I’ve thought about disc dog, but he is reluctant to catch the frisbee in his mouth. He is also not very good at bringing the frisbee back after I throw it. He wants to run away with it and chew on it. So I considered agility instead. Last year, I taught him how to jump through a hula hoop. It was a bit difficult at first because he was scared to jump through. But once he learned the hoop was nothing to be frightened of, his jumping skills took off.

Then over the winter I taught him how to weave through poles. I only had three poles so there were only two weaves, but he caught on to the concept rather quickly.

Then I saw the Kyjen dog agility starter kit online at a reasonable price and just had to get it. It came with one high jump, six weave poles, and a tunnel. Pierson took to the high jump right away. It was just like jumping through a hoop. He did well on the weave poles too, but he tends to miss some of the weaves.

Because it took so long for him not to be scared of the hula hoop, I thought the tunnel would take a long time. But he learned the command ‘tunnel’ after just two days. The following video was made after just under two weeks of playing with our new dog agility starter kit.

Although Pierson really seems to love this sport, I don’t think we will be doing any competitions. For one thing, I am not big on competitions. I’d rather keep the exercise fun rather than make it a chore. For another, Pierson does not like other dogs. I can imagine that trying to get him to do agility when there are other dogs around to distract him would be quite difficult.

No, we will stick to the starter kit in the back yard. Perhaps I will add some other agility stuff later. But overall, we will just keep dog agility fun.

Have you done agility with your dog? Any training tips?

I’m working on Pierson’s dog aggression by going on group walks with other dog owners.

Some dogs are doing really well and can now walk with other dogs without much trouble. Pierson is doing better, but as you can see from the photo he still has to stay a distance away. We can get a few feet closer than this before Pierson starts going crazy. Over time, I expect we will be able to get closer and closer. I’ll keep you posted on his progress.

Teaching the ‘look’ command to get my dog Pierson’s attention when we see other dogs.

This past Saturday, I took Maya on the group walk. We decided to walk downtown and this would be too much for Pierson. Maya has her issues too, but with excitability, so I took her instead. If I had taken Pierson, we would not have been able to visit this nice dog barktique.

Dogs welcome to the Lucky Dogs Bakery and Barktique.

Treats are being passed around at the Lucky Dogs Bakery and Barktique.

Maya and others in the Lucky Paws Bakery and Barktique in Downtown Lawrence.

Our dog walking group is still small. Thanks to lots of practice, these dogs are not as leash reactive as they used to be.

For more Wordless Wednesday pet photos, check out the blog hop link below.

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1. The breakfast dance and howl – Maya sit and stay while I fill up their food bowls. But before we get to the sit command, there is the dance. Pierson sometimes adds a cute howl, too.

2. Random spin – This is the very first thing they do when it comes to breakfast, dinner, or treats. I don’t even need to say ‘spin’ or ‘turn around’ any more. Ever since I taught them this trick, they do it automatically when they know its eating time.

Yay! Maya & Pierson have mastered synchronized spinning!

3. Play – Playing with them or Maya and Pierson playing with each other is very entertaining. There is nothing especially cute about the way they play. They play like any other dogs. But when I see them having so much fun, I can’t help but to be happy too.

At first, Pierson was afraid of the sprinkler. But after seeing Maya have so much fun in it, he decided to get in on the action.

4. Cuddle – My dogs aren’t allowed on the furniture. So cuddle time is extra special. Maya is an especially good cuddler.

Maya and I enjoy cuddle time on the porch swing.

5. Sleep on their backs – It’s so funny how Maya and Pierson can sleep in such odd positions on their back. It makes me laugh every time.

Maya really loves to sleep on her back.

Pierson loves to sleep on his back up against this wall.

6. Eagerness to learn cute dog tricks – Teaching Maya and Pierson tricks is so much fun because they are so eager. The attentive looks on their faces as I hold the treat and get ready to give a command is priceless.

