New Years Resolution: Battle of Achilles

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

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

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

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

New Years Resolution: week 1

Casual Friday.... Back to resolution training on Monday.

New Years Resolution part 3: one way ticket

I just absentmindedly deleted my picture evidence, so you are just going to have to trust me on this one: Cooper rode to the park in the back of the truck and Achilles rode home in the back! Cooper was not at all interested at first, so I put him back inside and drove around the block. I was hoping that theory about dogs not having a sense of time would work on my side and he would think he missed out on his park trip. When I came back 2 minutes later, he still wasn't terribly excited about the truck, but a running start did the trick and we were off to pick up Miles. He actually seemed pretty happy back there with Miles and Bonita, not anxious at all. He didn't even try to linebacker charge me when I let Miles in.

Achilles was totally under the trance of the magic cheese and didn't even realize he was jumping in the truck until it was too late. He was not stoked about being back there but hopefully the magic cheese will bring him back there tomorrow.

I am very proud of both of these guys! If you didn't watch Cooper's video yesterday, you should go watch it now!

New Years Resolution Part 2: Cooper

If this isn't the highlight of your day, I can't imagine what is. A HUGE thank you to Nancy's wonderful husband, John Holm, for his video editing skills and excellent song choice. The video I sent him was about 10% as cool as what he made it. [youtube=http://youtu.be/_6MoZaN8T9Q]

So, as illustrated by this video, Cooper hopped right into the truck under the influence of the magic cheese/prosciutto combo. The following times were a bit tougher to convince him about, then he decided it was a good idea to convince me to get in the back while he drive, but overall I would say it was a success!

We will definitely be revisiting this exercise as he could totally plow me down as soon as he decides he doesn't want to be in the back anymore. The goal is to convince him that the back is the place to be. Stay tuned!

New Years Resolution update 1

As a part of my New Years resolution to teach all of my park dogs to ride in the back of the truck, Achilles and I had our first lesson today. Achilles is a 2yr old, 150lb Great Dane with a lot of spirit and a hint of a stubborn streak. He is bigger than me in size and weight and so far I've been happy to get him in the truck any way I can. If I try to push/pull him he throws a fit like a bucking bronco and after successfully staying on my end of the leash, we have to take a few laps to settle down before trying again.

Considering the scenario I just described is just to get him in the back seat, I thought I had my work cut out for me today. To prepare, I brought a nice selection and Trader Joe's cheese and prosciutto. Random, but it's easy to cut, easy on the stomach, and something I knew he couldn't resist.

Much to my surprise, Achilles didn't even hesitate to jump in the truck on the first try for that cheese. We practiced several times and then I turned on the truck and started closing the tailgate and letting him get comfortable with that. He decided that was as far as our lesson would go today, but I am so very proud of him!

Next step is to try the Trader Joe's magic cheese while another dog is in the truck. I do believe there will be a day when I don't have Dane slobber on top of my head (he rests his head on mine while I drive - endearing and gross). Stayed tuned and wish me luck!

New Years Resolution: Part 1: Party in the back

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cozy Caves for Christmas - 50% off today!

If you have a dog that likes to burrow, a Cozy Cave is a must on your pup's Christmas list. Luckily for you, they are 50% off today on Doctor Foster and Smith website! Click here to get this amazing deal! No, I don't get anything for promoting this, I just like to share my excitement because I need to get Bambi one for the boat too! The cozy cave is like a pita pocket for dogs. It keeps them warm and cozy during the winter months and ideally keeps them out of your bed, unless you want them there :)

Bam and Harley like to share a cozy cave, but assuming you only have one dog, I'd suggest a small for a frenchie sized dog, a large for a Vizsla sized dog, and an XL for a doberman sized dog. I don't know why they don't have a medium...

Go ahead and cross one thing off your holiday shopping list!

Toy of the season

Miles, Bailey and I just found our new favorite toy:  NiteIze Innovation Meteorlight K-9. It is a rubber ball that lights up when you push it. This ball is perfect for Seattle winters when it gets dark out at 4pm. I don't know about your dog, but Bailey loses way too many tennis balls when it is dark out, and she rarely loses a ball! The ball is powered by an LED light and it changes colors as it flies through the air. The dogs had no trouble finding the ball in the pitch dark and I was constantly entertained watching the changing colors bouncing through the dark. I bought the meteorball at the Queen Anne All The Best. They said they've heard from others that the battery lasts about 3 months.

I have hesitated buying this ball for so long because it is $11.99, which in my mind, is outrageous for one ball, but if the dogs can see this ball and we don't lose it, it may be cheaper than losing numerous orange rubber balls! 

This may just be how my neurotic mind works, but I am very grateful to not worry about having to rush through my day so I can play ball with the pups before the sun goes down. Or lets be honest, this time of year in Seattle, some days the sun never even comes out....

