GeoCaching Adventures

Thomas and I started off our Sunday with a big breakfast and a cup of coffee. We discussed what we would do for the rest of the day. Thomas expressed that he and Guinness were due for an adventure. One of Guinness's favorite things to do is to be at Thomas's side as they pursue some sort of "mission".

This mission can be anything from hiking, playing hide-and-seek,or searching for a toy or a tennis ball. He shows very noticably his interest and enthusiasm when doing this. When Roxy sees Guinness, Thomas and I on some sort of mission, she tries looking too, even if she doesn't know what we're all looking for! She is just so happy to be with her pack and to be helping with the end result.

We thought about different adventures we could go on, and Thomas mentioned that he missed Geochaching with Guinness. This is something they used to do together before Roxy and I came along. Geocaching is "a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location" (www.geochaching.com).

There is something about going on such a mission that indulges a very primal side of a dog's mind. As a dog owner, I have learned that it is extremely important to frequently just let your dog be a dog. And so we did today. We sniffed our noses and wagged our tails as we searched for little treasure boxes at our assigned coordinates. The treasure boxes include little trinkets, toys and postcards etc... and a little guest book of people who have found the trinket box before.

One of our hunts led us through the Durango Dog Park. The dogs were off their leashes and having a blast searching and hiking and romping through the snow. Guinness actually found one of the treasure boxes in the snow beneath a rock that we couldn't see.

I think this was a great way to spend time together. We all had a blast, we got exercise, we played, we worked on discipline through leash training and we completed a mission. All in all a good day.

My sleepy babies in the car ride home after a long day of GeoChaching ♥

Raising Roxy: How Dog Ownership Has Made Me a Better Person

When we decided to bring Roxy home, I knew little about rasing a puppy. I thought that I was going to be some sort of surrogate mother to this furry baby, and the only things I needed to raise her were love, shelter and food. While these three things are indeed important, I learned many other crucial things about how to be an effective dog owner. Through trial and error (lots of error!), I have learned much about Raising Roxy, and just as much about myself.

Dog ownership has made me a better person because....

#1. I AM BETTER USING MY COPING SKILLS: There is some sort of phenomenon that occurs when a dog decides to love you; you can see so much of yourself reflected in her. Dogs are extremely perceptive of others' emotions and energy. This is part of how they communicate and interact with each other in a pack environment. (http://www.cesarsway.com/tips/basics/rules-boundaries-and-limitations). Quite frequently, I see Roxy mimicing whatever energy or emotions I am throwing her way. Sometimes this is intriguing, and sometimes it makes me feel guilty; this sensitive creature emulates my frequent anxiety and preoccupations. To deturr this kind of nervousness in my puppy, I am learning ways to cope with stressful sitations. I'm absolutely not perfect, but I'm working very hard to maintain an equilibrium. When I can find that equilibrium, I am able to recognize the feeling and the energy, and so is Roxy.

"In the wild, the pack leader uses calm-assertive energy to influence how the dog interacts with his surroundings. She enforces these laws in a quiet way, as is the case when a mother picks up a puppy by the scruff of the neck if he strays outside the den"

http://www.cesarsway.com/

#2. I AM EXERCISING MORE FREQUENTLY: Sure, I'm athletic and know how to get into shape, but the problem lies in my motivation. I tend to question why I should do something without incentive, reward or encouragement [ hmmm same with Roxy! ;) ] I discovered very quickly while dealing with excess puppy energy, that exercise is not optional. To maintain some type of order within your home, puppies need regular exercise. We live in a townhome... that means we don't have a yard... that means I have to get creative with Roxy's exercise. When I realized that it helped her be a more balanced dog, I actually wanted to take her to exercise... I looked forward to helping her become a better dog, just as she has made me a better person (and still is). Not only am I exercising more, but I am getting different types of exercise. Different types of activities that we do together are: hiking, bicycling, rollerblading, walking, and playing chase. Roxy is like my personal trainer: she pushes me, she makes it fun, and she makes it rewarding. The best result of exercise with Roxy, is seeing her be a happy dog.

