Is My Dog Normal?: Afraid of People

This post has been on my "To-Write" list for many, many months, but I honestly haven't sat down to write it in hopes that the behavior would somehow disappear and no longer be one of Athena's quirks.

Alas, I am here, seven months after adopting Athena and admitting that she has a MAJOR quirk.  She's afraid of people.

This is no quirk that I would ever wish for my dog to possess, because really, what's worse than admitting that your pit bull is afraid of people, a quality that is in no way inherent to the breed.  Pit bulls are suppose to be people lovers.  However, my pit bull is in no way a people lover.  As much as I would love for her to be the type of dog who flocks to humans to dole out slobbery kisses, she is not and I don't think that she will ever be that kind of outgoing dog.

Honeymoon Period:

Like many newly adopted dogs, Athena went through a honeymoon period.  Many of her quirks were in hiding and didn't come out for at least a month of living with us.  In the beginning, Athena met many new people at our home and while out and about.  She never barked at people who came to the house and welcomed everyone to pet her and give her attention.

Don't Touch Me, I'm Nervous:

After the honeymoon period, we started to see signs of Athena's fear of people.  When we would take her to places like the pet store or out on a walk, many people would ask to pet her and we always said yes because she seemed to enjoy the attention she got from them.  However, there were some people that she would back away from.  To this day, Athena is only accepting of attention from some people that she meets.  If she feels nervous, she will sometimes woof, back away, or cower behind us.  She definitely doesn't like it when people come at her head on with their hand moving towards her face.  This makes her turn her head and body as if she is afraid that they are going to hit her.  Although it is true that many dogs who come from the shelter system were never physically abused, Athena's body language actually suggests that she may very well have been abused at some point in her life.

If I Bark, Will You Go Away?:

If I haven't mentioned it before, Athena is not a barker.  It is a rare occasion that we hear her pitiful woof.  However, she will often bark at new people who enter the home.  If they try to approach her, she will dance around and bark at them.  At this point, she has never growled or snapped at anyone, just barked (not in a "Hi, I'm so excited to meet you!" kind of way, but in the "You are really scary and I don't want you in my house" kind).

Men, Smokers, and Eggplant Shaped Figures:

Since noticing Athena's fear of people, we have tried and tried to determine the type of person that she is fearful of.  At first we thought it was just men because she was extremely shy around them in the beginning.  Then we decided it must also be people who smoke, because she will not approach someone who is smoking a cigarette and is often fearful of people who smell of smoke.  Then we noticed that Athena was extra nervous around people with different body shapes, like a woman who very much resembled an eggplant.  As we continued to try to narrow down the type of person that makes Athena fearful, we realized that as far as we can tell, there's not a single quality that she is fearful of.  To us, her fear of people seems totally random (though to her there may very well be some sort of connection between them all).  The one type of person that she has never been afraid of though is children, thank the heavens.

Don't worry dad, I'm not afraid of you!

You Must Treat the Fearful:

After some deliberation with our trainer, we came up with a plan to tackle Athena's fear of people.  Each and every time a new person comes to our house, we prep them with "The Talk."  They learn that Athena is often fearful of new people and that she needs space.  We then load them up with treats and instruct them to throw them at her toss them in her direction.  It can be very scary for a fearful dog to have to approach an unknown person to take a treat from their hand.  By tossing treats towards Athena, she isn't obligated to have contact with the new person and is able to keep her distance, which is what she wants.  After about a dozen treats have been thrown, Athena is usually ready to approach the new person and start eating treats out of their hands.  She will then get comfortable and settle in for some pets and attention.  We've noticed that the higher the value of treats we load the newcomer with, the quicker Athena falls in love with them.  Anyone with cheese becomes a fast friend and in turn they are named "Cheese Lady" or "Cheese Man."

Quick Recovery:

Although Athena is often fearful of new people, she has a very quick recovery period, just as she does with all new experiences.  New people who enter the house only need a few minutes of "ignore Athena and throw treats at her time" before Athena's ready to snuggle up.  Just ask Emily from Our Waldo Bungie.  She got the nervous bark from Athena when she visited, but after a handful of treats, Athena was ready to snuggle up.  Like most other new experiences that Athena has been exposed to, she is usually fearful only the first or second time, then she has the confidence each time after.  Luckily, Athena is quick to warm up to people.

