Big Heather and little Hoover. You wouldn't think to look at them that they might be troublemakers. They're actually NOT troublemakers, but they tend to leave a ton of trouble in their wake wherever they go.
All Heather wants to do is play fetch. Constantly. It's her normal behavior. What was new here was Mac's interest in playing ball - Mac's very intense interest in playing ball!
What was also new was Gemma's intense protectiveness towards her little brother, Mac. As soon as she understood that Mac wanted the ball, she went after Heather with a vengeance!
In her enthusiasm, she even crashed into Heather as she tried to snatch that ball from her mouth.
It didn't stop with Heather, either. Gemma and Mac were just as outraged when Hoover managed to snatch a ball!
Lexi eventually had to step in and tell Hoover to stop teasing the puppies, regardless of the fact that the puppies were five times larger than he was. It was not clear whether or not Hoover got the point.
Although he certainly knew he was being scolded from every angle, I don't think he understood that the ball was off-limits to a little squirt of a newcomer such as himself.
Once Mac had control of the ball, all he really wanted to do was flaunt his ownership of it. He taunted poor Heather mercilessly by making sure she could see it was Mac's ball now and forevermore!
Here's adorable 5-month old Mac. Clearly Lexi wants him to play, and clearly he is not a bit interested.
Since Lexi is a year older, she clearly thinks she is the boss of Mac.
Mac evidently has a whole different idea of who bosses who!
Finally Mac agrees to go for a romp with Lexi. It may look as if she's won, but I think she's forgotten what being a puppy entails.
A moment of inattention on Mac's part, and BOOM! He crashes right into Lexi full force!
Now Mac knows better than to interfere with Lexi when she's taken charge, especially when Lexi stole all the treats with no intention of sharing! (See the bag in her mouth?)
Have you ever seen such darling little dogies in your life? These two Maltese mixes are adopted brothers. The older dog is on the right. He was bitten by a tick three weeks ago and is still having troublesome symptoms. He's trembling and he's limping, which are exactly the symptoms Socrates suffered when he had a tick born illness that required weeks of antibiotics. He was tested at the vets when they found the tick three weeks ago, but since his symptoms have not improved he was going back to the vet after he tried out his first play group at Frisky Fido.
Poor little guy also gained 5 pounds over the winter - a huge increase for a dog that weighted 9 pounds before winter started. His owner is thinking that Play Groups and Trail Walks will get him back in shape much faster than his daily leashed walks, and she's absolutely correct. Getting an overweight dog back into shape is one of the major reasons dog owners contact Frisky Fido. (His owner is also going back to work, which is another major reason for needing dog walkers and pet sitters).
This little darling is Bubbles, a two year old Maltese mixed with maybe Shih tzu and/or possibly Tibetan Terrier? He is an absolutely irresistible little guy, as you can see. Poor bubbles is also facing a medical trauma in the next week or two; he's getting neutered!
What's really extra wonderful about these two dogs is that they are friendly, confident, and pretty well socialized already. They love to run and play,as you can see by Bubble's glorious grin in this photo.
Both the Maltese mixes looked amazingly like Buddy, my partner's dog. They were even similar in size. But Buddy has no Maltese in his mix - as far as I know, anyway!
I was really taken by these two pups, but considering their health issues, a vigorous exercise program might not be in the cards at this time. I hope they both recover quickly and that they join one of our little groups very soon. Who wouldn't want to pal around with them, right? :)
Sometimes I think people get the wrong idea about Play Groups for dogs. The fact is that dogs get as much exercise during a Play Group as they do on a Trail Run or a visit to the dog park. Sometimes, a Play Group is more fun and more tiring than any other option!
How could a Play Group beat a trail walk for fun? Well, there are a few reasons. Some dogs are overwhelmed by the number and size and sounds of large groups of dogs, and you run across large groups of dogs on the trails, in the fields, and just about anywhere. These encounters can stress out some dogs, or even frighten them so much that having fun is the last thing on their mind.
Betty, for example, seems to fear male dogs with loud or aggressive voices. In a Park, my only option is to comfort her, which may lesson her anxiety but cannot eliminate it as long as there are male dogs barking within earshot. In a Play Group I can distract or eliminate aggression-like sounds entirely, and I can do it without adversarial punishment. The end result is that Lexi and Betty can chase each other around till they drop, while the boys play ball or do tricks to earn treats. Everybody is relaxed and happy!
