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.

Fat Dog

Oh, my, god. Becky, look at her butt.

It is so big.

Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot

What!? I'm just really Fluffy!

I'm ready to start building an ark, it has rained non-stop for about 2 months. Marley is so over walks in the rain. I took her to the park and she hid under the bench until I was ready to leave. Our walks have turned into sprints as she tries to rush though and get back inside where it is warm and dry.

To be perfectly honest I've indulged her because I'm not to keen on having rain blown into my coat. We have spent time inside working on foundation work and jumps. I've started shaping a new trick. While indoor training is great for stimulating her brain and making her tired, the increase in treats has caused Marley to gain two pounds.

Two pounds does not sound like a lot when talking about a large dog; however Marley is small and two pounds is a significant gain in weight. I'm totally horrified that my small athletic dog has failed the rib test. She still has a waist and her tummy is still tucked up. My vet is not concerned at this time, however she did mention I should keep Marley at about 12 pounds for optimum health.

I've started to incorporate the following changes to help Marley lose her winter weight and prevent problems in the future.

• I've cut all treats until she loses weight. I normally give her a tiny taste as opposed to an actual treat while shaping tricks; however, these last few months I actually gave her an entire treat. I measure her food and I'll take a few bits of kibble from that amount and use that as a treat.
• I've increased our walks. The ground is incredibly saturated and mucky right now, which has rendered our favorite areas un-walkable. I'm looking for find fun places to walk in the the city.

I'm glad I noticed her weight gain before it started to restrict her activity level and affect her health.

Front doors

Recently, I had lunch with a friend who is a pet sitter. She casually mentioned she knows how much her clients actually walk their dogs by the dog's behavior. She mentioned the obvious behaviors like level of excitement and ability to walk on a leash. She also stated, dogs who are regularly walked know where they live. She mentioned her dogs begin to walk on the lawn in an attempt to take a shortcut to her front door.

I became intrigued and I decided to see if Marley knows where we live. Unfortunately, my front door under the stairs at the end of a private entry way. Marley always walks past the entry way, either she doesn't know where we live or is attempting to extend her walk.

I just couldn't verify she knew where we lived. It was driving me totally nuts.

Until this weekend when it was rainy and windy. Marley did not want to go outside. She walked behind me and as soon as she pottied she turned around and ran back, tearing the leash from my hands in her effort to go back inside.

Now I have to know if she recognizes our patio from the outside.