Maya & Pierson love doing dog tricks for treats.

7. Maya’s heavy sigh – Actually, it’s more like a sigh and grunt combined. I can’t even describe it properly, but it’s cute.

8. Lay at my feet – Both Maya and Pierson want to lay under my desk when I work. It’s funny when they try to compete for the spot.

9. Maya when she gets excited – Maya got a compliment the other day. Someone told me, “That has got to be the happiest dog I have ever seen.” And it’s true. Maya is always up for an adventure and it shows on her face, in the way she walks, and in the way she whines with excitement.

10. Pierson’s fuzzy feet – The hair between Pierson’s toes stick up and make his feet look oddly shaped. They make me laugh every time. And it’s not just Pierson’s fuzzy feet, it’s all Maya & Pierson’s doggy parts. It’s the way Maya’s lip sometimes curls, the way she investigates everything with her brown nose, the way her ears flop around when she runs. It’s the way Pierson carries his tail when he walks (or prances), the way his eyes seem to lighten when he looks at me, the way his fluffy butt looks like big gray bloomers, and the way his body is white with black spots while his legs are black with white spots.

I did share this photo before, but I couldn’t resist sharing the photo of Pierson’s cute fuzzy spotted feet again.

What cute things does your best friend do to make you smile?

Pierson’s new dog toy – The Kyjen Dog Agility Starter Kit

I just got this dog agility starter kit from Kyjen! It is relatively inexpensive and the pieces show that in the quality. But it really is perfect for a beginner like Pierson. It includes a tunnel, the weave poles, and a pole for him to jump over. Here are some pictures of him using it:

Pierson already knows the ‘over’ command from last summer when he learned to jump through a hula hoop.

After a few tries, Pierson understands the ‘over’ command in relation to the agility pole.

Pierson is not sure about the agility tunnel. I have him sit at the end, and place a treat on the other end in order to coax him through.

Pierson sees the treat and cautiously approaches through the agility tunnel.

Almost there…

Through! Getting Pierson to go through the agility tunnel was easier than I thought it would be!!!

I did not set up the weave poles yet. It is still too muddy out. But Pierson has been working on the weave command. For now, we are doing each of the sections of the agility course separately. When he has all the commands down, I will start running him through the course. Hopefully, I will have a video for you in a month or two.

I was not compensated in any way for this review. I bought the Kyjen dog agility starter kit on my own, just for my boy Pierson. You can find one for your dog on my Amazon a-store HERE.

For more great pet photos, check out the Wordless Wednesday blog hop link below or you can find it on our other blog, PetAutoSafetyBlog.com, where I’m showing a cute photo of a Dachshund named Daffy in her new Thundershirt.

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What is the easiest dog trick to teach to an Australian Shepherd mix? ‘Speak!’ Why? Because Aussies are already yappers. It was just a matter of finding things that triggered Pierson’s barking and saying the command to speak just before the trigger. Since it was too difficult to get someone to walk by my house or make a noise outside in order to get Pierson to bark, I found another trigger. Pierson also barks when he is happy. Meal time is one example. Another is when I blow in his face during playtime.

I discovered this while I was playing with Maya. In order to keep Pierson from interfering, because he can be a jealous bully when I play with Maya, I would blow in his face to keep him away. Pierson took the face blowing as part of the game. He got so excited about this game that he started barking.

So after playing with Maya, I decided to see if I could purposely provoke him to bark bu blowing in his face. After just a couple of tries, it worked. I’d say ‘speak’, then blow in his face. If he barked, he got lots of praise. I must have done this five times before I decided to just say the command without blowing in his face. To my delight, it worked!

I did three sessions of this, each less than 5 minutes long. By the third session, I was only saying the command. No face blowing. I did another short training session the next day to refresh his memory. Now, a week or so later, he confidently knows the command and is more than happy to bark. The real dog trick will be to get him to stop.

This is a blog hop! For more great pet blogs, click the link below.

