Tricks of the trade: drop the ball!

One question that I am constantly asked is "how do you handle 7 dogs at once?", and like every dogwalker, we have our secrets. In this series of blog posts, "tricks of the trade", I will be sharing a few of my secrets that you may be able to use with your pup at the park! Drop the ball! 

If you're pup is anything like Bailey, or any other ball-obsessed lab for that matter, who refuses to drop the ball, try this trick:

blow softly into their ear. keep blowing. It will mess up their pressure and make them start moving their jaw to pop their ears, just like we do on a plane. While moving their jaw, they are bound to drop the ball! The key here is to be very patient and gentle.

*I learned this wonderful trick from my fellow dogwalker, Gretchen Jannenga, and this trick has made getting Bailey in the truck ball-free possible on numerous occasions! 

{of course, the ideal scenario would be to teach your pup to drop the ball properly in the first place... I'll talk about that in a future post!}

What does the wind do to the dogs?!

**I have no scientific evidence or dog behavior theory to support this post, it's just my thoughts and comments are more than welcome!** Right as we got to the park today if got really windy for about 20 minutes. It has been sunny and beautiful earlier in the day, and as I drove closer and closer to the park for the afternoon trip, I saw dark gloomy clouds rolling in. By the time I got to the park, it was dark, windy and starting to rain. It's a common saying among the dogwalkers that the wind make the dogs go crazy, and on any windy day at the park, you will see a more chaotic scene than normal. Today was just about the epitome of that.

Almost as soon as the dogs bust out of the back of my truck, the wind gusts were blowing through the trees, almost as if it were blowing the dogs into the park. Normally, there is a big explosion of excitement and chasing, barking, jumping when we first get inside the gates, and it usually settles within a minute or two. Not today. And not just my dogs. They bounced, chased and wrestled their way across the big field over to the side field (we call it "the dome") where I hoped we could settle down out of the way of everyone else. The next 20 minutes were absolute chaos.

Normally I wouldn't write a blog to broadcast my lack of control over my pack, but since I feel these are dogs I normally have under control really well, and I know it was just the weather throwing them (and every other dog) off, I'm OK with sharing my less than role-model-dogwalker moments.

On a normal day at the park, you will see dogwalkers with their packs calmly walking along with maybe 1 or 2 dogs running ahead to catch a ball, maybe a little barking, but all in all pretty calm. You will see a dogwalker off in a field playing fetch with his/her pack. You will see a dogwalker neatly filing their pack through the gates to the water. Sprinkled in between packs are park patrons with their one or two pups who are either chasing their ball, sticking by their owner, or making friends with dogs in the packs. Despite how many dogs are in one place, it's actually pretty structured and calm.

Now, have you seen Mean Girls? Remember when the "Burn Book" got out an everyone breaks into madness in the halls? That exact scene crossed my mind. Sammy was trotting around in circles like a horse with the ball in his mouth. Chesa was right at his heels. Salty was wrestling some puppy he met. Kato was barking at Salty trying to get in on the action, and resorting to humping when he wasn't getting his way. Josephine had found another puppy (less than half her size, of course) to play with. Cooper was intermittently body slamming and humping them. This was just my pack. Another dogwalker across the dome had his back who were wrestling, barking, humping and chasing. Park patrons were calling after their non-responsive dogs who were gleefully doing laps around the park with no regard for their name being called. This is what the wind does to the dogs.

I don't know what it is about the wind. I googled it and didn't find anything worth relaying. I've heard that the wind kicks up all the smells in the dirt and grass and throws the dogs off. I've heard the sound of the wind is too much on their ears and makes them go a little crazy. I tend to believe the kicking up smells theory... I imagine the dogs all going crazy because all of a sudden everything they knew got turned upside down. The dogs can't tell who smells good enough to hump so they hump any random dog, they can't tell what human has the treats so they just go jumping on everyone, and they can't tell whose ball it is so they just grab anything or leave everything to be found by another confused dog. Again, there is no scientific basis on any of this, it's just my dog-crazy brain trying to make sense of the chaos. Regardless of the reasoning, the dogs made sure there were no dull moments this afternoon. I have a feeling they all went home very tired today.

If you do know anything about why the wind does this to dogs, please comment! Let me know!

{products i love} Top 20 puppy shopping list items

Feeling overwhelmed about what you will need for your new puppy? Here are my top 20 favorites products for puppies. It covers just about everything except for the food and water bowls! Happy puppy stuff shopping! 1. Plastic or Wire Crate

Start crating your pup early and they will soon love their "house" in no time. I always suggest to give a special treat or Kong filled with peanut butter each them they go in their crate. There are many options for bedding available, personally, I like to put a big fluffy blanket or bunch of towels so the puppy can kind of nest and get cozy, and also get used to my smell even more. Plus it's easier to wash frequently than a dog bed.

2. Petstages Heartbeat Pillow

New puppies may have a hard time sleeping through the night at first b/c they miss the heartbeat of their littermates. This pillow mimics the sound of a heartbeat. Or you can go the old fashioned way and buy a ticking alarm clock at Bartell's. Also you can put a Nalgene bottle of warm water in the crate so it feels like a warm body next to them.

3. Baby Gate 

When not in the crate, make sure your pup is in confined areas so you can keep an eye on them!

