Home, Not Alone

Watching the bird feeder with Dad

Our Mom and Dad are retired so they are home with us most of the time but for you dogs who have Moms and Dads who go to work, things have changed recently.  They are staying home all the time.

We dogs are used to being at home.  We have our schedules pretty fixed. We know when to nap, when to watch for the post people and when to wait for our humans to come home to feed us.

Now that they are home all the time, we need to find some way to keep them busy.

If you live in a place where you can walk outside, you can take them for lots of walks.  But if you live in a place where you can’t go outside, you need to find some creative ways to entertain them or they will drive you crazy.

Here are some of the indoor games we like to play with our Mom and Dad:

Tug of War.  This is my favorite game!  Although we have a knotted rope toy that is made for tug of war, we have lots of others that work just as good.  DixieLee likes to play with the stuffed snowman and I like the furry chipmunk.

I know this is not what you want to hear but you are supposed to let your human win the game.  You can tug and tug but when they say “drop it” or “leave it” or in our house, “Mama’s” you have to let go.

Hide and Seek.  This is a really fun game that both Mom and Dad play at the same time.  Mom stays in the office with us and counts to ten.  That gives Dad time to hide.  When she says “Go” we get to find Dad.

We are both really good at this game so sometimes I find him first and sometimes DixieLee does.

Fetch on the Stairs.  I am really good at Fetch, DixieLee, not so much.  I would play fetch all day long if I could so Mom makes it more tiring by tossing the toy down the basement stairs so I have to go down and back up.  Up and down the stairs is lots more tiring.

Bubbles.  This is a not fair game that Mom likes.  She has this little bottle that makes balls but when you try to catch them, they disappear.  We play because it amuses her but it’s not our funnest.

Peanut Butter Kong.  Now this is a fun game!  Mom puts peanut butter in our Kongs and we get to spend time enjoying a super snack.

There are lots of other games you can play with your humans while they need to be home.  I hope you have found one or two that you can try.

Be safe,

Love,

Zeva

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What to do on a Hot Summer Day

Boy, it’s super hot outside. We love to go outside to play and go for walks but not when it is this hot. I found a spot right in front of the air conditioner. I don’t want to move until winter comes back but DixieLee wants to play and fight. Sigh

Mom says there has to be something we can do to get rid of extra energy that doesn’t tear the house apart. We went looking and found an article listing 101 things to do with your dog. Here are some ideas.

1. Go for a walk. Well, we love this idea but not when it is so hot the pavement would burn our feet.

2. Go shopping in a pet-friendly store. Mom said NO to that one. She says we have bad manners and she doesn’t have enough money to pay for all the cookies we would eat right out of the bins and the toys DixieLee would destroy.

3. Go to a beach or pond and swim. DixieLee likes to swim but even though I am part Lab, I hate water. So “NO” to the whole swimming idea.

4. Make an appointment with a groomer for a nice bath and pedicure. Did I mention that I hate water and I understand baths involve water. DixieLee hates to have her feet touched so, I guess we can cross that one off the list.

5. Sing to your dog. They can’t be serious. Whoever made this list never heard Mom sing or they would never suggest this activity.

6. Dance with your dog. See number 5.

7. Go on a canoe trip. This also involves water but I would pay to see Dad try to take DixieLee out in a canoe. 

8. Blow bubbles. DixieLee actually likes chasing bubbles but then she is easily amused.

9. Play tug-of-war with an old sock. Not a great idea since it took us 4 years to break DixieLee of the habit of stealing Dad’s socks and chewing holes in them.

10. Make Pupcicles or doggy ice cream. Now this is an activity I can get behind. There are lots and lots of recipes on line so we could have a different flavor every day.

Finally, we found an activity that we can do as a family! I think I’ll just sit here in front of the air conditioner while Mom makes up some peanut butter ice cream treats for us.

Stay cool and make sure you are drinking enough water.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion. For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe to to pawpalsboutique.com

Not Just For Fun

If you think that playing is only for fun you would be wrong.  Play is a very serious thing.  Play is exercise and exercise is really important for dogs because it helps us get rid of energy.  If we don’t get rid of energy by playing we find some other way to get rid of it.   I’m not pointing paws or anything, but some dogs, like a certain sister I have, get rid of extra energy by misbehaving. 

