Athena and Bingley: Holiday Shoppers

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  We sure did!  Athena has been pretty spoiled with the turkey leftovers.  She also got to meet a new friend this weekend whom she LOVED!  Our friend from college was visiting Portland for the holiday, so we decided to meet up for a doggie date with her and her dog Bingley (a seven month old Corgi).

Athena & Bingley- besties in a heartbeat!

We started our date at Furever Pets in NE Portland to do a little bit of Christmas shopping for the pups. Athena and Bingley acted like they had been pals forever as they paroozed the store together.

Shopping at Furever Pets (notice Athena's fancy reindeer antlers that she tried on)

Next we took a break for coffee and as we sipped our drinks, Athena and Bingley became the stars of the day's news.  We were approached by a local news station to be interviewed for a segment about Cyber Monday.  Below you can see the segment where we talked about our holiday shopping for the dogs (start at 30 seconds):

If you viewed the video above, you may have noticed that Athena and Bingley were getting a bit restless sitting and waiting for us to finish our coffee and interview.  We rewarded them by taking them to a local park where they chased each other all around, played ball, and tumbled in the mud.

Bingley gave Athena a run for her money!

Hanging out at the park

Sir Bingley was in his glory as he splashed in every mud puddle that he could find.  Much to our dismay, Athena chased him in the puddles (she usually avoids getting dirty at all costs) which meant that our afternoon ended with a trip to the self-serve dog wash.

Bingley says, "C'mon Athena!  Let's roll in the mud!"

I couldn't help myself, mom!

How did you celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with your pups?  Have you started your holiday shopping for the dogs yet?

Walking with RespectaBulls

About a month ago when Emily from Our Waldo Bungie visited Portland, I was so excited to also meet up with Sarah from Married with Dawgs.  During a very long lunch, we talked about all things dog including the Portland Pit Bull Parade which Athena, B, and I have attended twice (see here and here). Sarah told me about a relatively new dog walking group that she planned to join with her dog Hurley.

The group is called RespectaBulls and it is a no dog greeting group that works much like the dog walking groups that we admire like Chicago SociaBulls, KC Pittie Pack, and HikeABull.  RespectaBulls walks once a month in the Portland and Vancouver areas to provide a positive and supportive environment for handlers to work with their dogs.

Yesterday we joined RepectaBulls for our first walk.  As much as we love the Portland Pit Bull Parade, I felt that RepectaBulls was a much calmer environment (less than 15 dogs per walk) where Athena got to work on no dog greetings and keeping her distance from other dogs.  I think that this type of a setting will be an excellent addition to Athena's overall training.

Aside from the super cute dogs (all of whom were pitties except for one!), the owners in the group were so friendly and welcoming.  I love that many of the owners and dogs are reoccurring walkers from month to month which makes for a very supportive community.

A few of the dogs on the walk are up for adoption through the West Columbia Gorge 'No Kill' Humane Society in Washougal, WA.  Seen below in his fancy purple fleece vest (made by RespectaBulls group leader Amanda) is Barkley.  He's a two year old pittie awaiting his forever home while living in a foster home.  As you can see, he looooovvveeed the puppies!

Also up for adoption through WCGHS are Cutty (left) and Walter (right).  These handsome guys would be an amazing addition to any family!

During the walk, Athena pulled and pulled until we finally figured out that her sweet spot is walking side by side with the other dogs.  She is not fond of walking behind everyone!

We even worked in a little bit of training before the walk began.  Though, Athena made sure that she always had her eyes on her doggy friends so as not to miss out on any of the fun!

We really enjoyed walking with RespectaBulls and think that Athena enjoyed it too.  Hopefully these walks in addition to walks with the Portland Pit Bull Parade will become a part of our monthly routine!

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?

Basic Obedience: Week 6

Last week Athena had a rockin' time in her week 5 basic obedience class.  Yesterday we headed to our final class of our 6 week session only to find out that we get to attend a bonus class next week!  So, Athena's basic obedience training has turned into a 7 week class-- how exciting!

Pleeeeeeeaaaase let me play with my doggy friends today!

Athena hasn't been feeling 100% the past couple of days and we suspect that she had an allergic reaction to some new treats that she had.  We have an appointment at the vet today, so we will update you next week on her recovery.

