Eat, Sleep Play

Had a very busy morning catching up on reading some of my favorite blogs.  I love the internet cuz I get to talk to all of you guys and read your blogs where I learn about you and where you live.

Even though we live in different places around the world, there is one thing I noticed we have in common.  All dogs love to play.  Age or size or breed, it doesn’t matter, we were made to play and have fun.  You dogs that have brothers and sisters are lucky cuz you have someone to play with all the time.  For those of us who are in single dog households, although there are some advantages, like not having to share cookies or the bed with another dog, humans don’t like to play as much as dogs do.

Have you noticed that with your humans? They do lots of things like work, drive cars, cook meals, shovel snow, but they don’t play so much with us dogs.  It could be cuz they aren’t so good at it.  For one thing, they’re not very fast runners.  I can run around our house three times and they barely move from the starting point.

They don’t play Chase Me at all.  I think they are trained not to play that game.  I wonder if it’s some religious thing.  Whenever I want to play Chase Me, they call me back and want to play another game like Sit and Down. 

They don’t play Catch very good either.  I can catch the ball almost every time they throw it but they almost never catch it when I throw it back.  And, they don’t know the rules.  They can’t understand that in a game of Catch or Fetch, after you bring the ball or toy back, you are supposed to play Tug of War with it.  Two years and my humans still don’t know how to play those games right.

 

Don’t get me wrong.  I love my humans very much, even if they are play challenged.  They are kind and loving and smart.  They are smart enough to know their short comings and take me to Dog Park or Doggie Day Care where I can play with others who have equal athletic abilities and who know the rules for all the games.

Love to know your favorite game and your secret for getting your humans to play with you.

Your friend,

Zeva

 

P.S. Shameless self-promotion one of our PawPals Gift Basket is the perfect gift for any dog, any occasion.

Run Zeva Run!

Spring is almost here which means that swimsuit weather can’t be far behind. Okay, I don’t wear a swimsuit (I don’t even like water which is embarrassing since I’m part Lab) but I do want to keep my girlish figure so I try to get lots of exercise every day. Here is a photo of me working out in the snow.  Great for the legs.

In my last blog I talked about how Dog Park is a good place to exercise because there are lots of other dog to play with. Although humans are good companions most of the time, they don’t run as fast or jump and wrestle as well as dogs. At Dog Park I get a great work out playing with all the other dogs.

Exercise is not only fun and good for helping you look good, it is good for you. My Mom goes to the gym because she says exercise helps her not be stressed. Dogs get stressed too and when we are stressed we can be hyperactive or aggressive.

When we don’t get enough exercise we also get bored and boredom can cause some really bad things to happen. I know dogs who were so bored that they chewed furniture, woodwork, shoes, and other things that made their humans not happy.

Getting enough exercise is easy. Take your humans for a walk or if they can handle it, a run. Some dogs even go with their humans when they ride bikes. Bikes go really fast and really far so you have to make sure that you are in good shape already. Bikes can also run over you so you need to stay away from the wheels or you and your human can get hurt. They have special leashes that attach to the bike so you can’t get tangled in the wheels.

Agility training is an awesome way to get exercise. Being part border collie, I would love to do agility and Mom said some day we’ll take some classes. Any dog can do agility so even if you are a little dog you can run the course, jump hurdles and go through hoops and stuff.

I’ve heard that there is something in human Yoga called dog down pose and now there is a yoga for dogs called Doga. Well, it’s really for humans but they get to bring their dogs along. It’s supposed to help with bonding. I think I’ll stick to the aerobic type exercises and leave yoga to cats.

Working out makes you tired and we all know that a tired dog is a good dog.  A tired dog is also a happy dog.  Have a great work out, I'm ready for my nap.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.  After a good workout I love a long nap and a little pampering.  My Spot's SPA has everything you need.

 

Dog Park - Staying Fit and Having Fun

Anyone who follows me on Dogbook knows I love going to Dog Park.  It is a lovely place, over seven acres of fields and woodlands that follow a river.  Dogs can run in the fields and swim in the river or just walk along the wonderful paths with their humans for miles and miles. All filled with such great smells!

I love going to Dog Park because there is soooo much to do.  I get to run free and don’t have to worry about Mom or Dad getting lost.  I have to wear my leash when we get out of the car, although it is a hassle, but our dog park is not fenced in so Mom wants to make sure I am away from traffic before I can go off leash.  It seems like a long time but it is not because most of the property is far away from the road where there are cars so when Mom feels safe, she takes my leash off and I am on my own!

 There are lots of different tails so we, usually Mom or Dad, can decide how long we can stay at Dog Park.  I like the really long one that run by the big hill and then to the swimming hole cuz that’s where most of the dogs hang out.  Sure, we meet lots of dogs along the trails but the swimming hole is where the action is.  On the weekend, you can find 20 dogs and their humans hanging around the big field by the swimming hole.  The humans are all drinking their coffees and talking and us dogs, well; we are having lots of fun!  Nobody cares if we dig holes or run around with big sticks.  Some dogs like to jump in the river and splash around.  In the Summer I will go in up to my knees but even though I’m part Lab, I’m not crazy about water.

Sometimes I meet up with old friends but lots of the times I get to play with new dogs.   I love playing tag and chase and there is usually someone who wants to play.

Even when we go on a weekday and the park is quiet, I still get a lot of exercise so when I get home, all I want to do is nap.  Somebody said that a tired dog is a good dog.  I guess I can’t get into too much trouble if I’m sleeping.   Mom says going to Dog Park is good for humans too cuz they need exercise too.

I love Dog Park but it is not for everyone.  Dogs are social beings and like to be around other dogs.  Living with humans is nice but we need to talk with other dogs sometimes. Just like human females need a “Girls Night Out’ and male humans need “A Night Out With the Guys” Dogs need to be with other dogs sometimes.  If you are thinking of taking your dog to a dog park, you might want to check it out alone first.  Some dogs are really shy and would not like being at a dog park. If you see that your dog is not having fun, be a good human and take them home where they feel safe.

Some parks, like in cities, have supervised play.  I had supervised play when I went to day care and it was nice but we don’t have that at Dog Park.  At Dog Park all of the humans need to watch their own dogs to make sure they are playing nice. Mom almost never takes calls on her cell phone when we are at Dog Park.  She says even she deserves an hour or so away from business.

I try to play nice with all the dogs but I know Mom is always watching to make sure.  Once or twice when she thought I was having too much fun, she called me away and made me sit for a minute until I calmed down.  What can I say, some games are quite intense.

A couple more things:  there are hundreds of dogs that visit dog parks every day and you can’t know where some paws have been so make sure you are up to date on all of your shots.  Also, your humans should be prepared to clean up after you.  My Mom carries poop bags in all of her jacket pockets. It gets kind of embarrassing when she tries to get a business card out of a pocket and a bunch of poop bags come out too.   It's about priorities…

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S.  Shameless self promotion ... After a walk in the park I am ready for a snack and we keep my snacks in My Own Cookie Tin.  You can have your very own cookie tin too ....