Living with a Fearful Dog:

Fear aggression is nothing to take lightly and can be different for every single dog.  Our plan of action for helping Athena accept new people works for her, but may not work for another dog who is fearful of people.  Some dogs who are fearful of humans need to be completely ignored for a period of time, not be looked in the eye, or kept behind a baby gate in the house.  We have found that for now, Athena's plan seems to be working for her.  Just last week I was shocked when Athena met two new people at our house with no barking or nervousness, instead she snuggled up with them for an hour and doled out kisses like nobody's business!  Even though Athena may be becoming less fearful of strangers doesn't mean that we aren't always managing the situation and assessing her for signs of discomfort or nervousness.

Athena LOVES everyone (especially her grandma) after meeting them a few times

Have you ever dealt with a fearful dog?  What about a dog who is fearful of people?  What strategies do you use to help your dog overcome these fears?

Athena: Dog Aggressive or Dog Social?

Exactly five months ago we adopted Athena from a local shelter.  It feels like just yesterday that I was writing about Athena's two month Adopt-a-Versary and all of the struggles and accomplishments that we had faced.

Five months ago as B and I stared into Athena's kennel at the shelter, I noticed a pile of pee on the floor next to her and a glaring label on her information sheet that read: Dog Aggressive.  I remember turning to B and saying something like, "I don't know if we want to get a dog that's aggressive.  Isn't that bad?"  He of course assured me that this wouldn't be the end of the world (although I now realize how hindering dog aggression can be for everyday activities such as a walk around the neighborhood or even a play date with a friend's dog depending on the severity).

Dog Aggressive?  Who, me?!

Before placing a hold on Athena, we decided to get all of the facts from the shelter workers about her dog aggressive label.  Apparently she received it from the previous family who had adopted her for three weeks and determined that she wasn't the right fit for their family dog.  We were then told that although she came with this negative label, Athena did well with other dogs when introduced into the shelter play groups.

So, with these mixed signals, we adopted a Sorta Dog Aggressive dog.  From that day forward I have continued to be extremely cautious with Athena around other dogs whether it be a dog that we see out on a walk, or a friend's dog that we introduce her to play with.  I'm always wondering if someday she will exhibit the aggressive signals that she showed the family before us who returned her.

Athena loves walking with our dog walking group RespectaBulls

Whenever B and I discuss Athena's 'dog aggression' with others, everyone seems to come to the same conclusion.  They think that Athena wasn't properly introduced to the previous family's dog which may have caused some tension between the two.  If B and I decided to ever get a second dog (or foster) we will most definitely be following some strict dog-dog introduction rules such as those set forth by Bad Rap in their guide A New Dog in the House!

To this day we haven't seen any aggression from Athena.  I will actually go as far as to say that I consider Athena to actually be Dog Social at this point in her life (seeing as she's still sort of a puppy, she could move towards being more dog selective as she matures).  She is the kind of dog who is just DYING to meet other dogs because she loves friends so much.

Athena with one of her doggie BFF's Bingley

When the time came to take Athena to daycare for the first time, part of me thought that I might get a call saying, "Please come pick up your aggressive dog!  She's not allowed back!"  But of course, Athena had a stellar evaluation and was described as a "Daycare Pro."  We now take Athena to her daycare once a week for socialization (both dog and human), exercise, and time away from home.  Each time we pick her up, we hear nothing but rave reviews about how easy she is to incorporate into the pack and how well she plays with her friends.

Pictures sent to us from Athena's daycare

Athena playing with a daycare friend!

Pictures sent to us from Athena's daycare

Even though Athena has proven herself time and time again at being friendly towards other dogs, she will always carry her dog aggressive label.  I always wonder how many people passed by her kennel before us and thought that she was not adoptable based of her label.  To be totally honest, I'm sure many people walked by and thought that there's no way they would adopt a Dog Aggressive Pit Bull.  I also constantly think about the many dogs in the shelter system who may be mislabeled or who receive a label without much to back it up.  A 'dog aggressive' label could be a death sentence for any dog, but especially a pit bull type dog.