We told our trainer that Athena was having some tummy trouble and that we would like to have a low-key session without any dog-dog play interaction.  So, even though Athena whined and whined that she couldn't play with her doggy friends, the training session was overall successful.  Athena seems to be getting better at responding to basic commands when faced with the distraction of other dogs around her.

Week 6:

Yesterday's class was pretty much the same as last week because we worked on the same commands in a similar setting.  However, we love getting to practice all of Athena's commands in the presence of other dogs because dogs=Athena's major weakness.  She just wants to play with everyone so badly that  her dog ADHD comes out in full force and we have a hard time getting her to focus on us.  Since joining the group training class though we have seen an improvement in her ability to stay focused with other dogs around.

When class was over, the other dogs got to play with each other, but we kept Athena out of the mix because of her tummy issues.  She was a bit sad about this in the beginning, but totally got over it when the trainer offered her a noise making toy.  However, another dog came over to Athena and snatched her toy away from her and Athena really didn't like that.  She's usually a pretty quite dog, but this situation plus her already irritable attitude turned her into Little Miss Barky (she pretty much only does her "yelp bark" when she is REALLY frustrated that she can't play with another dog).  She was pretty upset that this dog had taken her beloved toy!  Athena continued her sad yelp bark for a few seconds until we decided that all of the dog fun was just too frustrating for Athena, so we left class and let the other dogs play.  Hopefully next week Athena will be back to her normal self and can join in on all of the fun for her last class!

Week 6 Homework:

• Practice down/sit/down/sit
• Practice sequences of commands (example: heel, down, stay, sit and then treat)
• Self-Assigned Homework: Teach Athena a new trick!  Maybe twirl??

Any thoughts on a new cool trick to teach Athena at this stage in her training?  As much as we enjoy building her confidence with the commands that she already knows, we hope to continue adding new commands regularly to the list of ones that she already knows.

Check out Athena's progress in basic obedience here, here, and here.

We Joined a Dog Walking Group!

A couple of weeks ago we posted about our thoughts on joining a dog walking group.  We received some great feedback from Two Pitties in the City, Our Waldo Bungie, and Married with Dawgs about their experiences with dog walking social groups and the many great things that can come from joining one.

We decided that we would try out a dog walking group as a way to add to Athena's socialization and to work on some of her behaviors that we would like to curb (leash reactivity, crazy play when meeting new dogs, fear of new experiences, etc.).  So, yesterday we met up with the Portland Pit Bull Parade at Westmoreland Park in SE Portland for a walk and a picnic.

Upon entering the group we were greeted by the group's founders who welcomed us and shared some information about the group's history.  The parade began shortly after we arrived and B and I stayed towards the back with Athena so as not to overwhelm her with this very new experience.  This was the first time that we had ever been in one place with so many dogs around us, so we expected that Athena would display some unwanted behaviors.

It was clear throughout the entire walk that Athena was very anxious because she pulled on the leash SO HARD!  We haven't had too many issues when walking on leash since fitting her with the Gentle Leader head collar.  But, this apparatus apparently doesn't work as well when surrounded by a large pack of dogs!  B and I now sympathize with those who deal with leash pullers on a daily basis.  Wow is that a workout!

I stick my tongue out to having to walk politely!

The little puller in action

Leash pulling aside, we managed to meet so many great people in the parade.  Most of them were also attending the parade for the first time.  We enjoyed hearing their stories of how they adopted their dogs and how their dogs share similar traits and behaviors to Athena.  It felt so nice to be in a community of pit bull lovers who understand the prejudice towards the breed and are working to bring awareness to the good nature of the dogs.

Following the walk was a Bully Walkers appreciation picnic.  During this time we met even more amazing pit bull owners and their dogs.  Athena got to meet quite a few dogs (most everyone enforced the "no face-to-face" greeting rule) and she didn't show any aggression towards any of them (we had her wear a "dog reactive" red bandana during the parade just in case).