4. Grain-Free puppy food 

There are a ton of good puppy foods out there, and majority of them will be grain-free. Talk to someone at your local pet store to help you decide what is best for your pup. I like to go to Mud Bay Granary, All The Best or Petapoluza. Nick at Petapoluza is especially knowledgable and helpful about dog foods and only carries the highest quality labels.

5. Merrick Lamb Lung treats 

These treats are great because they are easy to break into small pieces for little puppy mouths and lots of training, and they don't smell horrible but the pups love them!

6. Treat Pouch

Be it a treat pouch, a ziploc in your pocket, or just a pocket full of treats, make sure you are armed with treats at all times! You want to always be prepared to reward your pup for all the new behaviors he is learning!

7. Nylabone puppy teething pacifier

I don't know what it is about this toy, but pups seems to love it!

8. N-Bone Puppy teething ring 

This little ring gets soft and gummy for young puppies teeth. Bambi lived on these for several weeks.

9. Kong Activity Ball

This is a great toy to stuff with treats when you put your pup in their crate.

10. Kyjen Plush Puppies Hedgehog 

This is a ballwalkpark puppy gift basket classic. Everyone loves a squeaky hedgehog! Until the squeak drives you crazy..

11. Kyjen Hide-A-Bee toy 

The squeaky bee is another ballwalkpark classic. The bee is smaller and easier for pups to hold onto. Still soft and squeaky fun!

12. Poop bags and bag dispenser

These little poop bag dispensers help prevent the unthinkable: getting caught without a bag! Always gotta be prepared....

13. Pet Force Stain and Odor Remover

Accidents will happen. If your puppy can smell where the accident was, they will be more likely to have another one in the same place. This enzyme cleaner takes away all of the smell better than anything I've found. It's also ultra concentrated so a little goes a long way. You can find it at Mud Bay.

14. Microfiber Towel

We are in Seattle. Muddy paws are an inevitable part of life. This ultra-absorbent towel will make your dry-off job that much easier.

15. Multipet's Chilly Bone

Run this bone under the water, put it in the freezer, and give to your pup for some soothing relief.

16. Wonder Walker Body Halter

A must-have for leash training! Check out my blog last week about the Wonder Walker body halter here.

17. The Grrrip Two Handled Dog Leash

I like this leash because it has a handle close down to the dog's neck also so you can keep them on a short lead at corners, cross walks, or in crowds. Bailey and I used this thing walking around Greenlake every single day for almost 4 years. Whether it's this leash or not, I highly recommend a flat nylon or rope leash as opposed to a retractable leash.

18. Chuck-It Ball Launcher

Pretty much the greatest invention ever. My profession pretty much relies on this handy little tool, considering I can't throw more than ten feet on my own... A great way to exercise your pup once they are a little older!

19. Pet Hub Link Tag

A QR code ("quick response") on a pet ID tag links to your pet's online data to show emergency contacts, medications, dietary information, and much more. Modifying your data is immediate, free, and does not require a modification to the physical ID tag.

20. Healthy Paws Pet Insurance

Health Insurance is a MUST! Rates are reasonable, starting around $25-$30/mo depending on breed and depending on which plan you choose you can receive up to 90% of your vet bills back on accidents, illnesses and genetic problems. Healthy Paws is a great local Seattle company. I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with them and highly recommend!

Click the image below to save 10% off FOR LIFE!

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!

It's all fun and games when Harley ends up in a cone

Todd, Harley's owner, told me a story yesterday that I have not been about to get out of my head. I have been literally laughing out loud at random times since he told me yesterday. Obviously, I had to share. Harley, if you're not familiar from Facebook pics, is an adorably grumpy looking brindle French bulldog with one front tooth that peeks out at all times. Simply looking at Harley makes almost anyone smile. Once he starts dancing around and doing his Harley thing, if you're not laughing, then we are clearly not on the same page as to what's important in life.

So, Harley-man has been in a cone the last week or so. He got a hot-spot in some of his frenchie face wrinkles and has been wearing the cone to try and heal. Harley goes to daycare twice a week when he is not with me. We had a change in schedule last week and he went on one of his normal "me" days. Todd thinks the different schedule must have meant a different crowd of dogs or something, because they gave Harley-man quite a hard time.

Todd says he got a call from daycare around 11:30am saying Harley had to be placed in isolation. The other dogs were using Harley's cone as a toy and the only way they could make them stop it by getting him out of there. Harley is a good dog and I can't imagine he would ever be put in isolation for any behavioral issues. Todd says when he picked up Harley at the end of the day that the cone was in very rough shape, holes, tears, just a complete mess. Although I'm sure Harley didn't enjoy isolation, its a good thing the folks at daycare take such good care of him!

I can just imagine poor Harley-man being the center of a tug-o-war game (which he usually dominates). Definitely a grumpy face, probably a few snorts, and his stubby musclely (i know its not a word) little legs trying to get traction on the daycare floor. Harley-o-war. Seriously wish I had been watching the webcam for that.

I guess at daycare it's all fun and games when Harley ends up in a cone!

