Throwback Thursday: Go Dawgs!

Mr. Tough cowers in submission when he meets the giant blue bulldog.

You can find these giant painted bulldog sculptures dotting the streets of Athens, GA, in honor of the UGA Bulldogs. Additionally, it seems like almost every house has a small bulldog sculpture out front. With all the local hype about bulldogs, we sadly never see any real bulldogs around. Luckily Spartacus has since learned that these stoic oversized bulldog sculptures are not giant rainbow mastiffs, and now he can pass them comfortably.

He's also quite fond of this other public sculpture.

Chilling Out, Spartacus Style

We recently started working with a new trainer. She hasn't met Sparty yet, but based on everything we have described she thinks he might have an anxiety disorder. We're not too sure ourselves.  Certain situations stress him out, but you oughta see him when we go on vacation to South Florida to visit family. He eats up it just like a regular old human tourist.

Strolling through historic neighborhoods, smiling about all the pretty colors.

Taking water breaks and time to sniff the flowers.

Laying out on the patio.

Lounging on luxurious beds in the sunroom.

Enjoying leisurely swims, and daintily fetching pine needles.

Followed by more laying out.

We'll keep you updated on his anxiety issues. At least he laps up the good life as much as any normal dog!

Tropical Games

Our special training class for reactive dogs just ended less than two weeks ago. Admitting our dog was reactive and focusing on training him was a bit of an emotional journey. We went a good year and a half in denial of Sparty's mounting aggression. Enrolling in a class and starting this blog helped us recognize our issues, define our goals, and document the huge leaps we've made together - but it's been draining too. After the countless hours of training walks and special trips to the dog park just to work on training, everyone was ready for a short vacation. Within days of finishing class, we packed up the pooches and even our kitty and drove down to visit family in South Florida.

My dad owns and lives on a tropical plant nursery with his who-knows-what-mix Ollie and his Pomeranian mix Sadie.

Spartacus lived here with us the first year we had him and it's his favorite place in the world thanks to all the running, swimming, and sunbathing he gets to enjoy. Delilah thinks it's pretty cool too.

We wanted our dogs to relish in plenty of fun and relaxation, but in keeping with our goals, there was lots of training to work on too. Enter hide and seek.

One of our goals is to develop a bombproof recall with our dogs. In an attempt to make recall a fun command, we started playing hide and seek in our house in the last few weeks. Our dogs can't get enough. We put them in a stay, and one of us monitors them while the other goes to hide and call them over. We use "come" but there are plenty of words and noises you can use for recall instead. Once released, Spartacus is very enthusiastic darting from room to room sniffing out the air with intense focus. When one of them finds us, we throw a party with praise and high value treats and of course the other dogs get rewarded too once they arrive. We thought Sparty and Delilah were seasoned enough with the indoor version to take it out into the nursery. We hid behind trees, tractors, trucks, the stuff nurseries are made of.

Ollie caught on quickly and added even more pep and enthusiasm to the game.

Spartacus seems to use his nose in this game more than the others, so we think he'd be a good candidate for nose work sports eventually.

We did have some issues making this a three player game. Ollie is the world's most happy go lucky dog, but she lacks in training and became a bit greedy with the treats we were dishing out, scaring off our dogs from their reward. Overall, though, the game seems to have a really positive effect on our recall with the dogs. They are coming immediately when called about 80% of the time now, compared to about 50% a few weeks ago. Their recall is 100% for at least an hour after a hide and seek session. We try to always use a spirited happy voice to call them, which also has made a big difference. The best part of the game is how fun it is for us humans too. We feel like little kids again, giggling with our hands clasped over our mouths as our dogs run right past our hiding spot.

What kind of training games do you play with your dogs?

Safety First

We just returned home from a road trip to South Florida with the whole pack. Spartacus is a veteran of the 10 hour long drive from North Georgia to South Florida in our beat up 99 Jeep Cherokee. This was Delilah's second time making the roundtrip journey. The dogs and even our kitty (with a nice dose of Rescue Remedy) always seem very comfortable in the back of the Jeep with the seats down. This time, we used dog seat belts for extra security. 

This harness is designed to attach to an actual seat belt, but with the seats down, we just strung leashes through and hooked them up to some handles in the car. Restrained by six foot leashes, the dogs still had a lot of mobility to visit us up front, but they stayed put on their Molly Mutt bed for the most part. Despite the occassional tangling of leashes, the harnesses seemed really comfortable. In the event of an accident, we felt better knowing they were strapped in. We're grateful all our pets are good sports when it comes to long hauls cause we love to have them with us. Not to mention, boarding is difficult for them. Luckily it was smooth sailing there and back, and we'll be updating more details about our adventure later this week.

How do your dogs feel about long car rides? Any road trip cats?

Throwback Thursday: Catdog

Once upon a time, a small dog came bounding from it's yard and ran right up to Spartacus.

When she got up close, we realized she was not, in fact, a dog.

But she said hello like a dog.

Sparty thought she was a dog too.

Throwback Thursday: Strawberry Fields Forever

Spartacus discovers a Christmas tree farm

Nestled in the mountains

And tries wild strawberries for the first time.

