The Sun Came Out!

The sun finally came out and we were all pretty excited about that! Last week I had mentioned that we found some unused trails to run around on sort of near the river by my house. These trails are not popular so we have not seen a single person or dog on them!

The trails are very woodsy and not groomed. It was pretty fun pushing our way through the bushes here or there and the dogs loved running around on them!

From the trails, we made our way down to the river. We let both dogs wade into the river but we didn't allow them to swim at all. I'm not quite ready to let Phoenix swim again after our last incident where she got too cold.

Other "Fit Dog" things we've been doing, a lot of leash walks, fetch at the school by our apartment and I've also started jogging with them, too. I hate jogging and I'm not loving it so I might have to figure something else out. I'm not sure yet but I've been doing it really late at night so I don't have to worry about any dog/dog interactions or having to pull cheese out to counter condition. We can just exercise in peace. 

I haven't had a whole lot of time for hiking since I started working and we haven't really wanted to expose Phoenix to new dogs at Thousand Acres, since we are working on her dog/dog issues, so we've been doing a lot of other stuff. On nights where Phoenix goes to class, we show up an hour early and walk around that neighborhood and then we go in the building and play fetch for a half hour. Phoenix has really been enjoying her training classes and one on one time. Zoe will probably be going to training class pretty regularly as a demo dog, too. We've got so much going on right now but at least it gives me a lot to write about!

I'm pretty sad that this is the last Fit Dog Friday hop but I am planning to keep all of you guys updated on our "fit dog" stuff and adventures. I will most likely continue those posts on Fridays because that day seems to work well for them. Thanks so much to the hosts for introducing me to so many great ideas for fitness for my girls! I have really enjoyed the posts over these past two years!

New Trails & Happy Dogs

When you live with a dog who is afraid of other dogs and you live in the city where dogs are around every corner, finding dog-free ways to exercise is important. The dog park is out for the most part and we can only go to Thousand Acres during off times. I know I've talked about this before but leash walks have never really been enough for either of my dogs. It's fine when it's raining but being able to run is way more fulfilling.

I was pretty excited when I found a different set of trails that were deserted. The dogs were able to run and play and we didn't come across anyone or any dogs. It was a bit of a rougher hike for us as the trails were not as groomed but I'll take it.

This part of the trail heads into Thousand Acres and we didn't want to go that way. The dogs are recalling off a squirrel. First squirrel I've actually ever seen out there. I've seen lots of birds, bald eagles even, some bunnies and deer but never any squirrels until that day.

We had two super nice days hiking these trails and we didn't run into anyone. It was really awesome.

Do you ever try to find secret trails or deserted parks for your dogs?

Flying Felix & Speed Sling Ball! Dog Toys from Major Dog!

Happy Fit Dog Friday, everyone! Today I have a review for you on some new toys from Major Dog! We've reviewed a toy from them in the past and you can find that here: Major Dog Tiger Toy! 

Major Dog is a great company that is based in Germany, the toy capitol of the world. They are the only dog toy company to my knowledge that put their dog toys  through the same rigorous testing as the toys made for children. Quality and safety is extremely important to Major Dog and because of that all of the toys are TÜV-certified. The toys are awesome and they help to keep our fitness routine fun and interesting! The dogs have been loving them! Even Zoe who isn't all that into toys has been playing with them! We got our toys in exchange for an honest review.

 

Flying Felix

If you've seen some of our posts in the last few weeks, Phoenix has gotten really into playing frisbee! She's learning a lot of disc dog ticks and she loves it! I love disc dog stuff my dogs are getting a great workout and having a ton of fun. The only problem we've been having is that Phoenix is afraid of hard discs.The Flying Felix toy is a great solution to this. It's a soft disc-like toy that's made from a sturdy canvas material. It's super easy for the dog to catch and it makes learning disc tricks so easy for Phoenix. This toy comes with one small squeaker and I can't even begin to describe to you how much Phoenix loves it! This toy is not only awesome for playing frisbee but it's also great for playing tug! It's one tough toy and we've been playing with it nonstop since we got it! Another great feature of this toy is that you can fold it and it easily fits into my pocket. So I can quickly whip it out for rewarding Phoenix in training sessions as well. I love how versatile this toy really is!

Phoenix flips for the Flying Felix!

Flipping for Felix! Ignore my face, the sun is in my eyes!

