Sunrise in the Gorge!

Yesterday I got up at 5am. I couldn't sleep so I decided to go see the sunrise. We haven't been going to Thousand Acres that much because I've been working with Phoenix's reactivity. I'm trying to keep her 100% under threshold and you can't really accomplish that at a giant off leash park where any dog is welcome.

The sky definitely didn't disappoint me! It was glorious and completely peaceful with no dogs in sight.

It was really windy so Zoe was pretty nervous and unhappy. This is probably the happiest photo I was able to get of her all morning. Poor Zoe! I always feel so bad for her when she's like that.

One of the most awesome things about Phoenix is that she's generally a pretty happy little dog. As long as she doesn't have to deal with other dogs or the smoke alarm going off, she's great!

This one didn't quite turn out that great but I still think it's a fun shot. Phoenix bounding around in the tall grass having a good time!

We had a really nice morning and we only ran into one dog on the way back to the car. Luckily he was on leash and didn't care about them. It was a great morning! I hope I can drag my butt out of bed to do this again soon!

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?

Winter Is Coming! Get A Coat For Your Dog! Coats Made By De Review

Happy Fit Dog Friday everyone! Winter is coming! My dogs really dislike being cold and they hate going out in the rain. Even though the weather might be chilly or it's raining, they still need to go for their walks! That's where a great winter coat comes in handy and I was so excited when our friend De from Made By De asked us to review her gorgeous winter coats! De makes functional coats for dogs of all shapes and sizes, from the smallest chihuahua to the biggest great dane! Each coat is custom made to fit your pooch perfectly, which is awesome because my dogs are really hard to fit!

We did a previous review on De's Cool Coats for the summer time and you can read more about those and our friend De by clicking on the link! I really enjoy working with De. She's very friendly and helpful when it comes to fitting the dogs and her shipping is amazingly fast for items that are handmade! All of the items we have gotten have been very high quality and I am very happy with them!

It actually started raining when I took this photo!

De has several different options for winter coats and each one can be customized for your dog's individual needs. She has many colors to chose from, too! You can see the different options by visiting her website. We went with her Winter Coat with Windpro Lining, Velcro Closures at the Neck and Girth with Reflective Strips. We also customized with removable snoods and harness access. Phoenix has been having some trouble lately when I attach a leash to her collar. She's been coughing so I really love the harness access and it was placed perfectly to my measurements! 

Winter Coats with Snoods Attached

The snoods are very easy to take off and put back on. They are attached by velcro. I have them rolled down once but the length is also easily adjustable. You can just fold it to the desire length.

Here's Zoe with the snood covering her ears. This will be so good for those frozen windy winter days!

Here's what the jackets look like with the snoods detached.

Here you can see the harness access.

These coats are very easy to put on! The head goes through the fleece and the coat lays over the back. The front and girth straps are easy and quick to deal with. Even if you have a very wiggly dog, you should be able to get this coat on them!

I love the bright colors! So much easier to see them in the tall grass!

Phoenix puts her coat through rigorous testing!

The outer shell of the coats are made with durable, waterproof, ripstop nylon! I love that the coats are waterproof and the ripstop nylon is perfect for my crazy hunting dogs who run around in the bushes! Phoenix actually put that ripstop nylon through rigorous testing as she loves to go into the blackberry bushes. I am happy to tell you that the coat survived and doesn't have a single scratch on it.

 Zoe also put her coat through rigorous testing, although hers was much different than Phoenix. Zoe decided to roll in coyote poop in her brand new coat. I was less than impressed with her. She got stinky, she made her gear very stinky as well. The coyote poop rolled right off the ripstop lining and you could not tell she had done it, unless you put your nose near her. When we came home I immediately laundered the coats and gave the dogs baths. These coats are machine washable but De recommends air drying them. I didn't notice that recommendation until I started this review and I did machine dry the coats. They survived the dryer and the smell came right out! They went back to being brand new! Next time I wash them I will air dry them, though!

 

The inner lining of the winter coats are done with specialized fleece. The fleece helps to block a lot of the wind and it also helps to retain body heat. The fleece that De used is so soft and the dogs stay nice and warm!

The coats did not restrict any of my dog's natural movements. They were able to run, play and jump as they usually do. The coats did not rub on any parts of the dog.

I really like the large reflective strips that De put on the coats! We walk a lot at night and we've had some close calls with cars. Being visible is also very important during hunting season!

I really love these winter coats! I am impressed with how well made they are and that they were able to stand up to my dogs crazy, naughtiness! The dogs were able to run and play as usual and stay nice and warm. It's important to me that my dogs still get exercise, even if the weather isn't good. Having a great winter coats is hugely beneficial to my dogs. I also really love the bright colors! It makes them easier to spot in the fields!

I would highly recommend checking out Made By De and getting one of her coats for your dogs. You won't be disappointed! Don't forget to tell her we sent you!

ZoePhee is partnering with Made By De for a giveaway! One lucky reader will win the Winter Coat of your choosing. The winner will be working with De through email to make sure the measurements and style of coat are what they are wanting.

This giveaway is open internationally to readers who are 18 years of age or older. No purchase necessary and void where prohibited. The giveaway will run for a week and you just need to complete the entry form below! If the entry form gives you any trouble try refreshing the page.

The WINNER will be announced on our facebook page:
facebook.com/zoepheedogs so be sure to follow us!

Entry-Form

ZoePhee was provided with two winter coats from Made By De in exchange for an honest review. ZoePhee was not monetarily compensated and reviews are always 100% honest. Made By De is not responsible for the content of this blog post.

Parkour Dogs

Phoenix in a tree at Thousand Acres.