Usually, everyone get alone famously. If there is one issue we are still working on, it's keeping Socrates from getting dejected. He has not quite mastered the art of playing silently . . .
and so he sometimes ends up alone for a moment or two. He always remembers the trick to getting Buddy to play, though. Just pick up a toy, and Buddy will be happy to join in a merry chase to get it away from Sox.
Buddy is a toy aficionado. It doesn't matter who has it - he wants it! The end result is that everybody runs, and everybody runs HARD! Safe, stress-free happiness. I think all dogs deserve some of that!
The dog park can be a carnival of fun for a Frisky Fido. Most dogs love nothing more than romping and chasing and wrestling with other dogs. Socrates and Lexi certainly love visiting the dog park area of Callahan State Park. Like most terriers, Sox has no idea that he isn't a huge and mighty dog.
Socrates lives to run. He loves to be chased, and will entice other dogs to chase him by grabbing a stick or a ball. As long as he is running, he's loving it.
Socrates like hanging with the big boys.
A thousand generations of selective breeding have resulted in Socrates's love of the chase. The Wheaten terrier in him has made him a herder as well as a hunter. Wheaten terriers were the poor man's "jack-of-all-trades" kind of dog. They earned their keep by herding sheep, hunting vermin, and guarding against intruders.
Today, these traits can can cause problems when other breeds don't want to be hunted or herded. For the most part, the dogs work it out between themselves. Occasionally, however, a timid or less socialized dog will find all the play overwhelming. He or she could end up running for their lives instead of running for fun. When that happens, it's time for the humans to step in and call off the hounds, so to speak. If even one dog is stressed or frightened, the dog park is no longer a haven for dogs. For the frightened dog, its more like hell on earth. It is always our responsibility as owners (or dog walkers!) to intervene in these situations. Not to do so is just rude, crude, and socially unacceptable.
The moral of this story? You can't blame a dog for being a dog, but you can blame a humane for being inhumane.
Here is Lexi experiencing the pure joy of playing with a ball. She absolutely loves it!
Sox is pretty thrilled when he manages to get the ball from Lexi - not an easy task, I assure you!
Lexi is fast, fast, fast! And she's the boss when it comes to toys. Just look at the grin on her face! She's in doggie heaven!
Socrates races to the top of our very steep backyard mountain, but Lexi is not far behind. They are definitely getting a good workout!
The two of them bounded up and down and around and around for more than an hour. They are truly having a ball!
I've posted dozens of photos of Socrates, but we now have TWO Frisky little Fidos at our house. This is Lexi, my feisty, fast, and definitely frisky little girl dog. Lexi is a rescue from Houston, Texas. You can probably see the Jack Russell Terrier in her, and she live up to the breed's reputation of being one of the most active dogs there is. She's a mixed breed, but she acts like a Jack Russell. She is friendly, fast, fearless, and funny as hell. I wake up every morning in hysterics as she licks my face frantically; desperately trying to lick inside my mouth! Lexi, like Socrates is a very active dog. She needs at least two hours of VIGOROUS exercise every day, which is about right for terriers in general.
Lucky for us, Lexi and Socrates get along extremely well, and they both live to run, jump, chase, and play. Since their lives are so full and active, we have two very calm and composed dogs at home every evening. They are both exhausted at the end of the day, but an exhausted dog is quiet, content, and trouble-free. Can you put a price on a peaceful household and a calm dog?
There she goes - smooching me on the lips again! That's Lexi all over! But I am not complaining; I love these two dogs to death, and I'm lucky that their active lifestyle prevents most of the behavior problems people encounter with hyperactive, terrier-type dogs. I truly wish that more people were aware that most dogs are not getting enough exercise despite having daily walks around the block. I truly wish that more people understood that most unwanted and destructive dog behavior is easily cured with an hour or so of intense aerobic exercise every day.
These four are running like the wind for the pure joy of it. And look who is chasing who! Anyway, that is how I like my dogs; fearless, feisty, and tons of fun. I can't speak for everyone, but my rescue dogs ROCK!