Flying Felix can also be used for tugging!

Phoenix does a back vault for the Flying Felix!

As you can see, Phoenix really loves the Flying Felix and we've been having so much fun with it!

 

Speed Sling Ball

The Speed Sling Ball is the other toy we received from Major Dog. This is an awesome fetch style toy that was designed with special rubber to be easy on your dog's teeth. The ball has a canvas loop attached to it, making this toy easy to throw. It's also great for playing tug. The Speed Sling Ball comes in two sizes: small or large. This toy would be great for any ball obsessed dog and any dog who loves playing tug. Both of my dogs have been having a fantastic time playing with the small Speed Sling Ball. I use playing fetch as my warm up to doing disc tricks and they have both enjoyed chasing after this toy. The handle is made from the same sturdy material as the Flying Felix and it's really held up to all of our games! I like that it's easy on their teeth and how durable and sturdy it is. The Speed Sling Ball is rapidly becoming Zoe's favorite toy which is awesome because she's not that into toys!

Phoenix poses with the Speed Sling Ball

Zoe retrieves the Speed Sling Ball!

Zoe and Phoenix have been having a fantastic time playing with their new toys from Major Dog and I love that they are thoroughly tested for safety. Many of the toys in the Major Dog line are tough toys and my dogs have not been able to destroy any of them. I also love that these awesome toys make exercise fun and interesting for my dogs! Phoenix has been having a great time learning her disc tricks and Zoe has been really enjoying fetching the Speed Sling Ball. Both of these toys are rapidly becoming their most favorite toys and the ones I also whip out to reward them for in training, too! Major Dog has a great selection of toys for even the pickiest pooch and I would highly recommend checking them out! 

We received our dog toys from Major Dog in exchange for an honest review and we were not monetarily compensated. All opinions are my own. 
Major Dog is not responsible for the content of this blog post.

Beach Day! Shipwreck of The Peter Iredale!

The Girls and Me! Totally Crazy Windblown Look!

The beach is one of our all time most favorite places to go. It's one of the first trips we ever took Zoe on when we got her and it was the first trip we took Phoenix on, too! We have a lot of really awesome memories and it's a place that brings me a feeling of peace. I love going to the coast!

I've been dying to get to the beach for a long time and I jumped on the opportunity to go to a new one the other day when we drove out to Longview, Washington. Longview is only about an hour from the coast so it was easily do-able. My friend Suzanne had recommended a beach sort of near Astoria and it also features the Shipwreck of The Peter Iredale which I had been wanting to see. So we killed all the birds with one stone.

Zoe and what's left of The Peter Iredale

Phoenix found a log to play on!

The Peter Iredale was a four-masted steel barque sailing vessel that ran ashore October 25, 1906, on the Oregon coast en route to the Columbia River. It was abandoned on Clatsop Spit near Fort Stevens in Warrenton about four miles south of the Columbia River channel. It's a very popular tourist destination. 

Luckily we went on a weekday, it was horribly windy and there weren't very many people out there!

Phoenix was SO excited to play on the beach! 

Luckily with Oregon Coast Law they can be off leash!

 The Girls took turns racing each other around the beach and playing!

Phoenix poses with the wreckage!

The girls had a fantastic time running around on the beach! They were so happy to be there and so excited about everything. They were also really good for the most part! 

We did "lose" Zoe at one point and because it was so windy she could not hear us calling her. (I forgot my whistle at home.) Zoe had a moment where she thought the Seagull shadows that were zooming around on the hill above the beach were bunnies. On a previous beach trip, she saw a real live bunny and she's always remembered it. So when she saw the shadows moving on the hill she assumed they were bunnies and we lost her for a little bit while she was hunting them. By lost, I mean she was "out of control" because she could not hear our recall cue over the wind. We were able to get her attention as soon as she realized there was no scent of bunnies on the hill and she came right back to us on her own. She was never in any danger and she got a lot of "extra" exercise. We joked that she was a "Shadowhunter" and getting a little dumb in her old age! Other than that little incident this trip was probably the best behaved they've ever been at the beach.

The only downside to this beach is that vehicles are allowed to drive on it and it's a very popular tourist destination. March 15 - July 15 dogs are required to be on leash. If you're in the area, I would recommend going on a weekday and I would definitely go again! We had SO much fun!

