Phoenix's Embark DNA Test! (not sponsored)

I've been waiting 7 years to know what sort of breed mix Phoenix is! We finally decided to run a DNA test through Embark! Embark tests for over 250 breeds and is one of the leading companies in canine genetics. I've had quite a few friends run Embark tests on their dogs and were happy with their results which is another reason we chose this company. You can learn more about them by clicking on the link.

We got our kit around the first of the year and have been waiting three long weeks for her results! We finally got them back and I'm so excited to share them with everyone!

You can find Phoenix Embark profile by going here: Phoenix

Phoenix's results make absolute sense to us. We thought she might have Australian Cattle Dog in her but we weren't sure since we never got the chance to meet her parents.

When Phoenix was young, she had boundless amounts of energy. I used to spend every last free second I had working with her. We'd go to the park when I got off work and spend 3+ hours exercising and training. Then we'd come home and train some more. She was still ready to work  often until bedtime. She is one of the most challenging dogs I've ever worked with or lived with but she has always been 100% worth it. Having a dog that practically reads your mind and wants to do everything you want to do is so much fun. I just love her to pieces and was super excited to get her DNA test.

Have you ever done a DNA test on your dog? Did you get any surprising results?

Alice met Santa and Didn't Hate It!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Alice still remains the friendliest of any of the dogs we've ever had. She loves all the humans she meets, including weirdly dressed ones! So we knew she'd have a blast meeting Santa. She did amazingly well in a long line of a wide range of dogs. It was so loud, there was so much barking but Alice kept it together. She was SO happy. It was such a fun time!

"Santa, are you my new mommy?" LOL

My Dog Won't Go POTTY! Potty Training the World's Most Challenging Dog

You can lead a dog to grass but you can't MAKE them pee!

If you had told me a few years ago that potty training a new puppy would be my kryptonite, I would not have believed you! I've potty trained or assisted with potty training countless dogs, my own dogs, my family's dogs and client dogs.

"It's not hard", I would say, "just put them on a reliable schedule and take them outside frequently." This year I may have eaten my words.

Quite a few people have told me that small dogs are more difficult to potty train than larger dogs. I've never believed those people. I have always thought that it was just stereotypical "small dog owner" nonsense. Small dogs usually get away with murder. A lot of owners don't train them very much, if at all. I just chalked it up to owners being lazy or irresponsible and didn't think any more about it until I got Alice.

When I got Alice, I did exactly what I've done with other dogs. I put her on a schedule immediately and took her outside frequently for potty breaks, just like you're supposed to do, just like ALL the dog books say to do. When she wasn't attended she was crated. I also used a tether attached to the couch so she could have more freedom. When we moved around the house, she was leashed or carried.

We'd go outside and Alice would sniff around and then look at me like "okay, now what?" We could spend hours outside and she would just hold it. Then we'd come back inside and she would still hold it. She was completely unpredictable and she would not pee or poop. She wouldn't even mark over the other dog's pee. Even worse, she begun displaying behavior that was almost identical to what Zoe did for years (taking hours on end and long walks to relieve herself and never using the same spot twice). Alice's behavior being so similar to Zoe's behavior (that's driven me crazy for 8 years) caused me so much anxiety. I love Zoe but I absolutely did not want another dog like her and I was terrified that Alice was going to be Zoe 2.0. At least in Zoe's case, she never had a single accident in the house.

For months Alice continued to not pee or poop on a regular schedule, despite being fed at exactly the same times and having water available at all times. She would only pee maybe twice per day and I was lucky if she'd poop once daily. Sometimes she'd hold her poop for up to three days. I was either walking her or standing in the yard. If she wouldn't go we'd either stay outside for hours on end or I'd bring her back inside and crate her immediately. Sometimes she would hold her pee for 15 hours, despite many, many trips outside... Which isn't healthy at all. Rinse and repeat over and over with zero progress. We even tried driving her to new places to see if she'd pee at a park somewhere. Even hiking for nearly 3 hours where dogs frequent, she would not pee or poop during outings, either. We saw two different vets by this point and they both said she sounded challenging but normal for a shelter dog in their new home. All the tests we ran came back normal.

Any time she did finally go to the bathroom, I was praising her and feeding her high value treats.