#3. I HAVE LEARNED COMMITTMENT: Not to say that I shy away from committment, but I have struggled with staying committed to projects and ideas I have pursued in my past. I have often come up with great plans and goals, just to watch them fall off my priorities within a few weeks. Writing a book, regularly journaling, exercising, attending school, doing art, playing the piano, and singing are all examples of things that I was good at or had potential be good at in the past. These are all things that I gave up on because I lacked committment to them. I'm not saying that these things aren't still achievable; but at some point in my past, I gave up on them. I still want to pursue them in my future and I'm more confident to do so, now that Roxy has helped me learn committment. The thing is....when you commit to owning a dog, your life is not the only one affected by your decisions and committment; you have acquired the responsibilities, obligations, duties and love toward and animal that solely relies on you for her survival. With another animal's existence at stake; another animal that loves me and has already devoted herself to me; I have no choice but to commit to her.

What kind of person would that make me if I didn't commit to an animal that loves and devotes herself so whole-heartedly to me?

I feel like all dog owners should have this logic, and it's awful knowing that so many don't. Roxy is one of the biggest committments I've ever taken on, and I love her for it.

#4. I AM BETTER AT DELEGATING MY PASSION: I am a passionate person. I was raised to carefully tend to the things that I love. I am incredibly passionate about the people in my life and my career. These two things have topped my priority and passion lists for the past few years. My life had become intertwined with my career and the people with whom I surround myself. I'm not saying this is a bad thing... but when all of your passion is tied up in only two entities, it creates some sort of strain on your heart. When either one of those things met me with less enthusiasm or unequaled passion, it knock me down. I would be feel severe disappointment when my fervor for that entity was not as intensely shared. I had so much love for these two things, that I thought there was no room left in my heart for another.I was wrong. Having Roxy come in to my life has taught me that just because I have added another compartment to my heart, doesn't mean that my love for other things will be lessened. It means that the energy I put into the things I love, is more evenly distributed. I have become more well-rounded since Roxy came into my life. Hopefully I can provide her with the same favor. I strive to be the kind of dog owner that helps Roxy express her energy in different avenues; through exercise, discipline and affection, in that order. (http://www.cesarsway.com/tips/basics/glossary-of-terms-from-cesars-way).

#5. I HAVE STRUCTURE: I lived for so long, in a world where structure had no place; discipline, unheard. I functioned for so long in a world where rhyme and order played no role. Although I still work on this, my peace of mind has increased so much as a dog owner. For the first time in my life, I have a set schedule. After pure disorganization for so many years, responsibility for a dog has taught me how to operate on a schedule. I wake up, I let Roxy out, I go to work, I come home for a break and walk both dogs, I go back to work, I come home at 5, I take Roxy to exercise while we still have daylight, I come home and feed Roxy, I eat, I shower, I cuddle with Roxy, I watch some TV and go to bed. REPEAT. Roxy's discipline sneaks its way in during crate training and NILIF througout the day. Maybe that's boring for a lot of people. But for someone who has never had it, it's miraculous.

I live from this new viewpoint, this new outlook. I think that dog ownership can do this for anyone; any dog can offer you this, if you are willing to provide them with what they need to survive in our world. Roxy has improved my condition of life. I plan to add to this list, and hopefully add to hers as well.

Natasha Goslow 1/27/2012

Family Day

It's really hard to exercise dogs in a snowy climate. Generally, I like to rollerblade with Roxy on the river trail. After our last episode of uphill ice rollerblading (not fun), I decided we needed to get creative.

 The sun was shining and Santa Rita Park was empty. Thomas and I took the dogs to romp around in the snow.

When we arrived there, we realized that one of the dogs had dropped the tennis ball out of the bed of the truck along the way. So we had an empty field, a chuck-it, and no tennis ball. Once again, we had to get creative. We decided to scoop up snowballs in the chuck-it, pack them down and throw them for the dogs. They went the same distance as the tennis ball, and the dogs still chased after them for a while.

But Guinness, being the smart dog he is, figured out after a while that he was getting ripped off. "What? There's not tennis ball! How could you deceive me?". But realizing that our resources were limited, he decided to play along. He would sprint after the snow ball with Roxy trailing behind, reach where it had landed, and come back with a face full of snow. Too cute!

When we go to the park, I generally have a hard time getting Roxy to exercise. She often gets distracted by the delicious dried leaves that cover the park or the sticks that are so fun to gnaw on. I finally figured out that she loves to be chased! I certainly got my exercise running around after her across the park. I've never seen her run so much or so fast. The pictures below show me chasing her. Can you spot the white puppy against the snow?