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Since I missed last Wordless Wednesday, here are some photos from the past 10 days or so.

Maya looks Pretty by the blooming Tulips.

No lie. It snowed at our house on April 23rd, 2013. This is highly unusual in NE Kansas.

I was really worried about what the snow would do to our beautiful tulips.

Despite the recent snow, our colorful Tulips are still blooming beautifully.

Maya, do you want to play fetch with this big yellow beach ball?

Maya will jump to try to catch this yellow ball, but it is too big so it bounces off her nose. She loves the game, nonetheless.

Here comes the big yellow ball, Maya. Are you going to get it?

Get that big yellow ball, Maya!

Pierson doesn’t like the beach ball. He’s scared of it for some reason. But he loves to play with his Kong Flyer.

More of my adorable dog Pierson with his Kong Flyer.

I can’t get enough of the Pierson cuteness with his Kong Flyer.

Just look at the fluffy fur fly! Pierson can’t catch the Kong Flyer in the air yet.

It looks like he might catch the flyer this time, but no. Pierson waits for the Kong Flyer to land on the ground before he gets it.

For more fun Wordless Wednesday pet photos, check out the link to the blog hop below. You can also access the blog hop on my other blog, PetAutoSafetyBlog.com where I am showing photos of an adorable GoldenDoodle named Spud.

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I’m working on Pierson’s dog aggression by going on group walks with other dog owners. It’s dog training and exercise at the same time.

My dogs are very fit and healthy. It helps that I am careful about what I feed them and how much. And that I keep them relatively fit by taking them for regular walks and playing fetch with them. But I have not been so good at keeping myself fit and healthy. So this Fit Dog Friday is mostly about me and a little about how my dogs Maya & Pierson contribute.

Benefits of Keeping Fit
I’ve been very focused lately on losing weight in a healthy way. Since mid-December, I have lost 18 pounds. Now, thanks to a little initiative on my part and to great partners like Maya and Pierson, I am only 5 pounds away from reaching my goal weight! Besides the benefit of losing excess pounds, I also get to buy new clothes, I have fewer problems with acne, my fibromyalgia symptoms are less severe, and I feel like I have more energy.

Healthy Diet
How did I do it? I did use some Herbalife products. However, these products were merely a support. What really helped me lose weight were the lifestyle changes. I’ve always generally eaten healthy foods like whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, and baked but not fried meat. But I’ve also been eating too many sweet foods. So the first thing I did when I really made up my mind to lose weight was to eliminate those sweets (for the most part).

Walk, Walk, Walk
The second thing I did was exercise more. It hasn’t been enough to just walk the dogs. Now we walk faster, more often, and further. Sometimes, instead of driving to the convenience store for a cup of coffee, I will walk the mile distance with Maya or Pierson. I’ve even taken one of them with me when I walked to the UPS store to ship a package. I also walk to the grocery store if I just need a few things, but Maya and Pierson don’t get to go because they are not allowed in the store and I don’t want to leave them tied up outside for that long.

Fun Activities with the Dogs
Maya, Pierson, and I have also been doing more fun activities together. Instead of just playing fetch with the dogs, I try to get involved with the games. Seeing who can catch the thrown ball becomes a contest to see who can get to the ball first. Although I always lose this game, Maya & Pierson love it when I chase them. Now that the weather is getting nicer, I’ve also been taking Maya to dog park more often. Our dog park is around Clinton Lake and is not fenced. So from the dog park, we are able to walk the wooded trails to an area by the lake for Maya to swim.

Dog Walking Group
I’ve recently joined a group of other dog owners who have trouble with their leash-reactive dogs. In this group, we actually walk spaced out so that our dogs can’t hurt one another. The distance apart depends on the dog. I have to be the furthest away because Pierson’s behavior is the worst amongst the group. His behavior is especially bad at the beginning of the walk. But after about 10 minutes of walking and rewarding for good behaviors, I can decrease the distance between him and the dog ahead of us. After a few of these group walks, Pierson still has to walk a few feet behind. But this group has really helped him decrease that distance.