{products i love} Wonder Walker body halter

When it comes to walking your dog, you have to find a way to make it work for you and your pup, otherwise neither of you will enjoy it. When your pup is pulling your arm off and he is choking for a breath of air, nobody is winning. That's why I love the Wonder Walker body halter. It is a simple (and stylish!) halter that has three straps, around the chest in front, under the chest, and around the back. It has clips in the front (chest) or back.  The idea behind the Wonder Walker is to clip your leash to the front of the harness, which prevents the dogs from pulling. If they pull, they are essentially pulling against themselves, so it is not rewarding. Another main feature is that is pulls from the dog's center of gravity, rather than head or neck, which is better for dogs, especially disproportionate ones like the Frenchies ;)

The Wonder Walker is much safer alternative to choke chains, and even a flat collar if your dog pulls. This harness can be used on any dog, of any age. Which brings me to another reason I am such a fan - if you start using this harness on a young puppy, you teach them the right way to walk from the beginning and eliminate pulling as a problem before it even starts.

The Wonder Walker comes in a ton of great colors that you can custom order. Another reason to love this company? It is local, based in Seattle! Explains why almost every dog walking up and down Queen Anne Ave is sporting one these days. I have bought mine at All The Best on Queen Anne.

http://www.wonderwalkerbodyhalter.com/

**I am not given any incentive to write about this harness, I just really like it and want to share with everyone!

The history of Bailey and Timber

I got Bailey when I was a Junior in college, before almost all of my friends, except for Maria, who had Timber, an all black German Shepard. Maria and I went to highschool together and had actually been friends since swim team days when we were in like 12. Maria moved up to Bellingham for college and one weekend Bailey and I went up to visit her. Maria lived in the top floor of a house with some roommates. She had a nice setup with a living room area attached to her bedroom. Bailey and Timber were fine with each other upon first meeting, and Maria and I left them alone together as we went out for the night. When we came home, we both went to bed in Maria's room. As we were falling asleep, every few minutes we would hear Bailey screaming and Timber growling. We would wake up and break up the scuffle, try to get them each on their own beds and go back to sleep. Not long after, Bailey would scream again. Timber was creepy-crawling over to Bailey and pinning her down by her neck each time. Finally, at 4am (I remember this b/c it was before Starbucks was open) I decided to just give up on sleep and drive home. For years later, it was always a running joke amongst our friends of Bailey vs. Timber.

Fast forward six years, and I start dating Michael, who is actually Maria's older brother. Timber, Maria's dog, was originally Michael's dog, along with Kaiser, who is a male German Shepard a couple years older. For whatever reason, that seems to be frequently debated between the two of them, Michael gave Timber to Maria. So essentially, Bailey's one-time-nemesis is now family.

At their ripe old ages of 7 and 8 years old, they are both peacefully laying on our living room floor tonight, quietly chomping away on bones while we watch a movie. Bailey is wearing the cone of shame to recover from a hot spot and Timber is chewing on the softie toy to nurse her abscessed tooth she just had removed. Funny how things work out, isn't it?

South Lake Union officially has an off-leash park!

reblogged from Seattle Dog Spot http://www.seattledogspot.com/blog/2012/03/31/denny-off-leash-area

City opens new off-leash area in Denny Park

March 31, 2012 | by seattledogspot

The 12th off-leash area for dogs in Seattle is officially open.

Yesterday, the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation and Citizens for Off-Lease Areas presided over the opening of the Denny Park Off-Leash Area, a.105 acre park located at 100 Dexter Avenue North in the north-central sector of Denny Park, off John Street.

Denny Park is just a temporary home for the off-leash area until a permanent location can be developed. Currently the site of the old Greyhound Bus Station near REI is the leading candidate.

The 2 companies spearheading the explosion of development in the South Lake Union neighborhood, Amazonand Vulcan, donated $95,000 for the project. No taxpayer money was used to build the park.

The need for the park in South Lake Union was due to the area's increasing permanent resident population and influx of Amazon employees (who are allowed to bring their dogs to work) which account for an increase in the daily dog population in the area by approximately 1000 dogs.

Despite the rain, about 60 people and a couple of dozen dogs showed up for the opening. Here are some pictures I took of the festivities followed by a video of the "leash cutting" for the park's official opening and dogs frolicking in the park for the first time.

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Treats from Scraps Bakery

Citizens for Off-Leash Areas oversees maintenance of all Seattle's off-leash areas and worked for years to make a South Lake Union off-leash area a reality

Questions about pet insurance?

Thanks to Trupanion for this great infographic on understanding pet insurance! I wish there was an infographic for just about everything, don't you?? Click the image to see the larger version!

Pet Insurance 101 graphic created by Trupanion.

adventures of bwp: caught in a downpour!

I feel like I generally have pretty good luck avoiding major storms when at the dog park. More often than not, the weather either turns for the worse as I am just leaving the park, or happens to clear up just as I am arriving, as it did this morning. Apparently I jinxed us when I posted this pic of the clear skies when arriving at the park for the morning trip. The poor pups and I got absolutely nailed this afternoon! This afternoon I had Bailey, Sammy (Dobie), Gracie (Swissie), Josephine (Great Dane), Cooper (black lab) and Kato (Vizsla puppy). They're a pretty tough group and were playing hard all the way down to the water. When we were at the water it started raining a little, but not bad. When we got to the park it was 52 degrees and sunny, I wore my sunglasses into the park and debated not even brining my raincoat since I was already too hot.

