet waiting for a treat. As I was walking in between the two, being that awkward person at the dog park without a dog, I realized that ballwalkpark is no longer just a girl with her pack of dogs. It's still all the same great dogs, but now spread between three girls who shower them with that much more love, attention and affection. I had that realization today that everyone is settled into the routine and things are pretty easy going right now... It's a great time to rest my gimpy foot, take some fun pictures of the pups playing at the park, and spend time with my amazing ballwalkpark family :)

ballwalkpark thanksgiving

I am thankful for ballwalkpark, in every way. I am thankful for my amazing clients who care for their dogs with such devotion and love. From training classes to feeding the best food to buying them the newest toys at the pet store to attending to every medical issue, my clients clearly love their dogs. Not only does it make my job easier because my pups are so well trained and loved, it's so nice to share the love I have for these pups with my clients and know that they enjoy seeing pictures, reading blogs, and hearing updates about their dogs. My clients encourage me to be a better dog-mom to my own pups.

I am thankful for Nancy and all of the hard work she has put in with puppies and walks over the past year, and the recent addition of Kendal who has been a lifesaver since "The Boot". They truly share the love that I have for my clients and they take pride in their work and in ballwalkpark. They go above and beyond on a daily basis, and I don't even have to ask for them to do so. They are 100 times more than I ever thought an employee could be.

I am thankful for my ballwalkpark pups. I love each and every one of them for all of their different personalities, quirks, habits and never failing to make me smile. It is like having every kind of dog you could ever want, all at once! I have dogs that retrieve, wrestle, cuddle, etc... Every park trip I take is fun to plan the combination of personalities and which toys which dog will want and who will want to play with who. I may be biased, but I think I have the best pack in the park.

I am thankful to wake up every day and look forward to picking up my dogs and spend my days doing what I love. I am thankful for my little ballwalkpark family and the immense amount of support it has received.

Adventures of bwp: thanksgiving week

Yesterday was the downpour of all downpours! My rainproof gear passed the test, the boot failed miserably. I don't think have never been that wet in my life. I would try to wipe the water off of my face and by the time I did it was dripping wet again! The dogs stayed clean despite running in lakes of mud because it was raining so hard it was like a non-stop shower. That was a perk! The morning trip was raining, but nothing compared to the afternoon. We brought Floyd for his second park trip, his first with my pack (was with nancy yesterday). That dog has so much energy! He's a young labradoodle,so I'm not surprised. He was just adopted into a new home two weeks ago and was named Floyd- it fits him very well! He seems to be a very smart, well trained dog, but still is adjusting to a lot and very very excited about the dog park! The main thing we are working on is recall and considering he is still learning his new name, and has a pack of new friends, it's understandable that he's not totally reliable yet. We kind of had a break through yesterday and discovered that he may have been trained "touch" instead of "come" as ER have been using. He heard me say " touch" to another dog and came running over and sat perfectly at my feet waiting for a treat. And did it again, and again... I love moments like that :)

During our drop offs and pick ups, or "lunch", we found a lost dog walking in front of my house. He was a little chug (chihuahua/pug) and his name was Larry. We called the number on his tag and left a voicemail. I posted on Facebook and twitter. We kept him with us waiting to hear back from the owner. Long story short, he snuck out of my neighbors yard who was dog-sitting and after some cuddling in the car with me, he went home safe sound. He was a sweet little guy with a Mr. Fletcher-ish underbite.

So, I'm having kind of an off week, and am apparently physically falling apart. I was lifting a dog in the truck on Monday (which I do 15x a day, every day, and have never had a problem), and pulled something in my back. I've never done that before and feel like I'm turning into an 80yr old! I learned my lesson on lifting. I have been so lucky to have Kendal helping me- I thought the boot was difficult, but this is much worse. I think, in the world of "everything happens for a reason", it's helped me let go of a little bit of my control freak ways and let Kendal take the reins. She has been amazing and it is really good for me to stand back and watch a bit... I can't believe how much she has caught on to the crazy chaotic life of the dogs. All the dogs love her and listen to her and she has been such a trooper with the long days bad weather. That's how you know someone truly loves the dogs!

Yesterday afternoon, I had to take a break and sit down and rest for a minute. I had been chasing the dogs around trying to get their toys to throw and finally gave up. As soon as I sat down, every single dog came over and said hi and checked in on me. They are so sweet. Milkshake brought his ball, dropped it, and barked in circles around the bench, in protest of my resting moment. If a barking dog dancing in circles doesn't get you back in action, I don't know what does. He's intense!

The rain either energizes and excites the dogs and they just go crazy, or sometimes they have just had enough. Pepper was over it. Her sad little eyes said "I'm not cut out for this. Take me home to cuddle!" I posted a video on YouTube and facebook of the pups romping in the rain.

In other news, Cooper took the worst smelling poop I have ever smelled. Even after it was bagged and thrown away, I could smell if for a good 50ft radius. What did he eat?!

Nancy walked Mokee yesterday afternoon, in the downpour, and apparently did the best towel off job ever! His mom texted me last night asking if he went to the park (he does both on Tuesdays) - she said he looked like he just got back from the groomers he was so clean! Good job, Nance!

Ok, back to the park to test that rain gear again....

