BW Sunday #68 - Birthday Shopping

Mr. N turned six yesterday and we went present shopping.

Wordless Wednesday #64 - Multifunctional

Indoor Training Games and Brain Games

During Mr. N's therapy work, we play a lot of "games" with the kids at the shelter. A lot of these games utilize the same foundation skills (targeting, fetching, scentwork etc) so once your dog knows the basics, you can use it for many different tricks.

Now that it's getting colder, indoor games are a good way to expend your dog's energy. These are the games that I play with Mr. N and the kids (still working on the jump rope). And I'm always looking for new things to teach him. I need to come up with some Christmas-themed activity for December. Find the reindeer maybe? 

Box:

• Hide in box
• Walk around box 
• Jump on top of box
• Fetch box
• Put back/front paws on box

Retrieving:

• Laundry (putting socks in basket)
• Toy cleanup (putting toys in box)
• Grocery shopping with play food
• Bring newspaper
• Bring tissue when you sneeze

Some of the things that Mr. N fetches.

Tug:

• Door opening/closing (I tie a sash/towel to the knob)
• Pull little wagon

Targeting:

• Dog bowling with cans
• Touching object (wand/stick etc)
• Ringing bells (I have potty bells I put on a door knob)
• Roll out carpet/yoga mat
• Push ball with nose/paw 
• Play piano
• Push bell/button
• Push shopping cart while standing on hind legs
• Find your mark (stand on dot, mat) 

Scent:

• Which hand has the treat?
• Which flower pot hides the ball?
• Find keys 

Jumping:

• Jump over leg/arm
• Jump rope
• Jump through hoop
• "Around" - Extend both arms out straight, dog goes around you in a circle and jumps over each arm in turn

What's your favorite indoor game(s)?

BW Sunday #67 - Grimm Filming

We walked by while they were filming Grimm (TV show based and filmed in Portland) and took a photo of the filming location afterwards.

FitDog Friday #55 - Indoor Games

Now that it's colder, we'll be playing more training games indoors. We just got a set of tiny cones which I'll be using to train distance work (going around the cone and returning to me for instance). Mr. N has trouble working away from me sometimes so that should help.

We're also preparing for a leave it challenge his therapy group is going to host soon. Which doubled as a thank you card. I think a version with bacon and steak and meatballs would be fun.

I also kind of want to teach a hot dog retrieve this winter. Anyone else up for it?

Wordless Wednesday #63 - Too Cold to Sit Still

Mr. N thinks it's too cold to sit for pictures. Pictured with Sage and @zoe_and_phoenix. #tenaciouslittleterrier #oregon #pets #cute #construction #yorkie #yorkiesofinstagram #maltese #instadog #ilovemydog #dogs #dogoftheday #dogstagram #dogsofinstagram #dogs #hiking

A photo posted by Tenacious Little Terrier (@tenaciouslittleterrier) on Nov 11, 2014 at 2:25pm PST

Monday Mischief #51 - Weirdest Breed Guesses

I think Mr. N looks mostly Yorkie and that's the most common guess from people. Some people guess other small fluffy dog breeds (Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso, Silky Terrier) which is understandable. And even other dog bloggers seem to confuse Mr. N (Yorkie/Maltese) with Oz (Cairn Terrier) periodically.

There have been some totally off-the-wall guesses though. I think my favorite is the guy who asked if Mr. N is a Corgi.

This is a Corgi:

Credit: Sindy

This is a purebred(?) Yorkie in a puppy cut:

Credit: Mike

And this is Mr. N: 

Mr. N looks nothing like a Corgi. Practically everything looks different! Different ears, tails, fur length, coloring, leg length, size, fur texture, body length, body structure etc. I am also severely doubtful about any herding instinct he may harbor.

What's the weirdest breed guess that you've gotten for your dog(s)? 

BW Sunday #66 - Cave

FitDog Friday #54 - Winter Preparations

We've currently going through a cold spell in Portland and the whole city is in a tizzy. We walked two miles yesterday and Mr. N was shivering despite his new winter coat due to the sleet. He was very happy to reach home and sleep on the down covers.

After trekking through two miles of snowy sleet, Mr. N decides to hibernate on top of a down comforter while wearing an alpaca sweater. #firstworlddogproblem #tenaciouslittleterrier #terriers #terriersofinstagram #yorkiesofinstagram #yorkie #maltese #portland #instadog #ilovemydog #dogs #pets #dogoftheday #dogstagram #doglovers #dogsofinstagram

A photo posted by Tenacious Little Terrier (@tenaciouslittleterrier) on Nov 11, 2014 at 2:23pm PST

Mr. N gets cold pretty easily due to being slim and having hair and not fur. He's generally OK if I bundle him up and he's moving. It becomes problematic when he's cold and wet which happens a lot with our rainy climate.

I freeze pumpkin (not the pie filling) in an ice cube tray and I put a cube in the microwave and warm it up for him after a walk when he's all soggy. I'll usually add a pinch of liver or treat crumbs on top. Making broth for him is also on my list of projects.