As soon as we left the water and got through the gates, the downpour hit. It was like someone turned on a faucet. Sammy, the toughest looking of the crew, is a huge baby and is afraid of the rain. He started frantically spinning in circles looking for somewhere to take cover, but there was nowhere. Anticipating a Sammy meltdown, I put him on leash so I would have one less thing to worry about. A dogwalker a few feet ahead of us starts running with her pack. At the time, I thought that was a kind of unnecessary. Less than 30 seconds later the hail and wind kicked in and I was running right behind her.

Josephine was scared of the hail and wind, her eyes were huge and fearful and she was looking for cover too. The saddest of them all was tiny Kato puppy. He had no idea what was going on and was freezing. He was literally trembling as we ran. I actually considered for a minute taking off my coat to wrap him up, then I realized that was definitely taking it too far.

Right before the pathway to the water there is a small pagoda/shelter area. As soon as we got in there, I sat on the bench, Kato jumped into my lap, and I hugged him to try and keep him warm and stop his trembling. Sammy and Josephine huddled up next to us too. It's so funny that these huge tough looking dogs are actually such babies when it comes to something as simple as a little rain/hail storm.

After waiting a few minutes, and no improvement in the weather, I decided it was time to take our next sprint to the car. We took off running and everyone was great sticking close with by me. My sweet little Bailey was right on my heels, trying to trip me every 5th step. The last thing I needed was a face plant.

As we crossed the field I realized every single person in the park was huddled under one of the two shelters. There were probably 15 people and their dogs huddled under the shelter by the front gate. I've never seen that before!

When we got to the gate by my truck, all the dogs were lined up, eager to get into the truck. Except for one. I looked back and Bailey is standing about 10 yards away, in rain, hail and wind, with the ball in her mouth and her sad little puppy dog eyes begging me for some one on one time. Of course she would.

Everything was absolutely drenched. What a mess... As soon as we left the park and drove  by the U-village, I could see over Queen Anne it was nothing but blue skies... Guess you can't win them all! I don't know what exactly about that whole scenario was fun, I wouldn't exactly call any of it fun, but for some reason, it makes me smile, and I already know it's on my mental "best of the dog park" memories.

Hope you stayed dry today!!!

Caption contest!

This picture from the park today deserves a caption contest! Submit comments below with your best caption!

adventures of ballwalkpark: no toys = no fun? no way!

I was looking forward to writing this blog all last week but somehow time has passed me by once again and here we are, almost onto the next week! This past week or so I did an experiment with the dogs - no toys. I wanted the dogs to get back to basics; running, playing and interaction with one another, not relying on me for their fun.

My toy philosophy used to be the complete opposite - I had a whole array of the newest, coolest dog toys to spoil my dogs with at the park. I picked toys from my collection based on what dogs were on that particular park trip and who would want to play with which toy and who was going to get the most exercise and most fun with whatever toy. I know a lot of dogwalkers who have certain toys that they can't go without because it is a tool necessary to keep a dog focused and well behaved. Or we get stuck into the routine of having a squeaky cuz ball with us so that our dogs don't steal a squeaky cuz from another dog at the park. It's almost as if the dogs and their owners or dogwalkers have developed a dependence on these toys. I decided it was time to break the habit! At least for the week...

Miles loves the frisbee, Chesa loves the Jolly Ball, Harley loves the squeaky Cuz ball, Milkshake loves the Chuck-it... Each dog has a particular toy that really gets them going. I love finding these toys and seeing what makes that dog "tick" so I can understand them a little better and know the best way to get them exercised and have fun. While I love watching the dogs play with their favorite toys, it changed the whole dynamic of the group, and the dynamic between myself and the dogs. The dogs would look at me just as the toy and treat lady. As soon as we got to the park they would just stare at me and bark because they knew I would eventually give them the toys they wanted. So, out of curiosity and frustration with the barking, I decided to forgo toys (at least 90% of the time) for the week.

The results were amazing! The dogs stopped barking and became much more responsive to me. I was worried they would just ditch me and steal other dogs ball to play with but they actually listened to the "leave it" command better than ever. The most wonderful part of this experiment was seeing how the dogs played so much differently without the distraction of toys. They ran and ran and ran and chased each other and played and wrestled and were just dogs! Even the dogs who normally would just sit and stare at a chuck it were playing.

Here's one of my favorite videos of the dogs doing their favorite run at the park. Julie, look for Tucker in here! Favorite part of the dog park!

I hear from my clients all the time that when they take their dog to the dog park on their own that all their dog wants to do is play fetch with them and not really interact with other dogs. I totally understand, Bailey is very much the same way. One of the really cool things about having such a strongly bonded pack is that they play with each other. Not just chasing after the same ball, but chasing and wrestling and play bows and all of that. This type of play  is really important for ongoing socialization and fulfilling a need for interaction with their own kind.

The dogs treated me with much more respect since it was clear I was the pack leader, rather than the toy distributor. It's funny, giving them less of what they want, they actually had more fun with each other and were better behaved for me. I loved watching them just run and be dogs... instead of throwing the ball I was standing on the sidelines as their cheerleader trying to get them to keep running!

While I think there is a time and place for toys and we will definitely still be using our favorite "tools" like the chuck-it and frisbee, it is nice to know that we can kick the habit and enjoy the simple life a few days a week.