This is Socrates. A fitting name for a brilliant dog. Socrates was about 10 months old in this photo, and he had been with us almost two weeks. I have a thing for terriers, although this one broke the mold. But as you can see, Socrates wasn't too happy then. A huge yard and tons of toys were no fun. He was only animated outside when squirrels or a chipmunk happened along. Then he bounded up the hill like a rabbit, attempting to climb trees trying to catch one. But all too often, Socrates was BORED. Humans, from a terrier's point of view, are pretty poor playmates. But on this day, something magical happened . . .
Gorgeous Gracie came to visit! Like Socrates, she was a rescue dog from the southern states, and Socrates immediately fell head over feels in love! Well, not really. But he was head over heels in happiness to have another DOG to play with.
The truth is that Gracie may not have been quite as intoxicated by Socrates as he was by her. Her facial expression speaks volumes about her first impression of him. Socrates body language and stance reveal where he's coming from - he wants to RUN and PLAY and she had better get with the program! And of course, as a genteel Southern Belle, Gracie soon graciously obliged her host by racing and chasing around the yard like she was born to to be wild.
And then . . . more joy! A puppy, too! Murphy is another rescue from down south, but at four months, he was hardly a gentleman. But then, neither was Socrates! These two play like they are going to kill each other - to this day. But they ARE playing, even if it sounds like Godzilla gone wild!
Any normal human would be horrified at this display of viciousness, except dog people. Rather, except for dog people who have socialized pups. These two are play-fighting. As bad as it looks when you snap a photo, in reality no one gets bitten, and not a drop of blood is ever shed.
Murphy and Sox liked to play "share the stick" (or maybe steal the stick) from the very first. Gracie plays as well. They chase each other around and around and up and down to win possession of that stick.
Here they are six months later, still grappling for control of a damned stick!
Now, I said this post was going to be about exercise, and instead I wrote about the joy of dogs playing. Why? Because the very best exercise you can provide your dog is playing with other dogs - and I like dogs to be joyful!
"Off-leash walking, running, hiking or bicycling in a large, safe fenced property or park or in a forest are ideal activities. Your dog can set her own pace, sniff and investigate to her heart’s content, stop when she’s tired and burst into running whenever she likes."
The above quote from the ASPCA does a pretty good job of summarizing the benefits of Frisky Fido's philosophy on exercising your dog. In addition to our fenced-in Play Groups (see the previous post, "Frisky Fido"), we go for a Trail Walk every afternoon. Usually, I'm the only one who is walking on a Trail Walk - the dogs are running at about 90 miles an hour, or bouncing off into the woods after deer or rabbits. Mostly the dogs are running, running, running - and running at top speed is the best exercise a dog can get. Take at look at Socrates face in the photo above; what you are seeing is pure, unadulterated joy!
Here it is again! If I could, I would make sure that every dog in America experienced the joy and exuberance of running free and loving every minute of it every day. Of course, I can't make that happen. The truth is that many, if not most, dogs never experience such exquisite happiness, and even those that do rarely have the opportunity. It just isn't possible in today's world of working families and over-scheduled lives. It's a lucky dog that even gets to enjoy a sedate walk around the block every day, and even that can be difficult to manage for some. There are many dogs that aren't suited for running loose, of course, even in a safe area away from cars and streets. A dog must have a really strong recall (meaning they come when their name is called no matter what) to enjoy the benefits of running for joy. (That is another benefit of Frisky Fido's Play Groups, by the way; I always work in a little recall training in the hope that some day my client dogs will be able to enjoy a leash-free trail walk!)
Hiring a dog walker is one option for dog owners, and a good dog walker is worth their weight in gold! Consumer must be careful that they find a good dog walker to reap any real benefits for their dogs, however. I've seen far too many dog walkers that have large packs of dogs like the one above - and believe me, it's not a pretty picture in real life! The big or energetic dogs are gasping as they try to pull ahead, the small dogs are being dragged along, and God help the dog that needs to stop and pee! I want to cry when I see ten or twelve dogs of all ages and sizes tangled together, most of them wide-eyed with stress. A GOOD dog walker doesn't walk more than four or five dogs at a time, if that. She chooses dogs that have roughly equivalent needs for exercise, and dogs that move at roughly the same rate of speed. What is really sad about choosing the wrong dog walker is that you usually pay the same price as you would for a really outstanding dog walker - sometimes more. The good news is that I've seen plenty of great dog walkers, too!
In the next post I'll talk more about the benefits of exercise for dogs. Some of these benefits will probably surprise you, but I can personally attest to the truth of every word! See you soon!