And he is happy.

Throwback Thursday: Puppy as Dog Walker

Ollie is Sparty's cousin. They first met when she was four months old.

She made sure to show him who's boss right away.

And they walked happily ever after.

Walk On

Walking Spartacus brings us joy like nothing else. Sure, Spartacus is super leash reactive to other dogs. It's true we have to work extra hard around passing dogs to disrupt and counter-condition his aggressive response. Despite constant training as we saunter about, our walks with Spartacus are incredibly pleasant for the most part.

Before we had dogs, we lived in New York City without cars and grew to love just walking for walking's sake. Hours and hours upon miles and miles of wandering on foot, exploring new areas, revisiting old ones - that's a day well spent. When we moved to a less urban area, we were so excited to adopt a dog to share our walks with.

With lots of training, Sparty now heels wonderfully most of the time. We move in sync and practice check-ins, and Spartacus sits when we come to a halt. We pay attention equally to each other and to our surroundings. 

Together, our leisurely strolls through Athens take us through historic neighborhoods with incredible houses, past green fire hydrants and quirky gardens.

We also pass lots of cute fenced dogs, like this sweet Shiba Inu.

Using plenty of treats to counter condition, we've gotten to a point where Spartacus can sit and lay patiently next to a fenced in barking dog. He's totally cool with us saying Hi to all the gorgeous fenced dogs in Athens, and he remains perfectly polite when we catch up with neighbors who see us petting their dogs. Not bad for a reactive pup!

Spartacus loves going on walks just as much as we do. Never mind breakfast, his day hasn't started until he's leashed up for his morning stroll. The idea of having any less than two walks a day seems crazy to us. We live to walk! 

Sparty is really beginning to grasp the behaviors we expect of him, and he tries so hard to be a good boy. Still, there's some things he just can't control. Like drooling all over himself anticipating a treat.

We're lucky we live in such a charming little city that's very safe and enjoyable for walking. Even on a gloomy, overcast day like today, the brightly colored bungalows with their year round Christmas lights and eclectic decorations keep our walks cheerful.  

Are you as addicted to walking? 
Does owning a reactive dog prevent you from taking long walks?

Is this normal?

We've mentioned that Spartacus has a very hands on, rough housing style when it comes to playing with other dogs. He was labeled a "doggy nerd" when he used to go to doggy daycare; the staff said he didn't pick up on social cues and tried to play with dogs that weren't interested. In short, he could get annoying. After hearing this, it doesn't surprise us that many dogs and especially their owners don't appreciate some of the moves in his bag of tricks. Particularly when he mounts. Not humps, mounts. Grabs a dog's torso with his paws and just squeezes. What's even weirder? Front mounting. See below:

To our knowledge, he started this behavior in May 2013 when he spent a month with us back at the family plant nursery in Florida. My dad had recently adopted a new dog, Ollie. Ollie had no problem with the mounting, she thought it was great fun. Sparty learned that when he front mounted Ollie, she did his favorite thing in the world: jump up and wrestle in the air!

Sparty and Ollie went on to enjoy a platonic love affair that summer.

This was pre-Delilah. Back then, Spartacus didn't socialize much with other dogs on a regular basis. He was too stressed at doggy daycare, barking whenever the staff left the room. So we stopped taking him on their advice. He was also showing signs of being leash reactive on our walks, and we weren't too comfortable putting him in situations with strange dogs off leash. But the family plant nursery is ten acres of non-fenced-in tropical goodness, complete with a swimming pool, two ponds, and a canal. Sparty respects the boundaries of the property, but no fence means plenty of neighborhood dogs wander over daily. To our delight, Sparty excelled during this month stay in Florida. He bonded closely with Ollie, and had lots of good experiences with strange dogs too.

Unfortunately, he left with his new habit: mounting. We've seen him front mount dogs at the park, and the dogs will literally just freeze in bewilderment. Nor can we recall ever seeing another dog mount quite like Sparty. We're lead to believe front-mounting (or mounting without humping) is not universal for dogs. We make sure to correct Sparty when he does this to strange dogs who clearly feel uncomfortable. Not surprisingly, Boxers don't seem to mind and often return with some punches, just what he was looking for! It's just a weird situation for the most part and Sparty has no idea how annoying he is to other dogs!

We know our guy has some screws loose, and we're really committed to teaching him to chill out. But he manages to be such a lover too...

Is this mounting behavior normal/have you observed your own dog or other dogs engaging in this type of play?

How would your dog react if Sparty came up and front mounted them? 

Private Dog Park = Awesome!

As we mentioned in our last post, we are lucky to have a special resource for dogs in Athens, GA. The beautiful Sandy Creek Park offers three private fully fenced in 2-3 acre dog parks you can reserve by the hour, for only $1 per dog per hour. 

We aren't sworn off regular dog parks, but when we go, we have to be extra vigilant and it's not exactly relaxing for us owners. Spartacus is of course our high maintenance mutt, and we started this blog to track our progress teaching him to just chill out. From the sound of it though, dog parks can be stressful for plenty of perfectly balanced dogs and their owners too. A lot can go wrong when you enclose a bunch of strange dogs together, especially when the people overseeing them have different opinions about what is acceptable behavior. Yet we all want our dogs to get the experience of running around free, and that's where Sandy Creek Park comes in.