So you want to be a dogwalker, huh? Pt 2: Stay on your feet

I have a thing with Tuesdays. I call them Terrible Tuesdays. This started years ago when I had an office job - my reasoning was that on Monday you were fresh from the weekend and ready for the week, Wednesday you were half way there, Thursday is like the new Friday, and then there is Friday! Tuesday was nothing to look forward to and the weekend was nowhere in sight. Well, I have maintained the idea of "TT", and I am pretty sure these days I cause bad things to happen on Tuesdays just to fulfill the expectation that it will be a terrible day. This Tuesday lived up to that expectation. 

I got to the park this morning with a great crew of spunky energetic pups. One of my favorite things is watching the dogs run in circles and chase each other for no reason - not chasing a toy or trying to hump another dog, just simply running for the fun of it. While the dogs were doing just that this morning, I was tromping around the extremely muddy field picking up after the dogs, or in this case, "bobbing for poops", as a dogwalker friend would call it. Just as I was thinking I should probably go back to the car and put on my rain pants since they dogs were getting so muddy and I would have a lot of hosing off to do, I got a big surprise. I started to turn and walk towards the truck, and the dogs ran right behind me, hitting me right behind my knees, causing me to fall backwards. It was all in slow motion, I felt myself going down, I tried to unsuccessfully grab onto a dog to break my fall and save myself from the inevitable mud bath, yelling out some sort of profanity as I went. Before I knew it, my butt was submerged in cold, wet, mud and "water". If you are familiar at all with the dog park, you know that the mud isn't exactly a typical water + dirt combo, ya know what I mean?! As I'm on the ground, I look around to see who witnessed my graceful landing. Nobody. Seriously!? This had to have been one of the highlights of my dogwalking career. Not something to be proud of, but you have to laugh it off, right? 

In that we had just arrived at the park, I had at least an hour left to walk around the park with my freezing cold, wet, disgusting self. At least I wasn't concerned about the dogs getting me dirty! As time went on, I started to think in more and more detail how incredibly disgusting what I had just experienced really was.... and the fact that "it" was still on my skin. I've experienced a lot of nasty things working with dogs, but not many of them have actually made contact with my skin. 

On the way home from the park, I took my dogs home as quickly as possible. When I was at Milkshake's house and taking him out of the truck, I noticed that one of the dogs smelled like they had been freshly bathed. I was envious of how clean they smelled, even after the park. I realized how wrong it was for me to be envious of how a dog smelled. So incredibly wrong. I did not see this coming when I was a girly-girl cocktail waitress...  I stopped by the store on the way home, bought a 3-pack of dial bar soap, and instead having lunch, took a mid-day shower when I stopped by my house. Then took another after the 2nd park trip. Contemplating another before I go to bed. 

I always tell myself, and the dogs, that I always win. No dog can out-stubborn me or out-smart me. At the end of the day, I am the human, I will win. Except today. Today, I have to give it to the dogs, they definitely won. It's like they hit the target and dropped their teacher in the dunk tank. Locked the babysitter out of the house. Knocked down the dogwalker. 

Moral of the story? Don't stand in the mud. I have braced myself from dogs on a daily basis and prevented many falls, but the 3-4 inches of mud was just more than I could handle. Oh, and keep a change of clothes in the car. And a lof of anti-bacterial products. 

Preventing Bloat in dogs

I came across this great article today and had to share. Bloat is a potentially life-threatening condition which can affect active, healthy dogs in the prime of their life. It can be deadly within hours and is a very serious condition which all dog owners should be aware of . You can read more about bloat here.

While I have read a lot about bloat, I have never read about how to prevent it, which is why this article was so interesting to me. It has some really great tips, some of which ar

• avoid grain based kibble, or ideally, any kibble.
• poultry, lamb or other small to medium size raw bones may be one of the best steps towards prevention of bloat, and also make for a happy pup.
• don't feed your pup fruit and protein at the same time; they digest very differently
• avoid vigorous exercise for 3-4 hours after eating

Read the whole article here. 

Valentine's day heartbreak

I have a new rule here at ballwalkpark. My clients are not allowed to move away. It's a condition upon signing your pup up for service. It should be added to the contract. I have lost Oliver (Vizsla) to San Francisco, Mr. Cooper (Vizsla) to Chicago, Stella (Golden Retriever) to Boston, Walker (Vizsla) to Madison Valley (Ok, it's just out of my service area, but I still get to see him at the park all the time!), and now Violet (Frenchie) to Boston. Did I mention this is all since August? 

Sure losing the business isn't great, especially when they are such great dogs as all of these guys happen to be, but what's worse it the heartbreak. I know, don't get your heart too involved in business, but it's pretty hard in this line of work. Most of these dogs I have known since they were puppies, I've watched them discover the world, go through teenage terror days, and come out to be wonderful adult dogs. I spend my days with these dogs, they see me more often than my fiance. They are the reason I am excited to go to work every day and what puts a smile on my face while covered in mud and braving sideways rain. The last time Cooper walked out of my house I burst into tears like I just got dumped by the love of my life. Michael, the actual love of my life, looked at me like I had lost my mind... Not getting attached is not possible, and to be honest, i would be cautious of any dogwalker who didn't get attached! 

