I've been reading a lot of posts about "do-overs" and in the spirit of my favorite quote from Bark and Lunge by Kari Neumeyer: "You did then what you knew how to do, and when you knew better, you did better."(originallyby Maya Angelou) I am going to do a series of posts about what I think I did wrong with my rescue dogs and what I wish I had done instead or how I'd handle things that happened now. I completely understand that there's no going back, we can only move forward but if someone else can learn from my mistakes and not make the same ones I did then it's totally worth it for me to talk about it.
The blog posts will mostly feature Phoenix since I had absolutely no experience with reactive dogs before her. These posts will go up on Thursdays since it's also kind of a "Throwback Thursday" sort of thing. I will start this series next week.
I have the most perfect "fearful" dog. She is an absolutely wonderful companion to me and my husband. She is funny, silly and loves to play. She snuggles with me when I don't feel well. She makes me laugh and takes away my pain. She is absolutely perfect in every way, except for two things. She is afraid of strangers reaching for her, to the point she will flail at the end of her leash to try and get away. (She has never growled or snapped at any human. All she wants to do is get away from them.) She trusts the people she knows to a point but is mostly uncomfortable being handled by anyone other than myself and my husband. Her other problem is that she is afraid of large dogs and she can be a little or a lot reactive with them depending on the situation.
Hey everyone! Today I have a review and a giveaway for you!
I've always been a huge fan of multi-use leashes. Recently I was sent a SnapLeash to try out.
The SnapLeash comes in two different sizes: 5/8" x 6ft (for dogs 40lbs and under) and 1" x 6 ft (for dogs over 40lbs) and at the time of this writing they have three colors available: red, blue and black.
We were sent a Red 5/8" SnapLeash. The shipping was so fast! We received our leash within two days. I also really liked how quickly the owner of the company responded to my questions. They have really awesome customer service.
The first thing I noticed about this leash is how light it is. We've tried similar leashes before like the Gripper Police Leash and one of my huge issues with them has been weight. Some of these leashes can be so heavy and stiff that they are uncomfortable to carry. Not the SnapLeash! This leash is light and flexable and made from high quality nylon and it is strong. It does not cut into your hand like some nylon leashes do. It has strategically placed grommets so you can adjust the leash for the length you need. It's really 7+ leashes in one.
Bark and Lunge: Saving My Dog from Training Mistakes is the journey and struggles of a fearful/reactive dog named Isis and her owners Kari and Rob.
This book recently popped up in my "recommended for you" list on amazon. I'm always looking for a good dog book and I particularly like memoirs, too. It wasn't expensive on the digital format so I thought, why not and gave it a shot.
I really can't believe it's been 3 years since I got my baby girl. Zoe is the dog that completely changed my life and the way I view dogs and training. It's hard to imagine that three years ago today I was begging my husband to go with me to "just look at the dogs." I felt like I was the only groomer in the salon without a dog of my own and I desperately wanted one.
One of our favorite places is the beach. Here's Phoenix chasing her sister. Her ears do some weird things!! One of them flops all the way over when she's tired! :D
Since we are celebrating Zoe's special day on Sunday, today I'm sharing some of my favorite photos of her from the past three years. Yesterday I shared her very first day with us. So if you haven't seen that yet check it out! :D
In a previous blog post I mentioned that I really like to use a flirt pole to burn off my dogs energy. It can be an awesome tool for keeping your dog fit!
We made our own Wobble Board for under $35. We already had the grip tape, wood glue and tools. You can use skateboard tape instead of grip tape.
Wobble Board DIY Tutorial
Materials:
Round Table Top 24"
Banister Ball w/double sided screw 2-3"
Grip Tape
Outdoor Paint (Optional)
Wood Glue
Tools:
Drill
Pliers
Tape Measure
String
Paint brush (Optional)
Razor Blade
Pencil
Step One: Measure the dog. Have the dog stand comfortably and measure paw to paw.
Step Two: Purchase all the supplies if you don't have them laying around already. Your board should be around 4-6 inches larger in diameter than your dog's measurement. We purchased a 24" board. It's okay if your board is bigger. The banister ball should be between 2-3". We couldn't find a 3" ball so we used a table saw to cut ours down to size. I would recommend a shorter ball for a nervous dog who is just starting out. Paint is an optional step. I highly recommend purchasing grip tape for the dog's safety.
Step Three: You need to find the center of the board. Lay your string down on the widest part of the board with a pencil draw a line across the board. Repeat that step 4-5" away from the first line and again 4-5" from the next one.
Step Four: Drill a hole into the center of the board. You only want to go 1/2 way through the board. Then with the banister ball it has a double sided screw built into it, with pliers twist the screw further into the banister ball to where 3/4" of the screw is still out. Put wood glue around the hole in the board and screw the banister ball into the board. Let it dry for as long as your wood glue says. I recommend letting it dry for a few hours.
Step 5 (Optional): Painting is optional. We used Smurf Blue. Make sure the paint is completely dry before proceeding to the next step.
Step 6: Install your grip tape. We used a razor to the cut the strips into shapes. You don't have to do that but my husband is artistic.
My husband calls it a "Smurf Board"
Once your board is complete it's time to let your dogs play with it! My dogs are already experienced with a wobble board so we didn't have any trouble getting them on the new one. In my earlier blog post I talked about why you would want to use a wobble board and you can check that out here: Heeling Platforms & Wobble Board
I would recommend taking it slow when you introduce your dog to the wobble board for the first time. Use high value treats (think real meat!) and make it fun! I would recommend shaping them to the wobble board breaking it down into small steps. Pam Johnson has a wonderful tutorial on this.
.JPG)
.JPG)
