Fun video of dog and handler dancing
Freestyle is a fun dog sport where human and dog perform complex routines together to music.
Although I can’t help thinking Freestyle is a tad goofy with its costumes and routines, I am also in awe of how much you can accomplish with positive training, and I think it’s a testament to how much fun we can have with dogs when you engage their minds and bodies in activities that challenge them and allow them to have fun at the same time. Not so goofy at all!
Fun idea! You can play games with your dog and contribute data to the science of dog cognition at the same time. Ever wonder how your dog measures up to other dogs in the way they think and problem solve? This program’s evaluation component could be a fun thing to see!
For more info, check out this link
Photo Property Green Dog Pet Supply
Happy Halloween!
Fun Stuff
check out this link to cute dog breed stencils for your pumpkin carving.
The “real” link is here, but I can’t figure out where the stencils are for that one. Maybe you can.
Beware of Toxic Things on Halloween
Don’t forget to be on guard for dogs getting into that Halloween Candy stash! Chocolate isn’t the only thing that’s toxic to dogs; macadamia nuts, raisins, and the sweetener xylitol are all on the list of things that can be poisonous to dogs, but the wrappers and other decorations can also cause problems when ingested.
Behavioral Tips
Behaviorally, make sure that if your dog is stressed out by strangers, to have him in a secure area of the house where he won’t be plagued by constant scary monsters ringing the doorbell. Conversely, if you’re up for it this is a great time to work on door manners with a dog that isn’t frightened just excited:
Ultimately, doorbell rings, dog on leash sits, door opens, dog and costumed kid both get their own treats. Lots of repetitions available on Halloween equals lots of chances to practice how to act when people come to the door.
Hints:
**Practice this a day or two beforehand with someone familiar that rings the doorbell, rehearsing the sit quietly while the door opens routine 8 or 10 times (first time is hard, then it gets easy as it’s the same person over and over. This lets the dog get better and better at the behavior because you’ve removed the novelty of someone at the door)
**work on a leash for control, but reward the sitting calmly without any yanking. If they know “watch me”, it can be a helpful place to use it. The familiar person can hang out on the step for a few minutes while you work on that.
** When the dog is sitting, give treats and open door for helper to give a treat as well.
**on Halloween, perhaps have two people work the door, one for kid treats and one for working with the dog with their own treats.
**When the doorbell rings, don’t jump up. Walk calmly to the door.
If you have a new puppy this can be a good socialization exercise – monsters = good treats for puppy! Encourage them to say hi to the funny monsters, but don’t force them into it – you want socialization exercises to be positive. If you feel like it’s safe, have the monsters offer the puppy yummy dog jerky or pieces of cheese. Soon the puppy will think people in costume are a good thing!
Photo property of Green Dog Pet Supply
What fun we had this year at the 4th annual Fremont Fest Pet Parade! More than 40 dogs attended, many of whom were in costume. The Fremont Fest Parade is made up of a firetruck, a few hundred kids on decorated bikes, some old cars, and of course the Green Dog Pet Parade! Another treat was that one of our customers organized a whole group of people with Boston Terriers into a drill team – matching outfits (human and dog) and worked out a little routine that they performed a number of times along the way.