So with that, I'm curious if any of you adopted a dog (or know of any in the shelter system) that was mislabeled?

The Dog Who Forgot How to Play

Athena is not the kind of dog that lacks play drive.  She is alllllll about play time.  We have yet to find a toy (or off-limits object) that doesn't satisfy her desire to play whether it be a ChuckIt! Ball, a stuffie, a Kong, or a piece of clothing from the dirty laundry.

Soooo, are you going to throw the ball or what?!

Because Athena's desire to play is so strong, we actually had to begin by gradually keeping toys out around the house for her to play with.  When we first brought her home from the shelter, Athena would play so hard and so wildly ALL OF THE TIME (which often escalated into bitey zoomies) that we only allowed her to have toys during designated play sessions a couple of times per day.  She has now progressed and is able to handle having a couple of toys laying around the house to play with when she feels the urge (with no more bitey zoomies- yahoo!).

Needless to say, this girl doesn't need any lessons on building play drive.  She's got it pretty covered.  That is, until we introduced her to a new toy this week.

Meet the AEROBIE Pro Ring.  A soft rubber frisbee that we picked up at REI for $10.

We specifically bought this frisbee for Athena to play with because as much as we love the ChuckIt! Ball Launcher, Athena is just a tad bit obsessed with it.  So, we wanted to find another park toy that would not only allow for some vigorous exercise, but would help to eliminate some of Athena's OCD behaviors towards her ball and launcher.  Also, we had seen a dog and handler at the park a couple of weeks ago doing super cool tricks with a frisbee, so B asked about it and we decided that we needed to be that cool too, so we bought the same one.

Athena loves ALL toys and moving objects, why wouldn't she love this super fancy frisbee?

I like to wear the frisbee as a necklace.  I do not like to play with it!

Well, we gave the frisbee a few tries and so far is have been a pretty big flop.  I swear, Athena's strong play drive went out the window and she forgot everything she knows about "fetch" when we flung the disc.  Rather than retrieving the frisbee, she does one of two things: 1) Run after the frisbee, look at it, run back to mom and dad without frisbee 2) Stare at mom and dad when they throw the frisbee, don't run after it.

One of the rare occasions when Athena actually had a go at the frisbee

To make frisbee fetch seem like the best game on earth, B and I threw the disc back and forth to each other.  If Athena happened to get the frisbee and put it in her mouth we used our most exciting voices to cheer her on.  We also laid the frisbee on the ground and put treats all over it for Athena to eat, but that didn't even keep her interest for that long.  Finally, we tried sparking a bit of drive by placing the frisbee around Athena's neck, but that only resulted in a dog wearing a frisbee necklace.

So, any ideas on how to help Athena learn how to play/retrieve the frisbee?  Maybe our choice in frisbee was poor and we need to look for a more "dog friendly" model?

Do You Feed Your Dog Rocket Fuel?

Rocket Fuel (noun):  An explosive charge that propels a rocket dog.

Crazy dog being propelled by rocket fuel

Recently I discovered that we have been feeding Athena rocket fuel (yes, the explosive stuff that propels energetic dogs to do crazy things!).  I bet you even fed your dog a bit of rocket fuel this morning for breakfast without even knowing it!  That's because rocket fuel is hiding in your bag of dog food.  Don't worry, we were shocked to find this out too.  But really, rocket fuel can be found in EVERY bag of dog food (no matter how fancy) and is hiding behind the "protein" label.

Since beginning Athena's new training class, we have learned that the food we were feeding Athena could actually be the culprit behind some of her mega zoomies and crazy energy.  Our trainer quickly introduced us to the concept of feeding a dog rocket fuel when we told her that Athena often gets some intense bursts of energy after each of her feedings.  She explained that when a dog eats a bowl of high protein food A.K.A. rocket fuel, explosive energy may follow soon after.

Just say no to too much rocket fuel!

As novice dog owners we had read somewhere that a high protein food is good for dogs.  So, before picking up Athena from the shelter, we went to PetSmart and picked out the highest protein food that we could find.  This happened to be Blue Buffalo Wilderness with 34% protein which we have been feeding to Athena for the past three months.