By encouraging play, your human could save a nice pair of shoes or an end table or even Mom’s reading glasses.  (Not pointing paws.  Just saying it wasn’t me.)

Anyway, play can be lots of things.  Play can be gentle or extreme.  Taking a walk can be a kind of play.  Nice walks are good for older dogs or dogs that don’t have lots of energy like Basset Hounds or Bulldogs.  Breeds like Border Collies or Australian Shepherds are very high energy and need lots more exercise.  Lots of high energy dogs love agility training because they get to use up all that energy.

Beagles can do well in the agility part.  It’s the training part that gets in the way.  DixieLee is a beagle mix which might explain a lot.

I like to play catch and our toy box is filled with lots of different balls.  Balls are good for playing other games too.

When it’s too cold or rainy outside Mom likes to play Up and Down the Stairs.  Mom makes the ball go down the stairs and I have to go down the stairs, get the ball and bring it back up to her.

Up and Down the Stairs uses different muscles and gets rid of energy fast.

Fetch is another good game and you can use lots of different toys.  A ball makes a good fetch toy but so does a Frisbee or even a soft toy.  DixieLee’s favorite toy is a funny snowman.  She loves when Mom throws it and she can fetch it back. 

Chase games are fun.  DixieLee and I play chase all the time.  Mom and Dad aren’t very good at this game so they just watch and cheer.  Bubbles are pretty to chase but are not good for playing fetch.  No matter how quick you are they disappear as soon as you think you’ve got them.

The soft snowman is also good for another good game.  Tug of War.  This is lots of fun.  We play Tug of War with Mom and Dad and with each other.  Braided rope toys are good Tug of War toys.

We have lots of toys to play with and after a day of playing our toy box is empty and our toys are all over the house.  Some dogs, like our cousin Sophie, put all their toys back in the box when they are done playing.   Putting away toys takes energy and by the time I’m done playing I’m out of energy and ready for a nap.

I bet you have a favorite game and toy.  Let me know so that we can make sure that we have the most popular toys in all of our gift basket.

Your playful friend,

Zeva

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Dogs At Play

Playing is so much fun I didn't realize it is actually very good for dogs.  You've heard the expression "a tired dog is a good dog", well, it's true.  I can see it with my sister DixieLee.  I'm a pretty laid back dog but DixieLee is hyper.  If we don't do a lot of play she manages to find some way to get into trouble.

Neither one of us is a puppy any more be we still love to wrestle and fight like puppies do.  Some people think we are vicious because we play rough but we know the rules and never hurt one another.  When we go to day care we have  to remember that not all dogs like to play as hard as we do.  If I am playing too hard the other dog will let me know.  He will nip me or just not want to pay any more.  If this happens I know I need to say I am sorry and then most of the time they will want to play some more.

Chasing around the pen is another of our favorite games.  DixieLee can run really, really fast.  We love to chase each other around the house too but Mom gets all grumpy we we race down the hall to see who can jump on the bed first then race back down the hall to see who can get the best seat on the couch.

We like to play with our humans too.  It's great fun to steal socks and have them pay tug of war with us.   Mom doesn't like that game so much but she will play if we use one of our tug toys instead.  Games that make me think are lots of fun. Dad does good hide and go seek and I love when I have to figure out how to get the kibble out from inside the Kong.

Play is good exercise too.  We like to take Mom and Dad on hikes because they are getting old and exercise helps to keep them young.  Walking also keeps everyone's weight down.  Being a lab, I love to eat and if I don't get enough exercise, I get a buffalo butt.  Going on hikes is fun and going on hikes at Dog Park is the BEST.  It's so much fun I never want to leave so sometimes I don't get in the car when I am supposed.  Not getting the care makes it so everyone has to stay longer.

Some dogs like to chase balls or Frisbees but DixieLee and I would rather chase squirrels.  We never catch them cuz they can climb trees but one of these days...

I hear that we re going to go to day care tomorrow.  The weather has been cold and rainy and I hate to get wet so we have been staying inside.  The day care people have a big covered outside area where we can play and we can run all we want in the big inside room.  It's lots of fun to run inside and not have anyone tell you to stop!  The bestest part is that there are so many other dogs to play with.  I can't wait. Maybe I'll see you there.

Your friend,

Zeva

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