As we have mentioned before, when Athena meets a new dog she thinks it's play time.  So, every dog that she met (or even got close to) during the parade she wanted to initiate play with them.  Everyone laughed and reminisced about their dog's puppy years and their desire to always play.  These interactions were what had me thinking about Our Waldo Bungie's comment on our original post about dog walking groups:  "My favorite thing about being a part of a dog walking group is that you are able to work on your dogs' less-than-stellar behaviors in a safe environment, where you won't be judged by your fellow walkers."  We weren't judged for Athena's desire to play with every dog that she met, nor were we judged as owners for not yet having a handle on this behavior.  Even during the embarrassing moment when Athena started play mode and her leash slipped out of B's hand leaving her running around in circles around a group of a couple dogs and their owners, we were not judged.  Instead, someone quickly grabbed Athena's leash and everyone laughed off the incident.

Getting a bit of training in with distractions

B and I were very impressed with the Portland Pit Bull Parade and we plan to continue attending the monthly parades as a way to show our pride for the breed and to continue on Athena's journey towards becoming an outstanding ambassador for the breed.

Basic Obedience: Week 5

Last week we told you about our week 4 basic obedience class that prompted Athena's training boot camp this week (ok, to be honest we didn't do a very good job of implementing boot camp...).  So, yesterday we headed out to Petco for our fifth basic obedience class since adopting Athena.  I was a bit nervous about it seeing as last week was the first time that we were in class with other dogs and Athena did NOT perform at the top of her class like we would have hoped (she acted like she didn't know what "down" was!).  But.....

Athena ROCKED it in last night's class!!!!!

There was one other dog in the class last night who was a 9 month old Boston Terrier/Boxer mix.  Athena and him hit it off great and they spent a good amount of time before and after class playing together.  We are still very cautious when Athena meets new dogs because of her 'dog aggressive' label given by her previous owner (more about that here).  Last week in class Athena didn't get to play with the other dogs, but last night she played and played and played with her new friend!  She was in doggy heaven!!  We were ecstatic that she made a friend who matched her energy level.  There were even times when Athena actually wanted to take a break from playing and the other dog kept going in for more.  Usually it's Athena who won't let her playmate take a breather!

Trying to catch my breath after a long play sesh!

Week 5:

As far as training, we worked some more on distractions with long down/stays inside of the store.  Athena actually did down/stays the entire time (last week she was way too distracted to do "down").  Of course when a big distraction came her way (like a squeaky toy being thrown in front of her face) she would stand up and we would have to give her the "leave it" command and direct her back into a down/stay.  But overall, B and I were very impressed with Athena's progress from last week.  

Oh yeah...it might be cheating not to tell you that we bumped up the food reward last night.  Instead of giving Athena her favorite Nutro Crunchy Treats that she will do anything for unless she is in a group training class with millions of distractions, we gave her pieces of hot dog.  That's right, we bumped from a level one treat to a level three so that we would be at the top of the class.  You gotta do what you gotta do!

Show me the hot dog!

Week 5 Homework:

• Keep practicing basic commands with new types of distractions
• Practice commands in new locations (at the park, on walks, at home, in a pet store, at Home Depot, etc.)

Hopefully next week's class will be just as stellar as yesterday's was.  We have loved having Athena in a training class because it gives us the confidence to train her on our own at home, provides her with socialization, and helps her to overcome some of her fears of new situations.

Check out Athena's progress in basic obedience class here and here.

Also, thanks to everyone who commented on last week's basic obedience post to tell us stories about their first group training classes and to give us encouragement that Athena would get better =)

-A

Basic Obedience: Week 4

For the past month Athena has been enrolled in a basic obedience class at our local Petco.  See our post about weeks 1-3 training here.

Last week we skipped our training class because B had a class at the same time and we like to be at the training class together.  So, today we resumed our training sessions and attended our 4th class (out of 6 total).

We were pretty excited about being back in class because we bumped into the intermediate/advanced class which meant that we got to be in a training class with other dogs.  I feel like a parent whose kid got on the honor roll!  Go Athena!

Even though we got the advancement...it doesn't mean that Athena was at the top of class!  There were two other dogs in the class: a 6 month old Australian Shepherd and a 7 month old Boxer-- both are very high energy dogs, but both were pretty rockin' when it came to the day's lesson.

