As Told by Athena: The 5 Minute Ball

Hi Guys!  Athena here.  So, last weekend we celebrated my one year Gotcha Day and I got a new toy that my mom has been eyeballing for about a year now and FINALLY bought for the Bean.  It's the perfect toy for me for multiple reasons:

1. It's a ball
2. It's a ChuckIt ball
3. It has perfect pickability (because I'm a picker, you know)

Maybe you've seen it around, but it's called an indoor ChuckIt ball!  It's super soft and has little pickers all over for me to grab with my little teethsies.  My mom especially likes this ball because it's big enough that it doesn't get stuck under the couch (apparently one of the main reasons why I'm not allowed to play with normal ChuckIt balls in the house is because I always get them stuck under the couch).

 Now, my mom didn't buy this ball for durability.  She was pretty certain that her little picker (that's me-- Bean!) would destroy this toy in a matter of minutes.  Luckily she only paid $5 for it, because it only lasted about 5 minutes.  Mom says that works out to one dollar a minute which she says is some pricey entertainment (but, of course well worth it for the Bean's Gotcha Day).

Have you ever tried an indoor chucker (did you know they make an indoor ChuckIt launcher too?!)?

My ChuckIt Ball Blew Up: As Told by Athena

Hi Guys!  Athena here.  If you follow my mom me on Facebook, you probably already saw this picture of me:

That's me with my blown-up ChuckIt ball

Let me tell you a little bit more about the story behind this picture.  This weekend I was totally shocked when my beloved ChuckIt ball BLEW UP!  That's right.  It went from being a teeny-tiny little orange ball to being a GIGANTIC ball!  I didn't think that my ChuckIt ball could get any better, but it totally did.  Bigger is always better in my book (bigger cookies, bigger scoops of food, bigger pieces of cheese, bigger smooches, etc.)

That's my running with my gigantic ChuckIt ball

So, on Friday when the bright yellow orb in the sky appeared for the first time in for-ever, I went outside thinking that I would get some time to play fetch with my usual ChuckIt ball and launcher.  Little did I know that my mom and dad had a surprise for me.  All of a sudden my mom KICKED the ChuckIt ball and POOF!  It turned into a giant ChuckIt ball!

That's my mom kicking my ball

My new ChuckIt kick ball is made of soft foam and has special grooves in it so that I can easily grab onto it (and never let go).

That's my mom saying 'Drop It' and I'm not dropping it

When I finally give in and drop my big ball, my mom will kick it for me, or my dad will do his fancy soccer keep-away moves.

That's my dad doing fancy soccer keep-away moves

I think it's so fun to run around with my big ChuckIt ball, but I also really love picking at it (because toy picking is my speciality!).  My mom said that I have to tell you that she wasn't paying attention to me for a few minutes and I ended up picking off a little edge of the ball....soooooooo, she doesn't suggest this toy for unsupervised chew time!

That's me pickin'

My favorite part about my big ChuckIt ball is that I also get to play with it inside the house too!  It's soft enough that it can be kicked around without breaking any val-u-a-bulls.  Even if it's no sunshiny outside, I can still get my exercises in the house with this big ball (unlike my little ChuckIt ball that would be dangerous to throw in the house).

That's me with my giant ChuckIt ball inside the house

If you want your mom or dad to work their magic on your little ChuckIt ball to turn it into a gigantic ChuckIt ball, give them the internet link to the magic spell:  click here for the magic spell.

My Naughty Ub-sess-shin: As Told by Athena

Hi guys!  Athena here.  My mom and dad have been a little bit irritated with me lately and have even threatened to not bring my ChuckIt! Launcher to the park anymore.  Can you believe it?!  They said that I'm in charge of writing the blog today to tell you guys about some naughty things that I've been doing with my launcher...

I love my ball so much.  I never want it to go away!

Well here it goes.  I hope you all still love me after hearing about these naughty totally normal things.

