Watching Shakespeare in the Park with a Dog

When the boyfriend suggested taking Mr. N to Shakespeare in the Park, I was a little apprehensive. It's a long time for him to be sitting still (+2 hours) and there are a lot of dogs in that park. But I thought we could try it and leave early if need be.

Mr. N and I walked over to the park so he would get some exercise beforehand while the boyfriend drove over with supplies. While the boyfriend set up, I let Mr. N run around in the off-leash area to work off some energy.

We settled in to watch the play armed with a bag of treats . Had I known what was involved, I might have left him at home. There was frequent whistle blowing from the prompter, the actors yelled a good deal to be heard over the sound of traffic and the cast frequently wandered through the area where the audience was sitting. 

Also there were various improv segments throughout the play including interpretive dance, act like you're in a silent film, and zombie soccer players. Mr. N does not approve of zombies. He let out a small bark when the zombies were lurching around and shoving each other. The boyfriend says if we get invaded by zombies, we'll be dead because Mr. N will bark at them.

We could hear dogs barking from somewhere else in the park at some point and the prompter told several of the cast members to bark back then encouraged the audience to join in. Thankfully, Mr. N did not chime in. 

They also threw food around several times during the show (including a hot dog!). That part I wasn't worried about with Mr. N but I know several dogs who would have joined the cast about then. 

There were two other dogs in the audience and one (the one sitting two rows behind us) left at intermission but there were dogs passing by frequently down the path about fifty feet from us as an added distraction. 

The first half, he was a little restless. He wanted to go sniff people and wander around and we had to remind him to settle. By the second half, he sprawled out on the blanket and ignored all and sundry. 

We were in the first row and after the performance, the prompter came over to tell us how well-behaved Mr. N was during the performance. He gave her a high five and danced and she thought he was adorable. 

I always value the compliments about his behavior and/or training more highly than the ones about his appearance. Because really aside from brushing him and taking him to the groomer, he was born that way but we work on his behavior all the time! 

I was pleasantly surprised at how good Mr. N was overall. It's always nice when your dogs surprise you (in a good way!). 

BW Sunday #46 - Smile

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

FitDog Friday #36 - Revisiting Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

Mr. N and Sage hadn't seen each other for a few weeks and the reunion was joyous. They wrestled frantically on the couch and ran around like maniacs.

Sage's human commemorated the occasion by presenting them with matching bandannas made out of squirrel fabric. Or as I call them their matching "couple t-shirts."

We ventured out to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden because they have ducks and geese to keep the dogs entertained and it's mostly flat so Ann could get around without too much trouble (due to her leg injury).



The flowers weren't as lush as they were the last time I visited but there were still plenty of fowl and the greenery was soothing.

Sage eyeing the ducks. Although out of the two of them, Mr. N was much more gung ho about the birds. Sage gave them the hard eye, Mr. N wanted to chase them so badly.

Sage was like water at last! And promptly dived into it as Mr. N looked on.

Mr. N takes modeling to new heights. Literally. I put him down on a railing and told him to stay still.

That's all, folks!

Wordless Wednesday #42 - Meeting

Monday Mischief #36 - Crashing a Family Reunion

It's always awkward crashing a family reunion. Even when it's a canine reunion. The Cascadian Nomads invited us to come to Huxley's family reunion on Sunday at a sheep farm. Well we had some communication mishaps and we were at the Collie reunion for three hours before they got there. And someone is very obviously not a Collie.


Even at a canine reunion, family connections matter. People would introduce themselves as this is Fido from so and so's X litter. Who is your dog? I felt a little out of place with my mutt pup. He doesn't even know if he's from the wrong side of the blanket!


Out of the Nomads, Huxley is Mr. N's favorite playmate and he didn't have any qualms about being surrounded by the masses of Collies. Besides the Collies, he also met some ducks.


And sheep. Most of the Collies tried their paw at herding.




I kind of wanted to see if Mr. N could herd ducks but I was also afraid that he would try to eat them. He does like duck after all. And lamb.



So instead of herding, he romped in the field with the collies and bossed them around. Huxley's breeder commented that Mr. N has no fear.



He found a piece of wool on the ground and enjoyed rolling on it and playing with it.


The collies weren't quite sure what to make of Mr.N. Neither were some of the humans. One woman said, "What is that?" when she saw Mr. N running.


There was also a livestock guardian dog in the next field who popped in to say hello.


Before lunch, we also played with the agility obstacles in the barn.


Then back to the field. I was looking at the clock and thinking about leaving soon when the Cascadian Nomads showed up! Wilhelm and Mr. N played together for a little while but Mr. N's favorite playmate of the trio is still Huxley.

We had to leave shortly after the Nomads arrived so we took a group photo right before we left.

Wilhelm got a little distracted and went over to say hello.