When we told this to the trainer she gave us this little fact: "unless you are raising a working dog for a farm, dog sledding, or some sort of search and rescue, she doesn't need more than 24% protein in her food."  Whoopsies.  Athena is surely not a working dog!  Our trainer proceeded to explain that sometimes dogs who eat a high protein food and aren't out working all day will have extra energy that they don't necessarily need as a domestic house dog.  This excessive energy can translate into behavioral issues for dogs who are already energetic (like Athena).

She suggested that we take Athena off from such a high protein food to see if it might help with her rocket fuel syndrome (i.e. too much energy for her own good).  So, we recently made the switch to Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet with 21% protein.

It has been three weeks now since making the food switch (we are still trying to deplete our bag of Blue Buffalo and therefore Athena gets a mixture of both the old and new food).  Feeding her less rocket fuel as well as eliminating her food bowl have made all the difference in her energy level.  We have noticed that Athena has begun to actually take on the role of "lazy house dog" and we have even been able to cut back on the amount of physical exercise that she receives each day.

Embracing my role as lazy house dog

Disclaimer: This isn't to say that your dog's high energy levels are necessarily caused by the protein level in his or her food, because there is actually evidence out there that suggests that dog food labels aren't always very accurate.  So, maybe this whole rocket fuel thing is in our heads and we just assume that Athena's energy has decreased due to the food switch?!  Whatever the cause is, we sure do like it!

If you are into doing some further reading about protein levels in dog food, do a little Google search for "high protein and dog aggression."  Verrrrrry interesting.

What information do you check on dog food labels?  Have you ever made a food switch based on something you discovered?

Bye, Bye, Food Bowl!

A couple of weeks ago we began Canine Life and Social Skills (C.L.A.S.S.) training with Athena.  Our first two classes were exceptional and we have really enjoyed the new trainer.  With all of her suggestions, we have seen a huge improvement in Athena's behavior.

During our first class we talked to the trainer about Athena's high energy level and her tendencies to get into trouble around the house (like when she miraculously finds a used tissue or dirty sock when we swore there were none left out).  The trainer simply said, "put away her food bowl."

Bye, bye, food bowl.  Hello, yummy treat toys!

When we first adopted Athena, I read all about No Free Lunch Training and other methods that expect dogs to earn their food rather than be given it for "free."  Although I read that many people swear by this type of training program, I just wasn't that into it and so we continued to feed Athena from her food bowl and used fancy treats during her training sessions (now I realize that it was those dang fancy treats that probably made Athena three pounds fatter...).

Eating a snack from the Contempo Halo Bottle treat dispenser

When I heard "put away her food bowl," I was a bit skeptical.  But, the trainer told us that Athena's high energy and tissue hunting drive probably stems from boredom and lack of mental stimulation.  As much as we physically exercise her with walks, games of fetch, and play time in the house, she wasn't being given enough opportunities to exercise her brain during the day.

So, for the past two weeks we have been rationing out Athena's usual two cups of kibble (plus a few yummy treats) throughout the day.  She eats her breakfast, snack, and dinner in food dispensing toys and then receives the rest of her kibble during daily training exercises.  Now she must work for every bit of food that she receives which provides her with the much needed mental stimulation.

All of the wonderful things that we bought from Pet Mountain for only $80!

Seeing as treat dispensing toys are often expensive, we decided to do some online shopping for reasonably priced toys.  We came across Pet Mountain which sells their toys (and other pet supplies) for ridiculously cheap prices (nobody can beat a half priced Kong!) so we bought an entire box full of toys to keep Athena occupied and stimulated.


Here is a list of the food dispensing toys that we purchased (and how much they cost us):

• XL Kong Extreme- $10.79
• L Kong Extreme- $6.97
• L Kong Stuff-a-Ball- $8.99
• Kong Wobbler- $10.40
• Contempo Tessa- $6.00
• Contempo Halo Bottle Treat Dispenser- $4.00
• 5" Atomic Treat Ball- $7.47

Food dispensing toys that we already owned:

• StarMark Bob-A-Lot
• JW Pet Hol-ee Roller X Extreme
• StarMark Everlasting Treat Ball

Food dispensing toys that we wish we owned:

• Premier Busy Buddy Tug-a-Jug
• StarMark Treat Dispensing Chew Ball
• Buster Food Cube
• Smarter Toys IQ Treat Ball
• Premier Twist and Treat

Spoiled Athena now has plenty of toy options to choose from when working for her food.  Soon we will review some of our favorite treat dispensing toys to let you know how long they keep Athena occupied and how durable they are for power chewers (so far we are in love with the Contempo Tessa- why have we never seen this toy sold in a store?!).