You all know how much I love my ChuckIt! Balls and how I will do anything to play a game of fetch.  Most of you also know that I am a very helpful girl and will even carry my ChuckIt! Launcher to the park for my mom and dad.  Well, recently I've been extra excited about my launcher and whenever my mom and dad get it out of the car trunk hiding place, I just know we are about to play my favorite game.

This is my favorite game!

For some reason my mom and dad think that I'm being naughty when I sometimes jump up and try to bite the launcher out of their hands.  I don't mean to be naughty, I just get a little impatient when they take a super long time to launch my ball!  Can you blame me?  Dad says that I have accidentally put my teeth on his hand a few times and even though it was soft, it still hurt him.

I want that launcher so bad that I might just bite it!

My mom says that I also have to write about the other naughty thing that I've been doing with my launcher.  So, I now know the "drop it" words and will always sit and drop my ball at my mom and dad's feet.  But, whenever mom or dad tries to grab my ball with the ChuckIt! Launcher I just get so excited that we are about to play again that I bite the launcher and try to steal it from them.  They keep saying things like, "she's ub-sessed with the launcher!"  I don't know what ub-sessed means, all I know is that I love the launcher so much that I just want to bite it!

Got it!

I don't think that these things are too naughty, but my mom says that I need to stop doing them or my launcher is going to be put in time out!  This is why I need your help.  Please can you give my mom and dad some sug-jes-chins about how to get me to stop biting the launcher out of their hands so that it doesn't have to be put in time out!

Thank you in advance for your qwap-er-ation with this matter.

Pitlandia in Lincoln City

Last week we took a little beach vacation to Lincoln City located approximately two hours from our hometown of Portland.  Lincoln City is one of our favorite cities to visit along the coast for multiple reasons.  1) We know someone who owns a couple of beach front condos and the price is right to rent them 2) It's touristy, but not too touristy-- meaning that there's good shopping but there's also many places to get away from all of the people 3) It's a very dog friendly city.

Earlier in the week Athena told you her thoughts on our beach vacation, now it's my turn to tell you EXACTLY how it went:

1.  Athena was terrified of the sand and the ocean on our first day

We brought Athena down to the beach for an evening walk on our first night.  The second she touched the sand she FREAKED out!  Luckily we had her on leash, because I don't think that we would have been able to control her if she were off leash.  From seeing her reaction to the sand, we could tell that this probably was her first touch of sand.  The sand experience was like many that have occurred in the past few months which leave me wondering just where Athena came from and how she spent the first year and a half of her life, because I don't think it was spent getting out and about and experiencing the world.

Can you tell I was a little nervous my first time on the beach?

2.  Athena learned to love the sand and the water

On the second day of our trip we brought Athena down to the beach for a morning walk.  This time, we equipped ourselves with Athena's two favorite things: her ChuckIt! ball and the launcher.  Athena was once again a bit confused about all of the sand under her feet, but she quickly forgot about it's squishiness once B unclipped her leash and started flinging her ball through the air.  She LOVED chasing after her ball, especially if it happened to splash in the ocean.  Each day we visited the beach three times-- once in the morning, afternoon, and evening.  And after each trip to the beach, Athena would stand at the bottom of the stairs and protest our departure.  She didn't want to ever leave!

3.  We broke the rules, but it was fun!

So, we totally broke the rules and let Athena off leash on a leash required beach.  I'll admit, it wouldn't be the first time that we've broken the rules, so we decided just to do it.  I mean, all of the other dog parents on the beach were doing it too =)

Throughout the four days at the beach, Athena showed us how well she can behave while off-leash.  We never had to worry about her running up to unknown people, chasing after the seagulls, or approaching other dogs-- unless we instructed her to do so.  The only time that she took advantage of being off leash was to chase a horse...whoops!  Luckily we were able to call her back quickly...I will add that another dog did it too, so she wasn't the only naughty one at the beach that day!

