That'll Do

Find it
Flick it
Bounce it
Pounce it
                    When there's no ball.......
Roll it
Race it
Toss it
Take it
Throw it
Fetch it!
           .........an acorn will do!

All That and a Bag of Chips

There is a large park near my house that is perfect for an off leash walk in the morning.  I wait until we cross the busy street and head down the main path into the park before letting Pajamas off her lead.  She bolts forward, nose to the ground as I slowly bring up the rear.

I walk further into the park as Pj's nose continues to lead her into a bunch of trees.  Suddenly, she bursts out from between the trees with a huge chip bag hanging out of her mouth.  It drags on the ground in front of her as she barrels towards me into the field.  There is no way I am going to get this bag away from her.  I decide to ignore her, hoping this bag full of crumbs will loose it's appeal when Mom doesn't get upset.

Pajamas digs her head deep into the bag.  So deep that her head is completely covered.  She shakes her her head and the bag goes flying.  She grabs its out of the air and throws it back up again.  Pieces of the bag are flying everywhere as she bounces around the field.  I've tried call her name, whistling.. it's no use.

Mom has finally had enough.  I grab a forgotten piece of chip bag, laying in the field and head towards her.  The piece of bag peaks her interest and she comes running!  Victory!  I quickly grab her collar and hook up her to the lead.  And then I praise her.  That's right, I fed her a ton of treats, patted her on the head and scratched under her chin.  After all, would you come to me next time I called if I yelled and screamed at you this time??  And what kind of chips had she been eating?  Jalapeno!  Yikes!

Later that day we while cuddling on the couch, I found tiny chip crumbs scattered throughout her fur.   Just another day with Miss Pajamas.  Never a dull moment.

Say it with Pride!

by Mydogbarks @ 2010-07-24

Like most Saturday mornings, Pajamas and I took our walk to the local coffee shop for our morning coffee and treat. Me with my cheddar scone and Pajamas with her bacon and peanut butter treat. The coffee shop has a great patio that faces east, a great place to catch some earlier morning rays before the heat gets unbearable. Pajamas loves the treats from this coffee shop. She sits on the patio looking in the window of the shop while I order my breakfast just daring me to forget her treat! When I come out with both our treats on a plate she licks her lips and sits as pretty as she can. I always like to split the treat into three or four smaller pieces so that she can enjoy it just a little longer.

I am sitting peacefully in the sun eating my scone when two men walk out of the shop and get into a cab. My dog barks. Just one pronounced bark. The people sitting next to me look over and say with a smile "our dog never barks". And I had the most amazing reaction. I laughed and smiled down at my dog and said "Oh, my dog barks!" I was happy! Even a little proud of my little munchkin. She is my dog and I love her just the way she is.

Even the Heat Doesn't Stop Her!

by Mydogbarks @ 2010-07-07 
We're in the middle of a heat wave here in Toronto and every day when I leave for work I worry about leaving Pajamas home in my non air conditioned house. I shut all the blinds and leave extra water to make her as comfortable as possible.

As I walk up the street from the streetcar after work in the sweltering heat I feel a little excited. I feel this way every evening as I head towards home. "Pajamas, Mommy is coming." I'll tell you a secret...sometimes I actually jog up the street cause I just can't wait to see her!

But today, the heat keeps me at a slower pace. I enter my house. And there she is spinning around in circles, with her ball in her mouth. She's ready to go as always. I fill a big thermos with water, change into my coolest sun dress and head out to the park. Pajamas can hardly contain her excitement as I prepare for the park. The minute I open the door she charges ahead and down the driveway. She runs down the street, stopping every two or three driveways to make sure I'm still following. I'm never fast enough for her, especially in this heat!

We get to the park and I claim a spot in the shade the big tree and the game of fetch begins. I don't bring the chuck it in this heat, so she is surprisingly quiet. I toss the ball just a few feet away, but she runs at the ball full of energy and excitement. She stops more often than normal to grab a drink and lays down to catch her breath, but she's as happy as ever.

There is no doubt in my mind that when Pajamas dreams she dreams of running in the park with Mom at her heels and a ball in her mouth on a beautiful sunny day like today.

What's THAT Doing Here??

I am always a little surprised by the way Pajamas reacts to certain things. I think I have raised a fairly confident dog and she has definitely experienced many objects, environments and situations in her two short years. However, every so often something will take her by surprise and becomes very timid, nervous and shy.

This often occurs when we are walking through a park or forest and she spots something "unnatural" This could be someone's missing shoe, a pipe or electrical box of some kind or even......a plastic bag. While walking Pj in the park near my house early one morning, she spotted a white plastic bag laying in the grass. She approached it every slowly, as if trying to sneak up on it. Just as she gets close enough to reach her nose out and smell it a gust of wind comes and long and blows the plastic bag up into the air. Pajamas was completely shocked. She ran away, tail between her legs, barking. I couldn't help but laugh a little at her expense. You silly dog.

