Moku's Daily Wrap-Up

Daily CHALLENGE & ACTiViTY Summary

Dog’s name: Moku

Date: Wednesday, September 16th, 2015

Physical Fitness

Today, when I came to the house to pick up Moku, I had Miss Nixie with me; it was the two dogs’ first time meeting, and they were instantly friends. They played and ran around in the yard for twenty minutes or so before we left the yard and went to a park nearby. There, we had a more structured “pack walk”. We went twice around the park, which equaled .8 mile. Moku was pretty pooped by the time we were finished; laid down by the car and didn’t want to lift himself into it when it was time. Back at the house, Moku swam in the pool for approximately ten minutes. I was encouraged to see that because I didn’t prompt him or throw any toys to keep him moving (nor was I in the pool, as it was too chilly). The dogs played a bit more throughout the day, but by the time we got back to your yard this afternoon, both dogs were pretty wiped and not interested in rough-housing or chasing each other at that point.

Cognitive Fitness

Today, we worked on a couple of new games meant for play in “multiple dog households”. The first was for building focus and check-ins with me (eye contact), for strengthening the dogs’ response to hearing their names, and impulse control with food. I explain more about it in the video, whose link you will find below. But essentially, I say one dog’s name and toss a treat for him in one direction, then say the other dog’s name and toss one for her. The idea is for the dog to go after only the treat with his or her “name on it”. Even if tempted to dart over and grab the other dog’s treat once they’ve scarfed down their own, the goals is for the dog instead to make the “right choice”, by foregoing their friend’s treat, waiting to hear their own name, and going after the treat meant for them.

The other game was about training with two dogs at once. Essentially it rewards one dog for staying still (on a “place” marker, for which we used a towel) while you work commands with the other dog. See video for a better description and visual example.

Social Fitness

Moku met a new friend today – Nixie! The two of them hit it off and played really well together! She has a bit of a domineering personality, which Moku handled like a socially adept young man. She chased him around and tried to hump him, to which he responded by playing with her in kind, though not escalating the energy any further. If she tried to hump him, he would just sit down, bringing the play to a lower level. It is good for Moku to be the one in the social dynamic to bring energy DOWN. This is different for him!

Emotional Fitness

Again, Moku played a different kind of role today, helping another dog feel more emotionally comfortable. Nixie has only been here since yesterday, so she is a bit antsy when I leave her in my room alone (to make a smoothie or coffee, or whatever). Today, it was obvious she felt much safer and more comfortable because Moku was with her! When I came back in after being outside the room for a bit, they were just playing and playing without a care in the world. Nixie went into her kennel for a nap and was not very happy about it. She whined a little, which made Moku unable to fully relax; he is an empathetic guy, and it made him upset that she was upset. However, once he curled up and fell asleep in the bed next to her kennel, Nix calmed down. Not sure which one “initiated” the calm, but I think it was Moku. Proud of him!

Primal Fitness

The treat tossing game we played today involved a bit of scenting (because some of the treats were small, and he didn’t see where they fell, so had to sniff them out). Also, he contended with a lot of new pack dynamics today, which taps into his innate dog-ness and pack mentality J. He did great today, and I reflected on how much he has grown up. Way to go, Moku Bear!

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