Week 1: Dogwalker in a boot

Whew... what a week it has been! True November weather with cold, wind and rain. Everyone is starting to make plans for the holiday next week. And your dogwalker got put in a walking boot. Why the boot? I hurt my ankle over the summer and it just didn't seem to get better. I went to the Dr, got an X-ray, and turns out I have an extra bone in my ankle and a tendon got stretched/torn over it and just couldn't heal because I walk so much. So as an alternative to not walking for weeks on end, I am in a boot to hopefully give me extra ankle bone and tendon the rest it needs! So, dogwalker + boot = thank god for Kendal and Nancy's help.

Kendal is my psuedo-little sister, Nancy's daughter, and my best friend Hilary's little sister. She has been a part of my dog park trips and dogsitting on the side for years now - she watches my dogs while I am out of town. Luckily, she will be helping me at the park so I don't have to run around as much and give my foot a little more rest.

The first day with The Boot, on Tuesday, was not easy. I did two runs by myself. I have never actually realized how much walking I do in a day until I strapped a huge boot to myself. Luckily it wasn't raining so it stayed pretty dry. I did however step in dog poop, and that was a pleasure to clean up.

Wednesday was the first day of Kendal riding along with me and picking up dogs. A huge help! Nancy was taking care of her crew - she met us at the park with Pepper, Mokee and Woody. Her little pack has developed it's own dynamic and it's so fun to see how differently the dogs are in a smaller pack. Pepper, who when she is with my pack, loves to chase Bonita and Chesa and grab their tails and then eventually possibly hump them, is a totally different dog in Nancy's group. Although she has her golden retriever opportunity with Mokee, she and Woody are best buds. Woody is Nancy's Jack Russell, and he is a fraction of Pepper's size, but those two just love to run and chase. Pepper is also highly addicted to Nancy and when not in chase-mode can almost always be found as Nancy's shadow. Mokee has taken to his new position of ring leader of the crew. He marches proud with his head held high and greets my pack with tons of excitement!

There was no preventing the inevitable mud bath that was Magnuson park yesterday, so we just made the best of it and Kendal got lots of practice hosing the crew off before we left :) Michael, my boyfriend, was kind enough to thoroughly wrap my boot in industrial size Saran Wrap - he found it more amusing than I did and I think I was wrapped at least 50 times.  My toes broke through and were soaked in dog park mud within minutes. Coco was relieved to see that the rain had finally accumulated to make enough of a puddle for her to roll in. Bickie, I swear, I was right there when she dropped in that puddle and started to roll - I was yelling "No Coco!" and she looked at me for a brief second and considered it, but instincts won her over. Luckily the mud hasn't thick and gross yet :/ Bonita and Rex took turns being ball thieves. Otis got to make a guest appearance since his mid-week dogwalker was out sick. It's always fun to have goofy Mr. Otis around. Dexter learned that Kendal is his new best friend - she hasn't learned that at a certain point, sitting perfectly still and smiling with that toothy grin doesn't always warrant a treat. He's having Thanksgiving feast early. All in all, it was a great day and Kendal was a champ hosing off all 8 dogs. My muddy, soggy foot went home to dry off. After two days of wearing that boot, the padding part on the bottom had already torn up and a chunk in the front had scraped off. Something tells me that boot was not made for dog parkin it... Miles' mom sent me a link for a waterproof boot cover - I definitely need to invest. On my to-do list for tomorrow.

Today was another double dog park trip day. Luckily I had Kendal's help, not only with the dogs, but with properly duct taping my boot. Much more effective. I brought my good camera and was able to take some fun pictures while Kendal learned to manage the group. They all respond to her really well - it's great! Nancy came with Pepper and Woody. I was trying to get some good pictures of Pepper to help out with her feature of her holiday card - the theme is "holly jolly" so I was trying to get something goofy! I don't know if I got "the picture" for Pepper, but I certainly got a lot of other goofy pics... between Hastings, the extra gooberish looking Great Dane with know from the park to Harley, an English Bulldog we ran into with a huge underbite. Chesa and Bailey were trading off their yellow lab fixation between the Jolly Ball and the tennis ball. Chesa loves to push the Jolly ball around on the ground and has scratched a little spot on her forehead from it! She is not bothered in the least... Coco found yet another puddle... Gracie hopped from dog to dog with her puppy energy, checking in frequently for a treat. Rex loves to go after the big dogs - the bigger the better for him to wrestle with, and Hastings was just his type. He got quite a good romp in. Poor Miles... we weren't quite expecting the drop in temperature and we didn't see his coat by the door. He got cold so I tried to cuddle with him and keep him warm - he clobbered me with kisses - typical Miles. We will definitely have the coat tomorrow! I offered my jacket to "cozy cave" under, but apparently he only likes to do that with Michael, not me. Kendal's dog, Maddie came along too. She is obsessed with Kendal and the herding instincts in her say that she needs to protect Kendal at all times. I think today was really good for her because she kind of started to branch out and play with other dogs. She rode in the truck on the way home and did just great! A new ballwalkpark addition within the family.

Confessions of a dogwalker: So something strange and gross happened to me today. I've had a lot of gross things happen at the park, or due to the park, but this was a first. In between trips, I was adjusting my many layers, and realized there was a small bit of dog poop in between my pants and my tank top that went over it. I have NO idea how that happened, it's never happened before, but in the world of a dogwalker, it's unfortunately not out of the question....

So, moving on.... For the afternoon trip, we went to pick up Sammy, my doberman. He and I have been working together for about 4 months. While he has possibly been one of my most difficult clients, he may also be the most rewarding because he has come such a long way. In the beginning he wouldn't let me touch him, wouldn't get in the truck, wouldn't come, drop it, wanted nothing to do with me. All those problems are solved now and he is my buddy. I was so happy to see that he is already adjusting to Kendal much quicker. He is, however, terrified of the rain, and I was worried about that today. You'd never imagine such a big tough dog to be such a scardy cat! When the rain started at the park today he hid under a tree!

