The only thing we love as much (or more) than our two legged friends, are our four legged friends. Am I right?? As a dog owner, I am constantly wondering if my dog, Penguin is ok. Is she sad? Did she eat enough? Is she too tired to go out again? Are the avalanche bombs stressing her out? Yeah, I worry. I’ve learned a few things in the last few years as Penguin’s caretaker.
The main thing that has helped in her training is consistency. Before we leave the house on any type of adventure, I turn on the training collar and put it on her. The brand we use is the mini-educator. At this point, she knows that I am in control AND that we are going on an adventure. If she starts in on a behavior that I don’t want, usually all I have to do is hold up the yellow controller, say her name and she stops. (By the way, did you know that dogs are red and green color blind and can only discern blue and yellow? Hence, the yellow controller!) In Summit County, where we live, the e-collar counts as a leash if your dog is under voice control. Not having a physical leash gives her a little more room to roam and freedom to explore. However, she does get super stressed out when the avalanche bombs go off. She ran back to the car once or twice while we were on a hike.
Since I know the bombs stress her out, I always bring a physical leash in my backpack when there’s a chance of the bombs going off. We’ve all heard horror stories about dogs running away during fireworks and I don’t want this to be the case. Also I have learned the art of distraction. When a bomb goes off and she stops in her tracks and looks panicked, I start throwing snowballs or sticks for her and she seems to forget she is scared. Caring for my pup is a privilege and one I don’t take for granted. I love my little Penguin and I want to have years and years of adventures with her. If you’ve gone out on an adventure with us I know you’ll agree. Adventures are always more fun with a dog, or a Penguin.