Manic Monday

Monday was the fourth and last day that I was house sitting for one of our clients. I had a wonderful weekend with her two Incredibly sweet and playful King Charles Spaniels. It was an uneventful and relaxing weekend followed by the ultimate case of the Mondays. I woke up to a torrential downpour, The news said there had already been an inch and a half of rain by the time I woke up. I went downstairs the basement to find a pipe had burst and the floor was soaking wet. I called my client and she schedule to have someone come out that evening to take care of it.

I came back after the park to find that the power was out. My phone died at the park because it got too wet through my non-Gore-Tex jacket. I was running back to the house to use the phone to call Michael because we had to leave to take the puppy (thats another story, see here) to the vet appointment in Kirkland in 10 minutes. When I realized the power was out, I let the dogs out to go to the bathroom, grabbed the Thanksgiving turkey that had been delivered the night before from the fridge so it wouldn't go bad, and ran into another client's house( who happens to be coworkers with this client), hoping to use the phone, negotiate some fridge space for the turkey, and heat up my lentil soup. Unfortunately her power was out too.

While I'm at my other client's house discussing what to do about the dogs during the power outage as well as the Thanksgiving turkey, It occurs to us that the four baby chicks in the guest bathroom upstairs need the heat lamp to survive. I had to take a step back and realize that I was juggling two dogs, four baby chicks, a frozen turkey, a burst pipe and a power outage. And that is a day in the life of a dog walker…

Luckily the power was back on in an hour and the dogs didn't even notice. The baby chicks stayed warm, the turkey stayed cold, I met the guys who came to clean up the pipe mess and my client made her connecting flight home. Everything turned out just fine but it was quite a whirlwind of Old McDonald's Farm for a bit there.

Kelley-proofed house

A couple years ago I started walking two Vizslas, Miles and Oliver. Both dogs were picked up at Miles' house, where there were two small children, and the house was very childproofed. A couple weeks into our service, I went to pick up the dogs and the nanny wasn't home and the dogs were locked behind a baby gate in the kitchen. I spent a solid 10 minutes trying to figure out how to open the damn baby gate. I knew the baby gate was intended for the kids, not the dogs, because these dogs routinely jumped 4' fences at the dog park. It was actually their main way to enter and exit the park. So here I am, defeated by the baby gate, and trying to figure out what to do with these dogs. Knowing how much they like string cheese, and jumping over things, I decide my only option is to teach the dogs how to jump over the baby gate. It only took a few minutes and we were out the door.

Years later, I am housesitting at Miles' house and am still defeated by all of the child proofing things. Apparently child proof = Kelley proof. These baby gates, electrical plugs and cabinet thingys are way beyond me. Apparently teaching dogs agility on a whim isn't.

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

I saw pumpkins at the grocery store for the first time today so I figured it was time to re-post this blog!

Honeymoon at the dog park

Every new dog park pup that I've taken has what I call a "honeymoon" period. At first they are calm, sweet, responsive, just perfect angels. It usually takes about 3 weeks for them to fully adjust, be comfortable, and come out of their shell. This is when their true colors shine and I see what kind of pup they really are. I love to see a new pup starting to play more, beat the other dogs to get the ball and just generally having fun! Here is Heidi on her first day:

Here is Heidi 3 weeks later:

Where did your pup's name come from?

Did you know: "Jambo" means "hello" in swahili. Jennifer just got home from climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro when she got her 8 week old puppy. Exchanging "Jambo" with everyone she passed on the trail is what led to the name of her new pup! Is there a story behind your pup's name? Share it on our ballwalkpark Facebook page!

The sacred orange Chuck-it ball

In my afternoon trip today, I was down at the water with three ball obsessed dogs equipped with three orange rubber chuck-it balls. We were off in the corner by the big tree enjoying our retrieving relay races. A man standing next to us had a retriever who also had the same orange rubber chuck-it ball. There were a couple times during our rapid fire fetch that one of my dogs would get his ball on accident. He explained that his dog was particular and only liked his own ball so I made sure to always get his ball back from my dogs. It's a bit of work juggling three dogs and four balls but it's not this guy's fault that my dogs can snatch up a ball in .0003 seconds. My dogs were the only guilty ones here, his dog would snatch up any ball nearby but would then immediately spit it back out once he realized it had cooties on it.

After a few minutes of this call juggling I decided it was time to go. I do not enjoy retrieving as much as my dogs do. Just as my last dog clears the gate to leave the beach I hear someone calling after me. It was my ball patrol friend. He told me that one of my dogs must have his dog's ball because he threw the ball out in "the ocean" and his dog refused to go get it. Obviously, the next logical thing to do would be to track down the dog walker. If I had the nerve/time/patience to track down every dog owner at the park that may have potentially stolen a toy of mine, I could have saved literally hundreds of dollars. Maybe even Thousands!

