BW Sunday #55 - Sand Devil

Is your dog under-exercised?

I had a wisdom tooth removed last week so Mr. N didn't get nearly as much physical or mental or social stimulation as he normally does. Mr. N was still walked every day for short intervals but that does almost nothing for him.

Mr. N says you better exercise him or else! 

The ASPCA states that under-exercised dogs can exhibit behaviors such as: 

• Destructive chewing, digging or scratching

• Investigative behaviors, like garbage raiding

• Hyperactivity, excitability and night-time activity

• Unruliness, knocking over furniture and jumping up on people

• Excessive predatory and social play

• Play biting and rough play

• Attention-getting behaviors like barking and whining

I think under-exercised dogs amplify their problem behaviors. Mr. N has never been destructive at all and he has shown himself to have excellent bite inhibition so even when he was overflowing with energy, those behaviors didn't manifest.

But he can be hyperactive, and over-excited and reactive and all of those traits showed up in full during his week of inactivity. He was hyper-alert and sprang up every time he thought I might be moving from a stationary position. He would run around with a toy in his mouth at midnight. And he was extra reactive, barking at everything and everyone.

We're going for a long walk with Sage today and the dogs will have some off-leash time so I'm hoping he'll burn off some of that energy. And next week, Mr. N will be starting his new job so that should provide mental fodder!

What is your dog like when under-exercised?

Wordless Wednesday #51 - Digger

Monday Mischief #43 - My Precious

Sage went rustling into the bushes and found an old decrepit ball. Then Mr. N took it away.

Sage thinks they could share. Mr. N thinks it's his precious.

I'm still sleeping a ton but I'm slowly recovering from the wisdom tooth surgery. Mr. N was very good the first day and checked on me in the tub to make sure I didn't drown (he hates the bathroom). And stayed glued to my side while I slept. Now he thinks it's about time I get out of bed and start taking him for walks! 

The boyfriend has been taking him for short walks but Mr. N is rebelling by barking at everything and everyone. I managed one walk and he only barked when he was surrounded by dogs barking at him first. 

BW Sunday #54 - Trapped

FitDog Friday #43 - Dog Push-ups

You're interrupting my push-ups. Now I have to start counting again!

On a more serious note, does anyone have recommendations for a visibility vest? Mr. N's fur blends in with sand and dirt and yellowed grass which makes him hard to spot. Add fog to the mix and it's a wonder I see him at all. I put his cooling vest on him (despite the slight chill) just so I could keep track of where he was.

Someone suggested a bright collar but I don't think that's going to cut it. You can barely see his collar as it is normally. Mr. N has a lot of fluff.

I'm also getting my wisdom tooth out today so comments on other blogs may be sporadic and/or not entirely lucid. You were warned!

Wordless Wednesday #50 - Sea Monster II

Monday Mischief #42 - Bossy Little Dog

If anyone was curious as to whether Mr. N won the tug of war game that I posted yesterday, he did! Someone may look innocent and guileless but he has a cunning little brain and is not afraid to put his foot down!

When Sage brings back a stick from the river, he instantly lets her know that this is now his stick and will stay his stick for as long as he is interested. 

And he is triumphant in his victory. 

BW Sunday #53 - Tug of War

Any guesses on who won? 

FitDog Friday #42 - Thousand Acres with Dogthusiast

We met up with Dogthusiast who was in town for a conference and Mr. N and Sage proceeded to show her dog, Mort the wonders of being an Oregon dog. Complete with mud. Hiking, swimming and general frolicking at Thousand Acres. 

We totally forgot to get a group shot and the dogs were in constant motion so I think this was the only non-blurry photo with all three dogs. 

Mr. N blends right into the background. He needs a visibility vest or something. He did stay cooler than the black-coated members of our party though.

It was a hotter-than-predicted day so all three dogs were panting by the time we reached the river. Sage and Mort quickly remedied that by plunging into the river which was an attractive chocolate milk color that day.

 Mr. N prefers remaining on shore and stole Sage's stick every time she retrieved it from the water. He needed some coaxing to give it back.

The dogs were perfectly happy to spend the rest of the day playing but the humans needed a break and food after a while so we headed back. Plus everyone had mud on them. 

What do you think, Mort? Is being an Oregon dog better than being a California dog?

Wordless Wednesday #49 - Firehouse Dog

Who says only Dalmatians can be fire dogs?

Don't forget to enter our giveaway!

Monday Mischief #41 - The Case of the Disappearing River

Mr. N doesn't know what happened to the river. Where did all the water go? 

Sage can find water anywhere though. Even in the desert. And dived right in.

Mr. N says no, this is his stick! 

Mr. N eventually lost interest and went for a different challenge: tugging with a tree root. Dog against tree. 

Sage thinks getting wet is the best thing ever. Mr. N doesn't agree.

Don't forget to enter our giveaway! 

BW Sunday #52 - Cashier

Your total comes to $43.16. Would you like to donate a dollar to my treat fund?

Mr. N is giving away a Gold Paw fleece for our blogiversary (8/8)!
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Winter is Coming (Gold Paw giveaway)

Winter is coming. It may not seem like it what with triple digit weather but it is on its way. That or I made Mr. N suffer through modeling a fleece in August for nothing.

This is Mr. N's you made me wear fleece in August face

Several of you have commented on the tartan fleece that Mr. N sometimes wears. It's from Gold Paw, a local company which also makes harnesses and rain coats and other items. To celebrate our blogiversary, we'll be giving away a solid color fleece so your dog can dress like Mr. N! He gets more compliments on his wardrobe than I do.