Lake Sacajawea

On a dark and stormy day (yesterday), we drove through a monsoon to visit a brand new park in Longview Washington. I had been watching the weather and there was only supposed to be a 20% chance of rain and well... the weather app was wrong, so wrong! It was a nice day to start out but a dark cloud found us on the freeway. The driving conditions were scary to say the least. My husband started to call our car the "Silver Submarine" as we literally could not see where we were going and water was coming down in sheets. Luckily we made it okay and the weather held out for us to have a good walk!

Phoenix was super excited to visit the new park and to get out of the car! 

We even found some flowers! Yay Spring!

Zoe found a fun "Hobbit hole"! 

"Lake Sacajawea"

The Cherry trees are blooming!!!

We had a very exciting day (in more ways than one) and the girls love going to new parks so they had a blast exploring. In my research for visiting this place, I found out that they started building it in 1924! The lake is man made and they even have a Japanese Garden on one of the islands. Unfortunately, the Japanese Garden does not allow dogs so we skipped it. The park has 3.5 miles of walking trails and we did about 1/3 of the lake trail. We had other plans for more exercise for later that day and I will tell everyone about the other place next week! 

I hope everyone has an amazing weekend!

Have you been to any new parks/places with your dogs lately?

More Frisbee Fun!

This week I am sad to report that we did a horrible job with exercise and I definitely need to get back into a routine. Most of this week was all leash walks with a few sessions of fetch and frisbee at the park that's closest to our apartment. We also had some play time in the little off leash area in our apartment too but no big adventures. Which I'm pretty sad about!

Phoenix is still afraid to catch the hard plastic discs so we are using the fabric ones. Fabric discs don't fly very well but she does love chasing a rolling one!

Hopefully we can get back into our fitness routine soon!

Did you go on any new adventures this week?

She's Happiest When She's Running!

Whether it's running along the river, chasing a ball or playing in the woods, Phoenix is happiest when she's running! I love photographing her when she runs. I get the best shots!

Zoe is the same way! I catch the best photos of her when she's running and free. I love these ones so much better than posed shots!

What's your dog's favorite activity?

Phoenix can Frisbee Flip!

Over the past week or so, I was finally able to teach Phoenix to "frisbee flip"! This was a trick I've been hoping to get for a very long time! I'm really happy that Phoenix is enjoying it so much. In addition to playing some disc games, like flipping and vaulting we've also done quite a bit of fetch this week, too!

I also managed to get some video so everyone can see what it looks like! 

Phoenix is so fun! I just love working with her. She's always up for anything I want to do and she's the coolest dog ever. We had a very good week for canine fitness and tricks, too!

Phoenix's Solo Adventure!

Since Zoe hurt her paw at the park last week, we've been resting her. She seems fine now but I'm not taking any chances and I'm continuing the rest for a few more days. Thanks to everyone who have asked about her!

I spent quite a lot of time this past summer working on separation training with my two dogs so Zoe is happy to stay home and nap while I take Phoenix out. Phoenix is medium to high energy and she really needs an outlet for it. This week we've gone on a few solo adventures and it was so fun to spend some one on one time with her.

A video posted by Lauren Miller (@zoepheedogs) on Jan 26, 2016 at 5:40pm PST

One of Phoenix's favorite things to do is play on kid playgrounds. She loves sliding down the slide! So this was a huge reward for her after walking so nicely on a loose leash (at least one of my dogs can!).

A video posted by Lauren Miller (@zoepheedogs) on Jan 26, 2016 at 5:33pm PST

After the slide, Phoenix found these little cut outs and she jumped through both of them without being cued. She did it completely on her own! I had to take a video, so the video is set up so you can see.

Phoenix and I had a great time on our adventures and Zoe was fine staying home. I highly recommend spending one on one time with each of your dogs if you have a multi-dog household. It's very eye opening. Phoenix is perfect on leash without her sister influencing her. She didn't care about any of the critters running around and she was really good. It's really fascinating how two dogs walking together can egg each other on and cause problems. I love having a multiple dogs, don't get me wrong but it's nice to get out with just one sometimes!

Happy Fit Dog Friday everyone!

A Dark and Stormy Fit Dog Friday

Happy Fit Dog Friday everyone! This week we've had a lot of stormy weather and I was worried we were not going to be able to get very much "fit dog" stuff in. Luckily there was one day where it wasn't horribly wet and we went to a new park for hiking!

