As humans, we likely have the all too familiar “get healthy/lose weight” goal listed on our to-dos. As dog owners, we also have a list of resolutions that are Fido focused – with anything from mastering that inconsistent come command to giving your dog the happiest life possible. And if no one else has said this to you yet, I’d like to be the first to say – “you can do it!” Whatever has made it to your list of wants and desires for 2011 it’s yours for the taking.

To get you started, I recommend picking one thing off your list and making a plan for how you can make that resolution/goal a reality. It may take you a day to accomplish or it may take you three months. Don’t worry, it’s not a race J you’ve got all year.

For those of you with fitness goals (you and/or your dogs), you can “get two dogs with one bone” here. The tried and true method, of course, is getting out and walking your dog at least once a day. A recent issue of AKC Family Dog has highlighted some additional recommendations that sound like fun for both you and your pup.

• Running agility
• Practice “doga”
• Participate in the YMCA Power of Pets program (offered locally at the Silver Spring YMCA)

There are also an endless number of outdoor activities, a myriad of which we feature here at Outbound Hound. Are you going for a fitter you and more balanced pup in 2011? If so, please share what activities you will be doing to obtain that goal. Have a different goal? We’d love to read about it so please share!

My very favorite reason to build this type of engagement with your pup is just that – engagement! Working together builds that all-important bond while increasing confidence in both of you!

Here are several ways you can amp-up your exercise regime. Hopefully it will give you even more ideas:

Active commands | “Pushups” or “Puppy Pushups” are a great example of combining physical movement with thinking and general control. Have your dog begin in a “sit” then ask for a “down” then have him push up back into a sit. You’re conditioning muscles and mind while creating a great distraction behavior to use next time you’re waiting in the vet’s office.

Aerobics | Maybe not Jane Fonda style, but your pup needs to get his cardio on regularly. Just like you, your dog’s body gets used to the usual lap around the neighborhood and it can cease to be much of a workout over time. Vary the lengths, speed and intensity regularly.

Fun in the rain | Well not in the rain but while the weather is yucky bring a little agility indoors. Jumping through a hula-hoop started close to the ground can be another way to combine physical and mental challenges. Just watch the breakables and do not do this on bare, slippery floors!

Tag, you’re it! | Want to strengthen those recalls and improve cardio? Work distance recalls and increase the speed at which your dog returns to you. Leave the dog in a sit/down/stay position and go out only as far as you think your dog can be successful. Call your dog (or whatever your recall command is). Only when he starts to come and get closer do you turn and run, increasing distance and speed over time. Reward the dog only when they run to you, not by you! You’ll get faster and more consistent recalls and get those hearts beating (both of you!).

Get into the box | One of the best “shaping” exercises you can do – indoors, too – is interacting with a plain ol’ cardboard box. With the top of the box open, reward your dog for stepping in it – front feet, back feet, all feet. Then flip the box over and have him put his front paw(s) on it, then back feet then (depending on the size of your latest UPS delivery) all feet. The idea is to reward the dog for interacting with objects on his own. Not until they reliably do a behavior do you start to name it. The hardest part is not luring them, but letting them offer up behaviors in an attempt to earn the treat. Now if Karma even sees a box he will start offering me behaviors with it.

I work a bunch of these things into our daily lives. Often I will “announce” one of these ultra-short sessions with the question, “Do you want a chance to earn?” Guess what the answer is?

Ah, but thankfully a water workout disguised as fun is a near-perfect solution. This past weekend Karma and I went back to Riverbend Park in the morning before too many people got the same idea.

We picked up the green trail just left of the waterfront at the information building. In less than five minutes we came upon a perfect “beach” that would let him play safely in the water and be off leash (shhhhhh!).

As luck would have it another woman, Sarah, and her Standard Poodle, Lilly, had the same idea. Now Lilly was a MUCH better swimmer than the Karmalicious but the competition was good for them both.

Sticks ended up being the preferred fetch “toy” and was a catalyst for increasing cardio and getting the dogs to really go for it. I had started off with his preferred water toy from Ruff Wear but a moment of distraction allowed it to float on down the river out of reach. I imagined it going over Great Falls later in the day, captured in the background of a family photo – Ha!

But I digress. We stayed for just over an hour and Karma let me know he was done by coming out of the water more often and laying in shallow water. He was a tired and content boy the rest of the day and I believe he got a decent workout out of it.

The author of this is unknown, but it was passed onto me and we think it’s worth sharing on a bigger level. For all of you who have ever competed with your dog on any level, we are confident you can relate!

What Is A Title Really?

Not just a brag, not just a stepping stone to a higher Title, not just an adjunct to competitive scores.

A Title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honor the dog, an ultimate memorial. It will remain in the record and in the memory for about as long as anything in this world can remain. Few humans will do as well or better in that regard. And though the dog himself doesn’t know or care that his achievements have been noted, a Title says many things in the world of humans, where such things count.

