Bow Wow Beach!

Yesterday We took Willie to Bow Wow Beach, and had a great time! Much to my surprise Willie actually jumped into the lake, and then quickly swam back out, but he really seemed to enjoy the water. And if you haven't read my other posts....Willie hates water! Not only did Willie get to experience swimming, but he also did some great socializing. He made friends with a pup named Lily. Lily was following Willie everywhere he went! Lily's owner was very excited to see Lily making friends with another pup. She told me that Lily usually does not like other dogs, and was happy that her pup had finally made a friend!

Unfortunately we did encounter a few roudy dogs. At one point three dogs had Willie pinned on his back, and seemed to be out for blood. Kevin had to go in and push the other dogs off of Willie while their owners were just standing back yelling at their pups to not do that. One of them kept yelling "get off of that dog" Sadly not one of them came over to remove their dog off of Willie. Fortunately Willie did not get hurt and/or agress back, but it could have become an all out brawl had Willie decided to fight. After Willie escaped he ran off and hid under a park bench, and was whimpering. I really gave the other owners a good scowl before heading over to where Willie was hiding out. Only one of the other owners came over to apologize. I am really hoping this experience does not cause Willie to fear other big dogs in the future. After all of that Willie wanted to run around the whole lake one more time, and then we headed out!

The only downfall....we had one wet and stinky dog!

After Bow Wow Beach we headed over to Kevin's Dads house for a Father's Day cookout. We had a good time! Willie did get over tired, and after a few hours was ready to go home. All in all it was a great day, and we will definitely have to go back to Bow Wow Beach again before the Summer ends!

On another note Willie went to the Groomer's this morning, and did great! The girl said that he was only nervous while getting bathed (again fear of the water), but did great with the clipping of the nails, and also with the trimming of the fur! I was so proud :) After all of the excitement Willie is one pooped out pup, and will probably sleep till tomorrow!

Fun and Games!!

Fun and Games

1. "Go Find Furby"

On Sunday we got Willie a new toy, and he carries this toy around like it's his baby. He sleeps with it, carries it around the house, and even brings it on our walks. This morning when I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk he immediately jumped off the couch ran into the kitchen and came back out with this toy in his mouth. So for kicks I've named his new toy Furby, and have started up a new game with him called "Go Find Furby!" Pretty simple....I let Willie smell his Furby, go hide Furby in an obvious location while Willie is not looking, and then I yell out "Willie...Go find Furby!" And Willie does just that! Eventually I will really start to hide Furby...Ie: under a blanket, in his toy box etc... Willie is such an intelligent dog, and I really believe that most dogs are intelligent, but just need a little push. I've found that this game also wears him out after about four or five times of running around tyring to find Furby!

2. "Hide and Seek"

Yes you can play hide and seek with your pup! Willie and I play a couple times a week. The game not only mentally stimulates him, but it is also a great form of excercise. The first step is to put your pup in the sit position, and tell him to stay (Of course he will have to have been taught sit and stay before this game can be played!)..Once you've told him to stay go and find a place to hide...I find behind the bathroom door, or next to the bed are good spots! Once you are in place yell (your dogs name) and then "Come Find Me!" Willie immediately runs around the house looking for me, and he usually passes up my hiding space once or twice! Once your pooch finds you immediately praise him, and you can even give him a treat if you want! This game is perfect for getting the kids involved with helping train your pup!

3. Touch Game

This game is quite simple, and I've used it to help with our nipping problem. The goal of the game is to get your pup to lightly touch your hand with his nose without opening his mouth! To start have a treat at the ready...take your open hand and hold it close to your pooch and wait for him/her to go in for a smell, and as soon as they are touching your hand with their nose say "Touch" and then immediately treat! Repeat the action until your pup seems to be catching on. At this point you should be able to move your open hands into different locations, say "Touch" and your pup should immediately touch his nose to your open hand! This games has helped immensely with Willies bad nipping habits. If you have children this can be extremely useful for really nippy puppies! In our experience the "No Bite"/Ignoring did not work, but it may with a different pup! This game is not very physical but it is a great way to work your pooches brain, and get him/her to relax!

