Although Finn is still reactive towards new people and dogs (he is so excited that he forgets his manners sometimes) frequent trips to busier areas of Charlottesville help him to relax and be calm in new situations. He’s becoming quite a good city dog!
I’m so proud of that loose-leash walk …
P.S. — reactive dog ownership was recently covered in a post from Love and A Six-Foot Leash far more eloquently than I could hope to describe it. Check it out here!
Virginia beach, that is.
My mom and little sister were in town last week, so we had lots of fun exploring some of what Virginia has to offer. And what is exploring if you don’t bring the pooch along? Since my family lives in Minnesota, seeing the beach was high on the list, even if it was way cold for swimming.
We loaded up Finnegan’s crate in the back of our SUV and headed out. Since he tends to be a little whiny in the car, I hoped that the long ride would give him time to settle in, and I was right. After the first 10 miles we didn’t hear a peep. I told my mom that every 15 minutes or so that he was quiet, to drop a treat into the crate. This eventually teaches him that if he is whiny and anxious, good things don’t happen, but if he is quiet, yummy things fall from the sky!
In Finn’s bio, I mention that he loves being outside. That definitely applied to the beach too! He wasn’t sure about the cold water, but he had lots of fun running in the wide open spaces of the beach, and sniffing everything he came across.
That’s it! What sorts of adventures do you take your pooches on?
onedoglife 