Leash Your Fitness Blog

Kids are back in school

Dawnc30 — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 20:53:30 +0000

The kids are back in school so this is a GREAT time to start spending more time with your dog. Everyday after dropping the kids off, work on teaching your dog some new tricks or commands, you can do it during your daily walk. Sometimes, the dog takes second position next to the kids and their training goes down hill. Spend a few minutes each day mentally stimulating your dog with some new commands or brush up on the ones that they already know. For example, instead of just feeding them breakfast–make them wait for it in a stay command and then when you release them–they get rewarded with their food. Another example, you can take what they already do and turn it into a trick. If your dog likes to lay on his back–teach him how to roll over for a treat!! The more mental stimulation that you can give them–the calmer and happier that they will become!!

Jenn taught Bear to give hugs!

Traveling with your dog

Dawnc30 — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:21:03 +0000

After getting back from a great road trip with my mom and dad, I thought I would share some information with you in case you are planning on doing any traveling with your furry friend!! The following are 5 things that you need to know:

1/ Make sure your pet does not get car sick. There is a difference between traveling around town and driving 8 hours. Work them up to extended periods in the car. There are soothing tapes, homeopathic sedatives, and toys that will help with this task.

2/ Do your research before hitting the road, many hotels do not allow pets. Most of the large chains do but if you are traveling to a remote area–call ahead to make sure you will have somewhere to stay when you arrive. There is usually a small fee that is added on to the room rate for your pet.

3/ Traveling with your pet has its benefits of course, but you will be limited as to what you can do. Many stores and restaurants will not allow pets. Depending on what time of the year you are traveling, leaving your pet in the car may not be an option. Taking a crate with you may help if you want to leave fido in your hotel room–unless they get separation anxiety and start barking non-stop! That may present a problem!

4/ National Parks and most State parks do not allow pets on the trails. Again, if you are planning on traveling to these areas you may want to make other arrangements if you are planning on doing any hiking. You may want to check with the local towns to see if there are any boarding facilities so that fido will be safe.

5/ Take all of your dogs medication, food, a few toys and records with you. Traveling is stressful enough on a dog, this is not a good time to change their food. Hopefully nothing happens while on the vacation, but having their medical records with you can prevent any delays in case a trip to the emergency room is on your scenic route!

I go EVERYWHERE with my mom and dad but they were very limited as to where they could go on our recent trip to the Northwest. They said that bringing me was worth it though! Enjoy your travels but just know the “rules” on where you are headed!! To see our recent travels–just scroll down further on my blog, maybe you will get some ideas where to go!!

Hiking in Utah

Last days on Idaho/Wyoming Road Trip

Dawnc30 — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:35:41 +0000

Sad to say that we are winding down on our fun road trip! We have been hiking, swimming, fishing, painting, biking and mommy did a lot of reading! (5 books!) The water here sure is cold but we still swam! Sometimes mommy didn’t stay in as long as me–she said something about not being able to feel her legs. But today we found a couple of lakes that were a little warmer and daddy caught 10 fish and i got REALLY dirty! We have seen bear, wolf, moose, bison, coyote, marmot and a skunk up close and personal! Never seen a kitty act like that before but I sure did smell funny afterward. We are still looking for a bear that we can see up close, seeing the Moose on the trail was exciting! It sure has been a fun vacation, we are going home through Utah and mommy promised that we would stop and have fun along the way! Thanks for reading my blog journal of our trip! See you in a Leash Your Fitness class soon!

Enjoy the pictures! (click on image to enlarge)

Visit with “Merle’s Door” Author

Dawnc30 — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:42:37 +0000

On the way to Idaho, mommy read a book called “Merle’s Door” and she loved it! She read the whole book while daddy drove the 16 hours to Idaho. The book was about a dog that found its owner on a riverbank and they became inseparable. It was also about how the guy learned a lot from his dog and mommy said she learned a lot about dogs from the book. Well……it just so happens that the author, Ted Kerasote, lives outside of Jackson, WY in a small village named Kelly. So mommy being the crazy person that she is decided to stop by and meet him. (she REALLY liked the book!) The village is really small so from the description in the book and some help from a neighbor–we found his house and stopped by==twice! The first time he wasn’t home but 2 people just happened to be dropping off his new dog, Pukka, when we were there and they just happened to be in the book too! They told us to come back tomorrow so on our way to the lake, we stopped by again and Ted was home. He was very nice and we stayed for a little while. Mommy got 2 books autographed and a picture of Ted and his new dog, which he wrote another book about that will be coming out in a few months. I had fun too cause I got to chew on an elk bone while mommy chatted with Ted. His cabin was really nice too (i ran all through it) and I pooped in his yard too (mommy forgot to clean it up! –whoops!) If you haven’t read the book, you should–we think that you will really like it! We are going to try to get Ted to come to San Diego on his new book tour, stay tuned…..

Ted Kerasote and his dog Pukka with the Tetons in the background

Road Trip–Yellowstone and Table Rock hike

Dawnc30 — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:55:31 +0000

Yesterday we went to Yellowstone National Park. It kind of sucked for me cause dog’s aren’t allowed on the trails and daddy wouldn’t allow mommy to sneak me so they had to take turns doing the trails. They left me in the car once but I wasn’t having any of that! I barked until they came back and rescued me! We got to see some big animals today. They were really close to us. We saw a bear and some wolves too but they were far away. Mommy was bummed–she really wanted to see a bear close up. Maybe we will see one on one of our hikes. The worst part about today was there was water EVERYWHERE and I couldn’t even play in it. Mommy said something about it being really hot! It sure was cool looking! Good thing I got to rest yesterday because today daddy went mountain biking and mommy and i took a 12. 5 mile hike way up to over 11,000′. I didn’t think we would ever stop climbing! I got to play in the water along the way and we met a cool guy that was 81 years young that started hiking when he was 63. We waited at the windy top of the mountain for him because mommy wanted to get her picture taken with him to help inspire others. I didn’t mind waiting cause it was really pretty at the top and some kids were feeding me beef jerky!! I hope that you enjoy the pictures. We had fun taking them! ………….