You simply call ahead and reserve a time, stop by the main park entrance to pay and pick up your key, and pull up to your own private dog park. Each park is fully fenced and provides dog waste bags, a garbage can, and a bowl of fresh water. For safety, it's required your dogs are leashed until you close your gate behind you. Close the gate, and it's a total free for all! 

Earlier today we took Sparty on a training walk around the neighborhood to continue working on the "watch me" command around passing dogs. He was good two out of four times, and when he reacted, we got him to subside quickly. He's been working really hard lately, and we wanted to make sure he got some plain old fun in today too. At noon we headed to Sandy Creek. We rented Dog Park #3, our personal favorite. Two large grassy fields are divided by a strip of forest with a trail running through it. The 3 acre park extends far beyond what our camera lens can capture. Not bad for two dollars!

The passion these two have for tennis balls is unequivocal. With the aid of our Chuck-It ball launcher, we cover a lot of ground. Delilah has quite the stride for a low-rider. She is faster than Spartacus.

But Sparty still wins most of the time using brute force to knock Delilah over. We prefer Delilah to win because she actually returns the ball, whereas Sparty turns it into a game of keep-away.

We've mentioned that Spartacus has a crazy "in your face" playing style that can scare other dogs and dog owners. Luckily, our Delilah embraces it full force. 

And if you're paying attention, you'll see that Spartacus willingly rolls over to a submissive position, laying on his back with his belly fully exposed. That's how we know their play is fun and fair, and we don't have to referee.

In an hour, there's plenty of time for both play and relaxation. Sometimes we rent the park for longer. We've even brought our art supplies and done plein-air painting sessions for up to three hours here. The private parks are also great for birthday parties.

We can't imagine life without this amazing resource now that we have it, but we're probably moving far away to the midwest this summer. So far we haven't been able to track down anything similar.

Do you know of any private dog parks or similar set-ups? 

Does your dog's play style require extra monitoring?

Snow Day Bliss

This was a fun week to be in Athens, GA. The whole city basically shut down in lieu of the traffic issues across the Southeast earlier this year. We've had snow days off from work most of the week, even though the temperature hasn't dipped below 27 degrees during the day. It's just silly, considering one of us is from Wisconsin where the temperatures have been below zero most of 2014. But hey, we're not complaining!

Yesterday was beautiful and sunny, families were out sledding down the streets, and we took the dogs on a long walk in their matching Ruffwear Climate Changer fleece jackets. These super warm dog coats aren't the best for snow since they aren't waterproof, but we don't have anything else and our short-coated pups start to shiver once the temps reach the 30s. 

We wandered around town and ended up at a local park. Seeing at it wasn't in use, the completely fenced in snowy basketball court became our own private dog park. We probably broke some laws closing the gate and letting madness ensue, but it was pure fun and no harm came of it!

There's nothing quite like watching dogs get to run free. I wholeheartedly believe that leashed walks and runs are very satisfying too, but it's really something to let their wild sides take over. For most of us, off leash freedom means heading to a dog park, but with Spartacus' issues, we are reluctant. His true reactivity is limited to being on leash, but he still has a dominant streak and is what our local doggy daycare calls "a doggy nerd", meaning he doesn't quite read social cues correctly. It's also because the boxer in him loves to throw punches and wrestle. His playing style scares off many dogs and can lead to fights when Sparty just isn't receptive to their grievances. We've had some great times at less busy hours, and Athens has some wonderful dog parks with trails where he really excels. He gets the most overwhelmed in the type of dog park where all the owners sit down and all the dogs are supposed to play in a central area. When we head to public dog parks, we are extra vigilant and often have to correct Sparty for mounting. Dog mounting in parks is a controversial subject. We've found a 3 strikes you're out program normally calms him down. If he's not responsive to corrections, we either leave or leash him up and walk the perimeter while Delilah plays on.

Incredibly, one park in Athens actually offers private dog parks that you can rent by the hour, for just one dollar per dog. These completely fenced in lots range from 2-3 acres of beautiful grassy and wooded sections. Sparty and Delilah have private parties there at least every weekend, but with the roads covered in ice and snow, this basketball court makeshift dog park was the only place accessible by foot. 

It didn't take long for their coats to get soaked, not that they noticed.

We really lucked out with Delilah as she adapted instantly to Sparty's roughhousing, and he truly is her favorite dog to play with now. She gets along with everyone, but the peak of her happiness is reached going nuts with her big brother. As soon as we close the gate to any park we visit, these two immediately take off tackling each other. We wouldn't condone their disorderly play with stranger dogs, but since these two trust each other completely, there's no harm in letting them play to their heart's content.

About half an hour of insanity can really knock these two out for the rest of the day. We knew they were ready to head home when Delilah started looking cold, and Sparty's efforts were focused on lapping up melting ice. 

The rest of the day was spent like this.

How do you feel about dog parks?

Are your dogs fans of the snow?