4.  Athena made some friends

The beach was filled with people and their furry companions.  Some people walked their dogs on leash and some let their dogs romp off leash.  As we are still assessing Athena's "dog aggressive" label that she received from her previous owners who returned her to the shelter, we are never the ones to approach people to ask if Athena can play with their dog.  We were surprised at how many people actually were the ones to approach us and mention that they noticed from afar how well trained Athena was and wondered if she could play with their dogs.

Athena got to play with SO many dogs on the beach and every encounter was excellent.  Aside from engaging in puppy play and ball chasing, she also had the opportunity to practice greeting a variety of dogs that walked by us.  We were so proud of Athena and happy that she received so much dog socialization on the trip.

5.  We bought Doggles

Oh yes, we did!  Of course one of my goals while in Lincoln City was to stop in to the local pet shop called Paws On the Sand.  This cute pet boutique had the BEST stuff!  The owner told us that he goes to multiple pet shows each year to find the latest and greatest toys and pet gear to carry at his shop.  One of these latest and greatest items happened to be Doggles!

If you want your dog, especially your pit bull type dog, to be approached by humans of all kinds...you need to buy some Doggles.  I'm telling you, everyone and their brother came over to talk to us at the beach when Athena was wearing hers.  They wanted to know where we got them, how we liked them, and if we thought their dogs would like them too.  Paws On the Sand should probably send us a little somthin' somthin' for all of the referrals we made to their store =)

6.  Athena worked on her tan

When she wasn't fetching her ball, splashing in the ocean, playing with doggy friends, or having her picture taken, Athena was getting her tan on.  She enjoyed laying on her beach towel and watching the waves roll in while she frequently changed positions to ensure her entire body got an even tan.

Hey, look at that body!

7.  We considered moving to Lincoln City

Ok, maybe not really, but the thought did cross our minds!  Athena loved the beach so much and we loved watching her love it.  More trips to the coast will definitely be in our future...probably not again until next summer though, because I will assume that Athena wouldn't appreciate a soggy Oregon beach during the winter!

I could get used to this happening every day!

How do your pets like visiting the beach?  What's their favorite beach activity?

The Beach: As Told by Athena

Hi guys!  Athena here.  You have probably noticed that my mom has taken an unusually long absence from writing posts on the blog.  This was because we spent four whole days at the beach!  Those of you who follow us on Facebook know about some of the fun things that I did while I was there.  Here's my take on this weekend's beach trip:

1.  I wasn't a big fan of the sand...or the o-shin either...

My mom and dad think that this trip to the beach was probably my very first time stepping my paws in the sand.  I was a little bit afraid because I just didn't know why that stuff was so squishy!  Here's documentation of my first touch of sand...

Mom couldn't stop laughing because I guess I looked pretty silly!  Then, my dad took me into a giant bathtub and my mom laughed some more.  They called the big bathtub the o-shin, and it had some very chilly water inside of it with big bath time bubbles.  I didn't know what to do in such a big tub, so I ate some of the bubbles...

First steps in the o-shin...so many bubbles!

See my little foam beard? =)

2.  I love the sand and the o-shin...oh, and don't forget the ChuckIt!

After my first visit to the big squishy bathtub o-shin place I started to like it...actually, I really LOOOOOVED it!  Did you know that you get to chase the favorite ChuckIt! ball extra far on a big beach? Yeah, I didn't know it either until it happened to me.  I got to chase my ball on the beach EVERY day for SO long!  My mom and dad chucked the ball over and over and over and over and over.  I never wanted the chucking to end!

3.  Decks are for o-shin watching and seagull stalking

The beach condo was on the third floor which meant that we had a deck for me to sit on.  It was my favorite place to be when I wasn't playing on the beach!  I watched the o-shin and the seagulls and the kitty cats and the doggy friends and the people and the moon.  Whenever I wasn't snugglin' or eating my food, I was on deck duty patrolling the neighborhood.  Mom and dad let me sit on the deck for as long as I wanted...except for the time that I started woofing at a fat kitty cat on the ground...I never did that again after the first time though because it meant I had to go on a "no more deck" time-out!