There were times when I felt bad for keeping her crated and we'd be playing inside and then she'd suddenly squat before I could catch her. It's incredibly embarrassing to admit but she had way more accidents inside the house than any dog I've ever had under my care.

The frustration that I felt during this period of time was extreme. I would cry to my husband and friends about it. I had people tell me I should take her back to the rescue, that she was completely abnormal and there wouldn't be any way to fix her. Another friend who is extremely kind and has tons of patience, mentioned that I might be suffering from codependency and she wasn't wrong. I realized that I desperately needed to take care of Alice and she wasn't allowing me to because I couldn't make her go to the bathroom. During these months, my depression and anxiety were at an all time high. I had the puppy blues so badly and it was all over my inability to potty train this dog. My confidence as a dog trainer took a huge hit as well because "potty training should be easy". "All you have to do is put them on a schedule, stand in the yard and then reward them for going." Yeah, no.

In the meantime, during this, I also had neighbor problems. We own our townhouse but have to share a large yard with other neighbors. Most of my neighbors are elderly and don't have much to do, so they were curious at all times about the new dog. They were constantly coming out whenever I'd go outside to see the puppy. So Alice was never not distracted from learning what I wanted her to do outside. I believe she thought that the yard was play and social time and it never really occurred to her that the yard was for pottying.

My new puppy was going to be house trained or I was going to DIE trying.

So after a few months of trying and failing to potty train her I ended up crowd sourcing it. In complete desperation one day, I posted on my facebook wall (most of my friends are trainers) and in my favorite facebook group, the Fenzi Academy: Fenzi Dog Sports Academy Alumni Group. I have taken quite a few of their online classes and have loved all of them. The people who train there are always kind and understanding. My posts received a lot of attention and the advice I got was incredibly helpful.

By the time I decided to ask for help, I had three problems, Alice would not go to the bathroom regularly, Alice would not go to the bathroom in our direct yard at all, end of story and Alice was nervous about me and the yard because I had gotten so frustrated trying to get her to go that she was totally picking up on my negative energy. It got to the point where I would dread waking up in the morning because I knew getting Alice to relieve herself was going to be such a frustrating hassle. I'm also not my best self when I'm low blood sugar, either. We would go outside and she would sniff or eat grass and refuse to look at me. It sucked and I was totally afraid I was screwing her up and ruining our relationship because I was so frustrated.

On the Fenzi group, a few ladies suggested that I up her water intake. They said that Alice might be condensing her urine and if I upped her water intake I'd have more opportunities to reward her for going in the right place. This advice might seem counter intuitive as I didn't want her having more accidents in the house but I had to start somewhere. The ladies suggested that I give her some low sodium chicken broth and wait 20-30 minutes. They also recommended trying to wait to go outside until Alice really had to go and was almost bursting at the seems, so that she would go quickly to reduce my frustration. They were absolutely right. It totally worked. Within 20-30 minutes Alice had to pee! So I started implementing extra water and giving her a splash of low sodium chicken broth mixed with water on a regular basis and then taking her outside frequently. I was able to finally capture her peeing and put a cue on it. So now I have something to work with. She finally understands the cue and I can use the cue when she gets distracted to remind her what we are doing. Hallelujah!

The next piece of advice was from a friend and several people on the Fenzi Academy mentioned it as well for pooping. I was told that I should be giving her an activity prior to going outside to poop. That some dogs needed their bodies to move before they are able to go. So getting her active by chasing a toy, or using the treadmill. etc. Someone also suggested that she might just feel unsafe in the yard and needed a calming activity to settle in before she poops. I also had a friend mention that maybe Alice had a slower gut than my other two dogs. I did some research about this online and found out that some small dogs do have a slower metabolism than larger dogs!

So in addition to giving her an activity prior to pooping, I also decided to add more fiber to her diet and feed her dinner earlier so instead of feeding her at 6 or 7 I started feeding at 4-4:30pm. I prefer my dogs to poop in the morning, right away, so they are all taken care of. So Alice gets a few spoon fulls of plain canned pumpkin and green beans mixed with her dinner. I also give her a tiny splash of low sodium chicken broth mixed with a bowl of water at this time, too. Giving her water at dinner has really helped. We walk the dogs after dinner and she will pee during that walk and then she will pee again right before bed time (in OUR yard!!!) .

You Park Here, Literally!!!

