Charlie's weekend adventure- MacKenzie King Estate

Dogs too get bored of the same food, the same walk and the same dog friends. We to get bored too. That's why every weekend we try a new walk or hike. We are lucking that we live in Ottawa since we have so many trails and walks that we can go to under half an hour. We have shared some in the past. See below links to MacKenzie King Estate and other hiking trails in the Gatineau.

Walking and Hiking in the Gatineau

Hiking and Walking at the Mackenzie King Estate

A beautiful feathered tail, constantly moving back and forth.

Duck Tollers are known for their beautiful flashing tails. Some tollers have a white tip at the end of their tails. Charlie's tails is long and always up when walking or excited. Toller tails are full of action depending what the toller is thinking or doing,

Charlie enjoys chasing his tail as well.

Downward dog..........why do dogs love this stretch?

Dogs do the downward dog bow for two reasons. First, it's a good stretch that feels good. It's also signal to other dogs and humans that I want to play!  Dogs will bounce and up and down in these positions when excited as well. So enjoy your dog. Have some fun.

Signs of Spring are in the air! Yes/Maybe?

Ice is off the river......first signs of spring.  Dogs love spring too. They get more outdoor time after being cooped up in the house. More dog park time as well as hikes, runs and more friends to see. Enjoy this time with your dog.

Charlie Tests Out Hammock Camping

A Hammock Adventure!

Testing out the new camping hammock and Charlie did not want to be left out of the fun. 

Charlie was so happy when he got up and got to be apart of the hammock fun!

Charlie contemplating camping, hammocks, and all the sticks surrounding him.

Dogs hears things that you don't.

A dog hears a frequency range of 40 to 60,000 Hz while a human range is between 20 and 20,000 Hz. Most dogs can hear sounds approximately four times further away than humans.  

Due to this your dog may have a difficult time with many different and loud noises that you find acceptable. 

Dog Parks City of Ottawa

Below are some guidelines from the City of Ottawa-Dogs in Parks website.

Parks can provide a pleasant and safe environment in which to exercise dogs. Safety for other park users is also a consideration however. The Animal Care and Control By-law provides for a variety of park usages or "designations" for dogs (below) and there is a Dogs-in-Parks Designation Policy (DIPDP) that applies.

Click link above to get a map of dog parks In Ottawa

• Dogs Allowed: Dogs may be off leash

• Dogs on Leash: Dogs are allowed but must be on leash at all times

• No Dogs: Dogs are not permitted

Don't try to rescue your dog if falls in the cold water.

Dogs are clever but many times a dog has run on a frozen river and fallen through. And I know that some people will instinctively try to rescue their dog in trouble. Before you do anything, think first. Are you prepared to die trying (many have).

So keep your dog on a leash when walking near a river or other bodies of water in the winter for you and your dogs sake.

Instant Meditation

What's happening Man!  Charlie taking a Instant Meditation break.

According to www.nowhealing.com/instant-meditation, you too can do Instant Meditation like Charlie.                                                                                                                                                      
"Now, for two seconds, get in touch with your mental/emotional center – a place of peace. (Don’t feel into it, or try to experience it – just find it and connect to it, at the speed of light. That’s sufficient!)

"Find your spiritual center – your soul  – and connect with it, for two seconds.
And finally, sense your energetic center with its meridians, chakras and auric field.

Now bring them all together: sense your vertical Center, and say the command: “Center.” Stay in your Center, while bringing your focus up, up, up… above your head. Now move your focus up and outward, towards infinity, for a few seconds – at light-speed.

You’ve just made instant, multi-dimensional connection to wholeness. Compare that to how you feel after meditation. Different – yet instantly whole. Check out the full article at https://www.nowhealing.com/instant-meditation/

Hope Mom buys treats for me when she is in the grocery store.

Charlie is Ready for Christmas!

Reindeer Charlie. 

Charlie thinks that he is up for the job as one of Santa's Reindeer but I have my doubts. He is very fast but I don't think he will be able to keep up with all the flying. He might just want in on the job because of all the cookie perks.

All of the presents are wrapped!

Charlie is excited for Christmas. He plans to give everyone lots of love and kisses all day! His wish list is not very long, he would like lots of long walks, pettings, and maybe a new bone or ball. 

A Walk with Lights

Charlie went for a long walk to look at all the Christmas lights in Britannia. This was one of his favorites.

So many nice Christmas lights!

Charlie likes this house, but is confused why there is a tree inside the house! Trees belong outside!

Charlie has his own Christmas tree

Charlie has found branch pieces from a Christmas Tree.

My feet hurt!

Purple socks and Bag Balm to the rescue!

Mini-spa for Charlie. His feet are chapped, cracked and sore from all the walking he does. We picked up some Antiseptic Bag Balm from Lee Valley Tools and rubbed it on his front feet. Later we will do the back feet.

Bag Balm is used for sore teats and milkers but good for dog paws too!

Surprise in the dog park!

I love the Christmas tree but Charlie is not impressed. If the tree had dog bones and treats hanging in it he would be happy. Maybe next year.

Charlie's first trip to Bruce Pit

Map of Bruce Pit-Ottawa. A heaven for dogs.

Charlie made some friends

Walking the trail

Final Goodbye

Some info - Bruce Pit 

http://www.pets.ca/dogs/dog-parks/ontario/ottawa/

http://www.responsibledogowners.ca/brucepit.html

Fun Day in the snow

It's snowing outside but you still can do a lot of fun things with your dog. 

1. Play chase in the snow, a game every dog enjoys.

2. Teach your dog to do some tricks. Roll in the snow, play dead. 

3. Let your dog dig,pounce and run through the snow.

Charlie chews his leash off

What to do when your dog keeps biting his leash?

1. One thing that helps Charlie from biting his leash is to give Charlie something to carry or hold in his mouth. Charlie loves carrying balls and sticks,
2. Can also reward your dog with treats throughout your walk when not biting on his leash.
3. Have a pull toy (a rope with a big knot is good). Play pull on a daily basis with your dog.