Contempo Tessa in action

Since putting her food bowl away two weeks ago, we have seen some MAJOR improvements in Athena's behavior.  She spends quite a bit of time each day tackling her food dispensers.  Whether it be a kibble filled Bob-a-Lot that takes thirty minutes to clean out, or a frozen pumpkin/peanut butter/kibble   Kong that lasts up to three hours, Athena is now very well occupied throughout the day and ready for some major snoozing afterwards.  The rest of her kibble is plopped around the house for mini training sessions such as doggy pushups and recall.  Athena also earns quite a bit of her training kibble during walks as she works to perfect her loose leash walking.

Have you ever put your dog's food bowl away and traded it for treat dispensing toys?  What are your favorite treat dispensers on the market?

Athena's Got a Boyfriend...

Athena is very much a single lady who likes to scope out her dating options while out and about.  But, there's one dog in particular that makes Athena get all googley-eyed.

Meet Hercules:

The first time that Athena met this handsome dog was on a typical morning walk.  When I say typical, I mean that we can always expect to have the pleasure of meeting at least one off-leash dog  Our first encounter with Hercules was when he ran from his front yard to greet Miss Athena.  It was love at first sight for the both of them.  Athena did not greet Hercules with her usual play bow, play bow, play bow, "hey let's play!" attitude, but instead she whined and whined.  The two of them calmly sniffed one another and whined excessively.

The next time that we walked by Hercules' yard, he ran out again for another off-leash greeting.  This was when we learned that his name is Hercules because his owner called him back to the yard and scolded him with a, "Hercules!  You know that you aren't allowed to leave the yard!"  Yeah, I'm sure he really knows that he's not allowed to leave the yard when you leave the gate wide open...

But back to the love story, Athena and Hercules get to see each other at least a couple of times per week on our morning walks.  We can usually count on Hercules being in his front yard waiting for his girlfriend to walk by.  Unlike most dogs in the neighborhood, Hercules does not bark at us.  Instead, he whines and howls as if to say, "Athena, you are so beautiful!"  Athena tries her best to lead us over to Hercules' yard as she whines right back at him.

Of course I googled "Why do dogs whine at each other?" and found a list of different reasons why these two lovebirds might have the urge to whine.  We are simply assuming that they whine because they want to greet or play with one another.  I probably don't help the situation much though because whenever we are nearing Hercules' yard I start my lovebird talk with, "Is your boyfriend out today Athena?"

Any other thoughts about why Athena and Hercules do this major whining at each other (I might be upset though if you don't believe that it's due to true love).  Also, any ideas as to what breed of dog Hercules is?

Celebrating Athena's Two Month Adopt-a-Versary

It is hard to believe that we have had Athena in our lives for two months now (63 days to be exact) while at the same time I keep thinking to myself, "has it really only been two months?!"  Whether or not two months seems like a long or short amount of time, we have enjoyed almost every minute of it!

Week 1:

From the minute we spotted her at the shelter, we knew that Athena was the girl for us.  During her first week at home, she was a very anxious little pittie who paced around the house continuously, had accidents inside, and destroyed her bedding and barked whenever we put her in her crate.

Week 2:

Week two proved to be the most challenging within these past two months.  We even considered taking her back to the shelter, as hard as that is to admit.  Her mouthiness was scaring the bageebees out of me and I thought that maybe we weren't ready to deal with this type of dog behavior.  Thoughts of wanting to return Athena to the shelter made me feel like such a failure.

We just couldn't give her up though.  She had already been returned to the shelter once before we adopted her.  What would happen to her if another family gave her up because they simply didn't understand her and didn't give her the chance to succeed?