♥

Auntie Alex

Roxy and Guinness got to meet their Auntie Alex this weekend. She was in town for my birthday and we had a blast hanging out in Durango. Alex and I decided to go shopping  downtown Durango.

There aren't a ton of places to shop here, but it isn't short on little trinket shops and boutiques on Main avenue.

I love walking Roxy downtown because she gets exposure to other dogs, people and new sounds and smells.

One of the things that Alex and I enjoy doing as sisters is getting all dolled up together. There's some sort of bonding that goes on between to females as we curl each other's hair and apply eyeshadow. Although we both tend to be more overdressed than everyone in Durango when we do this, it's still a blast. It's like a rite of our sisterhood. What kind of dog-mom would I be if I didn't include Roxy too? She's a girl dog, after all.

To clarify, I'm not one of those dog owners that makes their pet wear booties and dresses and bonnets. I think it's mean and tacky. Cesar always emphasizes that we do not want our dogs to think that they are little people dressed up in  furry dog suits. They need to know they are your dogs, not your kids.

 But, I do have a sweater that I put on her from time to time. This is mostly when it's cold outside. AmStaffs have short hair and a sleek coat that does not make for perfect protection from cold weather. And it snowed this day so it was necessary.

She also debuted her new spiky pink collar. Its still a bit big on her but she looked really cute!

My sister Alex is....eccentric. I may be one of few people that understand her sense of humor. In addition to the pink pedicure that she gave to my male, Guinness.... she gave one to Roxy as well. It did look quite fitting on Roxy, but I felt guilty for letting my fine boy be emasculated.

Roxy tends to attract attention when we are in public without being dolled up. With her black eye patch and her remaining puppy qualities, people have a natural attraction to her. But today, she was wearing her black skull sweater, a pink spiky necklace and hot pink toenail polish. She did indeed attract more attention than normal ;) This was okay with me because I want her to be very used to interacting with people. She's still shy, but coming along quite nicely.

As we walked along Main Avenue, we popped our heads into little boutiques. Every single store that we went to welcomed Roxy's presence with open arms. THANK GOD for Durango! I love how many dog-lovers this town has and I love how liberal the rules are with dogs. Every where we went, Roxy was allowed to come too. Some places even had dishes with dog treats and water sitting out for dog visitors. This makes it very easy to go shopping and socialize Roxy all at the same time.

The picture to the left is Alex and Roxy sitting in a dressing room. Roxy waited very patiently while each of us tried on clothes. We would take turns watching her while the other was in the dressing room.

I'm really glad that Roxy did well at this particular shop...Last time we came here she barfed in a corner of the store while I was browsing the sale rack. My first instinct was to look around to see if anyone saw it and run out of the store. But, my better judgment kicked in...I apologized and cleaned it myself. None-the-less they were happy to see her again and even happier to see that her stomach was settled on this visit.

Overall, a good weekend, and a happy puppy.

Animal Welfare and Obama Administration

Subpar Score for Obama and Animal Welfare

Dang Obama... this bums me out.

Roxy and Guinness Tricks

These are only a few of the tricks that Roxy can do so far. She's 9 months old and is very trainable!

Love Her! ♥

Guinness Can do quite a few tricks! These are a couple we regularly do!

Good Boy! ♥ 

Family Time

The four of us like to cuddle up and watch Cesar! :)

The Responsible Female Dog Owner

Click the link below to read this article.

The Responsible Female Dog Owner Metro Detroit Dog Training

I found it pretty interesting... read on!

Source: wanelo.com via Natasha on Pinterest

Snow Day!

Today was exactly what I needed.

It was a holiday at work so I had the day off. I woke up to 7 inches of snow outside. Obviously, Roxy and I were not going to be able to go rollerblading. Instead, Guinnes, Roxy and I played outside in the snow. Also good exercise!

Sometimes I feel like a mom who just wants to stay home with her kids. Today I got to with mine!

Stop to Smell the Flowers

 

Break Through

I am very happy to report we have made a small breakthrough with Roxy's resource guarding.

After trying a couple things that didn't feel quite right, I decided that we were going to avoid situations in which Roxy felt that she had to RG. We have been doing this a couple of months.

The other day, to test her progress, I put Roxy in her kennel with the door open. I gave her a tennis tennis ball and approached her.