Alice is generally ready to poop in the morning when we wake up but she still refuses to go in our direct yard. On this I decided to give in a bit. I will walk her to the end of the block and back and if she doesn't go in that amount of time (20-25 minutes) then she has to wait until it's the next time to go outside. At the time of this writing, I've been working on getting her to poop closer to home by walking her back and forth in the grass across the street from our grass.

We still have issues sometimes during the mid-day potty break. I give Alice extra water with her breakfast and a lot of the time I'll pop her on the treadmill or run her around with a toy right before a potty break. Then I will hurry her outside and she will usually pee immediately in our yard.

We've had Alice for 9 months now and luckily the novelty of Alice being new has worn off on my neighbors. They no longer bother me while I'm outside with her.

We have not had an indoor accident in several months. She will whine at us now when she has to go and seems to understand that potty should happen outside. Things have gotten so much better!  It's taken a little more work on my part to figure out what works for Alice but she's finally getting there!

I am so thankful for all the people who were kind to me and helped through this difficult time! For all the late night chats and for telling me my dog is normal and to stick it out. That she just didn't know what I was wanting her to do and she was going to be fine. That it was just going to take a little longer than what I was used to but everything was going to be okay. For those people who believed in me and told me I could do it.

To summarize our day:

Morning - Alice has been sleeping with me in bed, so we get up, I toss a few treats in her crate and she hops in. Then I take Phoenix out first, then Zoe, then Alice. Phoenix and Zoe potty in the yard. Alice pees in the yard and then we go for a short walk down the street.

Breakfast - Zoe and Phoenix are fed and then Alice will get a training session or a puzzle toy and a bowl of water mixed with low sodium chicken broth.

After Breakfast - Alice plays with Phoenix and Zoe, then takes a nap

Afternoon - Alice gets an activity, we play fetch or tug, or she does her treadmill workout, then we do a potty break in the yard

Early Evening - She will usually play with Phoenix again and then nap. Sometimes we will play outside in the yard if the weather doesn't suck.

Dinner - Zoe and Phoenix are fed. Zoe and Alice get some canned pumpkin. Alice gets a cup of green beans in a bowl and then we do a training session with the rest of her dinner. After dinner she gets a bowl with a splash of chicken broth and water.

After Dinner - We go for a family walk, usually around an hour, sometimes Alice will poop but often she won't. When we get back, we will relax for a little bit and then we play again.

Bed time - All the dogs go out at the same time for a quick pee before bedtime.

At any time during the day, if Alice whines at all or paces I run her outside to pee. She often gets an extra walk at some point during the day, too and play time with her neighbor dog friend.

So this has been our potty training journey! It's been a frustrating one but in the end Alice is worth every second I spent working with her.

Alice Reviews the new Expedition Parka by Hurtta

With new puppies, comes new adventures and with adventures comes new coats! Alice was recently sent the brand new Expedition Parka by our friends over at Hurtta! Hurtta is one of our most favorite brands. They always deliver stylish gear that is perfect for all of our trips. One of the coolest things about Hurtta is that they are always improving their gear and they actually listen to their customers about what's needed. The Expedition Parka is the updated version of our previous favorite coat, the Summit Parka.

We recently took Alice on a trip to Silver Falls near Salem, Oregon. Waterfalls and the trails around them are generally freezing cold and since little dogs don't tend to do well in the cold, I figured it would be the perfect time to test out our new Expedition Parka. Silver Falls State Park is a gorgeous park, however, it's not very dog friendly. There are only a few trails that allow dogs and none of those trails lead to any waterfalls. Even though we weren't able to hike down to the water, we still had a great time hiking their "Rim" trail.

The Expedition Parka is designed to allow freedom of movement so that dogs can run and play while wearing it. We hiked 9 miles and I have zero complaints about this coat. It kept Alice warm the whole time, even when she fell into the river and got a little wet. We had no issues with the coat rubbing her sensitive armpits.

The Expedition Parka is also fully adjustable, like most of the coats from Hurtta. I also really appreciate that they have notched out the area where the dog's tail goes. Alice has a naturally curly tail that she carries over her back. We've found that other coats really irritate her where her tail is. With the Expedition Parka, I can adjust the back length so it doesn't hit her tail and she's way more comfortable in it.