This morning a similar instance occurred while walking down the sidewalk. It was early on a Saturday morning and some newspapers that had been dropped off for the variety store on the corner had not been brought inside yet. Pajamas put on the breaks a few feet from the newspapers. She approached slowly, one foot at a time, neck stiff. She stops and stretches out her nose in order to give this strange object a good sniff before moving her paws to close. She starts to circle the object still sniffing, paws at a distance. After doing a semi circle sniff she apparently decided this object was no immediate threat to either her or her mommy and was then ready to continue on the walk as if nothing strange had happened.

I think it's important to let her be curious and approach the object at her own pace. Sometimes, I will approach the object without her which causes her a little stress at first, but when she sees me make contact with the object her body relaxes and she will usually come to investigate further after that.

- First Posted June 19th 2010

A Quiet House

I am leaving on vacation this afternoon and had to drop Pajamas off at my Aunt's house yesterday. I cannot believe how empty my house feels with out her there. I find myself watching for her under foot while I do the dishes, even though I know she isn't there. I am careful where I move my feet at the end of the bed at night, so as not to kick her as she sleep. I even found myself regretting having to make the trip outside for a bedtime pee last night before I realized I didn't have to take her out.

I stepped on her bone this morning as I was getting dressed and I smiled despite the pain. A scan of my room reveals just how thoroughly my dog fills my home. Her toy hippo that she carries with her to bed and uses as a pillow on the couch is laying in the middle of the floor, next to her furry pink kong that we play tug with. There are one, two, three, four bones laying around the room as well. The carpet is covered in dirty puppy prints that I haven't been able to remove on my own. I'll need to get a carpet steamer.

I walk up my hallway and see her empty dishes and her empty bed. I hear my upstairs neighbor come in and there is no barking, or growling or scrapping of her nails on the floor. I suppose I should be thankful for this peace and quiet, but all I feel is loneliness.

- First posted June 13th 2010

Crashing Waves of Lies

I took Pajamas down to the beach the other day and the minute her leash came off her barking began. I don't have a ball with me so she proceeds to jump around in front of me, barking so loud her ears are bouncing off the side of her head. She's barking so loud it echos off the houses behind us. A woman approaches, her quiet dog prancing along near by. "Your neighbors must hate you"
I was completely taken aback and before I realized it I was responding with, "She never barks." ..... She never barks? Where in the world did that statement come from? My mind immediately thinks back to this rightly named blog..My Dog Barks.
What prompted me to state such a bold faced lie? I tried to back peddle with embarrassment. "It's only when we're at the beach," I hear myself say. Another lie. "and when she's excited," I add. But, it's definitely more than that isn't it.

Ball Obsessed!

Pajamas is completely ball obsessed. It started when she was about 6 months old and escalated quickly. We couldn't go to off leash parks because she would latch herself to anyone carrying a Chuck It, jumping around them in circles, barking. It was so embarrassing! I started bringing extra tennis balls with a squeaker inside to use as a decoy when Pajamas stole other dogs balls, as well as tons of treats to reward any semblance of good behavior in these types of situations.

It didn't take long before even the park at the end of my street became an unwelcoming place. I found myself confined to one end of the park away from all the other dog owners who just a few short weeks ago had been my friends. Now they were staring and whispering, or so it seemed to me at least. I started walking down to a park a few blocks away that is much bigger and less busy. Here Pajamas could bark till her heart was content without the judging looks of other dog owners.

The only problem was that I began to loose my own patients with the situation. Every time I bent down to pick up the ball she would bark in my ear. She would get so worked up her whole body was shaking and her eyes were like two black saucers. I was ashamed at my inability to control the situation and very quickly lost my own love for this game that turned my dog into some kind of maniac!

We have come a long way since then. I can now go to an off leash park and fairly confidently walk past another dog owner carrying a Chuck It and not shudder in fear. The problem is far from fixed. It is a constant battle, but it is good to think back to where I started in order to truly see how much work I have put in.

The Secret is Out

When I got my dog, Pajamas, I had very high expectations, of myself and my dog. I've been through countless obedience classes and even started teaching at the obedience school part time. I have spent hours practicing sit stays and recalls in the park and take Pajamas to agility classes once a week. All of this should have resulted in a very well behaved, well balanced, well socialized dog. And in the eyes of most people I know, this is exactly what I have.

However, I cannot keep it a secret any longer. My dog barks. She barks at children, she barks when she plays, she barks when she's scared, she barks at birds and raccoons and cats and most of all....she barks at me. We've been exiled from the park at the end of my street in the early hours of the morning and the latter part of the evening. During the day I am shunned to the edges of the park, no longer socializing with the other dog owners who congregate there.

So my secret is out and it feels good! From now on I will share the stories of my barking dog in hopes of finding others who share my isolation in parks and embarrassment on the streets. Together we will reclaim those public spaces that have been denied to us! After all barking dogs deserve to play too!