One of our next stops was to pick up Milkshake. He is staying with me for the next couple days while his parents are out of town, so he had lots of food, toys and a bed to bring along. I got some great pictures of Shakes today - if I call him "Mr. Milkey-Shakey" in a really high pitched (annoying) voice he starts jumping like a jumping bean - its adorable.

Luckily, while Kendal was running in to grab us some lunch, I was scrolling through facebook and saw a friend post a link about the Occupy Seattle Protests planned to close the University and possibly Montlake bridge as well. I am so glad that I saw that post and was able to plan accordingly. Unfortunately for Walker, I had to call his mom and reschedule him for tomorrow - he was my only guy going back to Eastlake and I was worried I would get caught in hours of traffic trying to get him home. Sounds like it was a good call, and I am so grateful that Michelle was OK with the change! We will make up for it with an extra wonderful park trip tomorrow. Just another obstacle in the day of the life of a dogwalker!

We had the park nearly to ourselves, especially after the rain started. Sammy, Cooper, Tucker and Milkshake stuck together and chased/snuck the ball away from one another. Violet pranced around with the ball she happened to find that hardly fit in her mouth. Dexter stuck by Kendal's side, peppered in with some full out sprints with the other pups. The rain really started right as we were leaving the park. That was cold rain!! It felt good to get back in the warm cozy car and finally dry off. Cooper and Violet were sitting in the back seat, cuddled and so adorable... I took a great picture but for some reason those last pics won't upload to my computer! Ugh... project for another day. Time to wrap this day up! Snow tomorrow....?!

Thanks to Nancy and Kendal for all of your help this week! A gimp dogwalker definitely needs some help...

*Vet's news -- Stella (King Charles) doesn't have Addison's disease! Yay! Huge relief for the sweet little girl and her mama.

**Client quote of the week: "Seriously, you have full permission to smack the neurotic pet owner in me the next time we see you!" ... obviously I never would, or even think of it, but it definitely made me laugh!

Check out pictures from today at: https://picasaweb.google.com/ballwalkpark/GoodCameraStormyDayInNovember

Adventures of BWP: Monday 11/14

I hate to disappoint, but this post comes in place of pictures today. I know it's not a fair trade, but it's the best I could do. I unfortunately chose to go to the park during the wettest, windiest part of the day and the it was not ideal conditions for the iphone. Today reminded me of the equivalent of college kids playing flag (or tackle!) football in a mud pit. They dogs did not mind the rain one bit, they were running wild with their usual "Monday crazies" and tumbling in the mud with no hesitation. The "Monday crazies" are a common term in the dogwalker world - as the weather turns to the cold, wet, dark days people tend to spend more time inside, which means their dogs do as well. By the time Monday comes around and they go back to the park with all of their friends, they have lots of bottle up energy to run off. Today, the dogs were half running after the ball or frisbee I was throwing, and half just running to chase one another and tumble into the mud. Cooper (black lab Cooper - there are 3 to be confused), was loving life today. He is an English lab and very hefty, yet short and stout guy. He is absolutely adorable - he looks like a giant teddy bear, or a linebacker. He loves to go after one of the running dogs and when he finally catches up, he essentially body checks them. The dogs love it! Rex and Bonita just keep going back for more.

On days like this, there is no avoiding bath time. Winter bath time at the park is pretty difficult - there are normally three hoses to use, and during the summer they aren't nearly in as high of demand as muddy days like today. During the colder months, the park department turns off all but one hose. This means that during the months where dog walkers have possibly up to 6 dogs to hose off, we all have to wait our turn, and make sure any park patrons get a chance to use the hose without having to wait for us. I'm sure you can imagine the lineup.... without waiting for anyone else, it typically takes me about 30 minutes to hose my golden retrievers. For those of you that have heard me talk about the Magnuson Dog Walkers Association (yes, dog walkers unite!) - this is the type of thing we would talk about and try to change. On a positive note, I am so proud of how well behaved my pups are about getting the hose down. Some of them are so tolerant that I can just set the leash down on the ground and they don't even try to fight it. Good dogs!

I found a new favorite product today - FURdry by Furminator.  It is essentially a towel that you can wrap around your dog like a shirt so that when they come home wet, they don't get your couch or carpet or anything else wet. I towel dry my heart out of these dogs, but it's hard to get those long haired dogs perfectly dry. I highly suggest these wraps to help keep your pup dry and your house clean! Let me know what you think!

In health news.... Miss Stella (King Charles) had to go back to the vet today to get some testing done - something having to do with her food absorption. Results will come in tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed!!! Miss Bonita ate a bug again this weekend and her poor little face got all swollen and she had to go to the vet and get an IV and is on steroids. This is the second time it has happened in a couple of months. They don't know if it is a bug or a spider, but it's not good!

I don't have anything for client quote of the day! Send me something to make me laugh!

Hope you all had a good Monday!

