Learn From Your Dog

Getting Your Dog in Shape             After the first couple of years we had her, Magic started to gain some weight. She chased cars up and down our yard, intimidated deer and played fetch everyday, but that was evidently not cutting it. Sometimes Magic would run around with our neighbor’s dog, Comet, but when they moved Magic became lonely and lazy. To cheer her up and help her shed the pounds, we came home with Buddy! Magic and Buddy get a little lazy from time to time!             But if your dog is overweight and getting a second dog isn’t in the cards, there are plenty of other options. I’ve already preached the power of a good walk, but there are many fun and creative ways to give your dog exercise. Using the Purina Pro Plan P5 app available on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod through the iTunes App Store, I have been given a ton of ideas ranging from jogging to swimming to creating agility courses! With this app, it is easy to find activities that get the job done in any am

            With a dog’s fierce loyalty and unconditional love sometimes comes some pretty protective behavior over their owners. It’s this devotion and dedication that can make a dog a good watch dog, and man’s best friend. My mom feeds Buddy and Magic, and for that Buddy will follow her to ever corner of the house to make sure that she is never alone and always safe. Buddy is a bit over-the-top in his adoration, but Magic keeps a special eye on the hand that feeds too – although not nearly as clingy! If my mom leaves they wait by the door and perk up to the sound of a car pulling in. They exhibit some of the same behavior to me too, now that I am forever associated with their walks! But they don’t limit themselves to their loving owners. Buddy protecting his ball from an eager Magic! Buddy and Magic can get fiercely protective of our yard! They run rings around the yard - chasing cars and warding off deer.  But when you take them outside of the confines of the yard, th

             Have you ever thought about all the crazy smart things your dog can do? They persuade you to rub their belly and give them a treat with one look! For all the times Buddy runs into walls and bangs his head on the kitchen table, even he is a brainiac when it comes to getting his way.             When we first got Magic, she wised up very quickly to the fact that she would be sleeping in a crate. Every night she would run laps around the house with us chasing her to come inside. We were desperate and she had us wrapped around her paw! She knew we’d bribe her with lots of treats and she caught on to every new trick we tried. In all honesty, she could have run us ragged for a long time if she had never had to compete with Buddy. She knew how to keep us on our toes! Knowing looks from my best buds! At one point we had to fence off our front yard so that we could regrow grass in the muddy path Buddy and Magic had created, and they were not pleased! No matter how hi

                     It isn’t too hard to find a movie about a dog. There is the Beethoven series, 101 Dalmatians, Lassie, and Bolt. If there was a dog in the plot line, chances are that I watched that movie growing up! Three influential fictional dogs in my lifetime were Air Bud, Balto, and Snoopy. AIR BUD:             Who wouldn’t love a pudding-eating, basketball-playing golden retriever? While Air Bud gave me unrealistic expectations about my dogs’ athleticism, it also taught me that dogs are good friends in tough times. I might not be able to play basketball with Buddy or Magic, but I can still play games with them and talk to them. It might seem weird talking to my dogs out loud, but don't knock it until you try it! They don’t talk back and are always happy to see you – what better audience could you ask for? Air Bud taught me that your dog is your friend! Whether you’re trying out for the school basketball team, or venting about a bad day, your furry friend will always

           I don’t know about you, but one thing I've noticed over the years is that dogs have very unique and interesting personalities. From their smiles to their playful fights, Buddy and Magic are full of spunk                          Over the years, my family has tried to pinpoint where our dogs get their personality traits – much like a dog version of nature vs. nurture argument. Some people think that we deflect our own personalities on our pets, or exaggerate their behaviors into more than they actually are. However, from watching dog to dog interactions, my opinion is that dogs really do have their own personalities that make each one fun and  lovable .             When we first brought Magic home, she was a terror! She chewed our shoes; she would run circles around the house instead of coming inside at night; in short she thought she ran the show! Two years later, Buddy joined the family and Magic began to take out her struggle for dominance on Buddy. While Magic

Buddy's long fur blowing in the wind.             I don’t know if it’s just my dogs, but Buddy and Magic seem to know what they look like after a day at the groomer. If it’s a bad hair day, they sometimes hide behind chairs and under tables until they feel like their fur has reached a satisfactory length. However, most times after a long day of pampering the two come home feeling confident and expecting a lot of attention! It is no secret that Buddy and Magic shed… a lot. Some of you might not get to experience tumble weeds of fur in every crevice of your house, but vacuuming so consistently gets to be a chore. For a while we would try to brush the dogs’ fur everyday, but the fur never stopped coming out and no one in my family had the patience to spend countless hours combing two dogs with very thick fur! Buddy and Magic sporting the puppy cut.             The solution? Go for the puppy cut! Usually Australian Shepherds have long fur, but as you can see