I can see us doing even more fun activities this spring. My husband and I are talking about going camping and hiking. I’d also like to teach Pierson some agility, which means less time for me sitting at the computer and more time outdoors. What other fit activities can you think of that Maya, Pierson, and I could do together? What do you and your dogs do to stay fit?

For more Fit Dog Friday posts, check out the link below:

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Maya Wearing Daisy Diva Design Collar.

These are my aunt’s dogs Molly, Frank, and T-Bone. Read more about them by typing Dachshund in the search field.

This is my parent’s dog Killer.

Maya is all ears when it comes to cookies.

Maya & Pierson in the back seat of the car. This caption is misleading because Maya LOVES to go the vet.

Pierson is in the car hoping we are going somewhere besides the vet.

My dog Sephi loved food more than anything else in the whole world.

My dog Pierson talks about how dog training really works.

What’s your favorite? Can you think of better memes for these pictures?

For more dog fun, check out the link to the Wordless Wednesday blog hop below:

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If you’re wondering why most of the photos say PetAutoSafety.com, it is because I own this web site. Sephi was the co-founder in 2006 and Maya & Pierson are the current executive officers. I’m working on branding my photos so that when they are shared, so is our message. Not only do I want the world to know about Maya & Pierson, but I also want to create awareness about traveling safely with our dogs.

So today’s mischief isn’t about Maya and Pierson, but about squirrels. Remember my post from April 3rd – Small Signs of Spring? I mentioned there is a squirrel living in my neighbor’s house. I see him all the time but can’t seem to get a photo of him.

I finally got his photo yesterday. Not only that, I found out there are two squirrels living there and probably a nest of young squirrels too.

The squirrel living in my neighbor’s house peeks his head out.

There’s not one squirrel, but two!

This squirrel must have been trying to sneak out. The other squirrel grabs his butt and hauls him back in. No going out to party tonight, mister!

How is this mischievous? Because the squirrels drive Pierson nuts (no pun intended). They intentionally tease him as they scurry about. Just look at how Pierson watches them.

Tonight’s movie, “The Squirrelly Squirrels” will be featured on the outdoor patio in HD.

So what king of mischief are other dog bloggers up to this Monday? Find out by clicking the link below:

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My dog Pierson looks funny as he tries to catch a snowball! (pin me)

Anyone know what a patootie is? Where in the heck did that word come from? I say it all the time to my dog Pierson. But I have no idea on the origin of the word, or even how to spell it. I looked it up online, but both spellings and definitions differ. The most common spelling is how I have spelled it here. I’ve always thought patootie was a nice way of saying butt, but some definitions say it is a term of endearment. Perhaps it is both.

Anyway, the word patootie inspired me to write a poem about my dog Pierson, aka Mr. Fluffybutt:

My Pierson is such a cutie.
But he can be a pain in the patootie.
He barks at every little sound and sight.
And with other dogs he wants to fight.
But he is so super smart.
And his prettiness captures the heart.
Oh, how lucky I am to have my fluffy boy
Despite the yapping, he is such a wonderful joy.
(Hugging him is like hugging a big wiggly stuffed toy.)

And not to leave out my lovable Maya:

Oh my, oh my, oh Maya.
My sweet adorable papaya.
Sometimes she gets a little overexcited.
But if sweetness was a crime, she’d surely be indicted.
Oh what a happy Labrador.
My Maya is never a bore.
For everything she does, she does with zest.
Life is great when you view life as one big fun fest.
(Even though sometimes she can be quite the pest.)

My Labrador Maya really really enjoys chewing on sticks. It is her most favorite dog toy. (pin me)

Back to Pierson… I watched this great music video some time back (below) and thought it would be so much fun to teach my dog Pierson to do some of these things. What do you think? I think I can tell from the above photo that he has dancing potential, right?