So for those of you looking for some new games to play with your dog these games are perfect!

Or perhaps I'm the only one that plays games with her pooch!!

Puppy Play Time!

Willie is now 5 months old (as of today!), and he is still full of energy, and spunk. I quickly learned that Willie needs at least 3 walks per day! Now I'm sure every puppy is different, but Willie is far from being an A+ walker. Somedays are better than others! First thing to do is get that pesky leash on! Willie still fights me when I try to put on the leash, and the only thing that works is giving him a treat first, and then putting on the leash. I don't know when this will change, but I'm sure in due time :) On this mornings walk we left the house at 6:30. I make sure to always walk the same route otherwise I have a feeling we will be gone for hours, and unfortunately I do have to get to work! The walk started out great, Willie picked up his stick (he will carry it for most of the walk!), and off we went. Now our route isn't very long...If I were to walk it by myself it would probably take 8 minutes or so with Willie it can take up to 1/2 hour! We got about halfway, and Willie started the sniffin....he lost all interest in the stick he had been carrying, and began to sniff almost every leaf that was laying on the sidewalk. This lasted the rest of our walk. We finally got back home at 7:09, and that was only because there was a thunderstorm coming. I personally do not know how to change this behavior. A treat will work temporarily, but I do not just want to give him 10 treats to get him to walk around the block! I try to act excited, and say "Come On Boy!", throwing the stick works, but it only gets Willie to where the stick lands, and then he's back to sniffing the leaves. I will admit that I have let him just sniff around on the weekends, hoping this will curb his interest a little, and that short walk took us 1 hour. I am not sure what else to do, and switching up the route has not helped at all! I'm sure this will change with age, but for now I am just trying to be patient!

When we aren't walking Willie is in constant play, and i've tried the time out in the pen hoping he may fall asleep; which he never does, but the pen has come in handy, and Willie doesn't make a fuss when we put him in it! The pen is actually an excersise pen that Kevin and I picked up at Pet Supplies Plus for like $30. It's approx 4x6, and can be folded down to any size that you want. It has been perfect for when Willie starts to Nip hard we can give him a quick time out..(no longer than 5-10 minutes), and it does stop the nipping for about an hour, but I am sure in time it will help stop the nipping all together! Willie has also put himself in there for timeout! hehe! The pen can also be used as a gate! It was just a great buy! I would recommed every puppy owner have one :)

When it's nice out I love to let Willie play outside....the down fall was our backyard is not fenced, so the next best thing is a tie-out! Kevin actually made one out of rope, and some clips! One end ties around a tree and the other end clips onto Willies harness, and voila...Willie loves it! He loves to run after the frisbee, roll around on the ball, and chew on sticks, and the greatest thing is that I am not constantly holding onto his leash! And unlike going on a walk Willie seems to get more tuckered out and is usually ready to come back in after about 15 minutes or so! We haven't had any temper tantrums after playing outside on the tie-out, but we have had many temper tantrums when it's time to go back inside after a walk!

Just keep in mind that a puppy requires lots of attention and play time....I'm sure you know this, but be sure to have chewies, bones, and lots of toys to keep your puppy pre-occupied! Most of your free time is spent walking, playing, and training! You will have me time when your puppy takes a 20 minute nap! Don't just stick your puppy in his crate because you want some time to yourself! Kevin has been awesome we do take turns taking Willie out, and he will even play with him in the evenings when I have to get the coffee ready, and the dishes done! But if you are single then you will have to work out a schedule! Just know what time each day your pup naps, and be ready to get those everyday tasks done while the pup is napping! Willie tends to nap (based on Sat. and Sun), at 10:30, 1:30, 4:00, and then again at 7, and he will then go to sleep around 11pm. The naps last anywhere from a 1/2 hour to 2 hours! And on the weekends that is the time to get cleaning done, and catch up on our shows that we DVR'd! Puppies will not be puppies forever, and I can already tell that I will probably miss these puppy days, but I know that I still have quite some time left to enjoy it! :)