I've put a snowsuit for Mr. N on his Christmas wishlist as well as a reflective vest now that we're walking more often in the dark. And warm and reflective clothing for me on mine. I'm pretty sure Mr. N owns more sweaters than I do at this point. I donated/sold/threw out all the winter clothing that didn't fit/like last spring and I really need to supplement my winter wardrobe.

I've swapped out Mr. N's summer/fall wardrobe (light weight shirts and his cooling coat) for his winter clothing (sweaters, pajamas, and coats).

Mr. N and Sage in their winter coats by the train tracks. #tenaciouslittleterrier #yorkie #yorkiesofinstagram #maltese #portland #bordercollie #dogs #dogoftheday #dogsofinstagram #doglovers #dogstagram #instadog #ilovemydog #terriers #terriersofinstagram #hurtta

A photo posted by Tenacious Little Terrier (@tenaciouslittleterrier) on Nov 11, 2014 at 1:07pm PST

And I'm also going through our clothes and washing winter clothing that was in storage and pulling out items to donate. Various organizations in our neighborhood are collecting for the homeless.

If I thought there were any homeless dogs (of the street variety, not in shelters) that were Mr. N's size, I'd donate some of his clothing as well but you don't really see toy breeds on the street for good reasons! Mr. N would make a terrible homeless person's dog.

How are you preparing for winter?

Wordless Wednesday #62 - Hoarder

If you look closely, you can see that Mr. N is chewing on a bully stick while leaning on a trachea. I promise no one else in  the household is interested in stealing either one! 

Monday Mischief #50 - Does your dog hate the camera?

Mr. N has always loved the camera. And the camera loves him back. He is a photogenic little monkey. And he's a good sport about posing in different poses and different locations. On a train or in a tree or in a car.

People frequently watch him getting his photo taken and are like omg, your dog is posing! And I'm reply that's what he does.

So I forget sometimes that not all dogs are anxious to shove themselves in front of the camera. There was a photographer taking photos of a woman on the beach and Mr. N ran right in front of the camera while the other dogs avoided it.

Mr. N doesn't understand dogs who aren't like that.

Does your dog love or hate the camera?

BW Sunday #65 - Fallen Tree

FitDog Friday #53 - Dogs who don't like water and swimming

Mr. N can swim. Even though he doesn't really like to. He's quite good at it for a dog who hates getting wet. He doesn't stop to flounder but will start swimming instantly and heads for the shore. Normally, left to his own devices, he will wade while Sage swims.

Photo courtesy of Sage's human

I saw a video of someone conditioning their Chihuahua by having him swim in the bathtub. So I immediately drew a warm bath (while thinking why didn't I think of that?) and put Mr. N's life jacket on him and popped him in the tub.

I held on to his life jacket and he would swim but I can tell he doesn't like it. I gave him treats for every couple of strokes and he would grudgingly cooperate.

It would be nice if he would enjoy swimming. I fully appreciate him not wanting to swim in cold water because he gets cold so easily but the tub was pretty warm. Especially now that it's getting colder, it would make for a good indoor activity but I don't want to force him into it. 

Any advice as to how to get him to like swimming and water more? 

Wordless Wednesday #61 - Roast Beef and Me

A freshly groomed Mr. N with his new toy that he won at a Halloween party. #dogoftheday #dogstagram #doglovers #dogsofinstagram #dogs #tenaciouslittleterrier #yorkie #maltese #halloween #toy #sandwich #ilovemydog #instadog

A photo posted by Tenacious Little Terrier (@tenaciouslittleterrier) on Oct 10, 2014 at 4:35pm PDT

Teaching Canine Rear End Awareness

Welcome to November's Positive Pet Training Blog Hop. This month's theme is rear end awareness but any positive reinforcement training posts are always welcome in the hop. 

Many dogs don't realize they have rear legs and that they can act independently of their front legs. Mr. N's natural rear awareness is pretty good (my theory is that small dogs often have better body awareness because they're so used to avoiding getting stepped on and avoiding obstacles) but dogs all benefit from heightened rear awareness. It makes them more coordinated, reduces the risk of injury and comes in handy for sports.

I'm perfectly aware of my rear end, thank you very much

So we do the following:

1. Step through a ladder without touching the rungs. So the next time you have a ladder out, practice with your dog! We don't have one but I was helping a friend paint and borrowed it afterwards to test Mr. N.

2. Pivoting. Mr. N puts his front paws on an object and moves his hind legs around in a circle. This is still a work in progress.

3. Targeting with his back paws. I've been mainly using his K9 Fit Bone for this. He puts his back paws on the bone and his front paws on the ground.

4. Backing up. I taught Mr. N how to do this by putting two chairs together with a small gap and standing in front of it and rewarding for any moving backward.

5. Standing/sitting on tiny objects. I have Mr. N sit on small things (for him) and he has to figure out how to cram all four paws together.

December's Blog Hop's theme will be rewards during training. Hope you join us on December 1! 

BW Sunday #64 - Strawberry Fields

A friend gave Mr. N a toy basket with toy strawberries that squeak. The strawberries are his current favorite toy.

He likes to play with them.

And carry them around.

 And use them as a pillow.