Since we are still wary of Athena's 'dog aggressive' label given by her previous owners (who only had her for 2 weeks), our trainer knew that we wanted to take the dog introductions slowly.  Athena got to meet the two other dogs while on leash.  The Australian Shepherd owner didn't seem very comfortable with Athena meeting her dog and even said, "we don't need any more vet bills!"  I guess I would be cautious too if I heard that another dog is possibly dog aggressive.

But, after some quick introductions we got right to training.  Here's what we worked on in class:

Week 4: 

• DISTRACTIONS!

So apparently everything Athena knows goes out the door when two other dogs join her in class.   At least the trainer told us that her behavior was normal for a dog's first time in class with other dogs.  We totally looked like the owners who don't do their homework and don't practice any commands with their dog at home.  Athena really didn't want to listen to anything we said (even with totally tasty treats dangling in front of her face) and she acted like she had never heard the word 'down' in her life.  I will just say that the experience was challenging.  And if I thought that it was challenging, I can't even imagine how Athena felt.  Not to worry though, when we got home I gave Athena lots of loves to let her know that I love her even though she has doggy ADHD.

Anyways...the hour of class consisted of us practicing down/stays in the training room while the trainer distracted our dogs and got them to move around the room while other dogs stayed.  Next, we moved out into the store and were presented with some major distractions while we practiced down/stay.  Athena really refused to be in a down position...so we just practiced sit/stay most of the time.

Week 4 Homework:

• Practice 'leave it'-- this once mastered command doesn't work so well when distractions are present
• Practice 'down'-- diva dog doesn't like to down in the presence of other dogs
• Implement doggy boot camp-- ok, this is self-assigned homework, but Athena better be ready for some major practicing in highly distractible situations this week because her parents are teachers and therefore like to be at the top of the class!

Overall, week 4 class was bleh.  Could have been better, could have been worse.  But, I'm proud of my little girl for being so stealer in her first month of being with us!!

-A

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Pitlandia in Portlandia: Cartlandia Food Carts

Wow...Pitlandia in Portlandia at Cartlandia...that's a mouth full!  But, that's what happened yesterday when we took Athena to her first food cart pod in the city!

It was a spur of the moment decision that turned into a great experience for us all!  We have been taking Athena to a lot of new places in the past week to help her with her socialization and fear of pretty much everything.  We thought that going to some food carts would be a perfect opportunity for her to get out of the house and practice her politeness in public!

We decided to go to Cartlandia in SE Portland because it's fairly close to our house and is one of the larger food cart pods in the area.  They have all sorts of different food carts that serve food from around the world.  This time we had some authentic Mexican street tacos from Brother Express and shared a delicious bavarian cream dessert from Cake on a Hot Tin Roof.

There was one other dog at the food carts who barked at Athena the ENTIRE time that we were there.  At first Athena wanted to approach the dog, but we made her heel and walked away.  As we sat down to eat our lunch at a picnic table, Athena kept wanting to see the barking dog.  We practiced her sit/stay and down/stay while we ate and she quickly became uninterested in the very annoying dog.

I was shocked at how well behaved Athena was at the food carts.  I swear that it was like being with a very well trained dog who has been practicing for months!  She let us eat our food (for the most part), got tons of attention from people at the carts, and listened to our commands even with all of the distractions around.  I don't think that anyone would have guessed that we have only had her for one month (and she didn't know any commands when we first got her)!

Now that the summer is coming to an end, I'm a little sad that we might not get to go on too many more food cart adventures.  But, I'm feeling like Athena is on her way towards being a great pitbull ambassador!

Check out our other Pitlandia in Portlandia post here.

-A

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Thoughts on Joining a Dog Walking Group

Lately we have been thinking about the pros and cons to joining a dog walking group.  We know that we want to be a part of a group at some point in the future, but we're just not sure when it would be the right time for Athena.

We've never been a part of a dog walking group before, nor have we seen one in action, so we are a bit apprehensive about bringing Athena to a meeting and having it be a total disaster!  B and I have multiple reasons for why we would like to be a part of a dog walking group.  For one, we want Athena to have the opportunity to socialize with other dogs.  We have also heard that it can be a great way for pooches to build their confidence, especially if they lack confidence in being around other dogs (which Athena definitely does).  The bloggers over at Two Pitties in the City shared a post with us about managing a leash reactive dog in the city-- one of the suggestions happened to be joining a dog walking group as a way to work on leash reactivity!

