Practicing Some New Tricks

Just a quick update on how Scout's training is coming along.  You'll see a couple old and a couple new tricks in this video. A lot of our recent work has been on loose leash walking- we're off the Peanut Butter! But we still have a long ways to go.  I'll admit sometimes I get frustrated, but then all I have to do is remember he is 4 Months old!

A Romp with Scout

Scout has been getting better about being off-leash.  Well, in all honesty, I'm just being less of Nervous Nelly.  I don't think Scout knows the difference.

Sorry for the shoddy camera work. Hopefully you can make out all of his cuteness! We're going to make a trail dog out of him yet! :)

The Muddiest Dog in the Pacific Northwest

I LOVE the trails Seattle and surrounding areas provide me and the little dog. I do not, however, love the mud it provides. It would be one thing if just his paws were muddy. But he is a little mudball when he gets home! 

Exhibit A:

The picture hardly does the mud justice, especially on Scout. Not to mention the peanut butter stains on my pants!

To top it all off I bought a white area rug for our living room. Because, you know, I'm optimistic stupid. But the light in our apartment is awful, so it's kinda hard to see all the stains, so there's a win. 

The Cone of Shame!

That's right! Our little dog underwent some surgery recently.  Why?

One night when Martin & Scout were playing tug when Scout's canine teeth broke.  I'm sure it sounds extreme, but it's actually pretty common. His teeth needed to be extracted to prevent infection.  Our vet decided while we had him under the knife to get everything done in one foul swoop.  He had his upper canine teeth extracted, neutered, and microchipped. That's a lot for one little dog!

He's recovering great though!  Post-op they tell you things like, "oh, he might be lethargic, that's normal." Ha. Ha ha. They clearly don't know my dog.  He was back to causing trouble in no time! When I went to go pick him up I was getting discharge instructions from the vet.  Scout heard my voice from his holding area and started whining at the top of his lungs.  The vet gave up and brought Scout in to finish the discharge! Aaaawww, I think he likes me!

He has 2 weeks in the cone of shame - wish us luck!

 

Scout's a Winner!

Our apartment complex recently held a "Cutest Pet Contest"

Can you guess who won??
The choice was obvious!

Bonus: There was a cash prize for 1st place. Boom! Thanks, Scout!

So which picture took this title?



Cutest Pet on all of Mercer Island

Scout and I Made More New Friends!

Before I go into our magical experience I want to talk about how beautiful Seattle is. It's gorgeous, we're spoiled out here. At home in Iowa this is what some not-so-lucky dogs are trying to walk in:

The really wonderful thing about Seattle is the community infrastructure. You can tell they really care about their parks - it's like Leslie Knope lives here!  Here's some pictures from the beautiful local trails Scout gets to experience!





Pioneer Park



Luther Burbank Park

Island Crest Park





 

Luther Burbank Park on Lake Washington

Now for the good stuff!

This morning I was taking Scout for a walk on the trails of Island Crest Park when we met two dogs and their owner. I started out with my usual opening line "Can we say hi?" to let the dogs introduce themselves. Their owner was a sweet lady about my mother's age and she asked if I'd taken him off leash in this park before. I said we hadn't, but we're taking baby steps towards that goal. Then she offered for us to walk with them! So Scout was off-leash running around through the woods with her Cocker Spaniel and Golden Retriever. He had such a good time! The played chase and he came running back right away. Now granted, I don't know if he came back because of me, or because he was chasing the other dogs - either way - what a great experience for him! Especially to make new friends and work on his socialization! During our walk my new friend told me all about the neighborhood and their "unspoken" off leash dog park, best places to buy houses, where to meet the locals, etc. She was so nice! I seriously should've asked for her number! Haha!

Scout is now worn out from all his fun and I'm amped up to try out the new places she recommended. I still say Iowa is a friendlier state, but this made it feel more like home!

When In Doubt. Peanut Butter.

My dog is weird. He doesn't like to go on walks.  Now I know I bragged about how good he was on a leash earlier, but his walking skills have severely diminished. The funniest thing is, he's very choosey. He'll walk fine with a group or a strange place, but if I want to go around our apartment complex his reaction is to wiggle out of his harness!

The worst part is, I would often let him win! It gets embarrassing having a barking dog in public - especially right outside someone else's window. Determined not to be the loser anymore I employed a new creative strategy: Peanut butter. 

For the first few walks I would lure Scout along step by step with a spoon full of peanut butter.  We looked ridiculous. But it has started working! I'm slowly trying to wean him off of the peanut butter using it only as a reward for good behavior like "wait" and "heel."  He's done really well so far - about half way through the walk he even forgets that the peanut butter exists because he's so busy sniffing out new trails!

I imagine this is working because we had never rewarded him with peanut butter before, mostly dog treats or cheese, so Peanut Butter is an extra special reward We'll have to see if he keeps it up! My goal is for Scout to one day enjoy walking for the fun and adventure...not the peanut butter!