An old(er) dog learns a new trick

My little girl Bailey and I have been through our fair share of struggles and triumphs as a team together. Her puppyhood was so memorable just about everyone I know called me when "Marley and Me" came out and I got about 9 copies of the book in the first year. She dominated so much of my life that I decided to forgo a college degree and years of hard work in the corporate world to devote my life to her world. The one thing about her that I always wish I could change, and no matter how much we tried to work on it never would, just finally happened one day. Bailey, like myself, is a pretty anxious and high-strung creature by nature. She's a homebody and whenever she's not at home she is so excited about the possibilities of who she may meet or where a tennis ball may appear she just can't settle down. This has proved to be a huge problem in trying to tie her outside when going to a grocery store, coffee shop, even sitting on a patio having lunch right next to her. I know it typically isn't a great idea to leave your dog tied up outside, but really, when are there not at least a couple dogs tied up outside Bartells or Met Market on Queen Anne? So anyways, Bailey has made it very clear that this was not to be a part of our routine since day 1. The second I tie up her leash, she starts wiggling and panting and dancing, and before I can even turn in the other direction she is barking at the top of her deep chested lab lungs "DON'T! GO! DON'T! LEAVE! ME! MOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!". This isn't your average dog bark, this is the kind of bark you can hear loud and clear all the way in the back corner of Met Market. The kind of bark where you hear someone at the next check out register say, "Geez, whose dog is that", like she is being brutally abused on the sidewalk of Queen Anne Ave with the floral dept girls. The kind of bark, that when I sheepishly admit she is my bundle of love, almost every time the response I hear is, "wow, she's intense".

This tiny little flaw of hers has really driven me crazy because for the lifestyle that I have, and we have had together, because it makes it so hard to be able to take her everywhere with me like I want to! So often I think of walking to do some errands on QA Ave and want to take Bailey because it would be a good walk and I know she would love it, but ooooh... I have to stop in Bartells and she can't go in there.... it puts a ka-bosh on the whole trip for Bailey and she has to stay home. Sometimes when the weather is nice Michael and I like to take a huge "urban hike" and walk to Ballard and get lunch - obviously this is a trek Bailey would immensely enjoy (not so much Bam, too much work for her little legs and she is lazy, she prefers to sit that one out) but I have to either commit to taking her on the walk and not have lunch or go purely to have lunch and not take her, which takes most of the fun out of the walk for me. I have never had a gym membership since I've had Bailey because I feel that whenever I am getting exercise she should too.

So what's the reason for all the rambling? A couple months ago Bailey changed her ways. I met a friend at Paragon to meet about some stuff and I decided to chance it with Miss Bailey. I put her outside and snuck up on her in the window every ten minutes, where she couldn't see me, and to my surprise, not only was she not barking, she was actually sleeping! This is unheard of. She was always in a panicky panting fit when I left her, barking or not. I was so proud of my sleeping beauty. After this success I just started taking her more often - now if I have to run to the grocery store, I just bring her. I can bring her anywhere and she hasn't started barking once. It is SOOooo wonderful. For whatever reason, those few minutes at night when we walk to the store make me so happy. Tonight I walked out of Bartells and she was laying down on the sidewalk with one paw crossed over the other, head resting on paws. My heart melted.

I didn't train her to make this change in behavior, I have no idea why it happened. Maybe she just got comfortable with good old Queen Anne Ave and decided it was an OK place to be. All I know is that just as soon as I thought I couldn't love my intense, spastic, ball-obsessed dog any more, I do. Everyone told me that labs hit their "golden years" around 7 (which she will be next month) and this one little change in behavior makes me believe that is true.

Now... if you are walking down Queen Anne Ave tomorrow and see a yellow lab barking her head off.... just know I'll be somewhere kicking myself for jinxing it.

Adventures of BWP: Tuesday 11/8

It was such a beautiful day at the park. I would trade summer for an entire year of days like today. I know the exact moment when a puppy turns into a teenage - it's almost always the same. It happened to Rex today. As we walk from the water station to the gate to leave the park, all the dogs follow me in a nice little pack and we go through the gate and they jump in the truck. 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. If he bolts, he just might be able to steal a few more minutes of precious play time. The older dogs, that have gone through the teenage days, know the golden rule: I always win :) Well Rex, let the games begin. Sweet little Gracie still thinks the most exciting thing in the world is about to happen when I call her - why do puppies have to grow up?

Tucker has been adjusting since his partner in crime, Stella, moved to Boston last week. The first couple trips were rough - he was clearly confused and didn't really know who to hang out with so he got kind of bully-ish. It's kind of like the kid in high school that got separated from his friends so tries to act super tough and mean so other kids don't think he's a loser. To help him adjust, I switched him to the afternoon group 2 days/wk, so he has a whole new crew to bond with, not just life without Stella. I know this may sound ridiculous, but those two were close. As soon as Stella's parents started packing up their place, two weeks before the move, Tucker started acting out. Stella didn't act funny until her last park trip when her house was literally empty of all belongings.

For the most part we had a really mellow time at the park on both trips. It wasn't too crowded, not too many mud puddles to avoid, we didn't lose any toys, we didn't steal too many toys, all around it was a good day! A special thanks to Bickie (Coco's mom) for making my favorite Quinoa salad today! She is so sweet - she makes my favorite salad every Tuesday because she knows it is my first long day of the week and that I never have time to get lunch! She makes my day every time - Thank you Bickie!!!

Outside of the dog park: Little Stella, the king charles cavalier, who goes on walks with Nancy, had to go to the emergency room last night. She was throwing up blood and they still have to run some more tests to see what it could be. She is on medication and is doing much better today after a few visits and lots of love from Nancy. Just a reminder that if you don't have pet insurance, right now is a great time to do it! I recommend Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, Trupanion, or Embrace.