Observing the sunset from my beach deck

4.  Doggles are a girl's best friend!

I got to visit a doggy toy and treat palace (mom calls it a pet shop) while I was at the beach.  I was sniffing around and eating yummy duck treats from the nice man behind the counter when all of a sudden my mom started having an attack.  She was jumping up and down and waving at my dad screaming, "OH MY GOSH, they sell Doggles!  Like Two Pitties in the City!  We have to get some!"  The next thing I knew the nice man with the ducky treats was putting the Doggles on my face and my mom was so happy that I liked them that her and dad decided to buy them.  So, I wore them every day down to the o-shin.  All of a sudden it was like I was a movie star...

Stylin'

5.  After all of the fun in the big bathtub o-shin you have to get in the baby bathtub...

I didn't know that super fun beach time also meant super not fun bath time.  That's right.  Every-stinkin'-time I went in the big bathtub o-shin I had to go in the baby bathtub in the beach condo.  My mom and dad said that it wasn't a REAL bath because I only got rinsed off with water...no soap!  But, I thought it was a little bit TOO much like a real bath for my liking.  I was happy not to have itchy salt water skin any more though...

I had a bath three days in a row...talk about torture!

6.  I thought we were moving in...

Spending four days at the beach means that you are moving in, right?  WRONG!  I was all comfy and settled into the beach condo and my beach deck when my mom and dad started cleaning like mad people and we LEFT!  Just like that!  You would have thought they would have given me a little bit of notice.  I loved the beach so much I wanted to stay forever!

We are moving here, right?

Make sure to check back this week to hear my mom's side of the story, how Doggles made me famous, and see some more fun pictures from our beach trip!

Love, Athena

Love It: ChuckIt! Ultra Ball Launcher

Athena love, love, loooovvveeesss to run!  She especially loves to run if she is chasing her beloved ChuckIt! Ultra Ball.  Because I can't throw for the life of me, we invested in the ChuckIt! Ultra Grip Ball Launcher to do the work for us.

This ball launcher is pretty amazing for multiple reasons:

1. The medium size fits regular-old tennis balls as well as the medium sized ChuckIt! Ultra Balls.
2. It's easy to play fetch with your dog without having a sore arm for days (yes, I am weak and get sore after only a few minutes of playing fetch with Athena!)
3. The launcher is advertised to throw the ball three times as far and I would totally agree with this
4. Athena gets so much more of an exercise when she has to run further to fetch the ball and bring it back
5. It provides a "no-slobber hands-free" pickup.  I would also add that it eliminates the need to constantly bend over to pick up the ball if your dog isn't so great at putting the ball in your hand (like Athena)

Another added bonus to this fancy ball launcher is that you can train your dog to carry it to the park for you if you insist on being hands-free like us.  Simply teach your dog the "bring it" command and they will happily carry the launcher the whole way to the park.  Just watch Athena carrying her launcher:

This ball launcher also doubles as a back scratcher (for you or your dog!).  I am such a kind parent that I always give Athena a little back scratch after a long game of fetch at the park.  She loves it.

Finally, as if Athena isn't weird enough, she enjoys attempting to put her own ball in the launcher for another round of fetch.  She will hold her ball in her mouth and try to push it into the launcher's ball holder.  It's amazing that she has actually been successful at loading the launcher on multiple occasions!  Sometimes her doggy ADHD kicks in though and she tries to steal the launcher away from me...

Alas, the ChuckIt! Ultra Launcher is still our BFF.  Have you tried any of the ChuckIt! ball launchers?