A Title says your dog was intelligent, and adaptable, and good-natured. It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that please you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed. And a Title says that you loved your dog, that you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog, and that you believed in him enough to give him yet another chance when he failed, and that in the end your faith was justified.

A Title proves that your dog inspired you to have the special relationship enjoyed by so few; that in a world of disposable creatures, this dog with a Title was greatly loved, and loved greatly in return. And when that dear short life is over, the Title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend, volumes of praise in one small set of initials before or after the name.

A Title is nothing less than love and respect, given and received permanently.

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

That yellow thing in the photo is called an eGGe and it’s even better than a soccer ball! Karma can’t “cheat” by picking it up because it’s made of hard plastic. And when he pounces on it, the eGGe sort of “squirts” away because of its irregular shape and the game is on! We originally tried it out in snow and the eGGe travels even faster on the white stuff! The downside is it doesn’t kick quite the same way as a soccer ball – ha! – unless you have some seriously hard-toed shoes. Oh, and when you throw it, make sure you don’t accidentally hit your boy in the face (not that I would ever do that!).

His new fashion accessory with the red trim is a K9 Kool Coat. As you know from previous posts, Karma’s generous coat makes him melt in the heat. When I say heat, I mean anything over 75 degrees! Ha! The coat is made of a mesh fabric that breathes while it reflects the sun. The added bonus is you can wet the coat and it increases the cooling properties. I like it much better than RuffWear’s Swamp Cooler as this one doesn’t trap the moisture and thus heat up. It worked really well after Karma played fetch with the Border Collies and got overheated – he cooled down faster in his new duds! I’m sold!

A few weeks ago I did just this. Setup was pretty easy since my Marmot Limelight 3 tent has a rainfly and footprint that can setup without the tent. This is meant to be used in warm weather camping and in Virginia it doesn’t get any warmer in winter than indoors at 72 degrees. Cannon got really excited when he saw me pull the tent polls out. And I gotta admit that having only used my tent a couple times, I got excited when I got a whiff of that new tent smell! The moment I go the ten setup my 80lb Ridgey was wandering around inside, waiting for me to get the sleeping bag laid down.

I made a couple small modification to this camping trip. I set the tent up over the rug in my living room to give me some extra cushion. I unzipped my sleeping bag and laid it out across the entire sleeping pad and then stacked a couple down comforters on top. We camped right in front of the tv and watched the olymipcs… it was fantastic!!!

For some extra ambiance to the night I made indoor smores. Graham crackers, Hershey’s chocolate bar and fluff – just put it in the microwave for 7 to 12 seconds and you’re all set.

Now, I’ve been thinking – for those of you who haven’t done any tent camping with your dog, this would be a fantastic way to give it a test run. You can get your pup used to sleeping in the tent and see if he’s gonna try to sneak in your sleeping bag with you. Tip – sometimes dogs can pace around the tent a lot the first time they’re all zipped up in there with you. Don’t be alarmed, this is typical. Just relax and give him some time to get used to it. If you relax then he should relax and be curled up next to you in no time.

If you’ve got any tips on how to make a bigger better indoor camping experience then we’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment here and share your tips and/or stories!

For me the perfect cure for cabin fever is a little shopping. If you can relate then I’d suggest grab’n the leash, your pup and heading to Lucketts, VA to the The Old Lucketts Store. This pet friendly shop touts a “vintage hip” style, which definitely delivers. Both the Store and its neighboring Design House allow our four legged friends. So, if you’ve got a critter that’s good around others then I recommend taking him out for a little shopping. It’s good mental exercise for him and a bit of retail therapy for you.

Warning – enthusiastic tail waggers beware!

Christmas day for me will include Cannon unwrapping (okay… he shreds the paper) his gifts, an Orvis plush bunny and a bag of organic treats. That will be an exciting for him for all of 2 minutes. His favorite part will be what comes next. We’ll both get our coats on and head out for a good run in the cold air. Not our usual trails, we’ll be in upstate New York. There will be lots to see and to smell. We’ll do an extra long trek, after all there’s treats and xmas dinner waiting for us.

When the family all gathers there will be lots of kisses and belly rubs for Cannon. There will be crumbs to clean off the carpet from what the kids drop. There will be doorbells ringing, announcing new people to greet. He’ll have more attention than he knows what to do with. Wrapped gifts or not… just like for the rest of us, this will be the best part of all.

His collar is a 1 ½ inch wide band of blue and white. The white strip is reflective. This helps with nighttime walks off leash in the backyard and roadside walks after dusk, keeping him clearly visible. Cannon’s got a very durable style collar but you can also find holiday inspired and other beautifully decorative styles.

There are a lot of shampoos that you’ll find at your local pet supply store. My brand of choice is Earthbath. It’s an all natural shampoo, which means no harsh ingredients that could hurt your dog or the environment. They sell products for dogs, cats and horses. They also sell several wipes and spritzes, besides the old standard, shampoo.