So anyways, to get the taste test of balls set up just right I have all three of my dogs on leash, and managed to have them all cough up at their orange rubber chuck it balls. The guy takes the first ball I hand him and throws it out into the water about 10 yards. The dog swims out to the ball, grabs it, spits it back out. "whoops, guess that wasn't it" the guy laughs. I'm starting to feel like the retriever again. Good thing we have two more rounds to go.

Meanwhile, the ball connoisseur is swimming out into "the ocean" and retrieving the original ball in question. He brings it all the way back to the store and then drops it for another one of the balls that my dogs gave up. I was too preoccupied with that combined 250 pounds of leashed dog who were trying to get in on the ball buffet to notice which ball the dog actually decided it was his. Whichever one it was it only lasted for about 50 yards before he gave it up again and tried to start the whole game over. As much fun as it was, my least dogs and I were ready to move on.

I tried very hard to stay pleasant about the whole situation, reassuring him that this was all a part of the fun of working with dogs. He was very nice and pleasant, and no doubt a very devoted dog owner.

Bottom line, what's yours is yours and if your dog wants his own ball then you have every right to get that ball for your dog. I just wish your dog could accurately detect that sacred ball, and in an ideal world it wouldn't involve 3 other balls. Maybe just one other to narrow it down from would be helpful. And if your dog is able to detect his own scent on a ball so well, couldn't he just go ahead and put some smell on there that will deter any other dog? That would be really helpful. Thanks.

Life lessons from Nancy

Some of you may already know this, but Nancy and I have a history long before ballwalkpark. She is my best friend's mom. I was a 3rd teenager for her to worry about living in the basement in high school. She was my crew coach. I was the photographer at her wedding. These days, I am writing her paycheck, but she is still my fr-om (friend + mom). With all these different roles over the years, it's only natural that my life would be influenced by Nancy in some (i.e. many) ways. I remember one of my first Nancy memories (before I moved in the basement, before Hilary and I were even friends) when she was my crew coach. I was trying to tell her that I was sick and couldn't go out in the boat. If you're familiar with crew, you know that you need 8 people to go out in the boat and while you can go out with 7, it's definitely not ideal, so Nancy was doing her good coach role and convincing me to go in the boat. I remember her telling me that when she has a cold she likes to work out because it gets you breathing hard helps clear out the congestion, gets the blood flowing, etc. She said you just have to make yourself do it and you will almost always feel better after. I don't think I was buying it at the time, but I realized I had no way out, so I went out for our workout and, just as Nancy said, came back feeling a lot better.

For whatever reason, her "sweating out the cold" advice really stuck with me and it has come to me countless times over the years. I've replayed this conversation in my head to motivate myself to not call in sick to my restaurant shift, to take Bailey for a walk even if I don't feel like it, and these days, to make the most of my park trips even if everything in me is saying to go home and go to bed. Once you get there and get busy doing whatever it is you went there to do, you will always feel better.

Today as I pulled up to the park I was feeling pretty miserable. As I was picking up dogs I got hit with that wave of drowsiness that tells you a cold is most likely on it's way. A blanket and couch were sounding pretty amazing, but I had 7 amped up dogs in my truck so there was no turning back. I was sure that I would be a walking zombie potentially getting trampled by my own dogs.

When I got the dogs into the park we met up with Nancy and her pack a few minutes later. Once I got busy playing with the dogs I realized how much better I was feeling. It was another one of those moments where the "Nancy crew coach" conversation came to mind and I couldn't help but think how ironic it was that there I was standing right next to her, at our "office", as my friend + mom + employee. Fr-om-ee?

Dog park karma

I am not an overly superstitious or spiritual person, but one thing I do believe in dog park karma. There are two main rules of the dog park (in my opinion) - they are:

1. Never leave the park with a toy that you didn't bring. Either a very generous park patron (i.e. park god) intentionally left toys for all the dogs to enjoy or someone lost their new fancy overpriced toy within the first 10 minutes of getting to the park. Either way,  it's not yours. Does that mean you have to deny your pup the pure bliss of the overpriced brand new toy? Not necessarily.

When my pups and I find a gift from the park gods, we ask everyone around us if they are missing it. If nobody is, then we play to our hearts content right up until we leave the park. Then we leave it right inside the gate for the next lucky pup to find. Because of this, I believe, we are lucky enough to stumble up on fun, exciting, overpriced dog toys at the park at least a couple times a week. If you think I'm crossing over into the crazy dogwalker world then you try keeping track of those toys at $15 a pop! They are like gold!