Week 3+:

Since that challenging second week, B and I have worked hard to better understand Athena's body language and excitement levels that trigger undesirable behaviors such as jumping up and nipping.  With the help of our dear friend Bitter Apple, we have eliminated Athena's annoying leash biting habit and her nipping behavior has significantly decreased in frequency and severity (she gets a spritz in the mouth and a firm "no bite" if she nips at our body or clothing).

Aside from the challenging behaviors, Athena has been pure joy for us.  She is such a silly girl and I can't help but laugh even when she brings me a used tissue or dirty sock in her mouth.  Her favorite thing is to be close to her people.  She will snuggle with us until we decide to get up, follow us all around the house, watch me as I get ready in the morning, and she provides us with endless kisses whenever we say "kisses."  She also loves to get her belly rubbed and gets upset if we don't scratch and massage her snout after walks (the Gentle Leader makes her itchy).

Training:

When we got Athena from the shelter two months ago, the only command that she knew was 'sit.'  Last night Athena graduated from her seven week Basic Obedience class at Petco (check out her training here, here, here, here) and and we are happy to say that she now knows sit, down, stay, come, wait, leave it, watch, up, heel, bring it, trade, crate, kisses, bathroom, and car.  She has also turned into a very polite walker while on leash.  Within the next few weeks, Athena will also be starting the first level of Canine Life and Social Skills (C.L.A.S.S.) training.

Exploring Portland:

Athena is a pretty lucky pooch because both of her parents currently have a lot of time on their hands.  This means that Athena gets to take lots of car rides (which she loves) to check out different sights around the city such as local pet stores like Personal Beast and Green Dog Pet Supply as well as locations such as Cartlandia Food Carts and downtown Portland.  We even met up with the Portland Pit Bull Parade for our very first pit bull walk this month.

In Other News...

We have taken Athena to the vet three times in the past two months.  Once for her initial checkup, another time for a hot spot, and finally last week we went for Athena's allergies.

We have also been introducing Athena to new objects, experiences, people, and dogs to build her confidence and eliminate some of her fears of things such as men, sprinklers, hoses, garbage cans, orange construction signs, baths, and vacuums.  Athena has yet to meet a dog that she didn't like and she enjoys any opportunity that she gets to play with other dogs.

We have also discovered that Athena needs quite a bit of exercise and mental stimulation on a daily basis (as do most pits).  We take Athena for a morning and evening walk for usually an hour each.  Athena also gets to play fetch in the morning, lick out yumminess from her Kong during the day, engage in mini training sessions, and do regular zoomies around the house and yard.  With this much exercise she is a big couch potato while at home.

Our goals for the coming months are to strengthen Athena's training commands, teach her new commands, and work towards gaining her Canine Good Citizen Certificate.  We also plan to fully crate train her.

This blog came about three weeks into having Athena in our life.  We have enjoyed documenting and sharing Athena's successes and challenges with such a supportive group of dog lovers and pit bull advocates.  Thanks to all of you who read the blog and have encouraged us to keep it going =)

Each and every day we notice Athena making significant strides towards becoming an ambassador for her breed.  We know that the pit bull stereotype is not what defines the dog that Athena is today and the dog that she will become in the future.  She is such a lover and we couldn't imagine our lives without her.

We love you Athena =)

Is My Dog Normal?: Used Tissue & Dirty Sock Fetish

So, we kind of lied when we told you last week that Athena's favorite thing in the world is her ChuckIt! Ultra Ball.  Her REAL favorite things are used tissues, paper towels and dirty socks.

Who me?!  A used tissue and dirty sock thief?!  You've got the wrong dog!

B and I learned our lesson pretty quickly after adopting Athena that garbage cans in the bathrooms and kitchen must not be left unattended-- or without a lid.  In the first few weeks of having Athena, there were a few instances when Athena came to find us as she was holding a used tissue or dirty sock in her mouth.  She would walk right up to us with her "off limits" item in her mouth and stare at us as if she were saying, "Hey guyssssss!  Look what I found!"  Because I was pretty clueless in the beginning, I would chase Athena around trying to pry the tissue or sock out of her mouth (I seriously thought she was going to eat it and then she might get sick and then we would have to take her to the vet and then and then and then....).  As I chased Athena around the house she would usually go into "crazy horse" mode (which is what we call it when she gets a toy or off-limits object in her mouth and then gallops through the house while whipping her head all around).  Clearly Athena is an evil genius because whenever she would get a sock or used tissue, she would get to play a fun game of keep away with me.  I will admit that I have experienced uncontrollable laughter (while at the same time being very frustrated at this behavior) during a few of these episodes, especially when Athena latches onto a sock and because her head whipping action is so intense, the sock will fly out of her mouth and right into my hand.  At this point she will stop and look at me like, "Awwwwwwww mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!"