Leash reactivity is actually one of our concerns for joining a dog walking group at this time.  Athena REALLY wants to meet every dog that she passes.  She has had successful meetings with other dogs where it has been very uneventful.  However, she has also had some dog meetings that made her EXTREMELY excited where she jumps up and whines and wants to play with the other dog so badly.  When we see other dogs while out on a walk, Athena will pull so hard on the leash to get to the dog as quickly as possible.  We don't reward this pulling behavior and so we turn in the opposite direction.

Emily from Our Waldo Bungie helped to found the KC Pittie Pack in Kansas City, MO.  She writes about how "the best way to socialize your dog is to be social with your dog" and discusses how a dog walking group provides dogs and their owners an opportunity to practice their social skills.  B and I don't think that Athena had much socialization in her first year of life before we adopted her.  We are now trying to slowly provide her with positive socialization with other dogs-- but, it's hard to find other dogs and owners that we trust to practice with!  Maybe a dog walking group is a good way to start?

We want to give Athena the opportunity to have successful meetings with other dogs so that we can approach another dog calmly.  I just don't want Athena to be the only dog in a dog walking group that can't handle herself and interrupts all of the good behavior from the other dogs!  Another great blogger from Notes From A Dog Walker wrote a similar post to this one about dog walking social groups and how they can provide great socialization for dogs outside of the dreaded dog park.  I'm starting to think that we need to get in a dog walking social group ASAP!

Whether or not we are ready to join a dog walking group right away, we know that in the future we would like to join the Portland Pit Bull Parade.  This local dog walking group meets once a month in different locations around the city to show off the good nature of bully type breeds.  The next walk is being held on September 9th....so, 14 days from now.

B and I are also interested in attending Strut Your Mutt with the shelter that we adopted Athena from.  This dog walking event is being held on September 29th...24 days from now.  I think that this might be wishful thinking.  This event will most likely be HUGE and way too overstimulating for Athena.  But, it's definitely a goal that we would like to strive to achieve in the coming years!

Some great bully breed walking groups that we have read about include:

Chicago, IL- Chicago Sociabulls
Kansas City, MO- KC Pittie Pack and Friends
NYC, NY- Big Apple Pittie Pack
South Bay area, CA- HikeABull
Cleveland, OH- Pit Bull Zen
Phoenix, AZ- ExploraBull
Seattle, WA- WalkaBulls
Hoboken, NJ- Positive Pittie Pack
Washington DC- Pittie Trails
Toledo, OH- Lucas County Pit Crew

We would love your advice and knowledge about joining a dog walking group!  When did you know that your pooch was ready to join a dog walking group?

-A & B

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A Walk To The Park & Doggie Play Date

Tonight B's brother came over with his two daughters and his dog Howie for a BBQ.  Before eating

dinner, we took Athena and the two girls on a walk around the neighborhood and to the park.

Athena heeling at the cross walk with B and the girls

B's brother's daughters are in third and sixth grade and have grown up with dogs their whole lives.  Their mom also works at Athena's vet's office, so they are just a big family of dog lovers!  The girls play really well with Athena and we like when they come over so that Athena can have more socialization with children.  Since we are unsure of Athena's past, we don't really know what she has had experiences with such as children and other dogs.

Resting at the park

The girls love Athena and Athena loves the girls!

After the walk, the humans ate while Athena and Howie each spent some time in their separate crates.  Today was the second time that Athena and Howie played together.  Athena is an extremely high energy player and doesn't exactly match Howie's level of energy.  But, Howie was a good sport and let Athena know when she was annoying him with her persistence.  We can tell that Athena hasn't had much experience playing with other dogs because she doesn't yet know when to stop without us giving her some signals.  We appreciate B's brother bringing Howie over so that Athena can have some dog socialization with an owner and dog that we know and trust.  I didn't get any pictures of Athena and Howie playing because they were moving at the speed of light!  Next time I'll try to get pictures of them in action!

How do you help your dog to socialize with other dogs?

P.S.- I realize that I have yet to make an appearance in any of our photos.  I just happen to always be the one behind the camera!  Maybe I will make an appearance in tomorrow's post =)

-A