Today was Violet's last day with ballwalkpark and she is getting on a plane for Boston tomorrow morning. It was especially fitting that her last day was Valentine's day, as she is Bam's most loving best friend. These two met when Violet was just three months old, and Bam was six months old. We met when Violet was walking down the block in front of our house. We let the dogs run around in the front yard, and as they were playing we saw the first snow fall of the year. Over the past year and some months, these two have grown up together and been best friends, neighbors and almost sisters. They play with each other in a way they don't play with any other dog. See their final goodbye playdate here. We are going to miss Violet and her family so very much. Poor little Frenchies have no idea what heartbreak this Valentine's day is for them. Have fun in Boston Violet, and look up Stella if you ever need a ballwalkpark buddy ;) 

While it is so sad to see my beloved (client) dogs move out of state, I learned today the downfall of having them move out of my service area and still seeing them at the park. As I was bending over to pick up after a dog, I saw Walker out of the corner of my eye starting to lift his leg on me! He was trying to mark me as his territory, something that I suppose could be taken as a sign of affection.... 

Hope you all had a Happy Valentine's Day! 

The dog park is not a cafeteria

It's that time of year again... The sun is out and more and more people are coming to the dog park. Not only for their dogs, to enjoy their lunches as well. To many of you, lunch and dog park don't belong in the same sentence, but apparently not all... Here are the top three reasons I beg you, your coworkers, and anyone you know to NOT eat your lunch at the dog park!!! 1. There are parks and picnic benches all over this city, but only a few dog parks. The dog park is one of the only places in the city where a dog can be a dog and run, play, sniff and smell. Basically, they want to eat your food and this is the one place they think they can get away with it!

2. Dogs crawl all over that table all day every day. Not to mention it probably has the highest concentration of dog pee covering it in the whole city.

3. There are two garbage cans full of dog poop three feet away from you. Pounds and pounds of dog poop. I can't imagine how one can have an appetite with that smell.

There are some great picnic tables and benches a few hundred yards down by the lifeguard station and I promise my dogs will be on leash while you enjoy your lunch :)

So you want to be a dogwalker, huh?

{note: if you are offended by the word "shit" or do not like reading about or thinking about the topic, then please, read no further} You know those (rare) days in July/August when it is 80 degrees out on a Tuesday morning and you are heading to the office thinking you wish you could trade jobs with me and get to go play with dogs all day? Well days like today makeup for days like that.

Basically what happened was, Harley was riding in the back of the truck with the big dogs and he took a protest poop. He, and all the other dogs, proceeded to walk through this poop tracking it through the rest of the truck and getting it stuck into the rubber mats, while somehow managing to smear it on the sides and windows of the truck. All the other dogs were staying as far to the opposite corner as possible. Ok Harley, I get it, you don't have to ride in the back ever again.

I started putting Bam back there as a suggestion from a trainer, Jeff Tinsley, to help with her little bulldog attitude and thinking she is queen of the pack. Harley was starting to do some of the same "I"m better then you because I'm French" behaviors, so I figured I would give him the same treatment. backfire. Any other dog and I may feel bad thinking they didn't get enough of a chance to use the bathroom before I put them in the truck, but not this little man. He knows exactly what he is doing. One morning, his dad was dropping him off at my house, put him in his crate and before he was all the way up the stairs heard Harley peeing in his crate, just to make a point.

Of course I make this discovery while I am picking up Milkshake, and run into his dad and very overdue pregnant mom, in the driveway. Like a lot of my clients, they like to say hi to all of the dogs in the back while I load Milkshake in, and as I opened the tailgate we were all in for a surprise. Harley and Bam were dancing around in it, the other dogs were huddled away from it, Bonita was in her crate staring at it wishing she could eat it. I was disgusted and humiliated, and while I couldn't do much about the ground-in-grate-shit at the moment, I opted to put Milkshake in the backseat to at least save myself from cleaner 4 less paws and saving his poor sensitive sense of smell.

Soo.... what to do now. I have 6 dogs in my truck, on my way from Eastlake to Phinney Ridge, nowhere near home-base to clean up. How am I going to get all the dogs out? How am I going to clean "it"... Ugh! The problem solver in me comes out and texts my client closest to the park and asked to use her back yard as a 5 min dog park while I hose out the truck. So very grateful she quickly replied and didn't mind! I pulled up to the house, grabbed as many leashes as I could find, strapped on my handy bright orange gloves, and tackled the truck. I leashed the dogs and unloaded them one at a time, Bam and Harley jumping up on my legs with their shitty paws. Once all 6 dogs were out of the truck, we "walked" to the backyard, i.e. I was extremely close to going face first on the pavement (pre-dog park excitment doesn't make walking 6 big dogs any easier!), but safely got them in the backyard. Well, almost safely. I wasn't confident that I would make it up the 2 steps without going face first as the rate they were pulling me, so I had to let go. The dogs went in the back and ran around and drug the leashes through poop in the yard. Great, like I needed more poop in my day! I hosed out the truck very thoroughly, every little hole in that rubber mat. Now I had to go back and get all the dogs, plus Chesa, and load them back in the truck. Of course these poor guys (minus bulldogs, they are gross and don't care) aren't exactly thrilled about getting back in the truck after this experience so it took some coaxing, all the while strategically dodging the now shit-caked leashes. Ahhh... loaded and ready for the park.

