Weekly Practice

5 Things I've Learned This Week

Monday: Old friends are the Best

Tuesday: Humans sometimes send dogs the wrong message

Wednesday: There are scam artists around every water-bowl

Thursday: Mother Nature is present all the time

Friday: It's always best to remain calm and assertive around puppies

Saturday: It's a good thing to take care of the ones we LOVE

Toy Machine

Dear Sundance,

I love my owners, but they are inundating me with toys, making me feel like I'm in charge of/responsible for to many things. I'll admit, it is fun to receive new things, but the real enjoyment comes from actually sharing in the fun of being with them. I have a basket full of half chewed ropes, kongs, gnawed bones, and rawhides. I have squeaky toys and tennis balls scattered all over the back yard. The latest toy is a red laser light, which makes me feel frantic and obsessed.
I happen to have a fellow K-9 friend next door with the same dilemma, with owners who substitute out exercise time with a large backyard, an abundance of water bowls scattered around the enclosure, in case he becomes thirsty, and an agility course for entertainment and sufficient means to some acceptable exercise. I have yet to see him actually perform any agility in the span he is left alone, but he sure barks like a blues singer the whole time I am passing by. We think his owners are using the accessories to compensate for not giving him time.

In truth, all I want is some one-on-one time with my owner, to reunite with the good old collar and leash, and to share in the fun. A well used collar and leash is worth far more to me than a new toy every week.

Signed,

Toy Poodle

Dear T.P.,

I know our owners genuinely love us, but it sounds like your owners are substituting toys for a good old fashioned walk. The walk is the adventure, the time to share and re-unite, to be a cohesive team, dog and human. The walk is an opportunity to smell the roses, as well as whiff a recently nuked lawn or saturated shrub. It's also a great way for your owner to be proud of you, and make out how well those obedience classes have truly paid off. Maybe they can read this blog and return to the simpler joys of spending quality time with you instead of just letting you chew on imported goods.

Live Happy!

Sundance

Companionship Training

Dear Sundance,

How do I tell my owners I would like to have a partner? another dog to have some fun with? to help train to be like me? a legacy? I am entering my 8th year of life on mother earth, and I would love to share the knowledge I have been blessed with from my wonderful human parents and antecedents with a young pup. Before I was adopted, my owners had just gotten married and previously had dogs of their own. The stories I've heard on camp trips and in the backyard suggest that only wonderful and good things resulting from owning two dogs. Not only that, I love my owners, and I know that dogs don't tend to outlive their people, and I can't bear the thought of leaving them without a canine companion to help them through the hard times, a doggy with a little bit of myself in him or her. If they were to wait until they had no dogs, they would be grieving, and no new puppy wants to enter a grieving household. I eavesdropped on a conversation Dan and Patrick were having the other day about the possibilities of bringing in a new companion, and so this is what prompted me to think and begin writing to you.

Pawed,

Doggy Co-op

Dear D.C.,

Currently, I have been honored to work with a seven-month-old golden retriever. She is a quick learner, even though she can be a silly young pup sometimes. I know the role I play in her life is helpful, but I also know she is getting the correct amount of obedience training from her owners. My owner allows me to tag along on most of our training sessions with young dogs. He is a firm believer in the power of the pack, and its ability to calm and help other pack members adapt to the constant environmental changes. He also knows dogs exude a certain amount of energy. Sometimes dogs who have anxieties can be a bit restless, whereas dogs that give off calm energy will be less likely to resist and willing to experience new things.

When the time comes to choose a companion, it would be in your owners' best interest to allow you to come along. Keep in mind, if you are to see a new puppy, make sure your owners have made sure you are up to date with all your vaccines, and always check with the breeder first. If you plan on going to a rescue shelter, find out if your owners can bring you too.

I do want you to know, I think what you have planned is a remarkable idea. Every dog, and even humans, need a mentor. Picking out the right companion for you will be one challenge and energy levels will be another. Finding the right match is important. Your apprentice and you will appreciate it even more once you both smell each others' rears.

Running for life

Dear Sundance,

My owner runs 6 out of 7 days. I generally tag along and share in the fun. We run 3 or 4 miles in the a.m., before he has to go to work. Right now you may be wondering, "So what's your concern?"
To be honest, I think I have the ideal owner, but my buddies keep suggesting that I am doing too much exercise and I need to conserve my energy. Most of my friends are fairly supple, and the rest of my buddies tend to release their energies elsewhere, like in the form of barking, chewing, digging, playing chase games with their owners, and pulling on their leashes. This could be fun, but I'm always too tired for shenanigans; I do not share in their frustration and ploys for attention. I'm not frustrated, and I get plenty of attention.
So, my question is, at what point am I getting too much exercise and run the risk of injury? Will there be a time when I will need to tell my owner, let's just hibernate today and ice our muscles.
Born to run,
Pure Rhodesian In Caring Environment


Dear P.R.I.C.E.,
Sounds like you got it made. Your owner has committed to your overall wellness and truly picked a prize-winner in you. Rhodesians were bred to run miles, and help chase down lions. Their paws are able to adapt to the heavy pounding, day in, day out. Frankly, I am bit jealous of your endurance. I can't go more than five a day.
Exercise is a key element to our survival. Your buddies are simply jealous and need to get over it. Yes, there should be moderation with everything you do, but it sounds like you are achieving this with just the right amount. Your owner, from the sound of it, seems to be in tip-top shape. I sometimes see my owner stretch in a downward dog position, and this gets me excited because I want to play, so I stretch too. You know what to do. Your owner is probably watching you closely, and as soon as he notices you to act tired (which probably will not happen for a long time) then he will cut you some slack.

Maybe we can run together sometime.

Live Happy!

Sundance

p.s. Here is a reference:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/rehab/a/rice.htm