AniPals Adventures

07/06/2024

03/21/2024

What happens when you take a herding dog out of the grasslands of Australia and pluck them down in a suburban environment? Lots of problematic behavior like barking, chewing, and biting!

The herding dogs include the Shepards (such as German and Australian), the Sheepdogs, Collies, and the corgis-to name a few. Herding is in the DNA of these dogs. They are at their happiest in the midst of a flock of sheep or nipping at the feet of a herd of cattle. But in the city what’s a herding dog to do?

Well, Bill and his Corgi, Tilly, just got a brand new Herding Ball. Herding balls are large and heavy enough that the dog can’t grab it and instead has to push it along-or herd it with its nose! Check out Tilly in action!

What a happy dog! Here’s a link to a few different herding ball styles!

https://a.co/d/2hEtcqR

https://www.collieball.com/

02/25/2024

BBBIIIIIIIIIGGGGH STRETCH!!! Until I started walking dogs, I thought it was just my dog that stretched every time I came home. It’s not! Actually, it’s called the “greeting stretch”. Front legs stretched out, rear end in the air-sometimes a big yawn too. It signifies your pet is comfortable, happy to see you and ready to communicate. Don’t get it confused with the “play bow”-this one tell you-hey! I’m ready to
Play!

THE GREETING STRETCH (first picture)
-lowered forequarters
-raised hindquarters
-nose pointed towards you
-elbows off the ground

Not yo be confused with the PLAY BOW (second picture) where the body is much more fully lowered to the ground, the ears are erect not floppy, and the pooch looks like it pounce at any moment!

02/24/2024

The warmer weather is coming soon, but we still have a few more weeks of winter left. It’s easy to get your dog their 30 minutes of exercise a day when the sun is shining; but what about when going outside isn’t an option? With a little creativity, some treats, and maybe a little training-you and your pooch can have a ton of energy burning fun inside! Here are a few ideas to get you thinking.

FETCH: This can be tricky inside-especially with a bigger dog. Have you tried throwing the ball up and down the stairs?? That will surely burn some energy!

TUG-O-WAR: This might not seem like exercise but if you get into it-stand up, move around the room-it can turn into a whole other game then the one you play while you’re watching your favorite show. Change the way you pull on it alternating from jerky to smooth and incorporate fetch into too!

OBSTACLE COURSE: Using stuff around your house: pillows, hampers, ottomans, etc. set up an obstacle course for your pup to run through. It might require a little training with their favorite treat-but that’s fun for both of you!!

FOOD PUZZLES/FROZEN KONG: I’ve mentioned the snuffle mat in a previous post, but food puzzles are a great way for your pup to burn energy mentally. 15 minutes of mental stimulation from a food puzzle is equal to that of a 45 minute walk. Stuffing a Kong with wet food or a layer of peanut butter and letting them lick it is a great way to keep them entertained without your involvement.

What are some things you guys do inside to keep your pets from going stir crazy? Leave them in the comments!

02/18/2024

“Im so frustrated that my dog stops and sniffs everything when im trying to take him on a walk!”

This can be frustrating but if you look closer at WHY your pooch sniffs so much-I bet you’ll be surprised. Did you know that dogs have over 200 million scent receptors in their nose compared to our 6 million? It’s a good thing too because they’re using that cute little nose to interpret the world around them. They’re learning about their fellow dog neighbors, other animals around they might want to chase, and who is ready to mate. It can help with anxiety and, according to the article, even make your pooch happier.

If your pooch wants to sniff instead of exercise-try doing a walk geared just for sniffing sometimes. Let your pooch decide which direction to go and let their nose lead the way!

If you want to offer a naturally enriching, calming, and enjoyable experience, don't stymie your dog's sniffing on walks.

02/17/2024

PORTLAND: MISSING DOGGIE!!

Check out matthewjohnson8341's video.

02/13/2024

Boy, oh boy, this spring-like weather brings out the smile in all of us!! Perfect for playing ball with your favorite Anipal! Here’s some tips to keep the ball rolling!!

*Have frequent daily sessions at home or on walks

*play in short bursts-up to 5 minutes, to keep them interested and engaged

*only start a game of ball when they’re doing something you like: such a lying down quietly, or chewing on a toy themselves. Reward good behavior

*quit when it’s no longer fun or interesting for either of you-this should be a fun, pleasant experience

02/06/2024

Did you know….

15 minutes of mental stimulation can burn roughly the same amount of energy as an hour of walking for your dog ??

Our pug is extremely food motivated and would drive us crazy barking in between meals. We knew he wasn’t hungry and he’d already been walked. We had already tried playing with him or perhaps we weren’t available-but he was BORED. So we got him a Snuffle Mat.

Made of felt swatches, you sprinkle food in between the felt so your dog engages his foraging instincts to get his treats. We wanted to make it exciting for him so we splurged on some high value treats-freeze dried chicken liver and a few packets of meal toppers-that I combine with the high fat and extra delicious puppy kibble. We figure this into his daily caloric intake but he really has to work for each piece-one at a time, so he’s not getting a whole lot.

Some other benefits:

-reduce begging
-slows eating
-burns energy
-provides mental stimulation
-helps curb separation anxiety
-helps reduce stress
-stimulates their sense of smell
-helps prevent doggie dementia
-can be used to redirect problematic behaviors to a positive one.

So far it has been absolutely amazing! Every time he starts with his barking we ask him if he wants his Snuffle Mat and put it down. By the time he’s done with it (about 10 minutes) he’s ready to chill:)

Heres the link to the one we got:

https://a.co/d/84aNgGm

02/06/2024

You never know what you’re going to see at your local park!! these are a bunch of Nutria enjoying the sun. Definitely not very cute animals (rodents)-sort of like a beaver/rat and they unfortunately aren’t native and cause major damage and erosion to our local streams and rivers here in Oregon.

02/04/2024

Walks with us will put a huge smile on your face-just ask Tilly!