This week I got a lot of questions and some concerns regarding my Monday Mischief post: To Catch a Squirrel... if you didn't see it just click the link. I decided to make a post about it so I can clear the air. There was NO squirrel in the tree where I was photographing the dogs. It was a joke.

Phoenix posing on the fence at Thousand Acres.

What is Parkour? (AKA: Free Running) From Wikipedia: Pakour is a training discipline using movement that developed from military obstacle course training. Practitioners aim to get from one point to another in a complex environment, without assistive equipment and in the fastest and most efficient way possible. Parkour includes running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping, rolling, quadrupedal movement, and other movements as deemed most suitable for the situation.

It's basically like agility but we use whatever obstacles we find! The dogs are trained to balance on fence posts, climb trees, jump over things. Everything I do with my dogs is completely controlled and trained.

Zoe on the giant rock at the south end Cannon Beach.

Zoe on the giant rock at the south end Cannon Beach.

If you look up "parkour dogs" on youtube you will find some pretty extreme videos. We don't do any of that extreme stuff at all. I don't allow them to jump down from places that are too high, especially if the landing will be on cement and we are very careful about the things we do. I would never allow them to do this sort of thing when they were overstimulated and chasing a critter.

Zoe posing on a pillar!

Phoenix learning parkour.

So the tree they were in was a tree that had been split and half of it was on the ground, they were able to hop up on a low branch and climb up into the tree. As you can see, Zoe is making her descent. She's focused on the branch of the tree and is very careful where she's placing her paws. We've done a ton of rear end awareness training. She knows exactly where her front and rear paws are. 

In 4 years of doing this we have never had an injury. 

Parkour can be great exercise and there's a ton of variety with it. It's jumping, it's running, it's balancing. My dogs really enjoy it. However, with any sort of sport like this, your dog needs to be physically fit. I would not recommend doing this if your dog is overweight. If you're interested in parkour and never done any sort of obstacle training, I would recommend finding an agility class and doing that first with a qualified instructor. I used to take agility classes with my family dogs and it was so much fun. I learned a lot. I would also recommend doing rear end awareness exercises and starting on really low and wide objects that are easy for your dog to negotiate while they are learning.

Happy Fit Dog Friday everyone! 

Do you do any sort of obstacle training with your dog? Tell me about it in the comments!

Boundary Trail!

Phoenix

Happy Fit Dog Friday everyone! This week you might have read about how I took a little spill. Well as soon as I was able to I got them right back out to the park and we spent a lot of time on the Boundary Trail. The Boundary Trail is just what it sounds like. It's the outer trail at the park. It's pretty over grown in a lot of the spots which makes for interesting photos!

Zoe

This is also pretty much the only area of the park where the grass is still green. The rest of the park has been fried by the ridiculously hot summer we are dealing with!

Phoenix & Zoe

The girls got a lot of good running in and they had a lot of fun, too! I'm hoping the weather will cool off soon so we can play in the water again. With it being so hot I'm still concerned about algae blooms so we've been avoiding the river.

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

What have you been up to lately?

Fetch and Hiking with Blog Friends!

Hi everyone! Happy Fit Dog Friday! Yesterday we had a fantastic day hiking with our friends: Lia, Elli and Riko from Identity V+E! If you have not visited Lia's blog I would highly recommend it. Her blog is wonderful! It was so fun meeting them in person! Elli and Riko are SO cute! I just loved them!

Before we met up, I decided to play fetch with my dogs in the field across from the forest. I wanted to get some of that excess energy out so they would be on their best behavior for our meet up. This area is a designated off leash area and I wasn't sure how Phoenix would do. She has never successfully played fetch in a dog park situation before. I was hopeful but kept my expectations low. She did great! She retrieved every ball I threw! She only dropped one ball because another dog ran up to her and she got nervous but once that dog went away she picked her ball up and came right to me. It was amazing.

Zoe got into the fetch action as well!  I was shocked that she actually wanted to play! She brought back all but one of the balls I threw! She was so into the game and it was so fun. I wish I got to see this dog more often. Usually she doesn't want to play my games!

After all the fetch, we met up with Lia, Riko and Elli and went for our hike. The trail at this park was pretty short but the crazy hills made up for it! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera in the car for the hike part of our day. We got the camera and took an "after" photo, though!

Photo Credit: Identity V+E

After our hike, we went to a food cart type place and then we went for another walk! We all had so much fun! These dogs did so well together! Both Phoenix and Riko are reactive but they are so well managed that they were fine! With proper introductions the dogs were at ease with each other. I could not have asked for a better day. I hope we can do this again some time and I really wish we lived closer to each other!

Have a great weekend everyone!

ZUMI Leads Review #NeverRoamAlone

Happy Fit Dog Friday everyone! I hope you're all having an awesome day! Today I have a review for you on two gorgeous rope leads from ZUMI! We all know how important fitness is and going for walks is a great way to exercise and bond with your canine best friend. I really believe having equipment that is sturdy and functional but also comfortable is important! If your equipment is cutting into your hand, you're not going to have much fun on the walk. I'm so excited to tell you about these leashes! We were given our leads in exchange for an honest review but I am not being compensated to tell you about them.

Fit Dogs Under The Rainbow!

This week we've been mostly just walking out at Thousand Acres. Yesterday morning it was raining off and on but the sun came out and there was a brilliant rainbow off in the distance. It was fading fast and I was only able to capture a bit of it.

Walks at the big park! Fit Dog Friday

We got up super early and took my husband to work a few days this past week and then headed over to the big thousand acre park for exercise! It was so windy that it made Phoenix's ears stand right up!

Dognapped by the DogFather!

The "DogFather" dognapped us in the name of this weird thing called "exercise"!!! 

Remember my post on Fitdog Friday about my husband taking the dogs to the park? Here's their mischief post! :D