Sometimes my clients say the funniest things about their dogs... since you all say them, I figured you might like to hear what other people say about their own dogs, so I would like to start a "client quote of the day" section. This will of course remain anonymous and I will take the dog's name out of it as well. To start us off, here is a quote that had me literally laughing out loud to myself in the car all day:

client quote of the day:

"(my dog would) steal a cookie from a kid and then knock the kid down in order to get a faster route to eating poop"

Don't forget to check out pictures of our day today on the ballwalkpark facebook page!

*Also, comments on the blog are welcomed and encouraged! And if you want to be emailed every time there is a new update, scroll to the bottom of your page and click the "Follow" button on the bottom right corner.

Dog pumpkin carving stencils (and pics of our Bailey and Bam-O-Lanterns)

We are getting into the Halloween spirit here at the ballwalkpark house! This week I carved pumpkins of Bailey and Bam - a term I would like to coin - the Bam-O-Lantern! I am pretty impressed with how they turned out - I have NO artistic talent whatsoever. It's all about the stencil, seriously. If I can do it, anyone can do it! I have attached the links for the stencils. You can find a bunch of different breeds at The Better Homes and Gardens link. The French Bulldog stencil was harder to find, so I attached the link for that as well. Enjoy and happy carving!!

Better Homes and Gardens dog breed stencils

Labrador Retriever pumpkin carving stencil

Frenchie pumpkin carving stencil

ballwalkpark wins Best Dogwalker in King5's Best of Western Washington for the 2nd year in a row!!!

 

Thank you for voting ballwalkpark the #1 BEST DOG WALKER in King 5's Best of Western Washington contest! Your votes paid off and WE WON 1st PLACE for the 2nd year in a row! This is a huge honor and was greatly unexpected. Your votes and support mean the world to me- I am so greatly appreciative - friends, family, clients, ballwalkpark picture fans, you guys are amazing!!!

  Best of Western Washington results

Stay up to date with the adventures of ballwalkpark on the facebook page!

The Dos and Don'ts of the dog park

This post was taken from Trupanion's twitter - you can see the full article here. This is the best "Dos and Don'ts" of the dog park I have read. Summer is here and the park is getting crowded on nice days - these excellent tips will help the humans enjoy the dog park as much as the dogs - maybe not that much, but you get the point....

Please feel free to forward this post to any dog owners you know who may appreciate these tips :)

10 Tips to Take to the Dog Park

On April 10, 2011, in Tid Bits of Fun!, by Guest Blogger

The following guest post comes from Kadee G.:

While dog parks are the ultimate playgrounds for pups to play off-leash without a glaring eye from mom and dad, bad habits and doggie disputes can break out fast. Luckily, most people are aware if their dog is socialized in a public manner, keeping all-out brawls on the low side of the scale. However, a few bad experiences, for pet and owner alike, can keep newbie dogpark-ers at bay while others are blissfully/obliviously unaware.

So who’s responsible for the spats or the rough housing? The fresh pile of doo unattended? What are the etiquette rules to follow? Below is a list of some doggie do’s and don’ts to help the newbies stay on the right track and the good side of the regulars.

Disclaimer: Some of the pointers may sound obvious, even common sense, but I wouldn’t add them if I hadn’t seen them myself. Read on.

1. Scoop your poop. If you don’t, the poop gods will get you. And trust me, it’s not fun to clean the doo from the bottom of your multi-indented sneakers.

2. Don’t bring food. And no, this is not obvious to everyone. What’s worse, people get annoyed/irritated when they’re swarmed by a dog pack wanting a piece of their Subway sandwich. So just don’t.

3. On that note, when you have treats, expect to be followed and totally sucked up to. They can sniff you out a mile away. It’s okay to have them, sometimes even necessary to get Fido back from the pack, but just expect that you’ll get beggars. And if you feel the urge, make sure it’s okay by the owner to give their pooch a treat . . . not all will want it.

4. Don’t leave the wee (human) ones unattended. Most dog parks are wide open spaces and dogs, by nature, are hunters and even as a puppies will chase anything that moves. A small child, running at a distance in the wide open looks more like prey than a human being. At best, keep the kiddies an arm’s length away. Which leads me to my next point . . .

5. This is not a park! Bring your kids, of course.  It’s great socialization, but never forget this is a DOG PARK. It is meant for the dogs to run and play, it’s not a community park. Not all dogs are kid friendly and as long as they’re in the correct space for their behavior, you should respect that.

6. Digging is rude. The dog park isn’t the place to be a passive owner and chit chat with fellow dog lovers. You have to watch your dog like you would your child. Make sure they’re safe, playing nice and not ruining the property that everyone enjoys. If you don’t let them do it at home, don’t let them do it at the park.

7. If your dog is shy, small or young, it may not be able to handle the flurry of excited pups ready to meet and kiss their face or tangle with the rough-housers rolling around. If this is the case, seek out places that accommodate the shy and quiet types. Dogs do play hard and that’s okay. But it’s also not for everyone so find a park that caters to your pup’s needs.

8. If you don’t want your dog’s brand new ball/toy stolen, the dog park is not the place to bring it! Know that other dogs will chase the ball you throw, will jump at the toy inyour hand and will often steal the ball from your dog to get a reaction and entice a game of chase. It’s not always right or respectful on the thief’s (or their owner’s) behalf but it happens. Fair warning.

9. Be aware of your dog’s level of roughness. Again, the park is not the place to be an innocent bystander, you have to watch your dog. If it’s bullying or playing too rough for a submissive or young pup, be weary. Find the owner and make sure that it’s okay that your dog play in that manner.  If not, get your dog’s attention on something else e.g., you, a ball, a new dog.