While Mr. N has many fripperies (like his dinosaur hoodie for example), I find myself reaching for his Gold Paw fleece quite often. It's quite stretchy so it doesn't impede his movement at all. The fleece is light and warm (fall-weight) and good for layering under his rain coat. Mr. N gets cold pretty easily (he was shivering yesterday after playing in the river and it was 90 degrees) due to having little body fat and having a single coat. So it's nice having something that I can stuff in my purse just in case.

It washes nicely and dries fast. I'll wash it the night before and it's usually ready to go the next morning. I haven't tried putting it in the dryer but the care instructions say it can tumble dry low.

The fleece comes in sizes ranging from two (Chihuahua puppy) to 30 (Great Dane), according to their sizing chart. Mr. N wears an eight for reference. The solid color fleeces are made with recycled polyester and spandex and made in the USA. Some are even made in Oregon!

The print fleece is not as stretchy as the solid colors. They sent us a size eight and ten (which is what he wears in the print fleeces) and the ten looks like a robe on him. Gold Paw suggests sizing down. He is wearing the eggplant fleece in this photo and marine blue in the others (it also comes in camel, grass, fuchsia, red pumpkin, eucalyptus, robin egg, blue, black and sunflower yellow).

My only quibbles are that I wish they would put harness holes in the smaller fleeces and it may not be the best for dogs with mobility issues because you have to manipulate their legs in order to put it on. Otherwise I love his fleece for everyday activities and hiking. Just not in August!

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

Service Dog Training at Canine Companions for Independence (Q & A)

This month, the Positive Pet Training Blog Hop (hosted by Cascadian Nomads, Dachshund Nola and Tenacious Little Terrier) is celebrating International Assistance Dog Week. Canine Companions for Independence (they train service dogs, skilled companion dogs, facility dogs and hearing dogs) answered some questions I had about the training their dogs undergo. 

Courtesy of Canine Companions for Independence

1. Which methods of training do you use? And why?

Canine Companions uses a variety of training methods depending on the task that is being trained. Our training structure is based on 35 years of experience and fine tuning how dogs learn each command the best. Many of our commands are taught using a food and clicker while others are taught by modeling or shaping from current behaviors.

2. What are the dogs' daily routine like once they are in training? 

The dogs spend most of their day with their trainer in our training building. They will be either crated or on tethers during this time. The trainer works individually with each dog multiple times throughout the day depending on what semester of training they are in. They are also fed twice a day and given the opportunity to play in large groups in our community run yards (both concrete and grass). Some days the dogs go on public outings with their trainers to work on public access.

Courtesy of Canine Companions for Independence

3. What does it take to be a Canine Companions assistance dog? How many make the cut? 

It does a very solid temperament, good health, a willingness to work, and a desire to please to become a Canine Companions assistance dog. All of our dogs are wonderful but we do look for dogs that are not only good at the work but that also enjoy it! Right now about 40% of our dogs graduate to become assistance dogs.

4. How is it determined which kind of assistance work the dogs end up doing? How are the dogs matched to the work? 

The type of work a dog ends up doing really is fitted to their strengths and temperament styles. Dogs that are particularly strong in their interactions with children may end up becoming a skilled companion for a child or a facility dog for a special ed teacher. Dogs who’s strength is really in their working skills may become a service dog for a disabled individual. Our hearing dogs tend to be dogs that are very alert and aware of their environment and self-initiators.

5. Do the trainers train to prevent separation anxiety in the dogs? Or is that not a big concern with service dogs? Especially in the prison program where I assume they would be around people all day.

Separation anxiety is not something we generally see with our dogs. They spend most of their lives accompanying their person on all outings. That being said, we do ask that all of our dogs also be familiar and comfortable spending time home alone in their crate and also spending time crated when there are people home. Because we highlight this from a young age, our dogs tend to be well socialized and comfortable in public and home alone.

6. Which unusual commands do the dogs learn? 

Our dogs learn a variety of things besides basic obedience. This includes pulling a wheelchair, tugging doors/drawers/clothing, turning lights on and off, pushing automatic door buttons or drawers, and alerting to someone calling the handlers name to describe a few.

Courtesy of Canine Companions for Independence

7. How do you train intelligent disobedience in the dogs?

We look for dogs that are already showing an aptitude for this in training. With our hearing dogs this is an important factor in their work. We train it with a lot of repetition and high value rewarding for when the dog breaks a command or behavior to do their task.

8. During team training, what do the handlers learn about working with their dogs?

 Our handlers go through an intensive two week training course where they learn the following: canine health and care, canine communication, motivation & resistance, Canine learning theory, Canine daily routines, Do’s and Don’t of public access, as well as having many practical one on one and group handling sessions both at our center and in public.

Our next hop is September 1. Any posts about positive pet training are welcome. 

Wordless Wednesday #48 - Receptionist

Hello, I am Mr. N. How can I help you today? 

BW Sunday #51 - Drowsy Summer

FitDog Friday #40 - The Rose Garden at Peninsula Park

Portland is known as the City of Roses and roses we have in abundance! I read somewhere that supposedly we have perfect rose growing weather. The International Rose Test Garden is a tourist attraction but I prefer the rose garden at Peninsula Park. 

It is Portland's first public rose garden and has nearly 9,000 traditional rose plantings. The fountain which is over one hundred years old is a big draw during the summer and children like to splash in it.

From this angle, it reminds me of the Queen's rose garden from Alice in Wonderland. Good thing no one needs to paint the roses red!

Mr. N is still disgruntled with me for dipping him in the fountain to cool him off. In my defense, it was a pretty hot day and he was panting quite a bit.

Eventually, he got over it and decided that the column made an excellent sunning spot.

This variety of rose is called "summer dream." Pretty fitting, I think.

Even though we're not that far from the garden, we don't make it over there very often but I'm glad we did this time. It's the perfect way to while away a summer afternoon. 

Also Mr. N is now on instagram. Follow him to see all of his shenanigans.