If dogs measure their enjoyment of the day by how filthy they get, Mr. N definitely had a ball. He rolled in something disgusting and I had to wash him and his vest as soon as we got home. I also brushed him twice because he had all these grass seeds in his fur and a foxtail in his foot. 

Mr. N sends his thanks for the invite to Wilhelm, Brychwyn, and Huxley! 

BW Sunday #45 - Round Table

FitDog Friday #35 - Random Tidbits

1. Mr. N's recall has improved quite a bit since I hid from him. He was running towards these two guys to say hello and I called him and he ran back to me. Also I called him in the middle of dog play and he came back as well (a little slower but still).
2. Mr. N is taking super secret classes and if he graduates... he may find a purpose. 
3. Sage's human is on the mend and we're hoping maybe next week, we can go for a walk together.
4. I took Mr. N to watch a world cup match at a bar's courtyard. I had to solemnly swear Mr. N would be good and not bark or be a nuisance. They used to allow dogs but changed their policy because the dogs were disruptive. He was good. The last ten minutes or so he started getting squirmy but he was quiet. He charmed the food cart people and the couple sitting behind us who said they were going to add Yorkies to their prospective dog list.
5. The day before that, he got called a "vicious little creature" when he was minding his own business. 
6. I brushed another foxtail (weed with barbs) out of him today. Does anyone know how long it takes foxtails to burrow under the skin?
7. I took him to the park where he tired out three other dogs and went for a walk before deciding maybe it was time to go home and curl up in the shade. Granted, two of those dogs were fat. Thin dogs have more energy. Or in Mr. N's case, all the energy. 

Wordless Wednesday #41 - St. Francis and Mr. N

Mr. N can fetch!

Mr. N is not a natural retriever both by nature and genetics-wise. His toy drive was utterly squashed as a puppy. When his foster got him at the age of two, he didn't know what toys were or how to play with them.

He'll play fetch occasionally when he feels like it with soft toys but only then. Basically he is not a "mouthy" dog. When presented with objects for shaping, his inclination is to paw at them or nose them.

I've wanted to teach him how to put away his toys for quite a while but I didn't think it would happen anytime soon seeing as I would have to teach him fetch from scratch. In the past two weeks, he has progressed from refusing to putting his mouth anywhere near objects to fetching a toy and putting it in his toy box. Next, we'll be working on fetching the rest of his toys and putting them away as well.

I'll be sharing more about the training process and putting up a video of Mr. N putting away his toys for next month's Positive Pet Training Hop on July 7th.

So proud of my little pup.

Also don't forget to enter our giveaway!

BW Sunday #44 - Hydrant

Can your dog balance on a fire hydrant?

Also don't forget to enter our giveaway!

FitDog Friday #34 - Recall

I took Mr. N out to a nearby school yard after hours so he could run around for a bit. When he's off-leash, we usually practice recall at least once or twice. I decided to try this method of sharpening recall that I had read about. You hide from your dog and it supposedly encourages them to keep an eye on you and not wander too far. Well Mr. N usually keeps an eye on me so I haven't had a chance to try it before.

He was off in a corner so I took the opportunity to hide behind some bushes. He finishes marking some grass, and looks up to find me. And he didn't see me. If a dog's face could express four letter words, his did at that moment.

He sprints across the yard and playground in seconds, headed in the direction of home before I got a chance to call his name. Mr. N comes running back and I rewarded him with treats.

How do you work on recall with your dog(s)? Are they velcro dogs like Mr. N or do they want to go follow their nose? 

We went for a short hike last weekend. No recall photos. He moves too fast!

Wordless Wednesday #40 - Sleeping with Chewbacca

Thanks, Spencer! 

And don't forget to enter our giveaway for a Squeaker Biscuit Dog Toy made with real buffalo fur!

Monday Mischief #34 - Mr. N gets attacked by a cat

Mr. N and I were out for a walk (on leash) last week when suddenly this cat comes flying towards us. She starts attacking Mr. N so I yank him up by his harness and then the cat swipes at me. She jumps up towards Mr. N and is almost at face level with him and tries to claw him again.

I'm yelling and eventually this woman comes over and gets the cat. In the meantime, her son(?) is asking if he can pet the puppy. I tell her that her cat tried to attack Mr. N and me and she replies that Mr. N probably startled her cat. WTF?

He didn't even see that cat before it attacked us. The house next to theirs has a tall fence and bushes so our view of their yard was blocked. So he couldn't have seen the cat. Not to mention I know what he looks like and acts like when he spies a cat. He did not see that cat. 

And how is that an excuse for your cat attacking strangers/dogs off your property without any cause? If Mr. N bit someone/a dog/a cat and drew blood, there would be consequences. Not to mention that cat was bigger than Mr. N and cat bites and scratches tend to get infected more easily so it's not like cats can't wreck havoc. 

