News

Dogs and socks. It’s a love affair.

Ike is now a mature 8 months old.

[Insert snicker here.] I left Ike in my closed bedroom while I took a shower. Figuring that if I limited his domain to just the bedroom, he’d be ok.

Big mistake. 

Within ten minutes, Ike found my sock and did his damage.

Bad Ike? No, this one’s on me.

I left Ike out. I left the sock out. Together. Ike + sock = chewed sock! Elementary, my dear Watson.

Ike likes his crate.

Runs to it, actually. So since the death of the sock, we’ve been using the crate religiously. Even if I’m just going to check the mail.

Ike is safer in the crate. So are my socks.

I'm a big fan of providing fun things for your dog to do. As a puppyraiser of service dogs, I'm always looking for fun toys and ways to keep young dog minds active and engaged. A company called Premier is my go-to source for dog toys that fit the bill. They make Busy Buddy Squirrel Dude, the Kibble Nibble, and the Linkables toys. Ike — and all the service pups before him — have learned to problem solve thanks to those three toys. I feed the dogs their meals from a combination of those toys and the dogs are (1) entertained, (2) mentally challenged, and (3) busy long enough for me to get my morning routine accomplished. 

Last week I had the good fortune of visiting Premier's headquarters near Richmond, VA. They've got a fantastic Training and Behavior department and are constantly coming up with new and innovative ideas for both toys and training.

They're a dog-friendly company in more ways than one: not only do they make fantastic dog toys, but they're a dog-friendly workplace. I saw several dogs at the headquarters relaxing alongside their human counterparts. It was a fantastic sight. Nary a bark or a growl, but lots of wagging tails. I love working for myself here at Smart Dog University, but if I ever had to work for a company, it would be Premier! Dogs are welcome at the office all the time, no limit on the number of days per week an employee can bring their dog. Each person who has a dog with them uses a gate or ex-pen (exercise pen) to safely contain the dog in their cubicle. Of course, the dogs' spaces were aptly appointed with lots of Premier toys, which kept the dogs occupied and happy. 

I've heard of dog-friendly employers, but seeing one in action was a real treat. The cubicle walls had both the employee's name and the dog's name. Often, the dog's name was larger than the person's name! Dog pictures were pasted on every cubicle, both inside and out. It was a refreshing sight to see!

Everyone, from accounting to marketing to design and development was dog-centric. Some employees didn't have a dog, but they appeared to enjoy working alongside the dogs at Premier. Seeing a dog-friendly workplace in action was a real treat – it's nice to see that Premier talks the dog-friendly talk AND walks the dog-friendly walk. 

 

It's Valentine's Day and I started thinking about how much I love my dogs. And then about how extra happy I am that my husband is also happy with all the dogs around. Which is one of the many things that make him pretty special.

My husband and I have been married 10 years. That's 70 in dog years! When we first started dating, I had "bad-dog Lucky." Lucky was the Aussie who liked to bite people, especially strangers and kids. He wasn't easy to like until Lucky decided he liked you. Then you were in like flint. Never to be given the stink-eye again. My husband made it into that circle pretty darn quick. A good sign.

When my husband traveled three hours with me to Philadelphia to take Lucky to a veterinary behaviorist (Dr. Karen Overall, one of the best in the country), I knew he — the future husband — was going to fit in just fine. 

We've raised ten service pups and he's endured my tears and heartbreak at every turn-in. He's lived through hair-on-everything-imaginable. He's Nemo's permanent lap-of-choice. The poor man's surrounded, immersed, and is drowning in dogs. 

But he seems to like it. He's a keeper. 

Ike was initiated into the "Lake Anna Labrador" club over the weekend. I took all the dogs to the lake with me when I went to visit Talos at Transfer Camp. 

Before I left to visit Kathy and Talos for the day, I let  all four dogs out the back door and they beelined straight for the lake, Ikey in hot pursuit of the other three. Three Labradors and one Dane/Hound mix. There wasn't a dry dog in the bunch. 

Tango was first in the water, chasing a floating toy. Ike bounded in, oblivous to the fact that he'd never been in the water before. He looked positively thrilled with this new liquid!

They would've stayed in the water all day, I'm sure of it. Tango is the retriever – bringing anything out you throw in, Nemo and Ike are the chasers – all they do is chase Tango and grab onto whatever he brings out, and Lily is the fisher – she wades belly-deep looking for blue gill and bass to chase around. 

I took some video and have some great shots of Ikey doing the "butt tuck" run around. It's classic crazy-Labrador footage. I'll get it up later this week. 

Needless to say, I think Ike's counting the days until he sees the lake again. Typical Labrador…