10. Most importantly, don’t bring brand new babies (anything under four months) to play with the big boys. It may be tough not to bring the newest member of your family to show off and introduce to the neighborhood “kids” but if they’re too young and/or do NOT have their complete puppy shots – you need to wait. It’s your dog’s safety that matters.

In most areas, the dog park circle is small. Very small. If you let your dog go rampant, disrespect the rules or worse, others, you’ll be remembered and talked about for a while. No person wants that and no pup wants blackballed from the local hang out. My list of ten is just a shallow dive into the “proper dog park protocol and procedure”.

Dog park people – they’re usually friendly. If you don’t know, just ask . . . my guess is they’re more than willing to help out.

Puppy Parade at the Fremont Fair - this weekend

Who wants to go to the puppy parade this weekend? It's at the Fremont Fair on Sunday at 2:30pm. I haven't been before (I think this may be the first year they are doing it) and have no idea what to expect, but anything that has a high population of dogs, where they encourage you do dress your dog in costume, sounds like it is right up my alley. Let me know if you want to go together or meet up there! https://dailyticket.com/deals/83/dog-parade

Whoaaa dogs!

The dogs were very amped up today - all day. Either they really missed me and didn't realize it until today, or there is something in the air. It wasn't a bad day by any means, the dogs were all being good, but just at a very very high energy level. They were acting the way they do when they first get to the park and run in circles and explode with energy - but it never died down. Especially the afternoon group - I thought I would never tire them out! After almost two hours they finally started to show signs of wearing down! Here are some of the highlights of today (please see ballwalkpark facebook page for pics):

• Arten, who is normally a wader at the water, saw a duck who he felt the need to track down - he took off for a nice long swim before giving up and heading back into shore.
• Tucker was so excited about his orange ball he wanted to show every person we walked by - in the form of hopping around them in circles. He confused quite a few people, unsure why this dog was bounding around them in circles.
• Oliver found a pink cuz ball which he loved chasing - he would drop it at my feet and do his dance of anticipation - he looks like a praying mantis or something - very un-sophisticated and un-Oliver like.
• Bonita took a sharp turn into the bushes and then proceeded to take herself on a 15 minute self-guided tour of the park. She met back up with us just in time to go for a swim. We don't really encourage this type of behavior....
• We also learned that although the mud has dried up, rolling in the dirt and bark right after a swim has a similar effect in getting the dirt to cake in their fur.
• Stella really wanted to play with the big Jolly Ball Coco was carrying around. She tried a little too hard and Coco wasn't having it - she turned to bark at Stella and scared her so bad they both crashed into the garbage cans, sending the lids flying and onlookers laughing.
• Cooper spent his afternoon tangled up with either Chesa or Bonita (he's not too picky about his blondes, either one will do) and Pepper was always chasing close behind to get in on the action - making her gremlin sounds all the while.
• Bailey held the Jolly Ball most of the trip - kicking it around like a soccer ball and running up and tripping me with it to get my attention when I wasn't throwing it. Oh B, love you little girl!
• Milkshake spent his day frantically digging for the ball he was either trying to bury or pick up, or chiming in on Bailey's barking to get me to throw the ball more.
• Otis held the orange ball this afternoon, which produces surprisingly less drool than your average tennis ball. noted for next time.
• Walker kept himself busy trying to get in on any of the three balls in circulation throughout the group, while also heading many of the chase-offs throughout the park.

I've had people at the park tell me "wow, you have your hands full" or "that's quite the pack" before - and normally I kind of down play it, because while they are all big high energy dogs, they are normally pretty calm after the first half hour. Today, not so much. Today I did have my hands full and I had quite the pack! But luckily, it was in the good way, everyone was well behaved and just having a lot of fun. I had a tornado of dogs circling me nearly all day. We were in control, just a high energy control, and it was a lot of fun. Between trying not to trip over Bailey and making sure the dogs were somewhat watching where they were going and not crashing into people or objects, I was laughing and smiling all day. They're a handful of puppy energy - but I wouldn't have it any other way! 

ballwalkpark is back

After a week long vacation, the pack is back! First of all, huge thanks to Sara and Gretchen for covering for me and taking pups to the park. It made me smile every day to see the pics they uploaded on facebook of my dogs at the park. I’m sure they didn’t even notice I was gone!

Mr. Cooper was so wiggly he could hardly contain himself. He wiggled the whole way from his apartment to the car. Apparently he was so excited when Sara picked him up that he peed a little. I was happy I didn’t have to clean up pee, but a little hurt that I didn’t get the same level of excitement from him. Cooper has two days left with ballwalkpark until his mom is on summer vacation and then he moves back to Chicago at the end the of summer. We have to make every last minute count!

Otis, Bonita and Lola are totally in sync walking down the path. They look like a synchronized swimming team or something. Lucky shot! We spent a lot of time at the water today and Lola swam half-way across the lake to get lost balls. Ok, not really half the lake, but really really far! Bonita likes so hang out way far out and tread water, swimming back and forth between other dog’s tennis balls, picking them up and dropping them for the next one. Otis is the strongest most powerful swimmer, when he decides to drop the ball. If you ask him to drop it, he sinks his head down really low and kind of sulks away and drops it when he thinks you’re not looking. Funny pups.