Blurry photo="crazy horse" head whipping action is taking place (notice the white streak in the middle)

I realize that I wrote the above in past tense...however this tissue and sock keep away game is something that Athena likes to play about every three days or so.  I just don't know what it is about USED paper products and dirty socks?!  We leave shoes out all over the house and all sorts of "off-limits" items that Athena could care less about touching.  There must just be something about the thrill of sticking her head into a garbage can or into the clothes hamper.

I realized the full extent of Athena's used paper product obsession the other day when my mom and I took her on a walk.  As we were crossing a busy street (at a designated crosswalk where 4 lanes of traffic had to stop for us to cross--which means people were watching us) a used tissue just happened to blow right past Athena's face.  You better believe it that Athena pulled me in the other direction to try and "catch" the tissue!  As this was a very unsafe situation, I used the "leave it" command over and over and pulled Athena back in the direction that we were walking.  Luckily she quickly forgot about the tissue.

So, I googled "my dog likes used tissues" and this is clearly a normal fetish for many dogs.  I saw from this search that many people's dogs actually eat the tissue...we have yet to have Athena ingest any paper products because we usually get them out of her mouth before she can destroy them.  We are pretty sure that she has come to associate getting a used tissue with us "trading" her for a very yummy treat (usually an unhealthy Milkbone-- her absolute favorite).

Next I googled, "my dog likes dirty socks" and this is an equally searched topic ("my dog smells like a dirty sock" was also represented in this search....gross).

I won't let my mom get one unblurry picture because I am just so excited to have this dirty sock in my mouth!

Because Athena is so attached to her humans (she rarely leaves our sight and will follow us all around the house) we can usually tell when she is on the prowl for a used tissue or dirty sock because she will be out of sight for about more than a minute (usually after she has gone for a drink of water).  This is when we usually get up to see what she is snooping around in.  Sometimes we don't catch her in time and therefore must play the tissue/sock keep away game.

As we work to remove all used tissue and dirty sock temptation from our house, we would like to know if your dogs have similar fetishes?  What have you done to get your dog to stop searching for these "off limits" items in your house?

Overcoming Fears: Water Play

Some of Athena's best pictures came from the photo shoot during her first time in the sprinkler on a hot day in Portland.  Today we will share some of the best pictures from yesterday's water play!

We have noticed a pattern in Athena's fear of new things and experiences.  The first time that Athena experiences something new she is usually very afraid, but will then be all for it the next time around.  This has been true for experiences such as playing in the sprinkler, approaching orange construction signs, watching the garbage can be rolled out to the curb, and drinking from the hose.

Last week B was watering the lawn and offered Athena a drink of water from the hose.  Athena was so afraid of the hose.  She kept running around it and wouldn't get close to take a drink.  When Athena is afraid of new things we show her that we are not afraid.  For orange construction signs we have gone up to them and hugged them, talked very gently to the garbage can, and drank from the hose.

Yesterday we busted out the hose again after a walk to see if Athena would take a drink.  She went right up to the hose and took a very long drink.  B began to water the lawn and Athena decided that she wanted more and more to drink.  This turned into quite the water play and we ended up with a soaking wet pooch (there goes the nice smell from her first bath!).

The many faces of not-so-fearful Athena!

Like the day Athena pranced around in the sprinkler, yesterday's hose play left us with some HILARIOUS photos.  Could Athena make funnier faces?  We don't think so!

What?!  A new pink towel?  I'm so spoiled!

Ok, you can rub my tummy if you insist!

Still showing off some pretty crazy faces even when drying off...

 What do you do to help your dogs overcome their fears?