We hiked at Lacamas Lake and they have the neatest dam! The dogs were not that impressed but they were really brave while crossing it with us!

Here's a photo of the man made waterfall! The roar was almost deafening!

It was a pretty cold day and Zoe was not very cooperative for photos but we did manage to get a few pictures by sending her down the trail a ways and then calling her back. It's a bit of a trick I do to get some photos of her when she's being grumpy!

Here's Phoenix posing with the lake as her backdrop! 

 This was such a gorgeous park! I can't wait to go back another time!

I'm really hoping the weather clears up soon so we can get out and do more stuff! The dark grey days are kind of sucking the life out of me!

The dogs are wearing their Ultimate Warmers by Hurtta. A review and giveaway is forthcoming so keep an eye out for it! 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and Fit Dog Friday everyone!

Today we are going hiking with a friend! How are you spending New Year's Day?

Meet up with Mr. N!

The past few weeks, the rain has been absolutely awful! I was so relieved when we finally caught a break! Since it wasn't pouring buckets, we decided to have a fun meet up with Mr. N from Tenacious Little Terrier out at Thousand Acres (aka The Big Park)!

Zoe loves being chased and they had a fun time running around together! 

None of the dogs were that impressed with the log I chose for a group photo! LOL!

Phoenix and Mr. N play on the beach together!

Mr. N helps Zoe look for bunnies!

Time to go!

The dogs had so much fun running around together! Zoe did end up photobombing Mr. N's chewy.com review but his mom will probably tell you more about that!

It was an awesome day and it didn't even rain on us and wasn't windy. A total win in my book! The dogs didn't even get that dirty! We did almost 5 miles but I'm not exactly sure what it was exactly because I forgot to turn the mapper off when I got into the car and drove off.. Ooops!

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

(No small terriers were harmed in the making of this blog post, despite the bitey face photos that I got of my dogs!)

3 Tips for Exercising Your Dog Indoors on Rainy Days!

It's raining, it's pouring.. the dogs are sort of snoring... Oh and it's flooding and we have a giant sink hole across the street, too. I know..... I know..... I'm terrible at poems. Sorry! Anyways, Happy Fit Dog Friday everyone! We've been having the worst rain ever this past week and it's not going to get any better. So what is a fit dog to do when a fit dog can't run outside because she's a princess and hates the rain?

Note: The following things are in addition to our regular training sessions. :)

Phoenix with her Buster Cube

Puzzle Toys!
Seriously puzzle toys have been our saving grace. I have a bunch of different kinds of them but the ones that roll and really get the dogs moving are the best kind for indoor fitness. When the weather is really bad, the dogs will get all their meals in puzzle toys. Having to work for their food really keeps them busy. It's also really fun watching them work the food out of them!

Phoenix with her Tiger Toy

Tug and Fetch
Luckily you can play tug anywhere and it's another great exercise and dogs love it. Phoenix is a huge fan of playing tug and she also loves fetch. They are both super easy to do and if you play the game with rules, it also becomes a training session so you work the mind and body. With tug the rules are as follows: the dog must not take the toy until they are given the cue (get it), the dog must out (drop it) when asked and the dog must not bite my hand. 

We are lucky that our apartment is a decent size for fetch.. Our place isn't huge but we do have a long hallway so I can stand from one end of the apartment and toss the toy down the hall. Fetch is fun and I like to play it with rules, too. Sometimes I will ask for a sit before I throw the toy, or I will even ask for some impulse control (making the dog wait before dashing off after the toy). 

Phoenix on her wobble board. Check out our DIY tutorial and make your own!

Wobble Boards and Other Conditioning Equipment
A few years ago we made our own wobble board (link is in the caption of the photo) and it was one of the best projects we've done. The wobble board is great for indoor exercise. It works their leg muscles and their core. My dogs love their wobble board and we use it all the time. It's also great if you want to get your dog into agility training because it helps the dog to get used to standing on stuff that moves. After using the wobble board, Zoe in particular, was not afraid to learn the teeter. With our wobble board, we practice balance and position changes, like going from sit to stand or sit to sit pretty.

We also have a fitness ball that I will put the girls up on and it works their body very similar to the wobble board but the texture is different and it helps to provide some variety in our conditioning exercises. 

What is your favorite indoor activity for your dog?