Historically, she would get quiet (sign #1) as soon as she had a tennis ball. She would then become very stiff (sign #2). Following, with added stress and Increased proxemics, she would cover the ball with her front paws and rest her head on top of her paws (sign #3). Slight curl of the lip and wrinkle of the snout (#4), growl ( #5). All the while she would guard the ball without chewing or playing with it. It seemed as if the tennis ball was a huge burden to her that caused immediate stress.

This time when I approached while she had the tennis ball i saw a huge change. I paid attention to her body and it appeared to remain relaxed without stiffening. I then said a couple of words to her to see how she responded to my voice. She paid me little attention and just chewed on the ball. This was very new!

The next step was to introduce Guinness into the situation. He sat probably 4 feet away, next to me. She seemed disinterested and uninvested with his presence.

The next step was to see how she reacted to my interference. I grabbed the ball from her to see what she would do. I saw no visible signs of distress. I quickly gave it back and said good girl.

Te next step was to see if she would willingly give the ball to me. I gave her the "drop it" command. (We actually use "let go"). She stopped chewing on the ball and allowed me to grab it. I did so and noticed immediately her eye contact. In other cases when she needs to "say please", I require the same eye contact. I did not give her the ball back this time, but she was enthusiastically rewarded with treats and attention for her good job. Incentive is very important in positive association.

Here it is on video. It may not look like much... but it's an incredible improvement.

I'm not sure that this victory was solely dependent on our avoidance of RG situations. I think this, paired with our consistency in asserting ourselves as alphas lead us to a small success.

Our next step in testing her progress will be to introduce an outside dog to the situation. Adding a dog not from her pack may have different results... I will keep you posted!

Walking and Leash Training

Source:

This topic is one of the most important parts of dog ownership in my opinion.

Cesar Millan talks about the importance of "the walk" and the role it plays in pack psychology.

Before domestication, dogs traveled in packs. They would go out to find food [hunt] together, led by the alpha male. The alpha would lead the hunt and travel at the front of the pack. The other pack members would follow behind him, communicating their submission. After the kill, the food would be taken back to the den, where the alpha would eat first.

Cesar's theory is that the "the walk" represents "the hunt". It is important for the entire "pack" or family to go on the walk together. The "alpha" or humans, walk at the front. They decide when the walk will happen, where they will go, when they will stop, and when they will turn back. It is very important for you to play the alpha role at all times of dog ownership, but especially during the walk. This is simply because "the hunt" represents an essential part of the canine social structure, and all human members of the family need to be at the top of the hierarchy.

But, easier said than done. Dog's of Roxy and Guiness' breed tend to be strongwilled and stubborn. It's in their blood [read American Staffordshire Terrier]. Leash training, and asserting yourself as alpha is not always easy with these guys.

I have found that consistency is key to any type of dog training. We walk Roxy and Guinness twice a day during the week and more on the weekends.

I started off just walking Roxy. She and I both needed to feel each other out and develop some sort of walking rapport.

I would have her walk next to me on a loose lead. When she would start pulling, she would get a quick correction. [This entailed me doing a slight but sudden tug on the leash and making the "chhh" noise]. This represents me as the alpha saying "back off, you're getting too close to the front of the pack". This may be more effective if you have a choke chain or another metal collar. The sound of the metal during the correction will help them to snap out of whatever they are pulling toward.

Eventually, the tug of the leash will no longer be necessary as they have learned to associate the "chhh" sound with the pull. After some training, all you will need is the "chhh" sound and they will stop pulling or trying to lead.

What I have learned, is that my dogs do best when they aren't fed until after the walk. This represents the reward of helping with "the hunt".

BUT, since the alpha eats first, I will pretend to eat some of their dog food before I feed them. You can also send the same message by eating your own dinner then feeding the dogs. But for me, it is easier to pretend to eat dog food than it is to quickly make a dinner right after the walk.

Before we feed them, we make them sit and stay. Once they have demonstrated this calmness and submission, they get their food. If one dog is taking longer to calm or sit, the already calm one will get their food first. This communicates that calm submissiveness results in reward.

If you find this helpful you may benefit from Cesar's model of "Discipline, Exercise, Affection".

http://www.cesarsway.com/tips/basics/glossary-of-terms-from-cesars-way

Any way, this is what really worked for me. I don't have professional advice, but shared experience can be a great teacher!