-A & B

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Off-Leash Dogs Are Crampin' My Style

I am sick of off-leash dogs.  It seems that many of the neighborhood dog owners just really don't care if their dog gets out and chases a pitbull down the street.  Only one of these off-leash dogs has been larger than Athena, so I worried for her safety during the encounter (the dog went in for a neck bite).  All of the other off-leash dogs that have approached us have been small dogs, so in these cases I worry about Athena possibly turning aggressive and injuring the dog.  We don't need to be in the news for owning a pitbull that attacked a stupid helpless small dog.

Every time we take Athena on a walk, we encounter at least one off-leash dog.  About half of the dogs that have chased after us haven't had an owner anywhere in sight.  The ones who do have owners present don't seem to really care that their owner is screaming their name to stop chasing after us.

Maybe I wouldn't mind so much if Athena wasn't so leash reactive.  But when a dog comes running after us, Athena starts hopping off of the ground trying to play.  I really don't want her to play with an unknown dog that approaches us, especially when the off-leash dog goes in and tries to bite her (this has happened to us twice now)!  We have only had Athena for one month so I don't feel like we totally know all of her behaviors.  We don't know if certain situations will bring out any aggression.  The owners who adopted Athena for two weeks prior to us labeled her as "dog aggressive" towards their other pet dog.  This makes us cautious of her interactions with other dogs.

I want Athena to learn how to be calm when we walk by other dogs who are on or off leash.  I feel like her excited energy gets the other dog excited an then they are both trying to get to each other.  I think that most off-leash dogs actually approach us because of Athena's body language when she encounters another dog.

We would love it if Athena could be calm like this when walking by an off-leash dog!

The bloggers over at Two Pitties in the City have mentioned in multiple posts that they carry SprayShield Animal Deterrent Spray in case they are approached by an off-leash aggressive dog.  I think that it's about time that I order a can of this spray to carry with me on walks.  The only thing that I worry about is if I would even be able to get to the spray in time if an off-leash dog did a sneak attack and riled Athena up.  I checked at Petco and Petsmart and both stores said that they don't carry any type of dog deterrent spray...the employees actually looked at me like I was a mean person when I asked if they sold it.

We are looking for some suggestions.  How do you deal with off-leash dogs?  Is your dog leash-reactive especially when approached by an off-leash dog?  We could use some help!

-A

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Is My Dog Normal?: Bike Reactivity

Yesterday B showed me a new route to take when walking Athena.  Sometimes we get annoyed walking around the usual neighborhood because there are so many dogs that live outside and like to majorly bark at us through their fences, off leash dogs, and just bajillions of people who do weird things (like the time a PERSON barked at Athena!).

B thinks Athena is saying "save me!"

Our new route takes us along the Springwater Corridor which stretches 40 miles from Portland to Boring (yes there's a place called Boring, OR!).  We are lucky enough to live only a few blocks away from an entrance to the corridor.

Most people who use the corridor are bike riders who like to say things like "one your left," and "on your right" while we are walking and I have to quickly remember which one is my right and left so that we don't get ran over!

Check out that view of Mt. Hood up ahead!

When we first got Athena and began taking her walks in the annoying usual neighborhood, we would encounter quite a few bike riders and people on skateboards.  I don't think Athena had ever seen any of these devices because she was very reactive to them.  As soon as a bike or skateboard zoomed by us she would be pulling to chase after them!  This was a bit frustrating when we were trying so hard to train her how to walk on a loose leash.

A thinks Athena is saying, "weirdo!"

The weird thing is, this bike reactivity only lasted a couple of weeks.  Now that Athena gets out on at least two walks per day, she seems to be more used to the everyday distractions that pass us by.

We got to really test Athena's bike reactivity while walking on the Springwater Corridor because there is always at least one bike in sight.  Athena didn't even bother with ANY of the bikes that we saw on our walk!  Yay!!

Here comes the bike......no reaction!

Since it seems that Athena might not mind bikes too much anymore we have been thinking about how great it would be to start bike riding with Athena.  B bike rides, I don't, so this can be his little project.  A trainer had suggested bike riding with Athena as a way to exercise her to expend her excess energy.  The trainer suggested using a Springer Dog Exerciser to attach to B's bike that would allow Athena to safely run next to him.  We plan to look into this fancy device in the coming months.

Is your dog bike reactive?  Do you bike ride with your pooch?

-A
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