Moral of the story: obey the rules and the park gods will reward you. Break the rules and you will be cursed to lose every fancy toy you bring to the park before you can even blink an eye! (this is based on experience, I'm not trying to scare you into leaving toys for me at the park, I'm not that cheap ;)

2. This is the important one. I actually get a little OCD about this. PICK UP POOP. Dogwalker's often get criticism from the public that we don't pick up all of our dog's poop. For 90% of us, that couldn't be farther from the truth. While we may miss a dog half way across the field, we are picking up 10 poops for the 2 poops in the area that actually came from our dogs. Not to mention we have monthly work parties to come pick up poop on Saturday mornings - voluntarily - now if that's not dedication, I don't know what is! But seriously, on behalf of the 90% of dogwalkers that I work with, we do more than our share of poop scooping.

We proudly advertise this fact by carrying disgustingly full clear plastic bags of poop around the park with us. It could almost be considered a dogwalker's accessory. We really need to work on placing garbage cans closer together...

At some point in the past 3 years I got in my head that if I were to ever walk by a poop and consciously decide to not pick it up, I was docked a couple dog park karma points. In reality, I can't pick up every poop I pass if I'm running after a dog or have 5 dogs on leash or whatever the case may be, but when I am just strolling along and I see a poop, I feel obligated to pick it up. I'm human, just like the rest of us (except the dogs, of course), and I don't always do what I am supposed to - especially if I don't have a bag nearby or perhaps I am just feeling especially anti-overachiever at the moment. What happens when you don't pick up poop? You step in poop. I was reminded of that lesson today moments before leaving the park after a logging in a combined 4 hours.

Moral of the story: dogwalker or not, you've probably missed a few piles before too, so buy yourself some karma points (and promise of clean shoes) and pick up whatever you find. After all, we're in this shit together, right?! Oh, and if you want to come down to Magnuson for the poop scoop parties (yup, it's a party), they are the 1st Saturday of every month from 10am-1pm, the more the merrier!

Milkshake's walk down the aisle is in a magazine!

One of the greatest, if not the greatest, honors in my ballwalkpark history was being asked to walk Milkshake down the aisle at Ben and Lori's wedding. As with everything else dog related, including your dog in your wedding is apparently an increasing trend nationwide. Milkshake got his 15 minutes of fame in this month's edition of Natural Awakenings - read the article here! You can read my account of the days events in my blog post: bearer of the ring bearer pt.2 

I am glad I got some experience walking Milkshake down the aisle because I know one thing for certain and that is that Bam and Bailey will be a part of my wedding!

Salty dog. Happy dog. Floppy dog.

Every dog has their "thing" that makes them unique and special. I've never met a puppy quite like this before, and one of the things I love most about him is that he never fails to make me laugh. Salty dog is a 7 month old yellow lab. He has been nicknamed "happy dog" by some of the regulars at the dog park. I have recently started calling him "floppy dog" as well. Salty takes the awkward puppy phase to a whole new level. He just doesn't really have control over his limbs yet and as a result, he is more often than not found sprawled out on the ground. One of his classic moves to mid-wrestling match, he will just lay on the ground and continue to try and keep the game going from his new reclined position. I think it takes too much energy for him to physically move his body any longer, but mentally he just doesn't want to stop!

Have you ever seen a dog crouch down and wait for an oncoming dog, then pounce as soon as they get close? Salty has his own version of this. He doesn't sit on his haunches, he just lays all the way down and kicks his hips out. This guy knows how to live... just relaxin! It's a good excuse to catch his breath and get amped up for the next round of play!

Almost every puppy goes through an awkward phase where their limbs are longer than they can control and they kind of flop all over the place. I've never seen a dog quite like Salty dog. Our lastest trick is learning to jump in the truck. He is so excited he really wants to, but somehow has a hard time guaging when to jump in order to make it in the truck. He has a good bounce and gets high enough, but keeps trying to start a step or two too far back so when sort of bounces back off the tailgate. Although I desperately want to get a video or at least picture of this to share with you, I have my hands full trying to help him in the truck to make sure he doesn't hurt himself. Unfortunately, he is not phased by my assistance and whenever I lean down to help him up, he thinks its time to jump up and nearly knock me over. Practice makes perfect!

The best part of Salty dog's clumsiness is that it doesn't affect him one little bit. From the very first day I brought Salty to the park he was the happiest dog in the world. He has brought smiles to the faces of people I have seen on a daily basis for almost 3 years and have never seen smile before. How can you look at that face and not smile? He bounds around the park and if you watch him for more than a few minutes you will almost certainly see a "Salty flop". If only we could all be as happy and excited about life as Salty dog!

I know before long Salty-dog will be a full grown  (likely 90+ pound) dog and these floppy dog days will only be memories. Luckily his numerous floppy breaks have allowed for a lot of great pictures to remember these fun times with!

Tricks of the trade: follow the leader

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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