Some Specs from Hurtta's website:

•  Waterproof, laminated fabric
•  Taped seams
•  Adjustable backlength, neck and chest
•  In addition to the basic sizes 20-80, there are sizes 40XS and 45XS for Dachshunds and 30XL and 35XL for small, bull-type dogs
• Reflective 

We also tested the Expedition Parka at the Pumpkin Patch. Alice had a blast dashing through the pumpkins and sunflowers!

I am very happy with this coat. Hurtta has outdone themselves this time! Alice was comfortable and warm on our trip and she was happy to hike for a long time wearing the coat. I can't wait until we can go on more adventures. 

I would highly recommend checking the Expedition Parka out. It's an awesome coat and a fantastic addition to Hurtta's lineup. The coat comes in four colors: Blackberry (black), Bilberry (blue), Beetroot (pink) and Buckthorn (orange). The neckline, back length and belly straps are all fully adjustable. You really can't go wrong with this coat, it should be able to fit any size dog.

Alice gives this coat a full 5 stars!

Disclaimer: We were sent the Expedition Parka from Hurtta in exchange for an honest review. We were not monetarily compensated. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Additionally, in our photos, Alice is completely safe. There's a trail about two feet down beyond those rocks, if she were to jump she'd be totally fine. It's always important to keep dogs safe when taking nature photos. Never put your dog on a cliff for a cute photo.

Alice - 8 month Update and the Pumpkin Patch!

"She's just one of the pumpkins!"

We've had Alice 8 months now! I can't believe it's been that long already. She's doing so well and she's finally starting to feel like a member of our family and not a foster dog. I've felt like the last 3 years I worked at the dog training facility was all in preparation to own Alice. The minor behavioral problems that we've had have been easily worked out and most of the time I've immediately known what to do if she does something unexpected. Even though I'm no longer at that job, I still highly value all the knowledge and practice I got there. I'm thankful to my mentors for everything they taught me. Alice would not be a successful member of our family if I hadn't had all that training.

When Alice came home, she was always in a high arousal state. She was way too excited about absolutely everything, which lead to some barking and lunging at dogs on leash, she was also extremely intense about the environment and all the creatures around us. She would not take anything but the highest value food (cooked meats), which made training a little challenging at first. It was hard to know which reinforcement would work and which wouldn't so it took some experimenting. We've gotten to the point where in our neighborhood, I can use lower value treats but when I take her on a hike or any other trip, I'm still pulling out the highest value stuff for her. She's not being counter conditioned and fed constantly anymore but I like having the best treats on me for when I need them.

I was really worried about Alice for a few months because the last thing I wanted to do was have another reactive dog. I'm happy to report that with some diligent training, counter conditioning her to dogs and the environment and training of alternative behaviors, we have not seen any reactive behavior in a good long while. She does still fixate on squirrels here or there and I have seen a bit of neophobia (it was dark and someone left an unexpected bag of trash in a weird spot, she couldn't tell what it was so she barked) but she's easily redirected. I've noticed that she has started trusting me and my judgement about stuff. She's really good about all our regular neighborhood dogs, even the ones that bark their fool heads off at us. She can still get a little tense if she smells a new dog but she takes direction well and looks to me for what to do and falls right into the training we've been doing. It's taken a little extra work on my part but she's coming along so nicely.

We've also had a major break through with her potty training. I was extremely and I mean EXTREMELY frustrated with her with the potty training. Alice is the first dog that I've ever known who would not go potty unless it was absolutely urgent for her to do so and it was hard to tell when she had to go. We had more accidents in the house that I've ever had with any dog previously. Even with crating her and watching her and trying to get her on a schedule, it was tough. I ended up desperately asking for advice on a +R facebook training group and I was given advice to up her fluid intake. For about a month, instead of doing training for meals, I would soak her meals in water. I also gave her water mixed with (low sodium) chicken broth about two hours before bedtime, so we could get a quick pee in right before bedtime. With all the extra fluids going in, we finally made progress and I was able to put a cue on her peeing. Occasionally she will go outside and be so distracted she won't go but it's gotten so much better. We are still walking her to get her to poop but with a few spoonfuls of canned pumpkin at dinner time, she's gotten more predictable and regular with that, too. She has started to alert us to when she needs to go outside now, which is great.