Arten made a new best friend - Oscar, one of Sara’s golden retrievers. He could not get enough of Oscar! See my facebook page for more of those two - they were hilarious. They would chase each other round and round in circles, then go and lay under the trees together to catch their breath. I think Arten has a thing for dogs that are equal (or at least near) his poofiness.

Chip got to play with the new version of the Jolly Ball - he LOVES it even more than the last one. With this ball, not only could he do his circus elephant/core workout (see facebook pics) but he could also persistently ask me to throw the ball so he could fetch it. Best of both worlds! I bet he was a tired one today….

It feels great to be back - I started missing the dogs when I dropped them off after my last park trip before vacation and have been looking forward to seeing them since! Thanks for making my first day back so fun and easy :)

Viszla terminology

I just ran across this and thought it deserved a post: VIZSLA WORDS ® VIZSDICTIONS-The addictions that come with owning (or being owned by) Vizslas-showing, hunting, obedience, agility, field, etc. ® VLICKING-The typical Vizsla greeting, more specifically defined as the art of licking a person all over while jumping four feet off the ground. ® VLANKET-A covering composed of three or four Vizslas that keep you warm by laying on top of you in all seasons. The warmth is measured in VTU's (see below). ® VIZALOPE-What your Vizsla turns into when released at the park. ® VHINING-The noise heard when your Vizsla needs attention or t he noise heard when your Vizsla knows your are on the way to the park. ® VISZLITZU stands for the attack a Vizsla makes usually consisting of a well-timed undercut to the back of the knees. ® VMS stands for Vizsla Menstrual Syndrome, a bitch that goes into heat on the first day of hunting season. ® VTU-Vizsla Thermal Unit, the amount of heat generated by the dog, on your side of the bed, in July ® VIZSOSITY INDEX-A not arbitrary number agreed on by the family as the maximum number of Vizslas per household. ® VIZSCOUNT-The actual number of dogs, usually one more than the vizsosity index. ® VIZSLITORS are people that my Vizlsa thinks come to our house solely to see her. ® VSLOBBER is the greeting bestowed by my Vizlsa on said Vizslitor. ® VIZSFUL thinking-the way our Vizsla can stare seemingly for hours at whatever we are eating, thinking we are going to feed her from the table. ® VIZELLO not to be confused with VIZSLAMORTIS, both afflictions seem to be brought on by the same stimuli but manifest themselves quite differently. Both happen when the leader asks the little red person to stack (as in show training). VIZELLO is when they go completely limp and roll on their backs and seem to acquire an extra 50lbs. ® VIZSLAMORTIS happens under the same circumstances, however the little red person deigns to stack but then locks every single bone in their body thereby making it impossible for them to be stacked YOUR way. ® VIZSLARIZED is what you are when you consider holes in the wall board a normal part of raising a vizsla! ® VIZSLARATION is a very close relative of irritation and aggravation except it has a sense of humor. ® VIZSLAPSED TIME-The time it takes for 1) your Vizsla to strike the most beautiful pose or point you've ever seen; 2) you grab your camera; 3) you begin to press down on the shutter button; 4) your Vizsla yawns, closes his/her eyes, hunches his/her body in a stretch and looks really goofy; and 5) voila-the picture is taken. ® VFLOOR COVERINGS-The food crumbs, dirt, mud, grass, water and unmentionables that are always on your carpets and floors - thanks to your wonderful Vizsla(s). ® VEXTRA SENSORY PERCEPTION-How a Vizsla knows that you're putting on your "let's- go-for-a-walk-or-run" shoes or clothes; or the fact that it's a weekend morning. ® VIZLAMIC-the religion of loving Vizslas. ® VORENSIC SCIENCE-the scientific study used to find proof of which one of your Vizslas has committed a "crime." ® VIZZA-The scraps of crust or pieces of meat saved from a pizza for your Vizsla. ® VIZSLA COLADA-The drink you've set down "only for a second" that your Vizsla comes and slurps from. ® VALLET-The elegant and graceful dance movements that only a Vizsla can perform. ® VALLISTIC-As in "gone Vallistic"; to describe the wild brain cramps-induced bouncing off the walls behavior that only a Vizsla can perform. ® VIPLETS is when you can't have just two. ® VIZRUPLETS are my four eleven month olds. ® VIZSULY IMPAIRED-There's another breed of dog? ® VIZSULY CHALLENGED-Eight or more Vizslas in the house! ® INVIZSABLE-What they think they are when you want them to do something and they'd rather do what you don't want them to do. ® EXCLUSIVIZSLAISM-The frowned upon practice of owning only one vizsla. ® INADVIZSLABLE-The unwise practice of driving with the dogs loose in the car. ® LOW VIZABILITY-When your V decides that it would be fun to sit in your lap while you are attempting to negotiate traffic. ® NOVIZABILITY is what happens when the driver's side window is down and your V decides that she would like to hang her head out the window a bit. ® HIGHVIZABILITY would be your V standing so that she can almost climb onto the rear window shelf so that she can get a better look at passing cars-or they her. ® VIZPLACEMENT-When your little red head beats you to the recliner. ® VIZSMEARS-The smudges on the inside of car windows where your V presses her nose. ® VADAR-The electromagnetic system that allows a sleeping vizsla on the far end of the second floor to detect that you have just begun to cut into an apple. ® VOPPLER EFFECT-The ability of a vizsla to warp time and space to be sitting politely at your feet, staring at the apple before you've finished the first cut.

Can dogs predict the end of the world?