Love It: ChuckIt! Balls

Athena's most favorite toy ever is her ChuckIt! Ultra Ball and we love them for many reasons too.  Before discovering ChuckIt! balls, we bought Athena a pack of regular old tennis balls...little did we know that these would only last 30 seconds before being destroyed.  We then went on the hunt for some "indestructible" toys for power chewers like Athena.  After reading many posts online about indestructible dog toys, we read about the ChuckIt! Ultra Ball and went out and bought Athena a pack of two.

We do have to say that these balls have proved to be indestructible as of now.  These balls are great because the medium size is the exact same size as a standard tennis ball and they are easy to clean with soap and water.

Athena is really weird about the balls that she likes.  She only likes them if they are what we call "puffable."  This means that Athena has to be able to fit the ball into her mouth (the size of a tennis ball is perfect) and be able to "puff" the ball with her jaw.  We call it puffing because when Athena has the ball in her mouth and chews down, the ball makes a puff noise and her face gets all funny looking.  Athena's best puffing comes when she holds the ball in her mouth and then presses it up against a hard surface like the floor, side of the couch, or B's leg.

Getting some puff action!

We bought Athena a KONG Extreme Ball and it was a flop.  Athena really didn't have interest in the ball because the hard black rubber didn't allow for enough puffing action.  Somehow this ball is now stuck behind the shed and we can't retrieve it...we think that Athena shoved it back there on purpose to give us the hint that she's just not that into it.

Athena has also become pretty good at carrying her ChuckIt! Whistler Ball in her mouth on our walks with the "bring it" command.  We would recommend the ChickIt! ultra balls over the whistler balls though because even when thrown at long distances, the whistler ball doesn't really whistle much.

Check out this video of Athena "puffing" her favorite ball:

What toys have you found to be indestructible for your power chewers?

-A

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Training 101: Bring It

Many of the different doggy blogs talk about how they have taught their dogs to carry their toys while on walks or when greeting visitors at the door.  It has been a goal of ours to teach Athena to do this as her "job" while on walks and just because it looks so cute to see a proud dog walking down the street with a ball in their mouth!  We are very excited to announce that Athena has now learned how to carry her ball while we take walks!  It wasn't intentional to teach "bring it" for carrying toys on walks, so we won't act like we are superstar trainers or anything!

When we play fetch with Athena we say "bring it" when we want her to pick up her ball and carry it over to us (getting it out of her mouth is a different story and has required lots of work on "trade" and "drop it" commands).  Sometimes Athena gets so excited during fetch that she drops her ball, starts wiggling all around, and then runs over to us with a big smile like "OK!  Let's do it againnnn!!!!!!"  When she forgets to bring the ball back to us, we say "bring it" and point in the direction of her ball.  She will go back to where she left her ball, pick it up, and bring it back.

We also use the "bring it" command for other things like when Athena is playing with her Nylabone and gets a little too hyper.  She will sit quietly on the ground chomping on her Nylabone for a few minutes, but then will all of a sudden decide that she wants to get up and whip it around the house like a dangerous weapon.  We say "bring it" to instruct her to bring the Nylabone to us (we don't take it from her) and then we say "lay down" to remind her that she should be laying down when chewing on this toy (this prevents any human injury or damage to the furniture).

We realized that the "bring it" command is exactly what we needed to use when teaching Athena how to carry her ball in her mouth during walks.  So, when taking a walk we place Athena's ball on the ground or have her take it from our hand as we say "bring it."  She now knows to pick up the ball in her mouth and carry it.  When we get to our location we can trade her a treat for her ball with the "trade" command.

Because we use every single walk as an opportunity to train using heel, leave it, sit, down, and stay commands, we don't have Athena carry her ball during the entire walk.  We usually start the "bring it" command when we are about three minutes away from our destination (the park or the house).  This way she gets practice with her general commands and gets a bit of time to practice the "bring it" command.

Check out a video of Athena bringing her ball to the park:

So, now we have a super cute dog who carries her own ball to the park!  Have you taught your dog to carry their toys around?  What command do you use and how did you teach it?

-A

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