BW Sunday #56 - Bowtie

FitDog Friday #45 - When the Grass is Taller than Your Dog

 Mr. N normally doesn't traipse into the tall grasses off the path but we went to go find Sage so he followed us in. He has to bunny hop his way through.

This is one of the reasons we train for good recall. It's very easy for Mr. N to get "lost" in the field. If he wanted to wander off, I don't know how we would ever find him.

Mr. N isn't intimidated by grass no matter how tall and he's not intimidated by Sage either. Quite the contrary!

Wordless Wednesday #52 - Seesaw

Positive Pet Training #9 - Therapy Dog Training

Mr. N doesn't let his size or breed(s) stop him from doing anything. He plays with much bigger dogs, goes hiking, competes in sports and does pretty much anything he sets his mind to. And I've encouraged him to do so most of the time. Jumping off a cliff after a squirrel is not recommended no matter what your size.

The last couple of months, Mr. N has been training to become a therapy dog. When I told my co-workers about his classes, one of them asked about Mr. N's breed and said, "oh aren't those the yappy, snappy ones?"

I told her actually Mr. N is following in the footsteps of the first therapy dog of record who was also a Yorkie. Smoky was also a war dog who served in World War II.

In his training class, Mr. N was the smallest (by far) and oldest and most energetic. The other dogs would start napping or winding down at the end of class and Mr. N showed no signs of being tired (I have no photos because we were too busy working the entire time).

Mr. N will be working with at-risk children at a domestic violence shelter. The therapy program teaches kids positive communication skills by using clicker training and positive reinforcement to work with the dogs. He has orientation this week and we'll have a few supervised sessions before he becomes a bona fide therapy dog.

Since we adopted him, I've been positively training Mr. N and working on his socialization. I've taught him that kids are a source of good things and they will pet him and feed him and praise him. We've also worked extensively on his leash reactivity to the point where he was able to take the training classes with the other dogs and focus instead of barking and lunging the entire class.

I think it will be good for Mr. N to have a "job." Who says little dogs are useless? 

This is the First Monday Positive Pet Training Blog Hop hosted by Cascadian Nomads, Dachshund Nola & Tenacious Little Terrier. 

Next month's blog hop will be on October 6th. The theme will be Positive Training Fun with A Box!

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