Why Spoons Are Great (& a 100 Mile Pact Update)

Dude! We may finally be on to something here! You may remember that in my last post I was languishing the fact that my dog is a Honey Badger when it comes to treats in general. She's got no time for the usual suspects when it comes to high value rewards. Chicken? Pish. Steak? Posh. Stinky cheese? That's ok Ma, you can have it.

So imagine my surprise when we discovered that our secret training tool has been right there in front of us all along! We just didn't know how to use it.

After we ran out of pizza at Monday night's class, I hunted around in our giant bag of dog gear and was dismayed to find that the only food items at my disposal were a half empty mason jar of dry dog biscuits and the jar of peanut butter we use to top off McGee's Kong whenever we stuff it with food.

Enter stage right: spoon. Spoon? Spoon!

Holy bunnies, spoons are awesome for so many reasons I already knew about, but now I have a whole new reason to love them! Did you know that if you load a spoon with peanut butter and hold it just out of your dog's reach, she will do most anything for a scrumptious lick? And not only will this distract her from all other canines, it will also be hilarious to watch her work so hard to please you while simultaneously licking gobs of goo off her cute little dog nose?

We may really be on to something here.

Natural progression leading to McGee's best impression of Crazy Eyes.

It should also be noted that McGee does not care for metal spoons. They get all clickety-clackety on her teeth and freak her out. I'm going to use up some of our stash of spoons-that-come-with-takeout-even-when-you-don't-want-them and then switch to bamboo.

As with any breakthrough, I'm sure we haven't found a cure all for our reactive dog woes, but progress is progress. I'm going to take this as a win and stock up on some JIF. Or maybe something all natural with no added sugars, but I'll worry about that later.

100 Mile Pact Update

Miles Accomplished: 10.44

Miles Left to Goal: 89.56

Days Remaining: 40

MWF & D SEEKING PACK

I have always been a big believer in the universe providing what I need, but I also understand that I've got to meet the universe halfway, right? Today I took a leap and did something that I have been mulling over for a long time... I put out an ad on Craigslist.

You might ask, what's so scary about putting out an ad on Craigslist? You're already married so it can't be one of those sketchy singles advertisements...

Nope, it's not. But it may as well be based on the butterflies in my tummy feeling that I'm having right now. Inspired by groups like Chicago SociaBulls  and Seattle WalkABulls and fueled by the desire to meet like minded individuals who are passionate about their dogs, I decided to reach out to my community and see if there is anyone out there who might want to... walk their dog with me and my dog.

I know, super dork.

Are you sure this is a good idea?

The purpose of the aforementioned groups is to give dogs and their owners the opportunity to work on their issues (leash reactivity, shyness, puppy behaviors, etc) and get some exercise in the presence of other dogs. What a concept! I would love to have access to a group like that! With D.C. over an hour away and no sign of any group currently meeting there anyway, I decided that there must be at least a couple of people in my area who could benefit from the creation of a local pack walking group.

Now I just have to find them. And think of a catchy name.

You can view my Craigslist post here. If you or anyone you know is interested in meeting up, please send me a message.

The 100 Mile Pact

So here's the thing: I like walking my dog, but most days it is exceedingly difficult to convince myself to actually saddle up and get out the door. I'm likely to procrastinate until I only have 30 minutes left until I have to be somewhere and then, by the time McGee and I hit our stride and I'm really enjoying the walk, it's already time to wrap it up and leave for work.

And The McGee knows when she is being ripped off on walking time. She has a very special look she gives me (eyelids slightly lowered, bottom lip pooched out) along with a special huffy sigh as if to say, "Weak effort owner lady, but there is no way you helped me meet my sniffing quota for the day."

For the longest time, I also struggled to walk McGee "by myself". Because of her outbursts upon seeing another dog, I felt incredibly intimidated at the thought of venturing out on my own without Dog Dad along for re-enforcements. Ok, that's a lie, what I really mean to say is that I wanted Dog Dad to be there to do ALL the enforcing. I just didn't believe that I had enough sway to convince McGee to do any behaving whatsoever.

I'm happy to report that lately my little pup pal and I have been partaking in many more walks on our own. While she still scowls and gives me her most unhappy face when I put on her Gentle Leader, this fleeting moment of cranky face cannot overshadow the ecstatic and elaborate tap dancing routine she treats me to when she knows it's time to go for A Walk.


"Oh excellent, I see you are wearing The Fanny Pack."

Little by little, I think that we are building a better bond and that she is coming to trust me more and more as a leader. I'm sure it also helps that I carry THE GIANT FANNY PACK OF BRIBERY full of delicious things for her to eat along the way. But you know how you can really tell when someone is your bestest friend? When you know all their favorite pooping spots by heart.

In honor of our newly forged girl time relationship, McGee and I are making a pact (she's just finding out about this right now as I type). We are making a pact to walk 100 miles together, without Dog Dad, by the end of 2013. Today we busted out 1.32 miles, so that gives us 47 days to conquer the remaining 98.68.

Hopefully this quality time is going to solidify my role in The McGee's life as someone she looks up to. She and I have a lot of work to do together so that both of us can be more confident and less worried when we're out together in public. We'll just have to take it one step at a time.