The Mutt Strut (In Memory Of Doc)

Photo: Chicago Canine Rescue

Many dog shelters and rescues have a run or a walk as a major fundraiser. The Chicago Canine Rescue's main goal is to help at-risk dogs by finding them forever homes. This fundraiser, The Mutt Strut 2012 will be especially poignant. Earlier this summer, one of the puppies "Doc" was punched in the head by his owner, until he died. Why did this happen? Because the owner, was upset that he had an accident in the house and became even more agitated while he was bathing him.

The irony was the owner's references were thoroughly checked out. The adoptive parent was a schoolteacher with the Chicago Public School system. He was only 25 years old and had a spotless record. This story was so shocking it made national news. Derek Fierro had turned himself in but by then it was too late.

The Mutt Strut

While this years Mutt Strut will be benefitting all dogs from the shelter when it happens on September 29th, there has been a special memorial fund set up in honor of Doc. If you live in Chicago, there's still time to sign up. Doc was one of seven dogs born in a litter who were named after the 7 dwarfs. It's a way to remember this little pup who may be gone but won't be forgotten. You can donate to Doc's Memorial Fund through this webpage.

Let's Discuss!

Did you participate in any shelter/rescue walks this summer? What were they like for you?

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How Walking Our Dog(s) Helps Us

Photo: Chris Reynolds

There are many benefits to walking your dog for dogs. Many people fail to realize how it will help them as well.

Here's what I've learned from walking three dogs continually:

1. It unites you with nature. Because walking brings you down to a certain speed, you get to hear the birds singing, flowers blooming and seeing the wildlife around you. Nature has an effect of calming and tends to lift our moods.
2. It gives you time to sort out your thoughts. Many times, we are on a solid routine of work, downtime, sleep. While this is ideal for most of us, being out with your dog gives you time to destress and organize your thoughts. You may rush through a walk sometimes, but even on days like those, you know it's going to help your dog.
3. It lowers the bad (ldl) cholesterol and raises the good (hdl). Continuous walking will keep your cholesterol levels steady.
4. It keeps your blood pressure down. High blood pressure is a key factor in accelerating heart disease. Walking will help to combat this.
5. It improves bone density. Postmenopausal women who walk about one mile each day have higher bone density than women who walk shorter distances. It also is effective in slowing the rate of bone loss from the legs.
6. It helps keep your brain sharp. Walking is known to increase brain function and keep cognitive thinking higher.
7. It helps people to live longer. In a 1998 study in the New England Journal of Medicinenon-smoking men between the ages of 45 and 68 who walked each day 1 mile or less, the mortality rate was 43.1 in 100. On the other hand, men who walked 2 miles or more, in the same period of time had a mortality rate of 21.5 per 100. That's quite a difference
8. It reduces your carbon footprint. Walking causes no pollution compared to driving in your car. Even with picking up after your dog, it will leave a much smaller footprint in comparison to driving frequently
9. Minimal equipment is required. When you're walking your dog, all that's needed is a good leash, a pooper scooper and a good pair of walking shoes. No special gadgets are needed (although pedometers are helpful).
10. It makes your pooch happy. When dogs are given something to do like walking, it eliminates their excess energy. They sleep better and have a more structured routine. It keeps them in shape and helps them to live a longer life.

Get Started!

It's simple to get started. Even if you can't do long walks, doing 3 10 minute walks a day is just as beneficial as walking 1 30 minute walk a day. A useful guide to how your neighborhood rates for walking is WalkScore.com.

Let's Discuss!

How does walking your dog benefit you?

It's All Related!

The Benefits Of Walking Your Dog, Part I
The Benefit Of Walking Your Dog, Part II
5 Tips For Walking Senior Dogs
4 Things I've Learned From Dog Walking

Rabbit Frenzy

Photo: Kevin Tuck

I was walking with Homer the other day and suddenly I heard that baying that only means one thing — a rabbit is near. Whenever I take him out and he sniffs a rabbit's scent, he turns into another dog. He will keep his nose to the ground and will not lift it up until he's lost the scent.

So, what makes him this way? One reason is that he's doing exactly what the beagle was bred to do. They have been hunting dogs long before they became family pets. It seems like the more I take him on a walk, the more he needs to track rabbits.

I've also learned the path of rabbits from the way Homer moves when he catches their scent. At first I thought it was straight across. To the contrary, the rabbits move in small circles and zigzag back and forth.

It's also interesting to note that the scent of animals is more prevalent in the morning and evening. Why? The moisture content in the grass is greater at those times compared to the afternoons. As a result, the scent is intensified which is very appealing to dogs like Homer. I've found that learning a dog's motivation helps an owner to understand its actions better.