(click on picture to enlarge)

Jack’s Idaho Road Trip

Dawnc30 — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 02:44:23 +0000

Yesterday we decided to hang out in the beautiful neighborhood that we are staying in so mommy used her new hands free leash and hooked me up to the bike and away we went! It was so fun! Sometimes I would pull mommy and it was all fun and games until I got the urge to poop and couldn’t help it so i pooped in the middle of the street! And mommy didn’t have a bag!! Whoops! She had to do a little maneuvering with a stick until she could come back with a bag! It was pretty funny! After that, mommy left me home with daddy while she went to the gym and I wasn’t too happy about that so I took off to find her. Daddy caught me when I was waaaayyyy up the street! I almost made it!! It was kind of a boring day but mommy said I needed my rest after our 12 mile hike the day before. She made it up to me today!! We took a hike up to Darby Caves. Even though I wasn’t too crazy about the caves, they were cold and dark but the hike up there was fun. We didn’t see any bears but I got to run a lot and play under a water fall. It was really pretty too! Then mommy made me do the unthinkable!! She made me go shopping with her in Jackson Hole–I wanted to go fly fishing with daddy cause then I would get to swim but for some reason they didn’t think that was such a great idea. So off we went for hours of shopping– Everyone always trys to touch me and stuff! I HATE going shopping! Then mommy told everyone that I was on the Animal Planet website today with all of my Leash Your Fitness friends and then they REALLY tried to touch me!! YUK!!

We are off to Yellowstone tomorrow so enjoy the pics………

(click on image to enlarge)

Jack’s on a road trip!

Dawnc30 — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 02:46:13 +0000

I LOVE road trips with my mommy and daddy! We drove the whole way to Idaho! We stopped to see my aunts, uncles and cousins along the way and now we are in Victor at my friend Luke’s house. It is a really nice house and everywhere you look there are mountains and water! And you know how I LOVE to swim! Today was our first day here and we did a 12 mile hike along a fast flowing river. Mommy put my leash on me and let me ride the rapids! It was so fun!! I got to swim in a really blue lake too, mommy went in with me but her legs got numb so she had to get out! That cold water didn’t bother me! After our swim–we hiked further up the trail and saw a Big Moose in the lake too! We kept going until I almost ran right into a baby moose and her mama on the trail. Daddy started freakin’ out and made us turn around! Mommy made him take a picture and the baby started down the trail after us and then daddy REALLY freaked out! It was so funny!! It was a really fun day even though we didn’t get to go to the 2nd lake. We miss our Leash Your Fitness family but we are having a BLAST! Stay tuned for more updates…………….

(click on image to enlarge)

Tip of the Week

Dawnc30 — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 07:48:27 +0000

Dogs are extremely in-tune with your energy. It is instinctual for your dog to read your energy. They were born deaf and blind, so they learn their mother’s scent and respond to the energy around them. Ever notice when you are stressed, your dog seems stressed or anxious as well? Or when something exciting is happening, they have a lot of energy? Dogs respond to the environment around them. When something is wrong, the tend to be able to sense that and will act accordingly.

One way to keep your dog calm is to exercise and stretch. Include your dog in your routine to wear him or her out as well! Your dog will be happy to spend time with you and will enjoy “playing”. A happy dog is a happy owner. Leash Your Fitness provides a friendly, safe, and structured environment for exercising both you and your dog. At the end of the day, by calming yourself, you will be calming your dog.

Thanks!

Dog of the Week – Canela

Dawnc30 — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:28:04 +0000

If you are looking to adopt a dog, or know anybody who is, please visit the Baja Animal Sanctuary. They have a lot of great dogs in need of a loving home. This week, our Dog of the Week is Canela!

Canela is a Yellow Labrador/Shepard Mix. Canela was found as a stray in the streets of Rosarito. Canela means Cinnamon in English, which is a fitting name for her beautiful reddish-gold coat. She is about 2 years old and is 38 pounds! Labs are extremely loyal and playful dogs. Mixed with the Shepard, expect a very loving and protective dog. She walks extremely well on a leash and gets along amazingly with other dogs, older children, and even cats! She is very active and playful. Let her use that energy by bringing her to a Leash Your Fitness class, where she will get to exercise and socialize with other dogs!

Canela is spayed/neutered and up-to-date on all routine shots.

Please visit the Baja Animal Sanctuary website to complete an application and to read about their adoption process.

Thanks!

Animal Planet spent the day with LYF

Dawnc30 — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 20:52:55 +0000

Today Animal Planet spent the day with mommy and I. They were filming a segment on “Small dogs that do BIG things!” They liked the fact that I am so athletic and like to swim, hike, run, go mountain biking with mommy and most of all that I inspire other dogs to exercise with their mommy’s at our Leash Your Fitness classes. They started the day interviewing Hollis since she has lost 35 lbs and Mango is now much more sociable than she used to be before starting to come to our classes. Then they went out paddle boarding with mommy and I. That was the BEST part of the day as I got to go SWIMMING!!! They took a lot of pictures of me jumping from the dock!! It was so fun!! The day ended with them joining us during our Mission Bay class. They put a funny camera on Scooter–he was not digging those camera men one bit!! All of the dogs kept barking at them–it was pretty funny! But not as funny as Mango trying to attack the microphone because it looked like a furry animal! It was a fun but very tiring day–it is tough work being a star! Enjoy the pics! We will let you know when the segment is available for viewing……..