Y-Bo, sitting in a sunbeam patiently waiting for me to get my coat on.
Y-Bo is happy to report that he has completed his end of the 30/30 Challenge perfectly. He has not missed a single day of getting in his needed exercise. I only missed one January day of walking. But since January is a 31 day month, technically, I have done my 30/30 while Y-Bo has earned some extra credit. (The big show-off!)
During our participation in this event, Y and I have done several things to keep the challenge interesting and fun. We’ve preformed several sessions of ‘refresher’ obedience training with great results. The mental stimulation has been especially good for Y. More importantly, he is much better at listening to me inside the house. In fact, one of the things we’ve worked on has been for him to return to me when I call. And due to our training, he has improved by leaps and bounds! (Side note, I fully admit that he became lazy about answering me, because I was lackadaisical in enforcing that very important rule. My bad.)
Another thing we’ve worked on, this time with very mixed result, is to stop chasing the cats. By not feeding Y-Bo at the same time as I feed the cats, but waiting to feed him after his morning walk, I’ve pretty much eliminated Y’s antsy pacing and lurching in the mornings. The new ’calm’ is lovely. Dinnertime is better than it was, but not as good as I’d like. Night time is a real toss up. Some evenings Y doesn’t seem to know the cats are around, others nights they can’t slink a step away without a Y-pounce. I’ve noticed, however, that the more he and I workout together, the less apt he is too do anything but sleep. Which leads me to believe this problem is one more of boredom and attention-seeking. I don’t worry that he’ll hurt Princess or Jabba. I’ve seen him barrel down on them, then virtually do a flip to avoid stepping on them. Any suggestions on how to stop this behavior would be appreciated! (Not the flip, the chase!)
I wish I’d weighed and measured Y when we first started for I’m sure he has lost a bit of weight–which the vet wanted him to do. We’ve also really cut down on the number of treats, both human and dog, that he gets. I think this has helped with the anti-cat-chasing problem, as well. As for myself, I have lost two pounds and an inch from my waist. (I give credit where credit is due…baby-sitting helps on that matter, too!)
All in all, I think the 30/30 Challenge has provided a wonderful bonding exercise for Y and me, one which we hope to continue throughout 2013. I’d like to thank You Did What With Your Weiner for coming up with the idea and for hosting this adventure! So until next time, I look forward to reading how everybody else did!
This is Saturday Pet Blog Hop.
Great job!
urban hounds
Congrats on 30 great walks!
I’m glad you two had such success with the challenge! Bunny wasn’t in need of losing weight, but she has definitely gotten more muscular. She’s pretty much always willing to go do whatever I ask of her, but the night we walked in the downpouring rain was almost a deal breaker. We’re on the Idita Walk trail now and I’ve found that these challenges are really good for me. In the summer when there aren’t challenges to meet, I don’t do nearly as well.
As for redirecting Y from chasing the cats, I’d try doing a recall on him and then do some sit stays with a clicker for a few minutes to get his mind engaged on something else.
Thanks that clicker/recall is a good idea! As for rain, Y doens’t really mind that too much. But he’s a big, blubbery type pup! (Part Newfie/Lab). Thanks again for the training idea. Good luck with the Idita Walk, keep us posted!
You and ‘Y’ did great Loy! I have to give props for consistency knowing that there were days when the weather was against you…I think you’re idea of feeding ‘Y’ alone, after his walk, was excellent…and applause for losing a couple pounds, something that always make me happy
Isn’t it great how many of us who took the challenge are planning to keep it up now?
Great job!
Congrats to you both!
Great job! Being a mommy of 3 dogs, I know how difficult it can be to get those daily walks in. Especially now, during the winter, I rely on my husband to do it when it gets really cold out. Keep up the good work
So funy Y-BOY does the exact same thing Kirby does once I get his leash on him, when I grab his leash well that a different story.
Great job and I am glad that you got some good takeaways from participating in the challenge. I am still struggling to find the time to post about our challenge wrap-up
Great job! Sounds like you both enjoyed the challenge and saw some good benefits.
Walking is such a simple exercise that I think many people underestimate its importance for a dog. And for most dogs, I don’t think it’s the distance nearly as much as the mental stimulating they get from being surrounded by so many interesting smells.
I’m trying to get the Train Your Dog Challenge linky tool working again. But I’m so glad you linked your post. Training and walking are two of the very best ways to bond with your dog.
And I bet it’s pretty good for having fun with a grandchild too, huh?
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