Ten and Three-quarter Pounds of Perfection

I thought Risha's waistline was looking more pronounced this afternoon so we got on my beam scales.  Yes!  She is now at ten and three-quarter pounds, just a few ounces away from our goal.  This despite her hoovering up all the ground fall apples she can find and snacking on tomatoes still on the vine whenever she gets a chance.  Increased walking and trips to the dog park have burned some calories and revved up her metabolism, perhaps.

Risha is still camera shy and wouldn't hold still for a glamour shot, but I think you will agree you can see that waistline.  Great accomplishment, Risha!  We girls know that weight loss is not an easy attainment.  (I was going to say, not a walk in the park, but thought better of it.)

I don't do glamour shots.  Check my contract.

Sunday Morning at the Dog Park

French Lake Dog Park

 

 Nina and Elsie have visited this 10-acre off leash park many times but I had never taken Risha before and was curious to find out how she would behave. Overall, she did really well!

I like to walk the perimeter of the park with my three small dogs before joining groups that hang out near the picnic tables.  This allows me to scope out the dogs present and decide which dogs (and humans) look like good candidates for meeting and which might better be avoided.

 

Risha tracking scents in the grass

Uhhmm, found a good one

Needed a taste test, too

Risha meets Lucy 

When my three dogs met Lucy it turned into a terrier love-fest!  I was too busy juggling leashes, treats, and camera while keeping an eye on the dogs to get a picture of all four together, but it was a happy dog event.  Risha also met a half-dozen large dogs and greeted them nicely.  

This was fun.  When can we come back?

The Kong Challenge

When Risha came into foster care it was pretty obvious that she had never seen or played with a Kong dog toy before.  She is such an eager eater that home made chicken liver treats practically disappear the moment they leave my hand, so I decided to slow her down a bit by putting them in a Kong. It didn't take her long to discover how much fun this Kong toy can be!

Getting Liver from a Kong

That was yummy!

Sleepy Saturday Afternoon

Foster Mom stayed up too late last night so we are spending a very quiet Saturday afternoon at our house.  These dogs are so cooperative!

Nina, front, hamming it up for the camera.  Risha, back, wondering, ????

All three settling down for some serious rest time

Oh please, just let me sleep

Leash Training

Risha the Wonder Walker

Now that Risha has lost enough weight to be more comfortable with exercise we are ramping up the leash walking training.  I have tried in the past to walk my two and Risha at the same time but have decided that is not the way to go.  If I put Elsie with Risha on a tandem leash, Elsie's feet almost never touch the ground, and if I put Nina and Risha together on a tandem leash, it's a race to see who can be in front.  I even tried all three on separate leashes once but that was such a major headache I never gave it a second try.

So, now that we are getting serious, it is just Risha, walking alone with me.  Last time we tried a neighborhood walk with a two-foot leash attached to the front of her Wonder Walker harness.  This gave me very nice control of her and it was not a bad walk, altho walking in the neighborhood meant we encountered quite a number of reactive dogs behind fences.  This morning I decided to take Risha to the BPA trail where I have often walked with Nina and Elsie and where I knew we would encounter lots of dogs out for a Sunday morning stroll.

This morning I used a four-foot leash, again attached to the front of her Wonder Walker.  Not long after we began the walk we encountered a woman with her dog, both well known to me!  I had stuffed my pocket full of kibble and after I let the woman know what we were trying to accomplish, I lured Risha's attention with the kibble and kept her focused on me until the woman and dog were a good twenty yards away.  The good thing about a dog who is always hungry:  even her usual kibble is more exciting than lunging and barking at another dog.

We continued our two-mile walk, coming across at least a half-dozen more dogs and people who walked quietly by us while Risha sat on the edge of the trail focused on the kibble in my hand.  I was very much encouraged by her behavior and was even more encouraged when we met another couple with their two very stable, well socialized dogs, that I have met on the trail and at the local off leash park frequently over the past several years.  Risha was doing so well at this point that when one of the couple suggested letting the dogs meet, I agreed.  Risha then performed a totally normal dog meeting with butt sniffing and shoulder sniffing, fairly relaxed. After a minute or so  I resumed the kibble shower and the couple left with their dogs.

The only disappointing aspect of the walk was that I forgot to take my camera!  Next time, pictures, for sure.  And I think I may have to up the ante a little with some actual treats, instead of kibble.  When the weather is cooler I am thinking I could walk her about an hour before her usual dinner time and just feed her dinner on the trail. . .

We WILL get there!

Post Walk