Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Exercising Challenges

By

It’s been incredibly hot and humid in the northeast the last three or four days which makes exercising the dogs pretty challenging.  I haven’t been able to find any areas of water they can swim in and Sampson is not a big swimmer anyway, so we stuck to our walks.

I generally keep their walks short in this type of weather, anywhere from 20 to 25 minutes,because I worry about heat stroke. If I have the time in the morning before the heat of the day catches up, I like to take advantage of it.  Such was the case the past couple of days.

Yesterday I decided to take the dogs down to the back part of the woods.  This is an area I generally don’t go to for a number of reasons 1) the scare I had back there last year, 2) the path has very easy access to a much larger park so there are generally more people and dogs down there and 3) the path down and back is very steep.

It was only about 9:15 am, but it was already warm and very humid.  There is a lovely little brook (when we have our fair share of rain) down there and it gives the dogs a little drink and a place to cool off.  Plus there is less sun busting through the trees which it makes the hiking somewhat comfortable.

As Kristine indicated last week, The Leaves Are Back In Town which means when you are walking your dog off-leash it’s not as easy to see approaching people or dogs.

The nice thing about this area is there are a number of options for walking, one of which is a lovely wash, that is fairly wide (in terms of hiking trails) with quite a good view of the trail ahead.

Very good visibility.

We walked for about 10 to 12 minutes up the wash, then I turned around and headed back.  I knew this would be the toughest part due to the steepness of the climb.

Luckily there are lots of stones, both small and large embedded in the ground, as well as some areas where tree roots are exposed.  I use these stones and roots as a way to secure myself to keep from slipping and falling.

Almost like stairs.

When we are heading down these steep areas, I usually say, “Easy Delilah, Easy” and she actually does very little pulling and waits very patiently for me.

On the way back up however I have been heard to say, “Pull Delilah Pull.” 🙂

Delilah is spectacular on the hills.  She is also great on the giant rocks, sometimes I actually think she is part Mountain Goat as I have literally seen her go straight up the face of a rock.

We’d been out about 35 minutes by the time we reached the top of the cliff, and yes I’m calling that a cliff, so shut it.

I swear the picture doesn’t do it justice!

By the time we got back to the car it had been about 45 minutes, that coupled with the fact that they were sniffing and exploring a new area, helped tire them out.  After a quick cool off in the pool, they each found a comfy spot and settled in for a well deserved snooze.

Whoo, that was a tough one!

 

You can say that again!

Delilah did rally a little bit later to play a couple of rounds of fetch to help us make a showing in K-9 Kamp, but for the most part they had a pretty mellow, relaxing day. 🙂

Do you modify your dog’s exercise when it’s hot and/or humid?  If so, what types of things do you do?

Ouch THAT Bit Me!

By

Friday evening I was walking the dogs along a path we don’t take too frequently.  Sampson had run ahead and Delilah was close on the end of her leash investigating a bush.

All of a sudden Delilah jumped straight up and backed away from where she was sniffing. I called her to me my side and stroked her head in an effort to comfort her.

Since I know we have garter snakes in the woods, I stopped and listened but I didn’t hear the distinct rustle of a snake through brush.  None-the-less I cautiously approached the area and looked around (without poking,) but couldn’t see anything.

I called Delilah indicating it was alright to follow me.  I know she was still spooked because as she approached that particular area she jumped over that portion of the trail.

The rest of our walk continued without incident.

Yesterday while we were walking Delilah jumped and twisted her head around to look at her back.  I noticed a fly on her and I swatted it away but I’m pretty sure it was a deer fly and I’m pretty sure it bit her.  I say that because as we were readying for our walk this morning, she kept turning around again and looking at her back.

I had no idea there were such a thing as deer flies until last year when I got bit by one.  At the time I thought it was a horse fly but the deer fly is actually much smaller, oh and did I mention they bite.

After the attack of the bugs last year I went out and bought one of those electric rackets, you know the one I mean.

Photo courtesy of Gottahaveitforless.com

I’m siriusly thinking of bringing it with me on my walk tomorrow.  I will swing that racket and I will smote those bugs like Lord Voldemort smote the Death Eaters and Goblins after the Huffle Puff Horcrux was stolen from Gringotts.

So if you happen to be in my area tomorrow and hear someone screaming “Avada Kedavra,” make sure you maintain a safe distance. 🙂

TTouch

By

Yesterday I wrote how I have been giving Delilah massages and it seems to be something she really enjoys.

I was inspired by a post at Peaceful Dog, in the post Kirsten had included a link to a previous post where she wrote about TTouch with her reactive dog Lamar.

If you haven’t heard of TTouch here is a brief explanation “TTouch can help you understand and influence your animal with your heart and hands in a way that develops trust, creates a harmonious relationship, and changes unwanted behavior.”

There is something in the TTouch that releases endorphins which we all know are what helps us with our moods.

While I was reading Kirsten’s post about TTouch I realized I have been doing this with Delilah without even realizing it!

I probably do this three to four times per day, Delilah will come up to me and I place one hand under each of her ears and rub in a circular motion.  After 30 seconds or so I get a really deep sigh, like she is relaxed or content.  Which is exactly what Kirsten described.

First thing in the morning as I am trying to get ready for work, she comes into the bathroom looking for attention.  I rub her ears.

When I come home from work, before or after her massage.  I rub her ears.

After we are settled in bed, I reach for Delilah and rub her ears.  She stretches out across my feet and looks up at me.  I drop a kiss on her head and rub some more and then the deep, contented sigh.

All is right in her world.

What do you do when your dog is amped up?  Is there something special you do to help calm him/her down?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...