Moku Had A Big Day!

Daily CHALLENGE & ACTiViTY Summary

Dog’s name: Moku

Date: Thursday, September 10th, 2015

Physical Fitness

Moku swam energetically today! He was all about taking the initiative to plop in off the swim steps and take off after his toys. Total active time in the pool, approximately fifteen minutes. Moku “speed walked”, almost jogged, at a clip of 2.5mph for twenty minutes, for a total of .81 miles. He definitely got into “the zone”, but was hot and winded by twenty minutes, so we are increasing his time on the treadmill progressively but very slowly.

Cognitive Fitness

We worked on commands today at Home Depot and PetSmart, specifically SIT, DOWN, WAIT (at the end of aisles), LEAVE IT (which we need a lot of work on in a place like PetSmart, where there are treat crumbs all over the floor); “CHECK IN” (I’ve gotten into the habit of saying this as a request for eye contact). Even more so, we worked on maintaining some level of calm, and the ability to tone down his excitement when he sees people or other dogs. He always does much better at this in Home Depot, probably because of all the animal and food smells at PetSmart, etc. And also because we usually hit Home Depot last, so by that time, he is tired. He did okay with sitting and laying down…however even when he was sitting, he was still on excitement overload. Having him lay down and STAY (with the command STAY) in the middle of chaotic, loud, crowded situations helps him build self-control, and also associate calmness with these situations if you are consistent about this over time.

Social Fitness

Moku met several people today at Home Depot, all of whom wanted to love on him. One woman said “I’m usually afraid of dogs, like, really afraid. Like I would typically go the other way out of the aisle to avoid having to walk past a dog. But I’m not afraid of Moku!” That was awesome, and you guys should feel proud for raising such a sweet and friendly dog! He also met a “stray” dog today. It wasn’t really a stray. It was a little fluffy thing named Sophie that had gotten out of her yard in Haggin Oaks and was running down the street on a little exploration adventure. I picked her up and put her in the front seat with Maggie. Moku got very excited, and sniffed at her from the back seat. She gave a warning grumble, telling him to back off, and he did! GOOD BOY! He is learning to listen to what other dogs communicate to him – hence the major importance of socializing one’s dog!

Then we went to the Mission to work with the Men! These guys can’t get enough of Moku! Tonight we talked about introducing dogs of different energy and comfort levels. Moku “played” the “giant puppy with no sense of other dogs’ boundaries, who is overly excited and might easily overwhelm a dog who is anxious or afraid, or simply not well socialized…but who also is not in any way reactive, and who – as a happy-go-lucky labbie – will break down barriers to fearful dogs’ inner-puppies, bringing even the most hidden of them out to play”. After his “main men” had walked him around the track a few times to help relieve his excited energy, he did a GREAT JOB of helping a couple of stand-offish, unsure dogs learn to deal with his silly puppy-ness.

These exchanges help Moku to find his “place in the pack”, so to speak. And as he settles more comfortably into his “role” (which of course changes depending on what other dogs he is with at any given time), it helps other dogs do the same.

Emotional Fitness

Moku spent some time along today: When I made a smoothie in the kitchen, he and Maggie chilled in my room. When Maggie’s new people came to get her, Moku was outside (with the other dogs). I had put a chair in front of the dog door, because I knew if they were inside while we were handing over Maggie, it would’ve been chaos. But, they moved the chair and came in anyway. I closed the sliding door that leads to the yoga room and hallway to the dog door. Once Maggie left, I was so happy and proud to see all three dogs (Moku, Clancy and Ginger) laying quietly on the dog beds in the yoga room! So – what all this means is that there is no barking, whining, or scratching on doors to get into where I am, or get out of where he is if I am not with him. Great job!

Primal Fitness

Moku was a total water dog and retrieving fool in the pool today! He also did lots of pack walking at the Mission.

#friskyfitness #Moku