That cute puppy, she's a jerk, or things I learned about dog training

Apparently dogs don't have any shame, no matter how sad they look. With this new knowledge I have no shame in calling out my asshole little girl now.
She has been one thousand times more difficult of a puppy than Barley ever was.
She still chews, digs, poops in inappropriate places and doesn't listen at all. At least it's not runny and on the carpet.

I've spent more time on Cesar Millan's site looking up advice than I have spent sleeping the last few weeks.
One of the hardest things to remember is that unless you catch them doing it they have no idea why you're ranting and raving at them. Especially when you find a surprise hours after it happened.

The last couple weeks have been a little better with me enforcing as much of my research as possible.

I have taken away some key points:

• Don't take it personally. They aren't hardwired to hold vendettas for leaving them alone or punishing them for something else. They have small attention spans at younger ages like toddlers.

• Don't yell. Talk to them firmly and in an even tone. Which can be difficult at times of heated disappointment but is necessary to keep yourself in line as well.

• When they do bad correct them with then revert their bad behavior by encouraging good behavior. Like taking away something they aren't suppose to chew on, saying NO then handing them a chew toy and saying "GOOD dog!"

• If you leave a puppy under the age of 18 months unsupervised whatever they do is your own damn fault. 

Our trip to Big Bear, Ca

We needed a break from the grind. A refreshing visit to nature far from the neon lights, draining work days, and flashing electronic screens.
I planned a trip to Big Bear Lake. A short three and a half hour drive away from our bustling city, away from our jobs, our band, our television and computers.
We got in late Friday evening and didn't really get to see more than the cabin we were staying in. However bright and early Saturday morning we woke to the wonderful scent of pine trees and this view.

We brought the dogs along with us.  This being the longest road trip either had been on they were pleasantly surprised when they saw the view as well.

We took the dogs to the lake where they reveled in the beautiful waters and garnered attention from all who watched. 

After the lake time we headed to some stables to go horseback riding. Hayden had told me prior to the planning that he wanted to try a new adventure and do something he had never done before.

He was nervous at first with the horse being much larger in person than he imagined. However once on the horse and riding steady he enjoyed it. 

After our ride we drove back to the cabin and relaxed for the rest of the night.
The drive home on Sunday was also beautiful and relaxing. The kids all chilled in the back resting together.

It was a grand adventure and we all had a great time away from the grind.

#doggyproblems Upset Dog Tummy and Treatment

A month ago my wonderful husband accidentally bought a different brand of dog food for our golden retriever Barley. Usually when you switch dog food there's a chance that the dog will vomit and have diarrhea. To avoid this it's best to mix the old food with the new food to make the switch gradual.
Fast forward to the other day where yours truly had to make the switch back to the better food he was originally on. However, my wonderful husband didn't leave any of the old food for me to mix with the new food.
Poor Barley had the adverse reaction to the food switch this time. So I did some research to find a treatment for the doggy tummy problems. I found through a few different websites that you can give your dog pepto bismol. Make sure you research how much to give per the weight of your dog.
Also its best to withhold food for 12 hours after the vomiting and diarrhea. However make sure they have more than enough water to ensure they don't get dehydrated.
After the twelve hours I found that dogs should have a bland diet to ease the stomach when they have such issues and ease them back into the dog food.
A couple different recipes for the bland diet can be found here.
I made 2 cups of boil in the bag white rice mixed with some chicken baby food and Barley ate it right up.
Good thing I have a few days off before my new job starts to take care of him.