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

We have a visitor!

Sophie, a Papillon, has been staying with us this week.  I wasn't sure how all four dogs would get along with each other, but they have been doing just fine.  Risha seems to be taking it all in stride, and while she hasn't wanted to play with Sophie, she has no objection to sharing her space.  I have been taking turns with the girls on my lap, and as long as each one gets enough one on one time, things go smoothly.

What Risha doesn't like, is being photographed!  It is so difficult for me to get pictures of this beautiful girl because every time I bring out the camera she tucks her ears back and looks away.  So this afternoon I tried to be a little sneaky and this is what we ended up with.

Our guest, Sophie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sophie with Elsie in front.  Elsie spent most of the afternoon alerting me to the blackberry brush clearing activity going on behind our lot.

 

 

 

Risha wonders if this camera stuff will be delaying her dinner.

Nina, on the right, has longer legs in real life.

 

 

 

Elsie may be wondering the same thing.

 

 

 

Are we just about finished with this nonsense?

 

 

Maybe if I humor her just a little she will stop pointing this thing at me.

Really?  Another one?

That's it, we're done here.

Happy National Dog Day!

 

Risha is celebrating with an elk antler

Nina joins the party

Elsie is always ready for a party

Risha is ready to bring some joy to your home!  If you are interested in adopting this beautiful, affectionate, house trained, crate trained girl, go to  New Rattitude's website at http://www.newrattitude.org/adopt.htm where there is detailed information and a link to our adoption application.

Risha on January 9, 2012

Weight Challenge

When she arrived the first time in January Risha weighed just a few ounces more than ten pounds  which the vet and I both thought was a good weight for her.  Dogs carrying too much weight risk damaging their hips and knees, not to mention their organs.  Risha returned to foster care in late June weighing a bit over 13 pounds, and the challenge has been to get her back to her ideal weight.

It's a cliche that a dog's primary job is finding food.  Let me brag that  Risha is very, very good at her job.  When she is not inhaling the carefully measured portion in her dog dish two times a day Risha prowls the back yard seeking food.  She eats strawberries from the bush, apples and raspberries from low branches, tomatoes she can reach, salal berries, blueberries, and anything the squirrels have buried. Shortly after her arrival I uprooted and discarded any garden plants I knew to be poisonous because even though the house dogs have never sampled them, I don't trust Risha not to do a taste test. I am thankful she does not have a sensitive stomach and has never shown the slightest reaction to any of her self-selected feasts.

If I am preparing food in the kitchen, Risha stands nearby, knowing how likely I am to clumsily drop a bit now and then.  Cucumber.  Green bean.  Red pepper.  Summer squash.  Cauliflower.  Broccoli.  Cabbage.  She is the only dog I have ever known who will eat lettuce.  Plain, undressed, lettuce.  

As of this afternoon, Risha weighs 11 1/2 pounds and she is getting her waistline back!  We are halfway to our goal, despite all that sneaky snacking.  Hhhmmm, could this be a new weight loss plan?  Lots of fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein, no grains.  Nope, not new at all, and it does work.

Waistline in progress