The park started out great. We didn't take the Chuck-it today (rare, but a nice change of pace once in a while) and the dogs played really well with each other and the one frisbee Coco and Chesa were trading back and forth. We walked down to the water and back, and on the way back I was so impressed with how clean everyone was. I should have known better than to jinx my day like that. Coco rolled in not one muddle puddle, but three, each one grosser than the last. As we are almost to the water bowls for our last drink before we load back up, the whole crew decides to run the laps by the mounds - it's their departing tradition that has apparently been on hiatus for the past few months. I love the mounds, the dogs love it and run their hearts out and play, play, play... The only problem is the mounds during the winter is that all of the "valleys" between the mounds are giant mud pits. In a matter of minutes I went from a perfectly clean pack to a bunch of mud-caked mutts. Everyone got washed off very well before they went home today.

Having learned my lesson on the way to the park, I put Harley in the back seat, on top of Porter's dog bed I was bringing home, and wrapped in a towel. He's a hard guy to please, but I finally did it. Either that or he was feeling a little guilty for the shit-show earlier. Judging by the pouty lip in this picture, I think he felt a little bit guilty...

One of the funny things about working with dogs, is that they totally feed off your energy and play on your weaknesses. If I am in a good mood, things are going well, then we will have a great day and they will be angels. If I am sick, tired, stressed, irritated, or anything they can take advantage of, they will! I have never been given such a look by dogs before, but clearly they were not pleased with the condition of the truck because they are giving me the stink eye if I have ever seen it!

By the end of the day, I had really let this poop incident get to my head and I started thinking about tall the potential things that have been contaminated. I had the dogs taken care of but that was only the beginning! So, like any normal person (....?) I proceeded to put all of the leashes, towels and seat cover in the laundry. I took the truck to Brown bear give the back a good deep clean. I washed and scrubbed all of the toys with hot water and soap. I cleaned my gloves, my phone, even my keys... I am now home and have cleaned myself up, changed clothes, washed my hands 10,000x and am finally feeling better about life. Thanks Harley-man, spring cleaning came early for ballwalkpark!

On a positive note, everything is clean, clean, clean and I am loving it! That is one of my downfalls as a dogwalker, I am secretly a neat freak. I seriously streamlined my Brown Bear truck hosing procedure. Ten time as efficient in half the time, that's something to be excited about.

Before the cleaning frenzy, I took a short afternoon trip to Woodland Park with the pups staying with me, as well as Miss Bonita. I ran into a good friend of mine there and had to tell him what was on my mind. How come dogs have such amazing senses - they can sense cancer, earthquakes, what dog walked down the block that day, etc... How can they not sense stepping in their own shit!?!? How is it possible that they can step in their own shit, mid-shitting, as they awkwardly shift around in circles. It shocks and disgusts me every day. My friends answer was disappointing, but very true, they just don't care. As a self-proclaimed neat freak, I wonder how I can watch a dog step in it's own shit and cuddle with him on the couch hours later (true fact, happening right now, after I cleaned!). I guess this is just another example of how love is blind...

At the end of the day, whether it's this day or that wonderful summer day, I wouldn't trade jobs for anything in the world. And to be honest, this isn't the first time this has happened (not quite on this scale), and this isn't uncommon in this line of work.... any dog walker you talk to will tell you at least one similar story of their own. Among all of my shittier thoughts of the day, I realized I have yet another trait in common with Bailey, my neurotic retrieving lab. Like Bailey, every time I throw the ball, I can't wait to do it again. I can't wait to see how far I can throw it, who will get it, if it will bounce and they will jump and crash into each other, or if they will lose it and I have to help them find it.... I don't know what it is about it, but I just can't ever get enough of these dogs. Michael laughs at me every night when I go through my pictures of the day and  can't hold my laughter in, he rolls his eyes every time we play with Bailey and I beg to throw the ball just one more time....  All this poop talk may have altered your perception of the glamorous life of a dogwalker, but I'm already looking forward to tomorrow. Sans poop.

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!

Pawsicles -- taking care of your dogs paws in the snow

This has been the craziest week of weather for us in Seattle! At the first sight of snow the dogs and I were esthetic to go play in the fluffy white stuff. Now a few days later, the honeymoon phase of the snow has faded, and it's time to start being practical! Ok, to be fair, if it were still all fluffy snow I wouldn't be complaining, but this sheet of ice covering the city kind of has me concerned. My main concern today, that I want to share with you, is our poor little pups paws in this weather. Here's a few things to look out for and suggestions to remedy/prevent potential problems:

