Bored Dog

Marley is very disappointed with my behavior.

There are times when life becomes incredibly busy and complicated. These last couple of months have been extremely busy for me and Marley is not a happy dog.

When I decided to become a dog owner I knew I would spend a lot of time with my dog. I expected to spend time at the park and in classes in addition to providing fun and mentally stimulating activities.

Due to my busy schedule we have had to postpone our Agility classes and our long evenings at the park are now brisk walks. We have missed a few fun events. Blogging has been reduced to once a week instead of multiple posts during the week (I still have a lot to share). We are grateful our fabulous dog walker is still providing Marley with mid-day activities.

Fortunately, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I expect my schedule to clear up in a couple of weeks. There are a few activities in May we don't want to miss.

I have made some changes to our blog, if you read this in reader or via email, you may want to check it out. I've added a section of regional dog events. If you know of a fun dog friendly event feel free to let me know and I'll add it to our calendar.

Waiting for the Easter Bunny

Marley spent the entire morning waiting for the Easter Bunny; unfortunately he skipped our house this year. I've warned Marley he wouldn't show up if she tried to chase rabbits during our walks. She was looking forward to a tasty rabbity snack.

Is that him? Is he here yet?

Eventually I started to feel a bit guilty and I drove her to an upscale dog park. She made some new friends and afterwards we went on a long walk.

If she avoids chasing rabbits this year, he might show up next year.

Marley the Inventor

Marley is quite smug!

Marley has created two new games and I'm not sure how I feel about my dog being so smart.

The first game is played outside while walking off leash. She'll begin to dawdle behind me and I usually notice when I'm about 10 meters away. As I start to panic, I'll notice she is behind me waiting for me to notice she is waiting. As soon as I see her back there I'll call her and she runs to me, where she repeats the entire process. Today, for extra fun she found some bushes to hide behind (she had a huge grin while "hiding" from me) and she always looks so pleased with herself when she is running my way.

The second game is played indoors in the morning. While I gather my things for our morning walk she'll bring me a toy and wait for me to throw it and she'll bring it back. While it may sound like a game of fetch, it is a bit more complex. When she returns the toy she sets it down about 1 foot in front of me, causing me to move forward to throw the toy. I've recently realized this is her method of making me move towards the front door faster.

I love her innovative play; however I suspect she thinks she is training me.

Celebrating the Sun

According to Marley there is only one way to celebrate warm sunny days.

Walking

Marley and I enjoy long walks; however, we seem to be in a walking rut. To rectify this we have joined a dog walking group. I was a bit concerned about Marley encountering a lot of dogs while on leash. I expected to walk behind the group while Marley became acclimated to walking with the other dogs.

I warned everybody prior to the walk that I did not allow Marley to meet other dogs on leash. I issued a quick reminder when we arrived and everybody was very respectful about allowing Marley some space.

Marley of course behaved perfectly. While we waited she ignored the other dogs and laid down next to my feet. While walking she sniffed the other dogs and continued without any barking or threatening behavior.

The walk was a lot of fun, Marley enjoyed walking in a new park and I enjoyed the brisk pace the group maintained.

Marley doing her favorite thing.