When my family was first considering a new dog, I promised to feed and walk the dog every day. For a long time, those promises were not often kept as homework, swim practices, and school took up most of my time. Finally, the stress of going to college for the first time drove me to begin walking Magic and Buddy on an every day basis. Soon, I discovered what I had been missing out on all those years. Walking my dogs gives me a chance to unwind from the day. All the stress built up during a long day at work or tough semester is relieved when my furry friends and I stroll around the neighborhood. I get to reflect on my day and the things that I find important without any outside opinions. The dogs are so happy to be outside of our yard too! Through this experience, I’ve determined that walking is an extremely underrated form of exercise. Since Magic is getting a little older, walking gives her the chance to strengthen her hip muscles and the exercise is low impact o

Max plays with his toy, while Maggie gets cozy. Last week, I had the opportunity to dog-sit two Dachshunds, named Maggie and Max. Just from looking at their short legs and long bodies compared to my Australian Shepherds’ long legs and large bodies, I knew that Maggie and Max were going to be very different from Buddy and Magic! Everything from their bedtime routines to their meal times were different from my own furry friends. However, over the course of my stay, I learned that even Dachshunds and Australian Shepherds share some similarities. Maggie curled up on her pillow. Both pairs of dogs have certain things that set them off. Buddy likes to chase deer and play with a tennis ball, while Max prefers to bark at rabbits and play with a squeaky toy he ripped all of the stuffing out of. Magic can’t stand bike wheels or when we roll the trash can down the driveway, while Maggie is terrified of the garbage truck and taking a different route on her walks. However, all four seem

            These past few days have been extremely hot and unbearably humid.  Just imagine if I think the humidity is killing me, than how two Australian Shepherds covered in thick coats of fur feel! And I am sure Buddy and Magic are not the only furry friends suffering during the hottest days of the year. Magic takes a swim.                 Usually on hot days we try to keep the dogs inside. The two fight over who gets to lie on top of the air vent, but being stuck inside doesn’t expend their boundless energy, which can lead to torn up pillows and a chewed shoe. Other times, we can get away with substituting treats with ice cubes or sticking a ton of ice cubes in their water bowl outside. If we tried this inside we’d end up with a swimming pool after Magic and Buddy have knocked over the bowl trying to get at the ice!         For those of you with access to a dog friendly pool, swimming can be a fun activity for you and your dog. Last summer, one of the community pools in my

Hi Everyone! Thanks for welcoming me into the blogosphere! I have been working on all kinds of fun entries to post in the near future. But now I am curious to read some of your feedback. I’d really like to know what you think of the title, Learn From Your Dog, and the rationale behind the title? In case you need a refresher, the inspiration behind the name of Learn from Your Dog comes from observing all of the wonderful attributes of dogs. Everyday dog owners are determined to teach their pets to sit, stay, or roll over. And while you might not want muddy paw prints all over your clothes, couldn’t you stand to learn something from your dog’s energetic hello? Wouldn’t it be nice to be that honestly excited about something? A dog is the epitome of loyalty, dedication, integrity, selflessness, patience and unconditional love– traits most humans could use some work on.         Can’t wait to read your thoughts! 

So excited! I am entering the blogosphere! As you can see from the picture I am an avid dog lover! The two furry friends shown are Magic and Buddy - Buddy was a little afraid of the vacuum - and they are both  Australian   Shepherds . Magic is about eleven years old and Buddy is nine, although you would never guess it by how they chase squirrels! The inspiration behind the name of Learn from Your Dog blog comes from observing all of the wonderful attributes of dogs. Everyday dog owners are determined to teach their pets to sit, stay, or roll over. And while you might not want muddy paw prints all over your clothes, couldn’t you stand to learn something from your dog’s energetic hello? Wouldn’t it be nice to be that honestly excited about something? A dog is the epitome of loyalty, kindness, and friendship – traits most humans could use some work on. So why not learn from your dog instead of trying to tame the characteristics that make them so wonderful? The Learn From Your Dog blo