Salty dog. Happy dog. Floppy dog.

Every dog has their "thing" that makes them unique and special. I've never met a puppy quite like this before, and one of the things I love most about him is that he never fails to make me laugh. Salty dog is a 7 month old yellow lab. He has been nicknamed "happy dog" by some of the regulars at the dog park. I have recently started calling him "floppy dog" as well. Salty takes the awkward puppy phase to a whole new level. He just doesn't really have control over his limbs yet and as a result, he is more often than not found sprawled out on the ground. One of his classic moves to mid-wrestling match, he will just lay on the ground and continue to try and keep the game going from his new reclined position. I think it takes too much energy for him to physically move his body any longer, but mentally he just doesn't want to stop!

Have you ever seen a dog crouch down and wait for an oncoming dog, then pounce as soon as they get close? Salty has his own version of this. He doesn't sit on his haunches, he just lays all the way down and kicks his hips out. This guy knows how to live... just relaxin! It's a good excuse to catch his breath and get amped up for the next round of play!

Almost every puppy goes through an awkward phase where their limbs are longer than they can control and they kind of flop all over the place. I've never seen a dog quite like Salty dog. Our lastest trick is learning to jump in the truck. He is so excited he really wants to, but somehow has a hard time guaging when to jump in order to make it in the truck. He has a good bounce and gets high enough, but keeps trying to start a step or two too far back so when sort of bounces back off the tailgate. Although I desperately want to get a video or at least picture of this to share with you, I have my hands full trying to help him in the truck to make sure he doesn't hurt himself. Unfortunately, he is not phased by my assistance and whenever I lean down to help him up, he thinks its time to jump up and nearly knock me over. Practice makes perfect!

The best part of Salty dog's clumsiness is that it doesn't affect him one little bit. From the very first day I brought Salty to the park he was the happiest dog in the world. He has brought smiles to the faces of people I have seen on a daily basis for almost 3 years and have never seen smile before. How can you look at that face and not smile? He bounds around the park and if you watch him for more than a few minutes you will almost certainly see a "Salty flop". If only we could all be as happy and excited about life as Salty dog!

I know before long Salty-dog will be a full grown  (likely 90+ pound) dog and these floppy dog days will only be memories. Luckily his numerous floppy breaks have allowed for a lot of great pictures to remember these fun times with!

Tricks of the trade: follow the leader

Some of my avid readers (if such thing exists) may recall a blog I wrote months ago about when a puppy reaches the teenage phase. If you haven't, you can read the blog here, but this pretty much sums it up:

It’s that moment when the “teenager” stops a few paces short of the gate and stares at me that I realize he’s grown up. He realizes that he actually has a choice whether he follows me or not. It’s when he actually considers the fact that there might be better things in the world than the scraps of treat left in my coat pocket.

Sound familiar? Have you ever found yourself standing at the front of the dog park, ready to leave, hopelessly calling your dog who is essentially giving you the middle finger while running victory laps around the park? Have you yelled "Ok, Bye Fido, see you later...." hoping for a response? Well I have a little secret for you... they're on to you! They know your routine and they know it's time to go and they don't want to!

I've been very fortunate to have had so many puppy clients and been able to help raise and train them. Inevitably, puppies will turn into defiant teenagers, and well trained adult dogs will have a stubborn streak. It's all a part of the fun! I'm sure you can imagine what a mess it would be if all 8 of my dogs protested leaving the park at once (it's happened), so I have a few tricks to avoid this debacle that you can use on your own pup.

Always keep them guessing. I never walk in the direction at the park. Some days I walk straight to the water then come back to water bowls in front, then to the big field, then to the side field, then out the gate. Sometimes we go to the side field first, then the water, then the side field again, then the big field then the gate. You get the picture... I don't have an order of the way we walk the park, that way, just because we are playing close to the gate to leave, doesn't mean we are leaving. When I decide it's time to leave, I can start leashing up some of the ones who I know will protest, and then start walking to the gate with the rest.

Check in. I always like to work on recall with my dogs, even the older well trained ones, just to have them check in with me and know that I'm watching them. I often call them over and have them sit and wait for a treat. I pet them, touch their collars, and hold on to them just to get them used to it. This way, when I want to put them on leash, they aren't expecting it and are less likely to put up a fight (not literal fight, stubborn fight).

After party. When the dogs get to the gate and are ready to leave, I give them a treat (not everyone, just the ones who are new to the routine or having a hard time remembering why I am so convincing) and lots of over-the-top cheerleading praise. Leaving the park is just as much fun as going to the park, RIGHT!??!

Leash 'em up. If you have any doubt that you are going to be able to get your pup out of the park incident-free, just leash 'em up. Once they experience the thrill of the chase and the anger in your face, there is no going back, they will want to make it a regular thing. Once you've had enough successful exits and cheerleader praise, and you feel that you trust him a little bit more, you can try and get closer and closer to the gate before you put the leash on.

Some dogs this is never a problem for and some dogs this is such a problem that their owners never take them to the dog park and never let them off leash. That's no way for a city dog to live, in my opinion! I hope this helps! Remember, you always win! 

Tricks of the trade: drop the ball!

One question that I am constantly asked is "how do you handle 7 dogs at once?", and like every dogwalker, we have our secrets. In this series of blog posts, "tricks of the trade", I will be sharing a few of my secrets that you may be able to use with your pup at the park! Drop the ball! 

If you're pup is anything like Bailey, or any other ball-obsessed lab for that matter, who refuses to drop the ball, try this trick:

blow softly into their ear. keep blowing. It will mess up their pressure and make them start moving their jaw to pop their ears, just like we do on a plane. While moving their jaw, they are bound to drop the ball! The key here is to be very patient and gentle.

*I learned this wonderful trick from my fellow dogwalker, Gretchen Jannenga, and this trick has made getting Bailey in the truck ball-free possible on numerous occasions! 

{of course, the ideal scenario would be to teach your pup to drop the ball properly in the first place... I'll talk about that in a future post!}