Let's Discuss!

What lessons have you learned about your dog when you take them out into the great outdoors?

5 Tips for Walking A Senior Dog

When Your Dog's A Senior

As you know, my dog Cookie is a senior dog. She will be nine later this year. Ever since she tore her CCL last year, her activity level hasn't been the same. She still loves going on walks, but humidity and hot weather will tend to shorten our walks. Considering I have Gigi who is much younger, this can present a problem in finding the happy medium in walking them both. Still, walking is one of the best forms of exercise you can do for your dog.

Here are some tips for walking your senior dog:

1. Give 'em a rubdown. Before walking your dog, it always helps to rub their leg muscles. With Cookie, I gently rub the area that was affected by the injury last year after the walk. It's a good way to notice if your dogs joints are swollen as well.
2. Be conscious of the weather. When I take the dogs on the walk, I think as if I were a sunbather. You always hear to avoid the sun between 10AM and 3PM. We get temperatures over 90°F (33°C) especially with summer on the way. When you compound it with the humidity, it can be a huge double whammy for your senior pet. Taking them out early or late gets the best possible results for the necessary exercise.
3. Walk in stages. I've found that stopping for a minute or two is a great way to keep your dog going. They just don't have the stamina they used to when they were younger and resting a few minutes will give help them complete their goal.
4. Walk them indoors.I've found that walking the dogs at a pet superstore like Petco, Pet Supplies Plus or Petsmart is a great way to get them the exercise they need. It's climate-controlled so temperature and humidity aren't a factor. You also get other dogs' scents and may even run into one for your dog to greet. It's especially useful if you need some pet food too.
5. Take them to a dog park. Although this isn't a traditional walk, this is an effective way to make sure your dog has enough exercise. Most dog parks give your dog the freedom to run off-leash, and if they're well-behaved and get along with other dogs, they can pace themselves accordingly. Most of the dog parks where I live require memberships but it's well worth the investment if you have a senior dog.

Let's Discuss!

What are some ways you keep your senior dog in shape? What is your biggest challenge in walking them?

Senior Dog Websites

The Senior Dog Project
Senior Dogs
Muttville

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The Benefits of Walking Your Dog Part II
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How To Stop Your Dog From Pulling

Photo Resource: Adrian van Leen

Hello Everyone! Today is Mother's Day and I'd like to wish all of the lovely moms out there a Happy Mothers Day. I hope you all are treated like queens and enjoy the holiday.

This weekend, I was watching a dog with bundles of energy. Not only did he have bountiful energy around me, but he was quite energetic around my dogs as well and not releasing the energy in the healthiest way. He was crazy about Gigi but tried to get her to play by nipping at her hind legs. When I would take this beagle out with the other dogs, he would pull on my arm like there was no tomorrow. I had a strained shoulder but after thinking about it, I'm not sure what caused it.

Yesterday, I was watching It's Me Or The Dog on Animal Planet. In this show, Victoria Stilwell works with many dogs who have developed bad behavior habits and trains them to be better family pets. It takes time and patience to work with the dogs and their owners to change these patterns. On the show I was watching, she showed how to properly walk your dog and getting the dog to not pull.

Trying The Method For Myself

Last night, I took Homer on along with Cookie and Gigi on a walk. Instead of walking the usual way, I tried the Victoria's method. I would take a couple of steps and as soon as Homer would pull, I would stop walking and then say heel. I would not continue until there was slack in the leash. At first, Homer was barking up a storm and in disillusion about why I was doing this. I just told him that he was a good dog when he wasn't pulling, and would stay quiet when he was. The girls seemed to understand this really well.

The more I focused on this technique, he started to take more and more steps without me having to stop. A walk that was normally twenty minutes long took forty but the difference in pulling was worth it.

Continuing The Process

I kept this up as I had more walks to do. The hardest part was adjusting to other animals and people we encountered on our walk. Since I was taking baby steps in this training process and considering that this wasn't my dog, I chose to focus on the walking part when there weren't other distractions around.

Many times, when dogs pull excessively, it's about dominance. Calmness and consistency in this situation make all the difference. Sometimes, it's just about laying down the groundwork, which was my primary objective. The one thing I wish I would have done was bring my clicker with the mark the good behavior but being new, I didn't think about this.

When the owner arrived today I told him of what I had tried and suggested the same since his dog was just exiting the puppy stage. He seemed to appreciate this and would try it when he takes Homer on his next walk.

Let's Discuss!

Do you have a dog who loves to pull? What steps did you take to make your walks more comfortable?

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