Bear and his Bunny

There's nothing quite like the relationship between a pooch and his stuffie....

Happy snuggles my friends
=)


Keep your tails wagging,
Bear's P4ws



The Simple Pleasure....

....of finding a ball at the park....

...and claiming it as yours forever and ever and ever....

(or until mum decides that it's time to go home...and the ball can't come)
=P

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Keep your tails wagging, 

Bear's P4ws

The Benefits of Social Dog Walking

Those of us with “Dogs In Need of Space” definitely want our space, but that doesn't mean we never want our dogs to enjoy the company of other dogs. We simply want or need more structured socialization opportunities where we can count on other dog owners to respect our space.

This is especially true for reactive dogs who are learning to stay calm around other dogs.

If you've ever been in a reactive dog training class, you know that one of the best ways to increase your dog’s skills around other dogs is to practice, practice, practice. But that can be really hard to do once class is over and you no longer have a set time and place to meet up with other responsible families who are working on their dog’s leash skills.

That’s where dog walking social groups can really come in handy.

If you have a reactive dog and you’ve laid down the foundation for your leash work in a group class, a great way to continue working on your skills and exposing your dogs to other canine pals, is to join a dog walking group.

These groups are a terrific opportunity for any dog, reactive or not, to socialize with canine pals. Contrary to popular beliefs, off leash play isn’t the only game in town when it comes to socialization.  Side by side walks on leash and training classes are social activities for your dog too!

So whether you have a dog that is a social butterfly, but prefers calmer, on-leash socializing (like a senior dog) or a dog who needs exercise in a more controlled environment than a dog park (like a dog recovering from an injury), groups walks might be the perfect fit for you.

Before joining a group, you need to do two things:

Know your dog and their limitations. These groups aren’t every dog’s cup of kibble.

Know the rules of the club. Every group is different.

Many dog walking groups follow the rule that dogs do NOT need to interact during the hikes or walks and openly encourage all dogs to attend their events. But please check first. Some groups allow more interactions between dogs and might not be the right fit for your pup. You’ll also need to know if your dog is up for the challenge of being around a potentially large group of dogs. You may need to start small and work up to joining this type of social outing.

That being said, Bear (who isn't at all a dog in need of space) and I happily joined our first "Pooch Posse" on Monday.  I will admit that it took a little while to get him settled into the walk - especially with so many tails available for chasing and all the new scents on the trails we were taking (most of which he had never seen before), but by the end of the hour, Bear had settled wonderfully. 

Social dog walking is a happy occasion for both dogs and dog-parents.  You get the benefit of meeting and networking with other local pet-parents within your community while your dog is given ample opportunity for socializing and exercise.   It's like the dog park - only (in some cases) better

=)

Bark back at us!  Would you ever join a Pooch Posse (or a social dog walking group)?

Keep your tails wagging,

Bear's P4ws

Sometimes We Stargaze...

The happy Star-gazer

Not exactly a dog related post, but every now and then Bear and I enjoy sitting outside and watching the stars.


Tonight while we were out walking, we were fortunate enough to catch a wonderful dusk-filled sky show. Venus and the slender crescent Moon gathered in the twilight sky for a beautiful conjunction. Sky watchers across North America who happened to be looking west were able to see them only 1^o to 3^o degrees apart. It was a nice way to end the day

Venus and the Moon

Keep your tails wagging!
Bear's P4ws

Them Pesky Back-to-School Blues

For many dogs this week, the big yellow bus has taken their buddies away.

Back-to-school time isn't just a daunting time for kids and their parents, but the four-legged members of the family, too. Think about it — there is nothing better in a dog's eyes than having his people around for vast amounts of time during the best part of the year, especially the youngest members of the family.

Originally sourced from this page

Dogs and people (kids especially) just go together.

But when children go back to school, they have a lot to look forward to: activity-filled days with friends, sights, and sounds - fun. Extracurricular activities fill up some of the time after the school day ends, too. Mom and Dad stay busy day in, day out.

What are dogs left with when all of this is going on? Not a whole lot, most often.

Consequently, the lack of stimulation, activity and attention can make for some very difficult days for these pooches and, in many cases, they act out in not-so-good ways. Separation anxiety is not uncommon and is more common in some breeds, typified by destructive behavior and barking.

Also, most dogs are raring to go run and play like crazy when everyone does finally does arrive home — and that can be difficult when the family is tired after a long day.

So how can humans help pets beat the back-to-school blues?

Be consistent. Keep your pooch on the schedule that he is used to: feeding, playtime, etc.

• Burn off that energy! A fun morning walk can help start the day off right by giving dogs the exercise that they need, setting the stage for good behavior all day.
• Keep them entertained! Use a stuffable, chewable toy that can keep them occupied while everyone is away. Kong toys are great (although Bear doesn’t enjoy them quite as much as the next dog), as are the AtomicTreat Balls from OurPets.
• Make time for play at different times of day. Being spontaneous is a boon to canines. All dogs love attention, and doing the things that they like to do is essential. Even a quick game of fetch, chase or tug of war is beneficial. There is no substitute for your time where your dog is concerned.
• Consider making time for a new hobby, like agility or tracking with your dog. Find something that they love doing that can continue through the school year.
• Give your pooch more than four walls to look at all day. Having a dog walker come in can help break up the day, give him a little fun and exercise and something to look forward to — especially interaction.