I called animal control but they only come out for aggressive dogs after hours. Nor do they take reports about other things then. 

I did a cursory check after we left and I didn't see any marks so I thought the cat missed him. I was bleeding slightly above my ankle but I didn't think it was too serious and Mr. N had energy to burn so we continued our walk for an hour or so and then went home. Once we got home, I re-examined him more closely and found blood and scratches by his groin area. 

I called animal control back the next day and filed a report but I doubt anything will come of it. It sounded like they would most likely just get a verbal warning. 

Why can I not walk in my own neighborhood with Mr. N without having to worry about him being attacked? We had two scary encounters with pit bulls last year and now this. I normally carry a citronella spray (but I forgot it that day plus I don't know if I had time to fish it out of my purse) but it seems inadequate.

*Don't forget to enter our giveaway: http://tenaciouslittleterrier.blogspot.com/2014/06/bw-sunday-43-primalpuppy-giveaway.html

PrimalPuppy Giveaway

As a terrier, Mr. N adores chasing after small rodents. Thankfully (for us anyway), he doesn't really get a chance to do so very often. But the instinct is still strong in this one.

We were at a pet store a few months ago when he found this basket of mouse toys for cats and became obsessed. He refused to leave the basket and made pitiful whining noises at me. So I bought him one of the mice.

Well that mouse lasted him maybe about thirty minutes and he is normally very good about not destroying his toys. We've never had to throw out a toy because he has chewed it apart... until this one! It was not well-made at all. So I went on Etsy to look for a replacement and stumbled across PrimalKitty. 

Jessie makes cat toys out of scraps of buffalo fur and leather from her mom's ranch. She credits her cat Sabrina for coming up with the idea for the toys after she got into Jessie's workshop and started playing with the buffalo scraps. She lives on a farm in Springdale, Washington with one husband, seven cats, one dog, 13 bison, 26 chickens, three geese and one turkey (they do tours!). 

Jessie also makes dog toys with the same materials for her other shop, PrimalPuppy. She sent me two of the medium buffalo biscuits from PrimalPuppy, one to review and one to give away. I also bought one of the rat toys for Mr. N. 

Mr. N loved the rat! He ran around the house with it in his mouth and would throw it up in the air and chase after it. It's just the right size for him and it's in the same condition when we first got it. He likes to use it as a pillow when he naps just in case someone tries to steal it. 

The buffalo biscuit was a little big for him, it's about the size of his face. So I attached it to his flirt pole and he likes to bat at it and try to catch it. Both toys also come with  (optional) squeakers which heightens the prey sensation for him.

I think bigger dogs (by which I mean dogs that have ten pounds on Mr. N and up, aka most of the canine population) would enjoy the toy. Mr. N has trouble fitting his mouth around it. Or you could use a flirt pole like I did if you have a small dog.

These toys are meant to be interactive training toys and not chew toys. So I would supervise when your dog is playing with the biscuit especially if they like to rip their toys apart. I've noticed a little bit of the fur fall out after heavy play but nothing too noticeable. 

 Your significant other might come home and mistake the toys for real rats and have a moment of panic but that just proves how much the dogs will like the toys right? 

This post was sponsored by Primal Puppy. They are not responsible for the contents of this article. All opinions expressed are our own. 

FitDog Friday #33 - Marquam Trail to Council Crest

I introduced Sage (and her human) to one of my favorite urban hikes in Portland. We took the Marquam Trail up to Council Crest which was roughly 6.5 miles and about 1,100 feet in elevation gain. It boasts lovely scenery, relative seclusion, a good workout and a glimpse of a house with totem poles. What more can you ask from a hike? 

My camera's settings were wonky so I ended up with this picture but I kind of like it. It makes Mr. N look like he's traveling super fast. 

Mr. N as usual is staring intently at the camera and Sage is like oh but there's water over there! I want to dive in!

At the summit, there's an off leash dog park. Sage ran around looking for squirrels and Mr. N performed his war dance.



We were on a bit of a tight schedule so after letting the dogs play for a few minutes, we headed over to the central part of the park.

Council Crest supposedly is the highest point in Portland at 1,073 feet above sea level. There used to be an amusement park up here but now it's a park.

On what the boyfriend calls a "five mountain day," you can see Mt Hood, Mt St. Helens, Mt Adams, Mt Jefferson and Mt. Rainier as well as an excellent view of the Portland skyline from up here.

The dogs with the mother and child statue and water fountain by Frederick Littman. It was stolen once then found during a narcotics raid ten years later and returned to the park.

On the way back, Mr. N tried to climb this tree. Thwarted by a squirrel once again!

Sage's human hurt her knee (not on the hike) so our hiking activities may be curtailed for a bit. Hop over to her blog and send her healing thoughts!