In the past couple of weeks I've even started to trust Alice a bit off leash and we've done a few hikes at the park I know best (where off leash is legal). If you're following along on my instagram (@zoepheedogs) you can see some of her beautiful recalls. When I got her I was worried I'd never be able to take the leash off because she'd either take off after a critter or go home with someone else because she's so friendly. She has greeted people on our hikes but has always come to find me right after. It appears that she knows who her family is now and she's choosing me.

With the hikes we've done and the dogs Alice has met, I'm still on the fence with how she feels about interacting with other dogs. I would generally say she doesn't really like dogs she doesn't know well. She greets well and is cool if the other dog is cool. I've never seen her really play with a dog she just met. She's not very trusting. I've also seen her get snarky if another dog won't leave her be. We had to save her recently from an adolescent cattle dog puppy, who wouldn't take no for an answer. That puppy was twice her size and was bullying her and it caused an aggressive response from Alice because he wouldn't stop. The thing is, Alice is definitely a terrier, she's got BIG feelings about things and if she doesn't like something, she won't put up with it. So with that knowledge, I'm being super careful with her dog/dog interactions.

Alice is doing really well with Phoenix and Zoe. Phoenix is still her favorite buddy and she beats Phee up regularly. They have a good time crashing around the house. She still has some trust issues with Zoe. Zoe is definitely that old lady dog who would scream "GET OFF MY LAWN" if she could. We're still working on building a trusting relationship with the two of them. Zoe can be snarky at times but I trust her way more than I did when Alice first came home. Most of snarky behavior we've seen was because Alice was too high in arousal and it bothered Zoe. So we're constantly working to make sure the chaos doesn't last too long, or Zoe is in another area of the house when they're being crazy.

We recently took Alice on a solo adventure to Bauman's Pumpkin Patch and hiking at Silver Falls State Park. (Silver Falls is a gorgeous park but not very dog friendly. Dogs are not allowed on any of the trails to the waterfalls, which was a huge bummer) She did absolutely amazing. At both places, there were people, kids and dogs everywhere. She posed for photo after photo. She did everything we asked her to do and was completely fearless. She was the perfect traveling companion and all the people she met loved her.

Which pumpkin are we getting?

Helping push the wheel barrow to the checkout line!

We still have some things to work on. Alice is still scavenging things she finds on walks. It's been a real problem and she has gotten sick from eating acorns. We've been working really hard on "drop" and "leave it". She's pretty darn sneaky with things she finds on walks. A few times I've had to open her mouth and remove objects. The joy of a former street dog! LOL!

She's also having a tough time leaving the cats and their food alone. Cats are super fun to chase and only one of our cats will correct her. The other cat acts like a prey animal. We've been doing some timeouts for cat chasing and we've had to up our management and rearrange the area where they are fed. Alice was climbing the cat trees! I think we've finally got that worked out.

I am also super aware she's a bit chunkier than I would prefer. We've been doing so much training that she has gained a little weight. I'm very careful with her food intake but with her sneaking cat food and eating nuts off the ground and all the training, it's been tough to keep her slim. I think we're about to the point where I can start reducing my rate of food reinforcement and we're working on adding toys as the reinforcement. She loves running on the treadmill and going for hikes so hopefully we can get about a pound off of her soon.

Alice has been sleeping with me at night and she has been so loving. She's such a sweet dog and has been comforting to me in a way that the other dogs aren't able to. Zoe has always been aloof and Phoenix, while she's my heart dog, she's not into being cuddled. I think Phoenix is finally relieved to have another dog in the house, so she's not constantly being kissed. LOL! Alice absolutely soaks up the attention and wants to be held and petted. I've been really struggling with depression this year and have been having a very hard time. Alice is down for cuddles, she's down for laying in bed if I need her to. She's also ready and willing to go on any adventure I throw at her. She's gotten me out of the house, she's gotten me socializing with people I would of never spoken to. She's so friendly and such a social butterfly that I've just gone with her on her adventures. She reminds me to get up and get outside, she reminds me to get up and get off the computer. It's time to GO! Even though Alice didn't come at the perfect time in our lives, we weren't financially prepared for a third dog with me being unemployed, I'm happy she's here. It's becoming really hard to imagine what life was like before she brought her optimistic, chaotic craziness into our lives. We really love her!

I'll be posting her photos from Silver Falls in a separate post, as I'm reviewing the coat she wore. :)