Some people may suggest crating your dog for the day while you’re away…I personally am very much against this.  Yes, it may be a little harder to get your pooch to stop acting out, and it may take a little longer to come home to a clean floor and un-eaten shoes (remind me to tell you about the time Bear unpacked my groceries for me), but the end result is all that much better.

Thankfully Bear doesn’t suffer from the Back to School Blues too badly.  He gets a little more mopey when I leave, but if you keep at it and stay consistent, you pooch will acclimatize to the house-hold’s new rhythm.

Bark back at us!  Do you have any “Back to School Blues” stories you would like to share?

Keep your tails wagging,

Bear’s Pa4ws

Happy Birthday Bear!

Maybe it's a little silly, but when he was first dropped in our laps we never thought Bear would make it to his first birthday, let alone his fourth.

Why I love my mutt 

Happy Birthday to my cuddle-bunny, my snuffleupagus and my ever-loyal friend;
May this year bring us many more romps, hugs and snuffle-kisses.
<3



Keep your tails wagging
Bear's P4ws

Roughhousing With Dogs: Rules and Consequences

Roughhousing with your fur-baby can be an incredible amount of fun!

They love it, are always willing and happy to oblige and both human and dog are up for a great time. Although men are generally more inclined to such playful activities, I've seen women and children also enjoy getting on the floor to wrestle with Fido. We push the dog around and Fido comes back mouthing, jumping and grappling with us. We roll around, we bear hug him, we grab his cheeks, we play tug-a-war, etc. It’s all fun, so what can possibly be wrong with it?

 Could roughhousing have any consequences on our dog’s behavior when we’re not playing around?

Dogs chase, grab, push and sometimes play rough with other dogs. When dogs have all the right social skills, they have many ways to keep the situation under control. They stop and pause regularly, allowing for the excitement to go down and adapt to the size and strength of their playmate (self-handicap). Some dogs however play too rough, in a hyper-aroused state. Playtime with others takes the dogs to very high levels of energy, increasing the chances for things to turn bad. When we roughhouse with our dog, because we’re not dogs, we don’t master the rules of play and will often bring the excitement level out of control.

Roughhousing with my dog is a personal choice. If we’re training for a specific task, in which speed of reaction and hard actions are needed, like in police work, playing with the dog this way could develop those needed drives. If we’re not, we have to fully understand what behaviors we are encouraging and what consequences could occur over time. Just like children, dogs need us to be consistent. If one moment we’re allowing jumping and mouthing, we can’t expect them to understand that just because we’re now wearing expensive work clothes, that behavior will no longer be tolerated. Certain movements that we make or things that we say, that are similar to those used during roughhousing could trigger rough responses from the dog.

In our house, Bear knows that he has to be gentle with people. We’re responsible for our dog’s behavior during their entire life. When a dog is allowed to play with humans like they would with rambunctious dogs, we take the chance that the dog may react in the same way with other people. We’re teaching the dog that humans are fun playmates to wrestle with and jump on. If we adopt the dog when we’re young adults, will it be OK for the dog to play this way when we have toddlers or when our friends visit with their children? Will our aging parents be able to keep the dog under control? The dog will not always know the difference and understand when it’s alright to play this way or when it’s not. Fido may also solicit attention for instance, by jumping or mouthing, behaviors that are rewarded during playtime.

If we still chose to roughhouse with our dog, a few rules will help keep the situation under control:

• Put the behavior on cue and don’t encourage it when the dog initiates roughhousing without the cue.
• If you like your dog to jump on you, teach her that it’s OK to jump on you, only on you and when given a cue.
• Teach your dog to settle on cue.
• Keep your dog under close supervision when around other people, especially children, people with disabilities or of a certain age.
• Watch for signs that your dog is getting stressed and would rather get out of the situation (lip licking, turn away, trying to get away, etc.).
• Do not chase the dog around or you may have a hard time getting a hold of him in emergency situations.
• Don’t push the excitement level too high. Take short breaks and allow the dog to calm down on a regular basis. The video below shows a nice example of roughhousing that keeps the energy level under control and limits jumping and mouthing.

There are many fun and dynamic ways to have a good time your pooch, like playing fetch, that don’t encourage behaviors that are considered problematic in all other instances. The choice of roughhousing or not has to be taken wisely since it may have negative implications for the dog. Any behavior that has the potential to hurt a person can lead to injuries or lawsuits and the dog will pay the consequences. The question becomes: how important is it for us to roughhouse? Keeping everybody safe, the family, the visitors and the dog should always be the priority when making the decision to roughhouse or not.

 originally by Jennifer Cattet Ph.D

Keep your tails wagging, 

Bear's P4ws