Can dogs predict the end of the world? Not to say that I believe in all this Rapture talk, but Cooper was definitely acting strange at the park yesterday! And no, there weren't any bugs to be chasing..... Although I don't know if I would count on Cooper to predict the fate of the world, but it is pretty funny to watch!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe3_bDUTtL8]

adventures of bwp - 5/19

Coco wasted no time with the mud today. Within minutes of entering the park she was on a path to the mud pit - there was no stopping her, not even a treat. It rained a ton over the weekend, so there is plenty of mud, but then since it has been so dry over the past couple of days the mud is really really thick. Coco shook numerous times and still couldn't get it off. So, our morning started with a bee-line to the beach. Once we got to the water, Arten enjoyed cooling off in the lake - he was definitely over-dressed for the nice weather in his Tibetan Mastiff coat. We played fetch long enough to get Coco's mud washed off, and then headed back up to the "dome" area - the beach is too crowded on nice days like this! Stella and Tucker bobbed around further out in the water, catching any extra balls. Miles left the frisbee in the water and no matter how many dogs I asked to go get it, and threw rocks at the toy, nobody wanted to bring it back to me. They all saw what I was pointing at, swam out to it, and swam right past it. Luckily as we were leaving Coco snatched it up.

We spent the rest of the morning playing fetch and chase in the "dome" area. Shortly after we left the water Arten was already panting from the heat under that thick coat - he took refuge under a rare shady spot at Magnuson and wrestled with one of the dogs in Gretchen's pack.

This afternoon, Miss Maggie took our Jolly Ball and covered it in the mud pit. None of the dogs really wanted to carry it after, so our trip to the water was 2 steps forward-5 steps back to to pick up the ball again. Chesa usually won't let the ball out of her sight, carrying it around the park everywhere, but even she was turned off... Maggie would ditch the ball in the trees, she would go give it a sniff and keep walking....

So I am dying to know what Milkshake and Dexter have been up to. The past two days at the water they just sit in one spot trying to dive and dig for something. Milkshake is usually a very avid fetcher, and Dexter loves to swim after a ball in the water too, but neither of them could take their attention off this object in the water, even with tennis balls flying right past them. They must know about something that we don't! While they were on their mission, Beaudy and Maggie were fielding all of the balls the chuck-it threw out, Walker and Cooper chased rocks thrown in the water, and Chesa ran around in circles were her clean Jolly ball.

There are three spots in the park where dogs go crazy. Not just my dogs, any dogs, especially any of the dog walker's packs. The spots are the area right up from the beach, before the gate, the area by the pagoda (where the water station is in the summer) and the mounds up by the main water station at the front gate. The dogs just love to run in circles around these areas - usually the whole pack gets into it.

Cooper and Walker were going at it when we got back to the dome. Those Viszlas are skinny little things but they sure do play hard! Cooper also got in his playtime with Miss Chesa. 

The best part of the day was when we were leaving the 2nd park trip - I had 3 dogs on leash, 4 unleashed as we were going to the truck. I was in the first park spot outside of the gate, so not a huge stretch, but we had the best load-up ever. As soon as we walked out of the gate every single dog lept up into the truck all at once. This process often is dog-by-dog, some requiring a lift, some pulling my wrist off in refusal, some not even following us to the gate to leave. It can really make or break a day, and this was the perfect ending to a wonderful day in the sun. Good job pups!

adventures of bwp - 5/18

The park was surprisingly quiet this morning for how nice the weather was. We got a parking spot right in front and wasted no time getting to play. While I was doing the honors of cleaning up after these little monsters, Coco and Chip took off for the mud puddles at the end of the field. Sooo.... off the to beach we went! Not without getting a few brushes of swamp mud across my legs from Mr. Chip, of course. The water wasn't too crowded either, which was really nice. Bonita made friends with every other dog at the beach and high-jacked their ball. She was nice enough to give it back as soon as she saw someone else's ball being thrown. Chip was a super swimmer today, getting the frisbee as far out as I could throw it. Milkshake was yelling at me so I eventually found a ball and threw it for him - I didn't realize until I was mid-throw that it has a hole and was full of rocks so it sank.... he and Dexter spent the next 15 minutes diving for it - gotta love the determination of a retriever!

Arten's buddy, Toby, had his last day as his parents are back from Hawaii tonight. He went out with a bang! Of all the toys at the beach, Toby chose this log as his must-have of the day. He kept talking/whining at me to do something with it, so finally I picked the thing up, with several people around me laughing at me, and I threw it as far as I could. About 5 feet. Sorry Toby :( It was good for a laugh!

We were about to leave, everyone had just finished their last water bowl visit, and the dogs persuaded me to stay for just a few more throws in the big field. No one was around, they were playing so well, and it was a gorgeous day, so I figured why not. Within a few minutes I realized I was missing a Chocolate lab.... I call Mr. Chip, and within seconds he came bounding up from the mud puddle. Ugh! So close... Time to load everyone up and give Mr. Chip a hose-down.... You gotta pay to play!

This afternoon Bailey and Bambi hosted after-park care for Bonita and Cooper. They usually go on two park trips, but since we only did a morning trip today I brought them over to hang out. Bam got to show off her new car wash toy, Bonita and Cooper gnawed on each others faces like the teenagers in love that they are, and Bailey tried to show the kids that she was still hip and cool. This was mostly made possible by the fact that Michael was at work all day... there is nothing more he loves than to come home to dog park in the back yard. If you've ever met Michael, you know it's all a front and he loves the dogs as much as I do :)

* I was having a bad picture day for some reason.... I took a lot, but nothing really came out! Sorry, check back tomorrow!