• {ice will cut paws}the situation we have right now with a couple inches of snow and a covering of ice on top is dangerous for the pups paws b/c as they break through that layer of ice they can cut their paws. Also, snow and ice can get in between toes and stuck in the hair on the bottom of their paws.  In deep snow a dog will spread its toes and depending on the type of snow it can actually cause small cuts in the soft areas between the toes. Ice can be rough underfoot and also sharp, so it can cause abrasions and cuts.
  • {solution a} Booties - there are little rubber foot liners such as Pawz Dog Boots that are just little liners - they are cheap and disposable. While they don't help with warmth all that much, they will keep the snow out of the hair in their paws. I have seen them available at All The Best. Another option is Ruff Wear Bark'n Boots, these are much more durable and actually real boots for their paws. They provide great protection from the snow as well as the sharp ice. They are pretty spendy, and you will have to train your pup how to walk in them and get used to them. Here is a video of our buddy, Walker, learning how to walk in his snow boots: Vizsla in snow boots
  • {solution b}  Try and trim any excess hair in between paw pads to prevent snow/ice balls from building up. You can even even applying a small amount of petroleum jelly or olive oil to the area prior to the walk. Be sure to use an edible ointment/oil, as dogs often lick their feet and ingest what was applied. This will help to prevent chapping, cracking, and soreness.
  • {solution c} If you are in winter weather more often than we get here in Seattle, this may be something to look into, but considering this may be our only snow of the season, you may not be able to get this in time. With a little online research, Musher's Secret is all the rage for dogs in snow... They are invisible boots made of a clear wax. Sounds like a great idea!

• {ice melt toxins} many of the de-icing products, as well as anti-freeze and other chemicals that are mixed in with snow on city streets are toxic to our pups. When dogs come inside they may lick their paws to try and soothe the irritation from cold snow and ice in their paws, which causes them to ingest the toxic chemicals. {solution a} Keep a bucket of warm water by the door and soak their paws and dry off with a towel before coming inside. Make sure to rub the pads to get off any harmful chemicals. {solution b} read the ASPCA's guide on top ten winter paw skin care tips {solution c} try the booties mentioned in section above!

{snowed in} If you and your pup are going crazy without your normal exercise routine, or possibly due to the fact that your dogwalker has cancelled due to snow (sorry...), you can try some indoor activities to provide some mental stimulation. This will help keep them busy and eventually tire them out. 

• {solution a} indoor hide and seek or find the toy. depending on how much time you have, you can hide in the house and have your pup find you. Or you can show them a toy (something with treats inside helps so they can smell it better) and hide it then tell them to find it.
• {solution b} any type of puzzle toy or interactive game toy. All The Best has a great selection of puzzles for dogs. They have to work for the treats in the toy and have to figure out how to work the toy right to get the reward. A good old bully stick can do the trick too.
• {solution c} teach your pup a new trick! A few short 10-15 minute training sessions will provide mental stimulation and strengthen your bond. Have you ever wished your dog had a fun trick to show off? Or maybe teach your dog to close the door and turn out the lights at bedtime? Yes, I know a Vizsla who does this. Genius!  While you're both stuck inside together, now is the time! Here's a great list of dog tricks and how to teach them.

Have fun and be safe! Can't wait to see you all back at the park soon! 

Seattle dogwalker vs. Seattle snow

This is going to be a rant blog. Well, a rant and an apology blog.  I am so incredibly frustrated with Seattle's weather and the forecasting abilities. I understand that due to the ocean and mountains and other geographical elements this is a very hard area to forecast weather for, but seriously, this is ridiculous.

Based on the ever-changing forecasts and conditions on Sunday night, I cancelled all services for Monday. Turned out to be clear roads and no snow.... Today everything was planned to be on normal schedule until I got to the dog park and there was at least 1" of new snow on the ground and covering all the roads. To avoid getting stuck later on in the afternoon when the snow was originally forecasted to begin, I cancelled the afternoon park trip. I am now sitting at home on top of Queen Anne and there is not a bit of snow on the ground and the sun is shining. I am 0-2.

These pictures were taken at the same time - Kendal at Magnuson Park, and myself leaving Queen Anne.

I know it seems that this shouldn't be such a difficult decision, but here are the factors that come in to play for us dogwalkers:

• The majority of my driving is on neighborhood streets, alleys, and other lower traffic roads that are more likely to have snow and ice still
• Just because I can pick up all of my dogs and get them to the park doesn't mean conditions couldn't drastically change over the next 3 hours and make it difficult to get home. Stuck with a truck full of pups in freezing temperatures is a recipe for disaster.
• Precious cargo: a big factor in how well my truck handles the snow is how much weight is in the back, weight = precious cargo = your dog. If I had a truck bed full of sand bags I may not be so hesitant, but I do not want to risk it with the pups in the back. The tail end sliding out around a corner could be devastating... something I hope to never experience!
• Brrrrr... it can get cold in the back of the truck! It is pretty well insulated and with all the heavy breathing on the way home from the park it stays pretty toasty, but not so much on the way there. Plus, at the park, snow gets stuck in the hair in between the dogs toes and can get really uncomfortable! See this article for some more tips on keeping your pup safe in the snow.

All in all, this "snow day" game is often more work than it's worth, and this city does not make it very easy to accurately plan for! Believe me, I love snow more than just about anyone. In fact, I woke up almost every hour last night and looked out the window like a little kid.... One of the many wonderful things about this job is that a snow day + work is even better than a snow day without work - I love going to the dog park on snow days and watching the dogs frolick and play. It is so much fun and something I look forward to all year long. Being able to safely get there and back is the issue....  If I am going to cancel park trips and walks, I want it to be a legit full-on SNOW DAY where there is obviously no way anyone is going to make it to work. A repeat of 2008 or nothing at all.

So, in summary, I would like to sincerely apologize to my clients for all of the hassle and inconvenience this week. And hopefully, third time is a charm and I will make the right call tomorrow!