Montrose Dog Beach in Chicago

The beach season has officially started in Chicago. Well at least the DOG beach season. With Toby waking up so early, we decided to try out the dog beach at Montrose again. You MUST try it out if you live in, or visit Chicago and own a dog.

When you get up to Montrose, turn left off of Montrose and stay close to the lake. Look a big retainer wall. The entrance to the dog beach is on the North side of the beach. Be sure to bring a towel (or a few), balls or frisbee, water, and I always bring treats or a squeeky ball since Toby runs wild.


Toby had a blast and even did pretty well off leash with other dogs! As compared to last year, he stayed close and even came back to us! He chased a tennis ball into the lake, played with a sweet Boxer, and attempted to swim like a Bernese Mountain Dog he admired. I definitely reccomend that you check it out. Maybe I'll even post your dog's pic if we're there at the same time!

Cute puppy Friday

Not too much to report today, so just posting to show how handsome the Pup was this morning on our walk. So much that I forgave him for waking me up at 5 AM!!

Lady, it's called Hackles not a Mohawk

Since Toby has been getting up at 6 AM every day this week, I am tired. My one motivation to take him out today was walking to Starbucks for my favorite. While ordering mine, I decided it would be SO sweet to get Toby's dad his favorite. I soon found out --

1 dog + 1 latte + 1 coffee= BIG problem when that dog drags you down the street! I was drenched in skinny caramel latte and the "bold" blend by the time we got home.

Oh it also doesn't help when some lady basically stalks you because she wants her HUGE (very cute) dog to "meet" your dog, even though you tell her that he isn't really that great with BIG giant dogs. And- seeing that you have your hands full with dripping coffee, says "Oh yours has a mohawk like mine, too funny"

Um lady, the "mohawk" is actually his hackles, which mean he may start to go off on your huge giant dog. Thanks.

PS- Believe it or not, I really am not a mean mad person. According to my sister on G-Chat, she "believes me". Thanks sis.

Toby, staring down Mohawk Dog.

Easter 2009

This past weekend Toby and I made the trek down to Cincinnati for Easter. We stayed at my Mom's Friday, my Dad's Saturday, and split Sunday between the 2. This meant packing and unpacking the crate only 4 times- ughhh.

Anyway, Toby got to live every city dog's fantasy: running free in the country and then running free in a huge, fenced-in yard. He did amazingly well- checking in with me every few minutes and coming back to me if he went too far. I have to say that the Growl 2 class as well as 2 sessions with Dog Behavior Solutions really are helping. That, and ALL the practice we've been doing. I guess the training is just more work than I originally imagined!

Toby didn't get to participate in the annual, run for your money Easter egg hunt. But here's what he missed (Hey I had to get cute kid pics in somewhere. My nephews, NOT my own!)

Tips to Crate Train a New Puppy

We actually had no problem crate training Toby. He loves his little "dog cave" and runs back to lay in it when he wants a break from TV or street noise. I suspect it was so easy to train him since he was fostered for such a long time before we adopted him. While Toby was super easy to crate train, the foster puppies were another story.

Last fall, we fostered a 4 month Sheppard puppy. I would put him in his crate with no problem. Then I would try to leave the house. The cute little puppy suddenly seemed possessed- scratching biting, and thrashing about in the crate. One time, I came home and the crate had moved over 20 feet across the room! It was so frustrating and I actually worked from home for a few days so that I didn't have to endure the torture. So, I ask myself, what did we do differently with Toby?

1. We bought a crate that was appropriately sized for a puppy. I bought one at PetSmart, similar to this:

2. Line the crate with towels and a blanket to make it soft.
3. Throw treats into the crate and praise the puppy whenever he chooses to enter.
4. Slowly, as he grows accustomed to entering and leaving, close the door for a few seconds.
5. Each time, lengthen the time that the door is shut. Do not leave the puppy yet!
6. Eventually, leave the door shut for longer periods of time. Introduce 1 GREAT treat when he goes in. We used dehydrated chicken breast. You can place the crate near your couch, kitchen, etc. so that you are still nearby, but doing something else.
7. Start to leave the room, and eventually the house for a few minutes. When you leave, don't make a big deal over leaving. Same goes when you come home (just a few minutes later)
8. Continue to lengthen the time you leave. Keep in mind, you can't leave the puppy alone too long. I've heard the general guideline as 1 hour for each month the puppy is old.