Are We There Yet?

I was just testing to see if I could make this work. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Stanley.

WATER!!!!!!

After we went running on Thursday, mom decided it was warm enough to get out our pool.  We were so excited to see our pool again since we hadn't been in it since last summer!

"Uh, Mom . . . I think I grew since last time."

But we still like to play in the water.

Me and Stanley like to stick our heads under water.

Stanley was diving for a blade of grass at the bottom.

Man this cool water is great after a long run!

Me and Stanley are going to get on our computers and look for a bigger pool cuz now we're BIG!


Murphy

Pee Ess - We posted this before we left so hopefully our next post will be on our vacation!

Helping Dad

Dad asked me and Stanley to help him out with a project.  He said he was gonna do some digging and we figured that was something we were really good at!

I noticed Stanley sneaked off, anybody seen him?

"I'm snoopervising this project!"

"I better keep a close eye on these rocks and make sure they don't fall on your head Murphy!"

"No worries brother, I'm being careful"

"Hmmm, maybe a bit deeper. . . "

"I'm not scared to get my paws dirty, what do ya think Dad, big enough?"

"Really, you two are a bit boring . . . "

"You still digging those rocks out?"

"This one's really deep . . . "

"Snoopervising is such hard work."

Dad is going to be working on this project for a long time.  And then we're going to put in some concrete.  Wow, I never did concrete before - I think it will be FUN!


Murphy

Pee Ess - We are leaving for Zion National Park in the little wheelie house.  Stanley and me are taking our computers.  So IF we have WIFI we will be posting and/or on Facebook   You can find our Facebook pages on our Blog tab if you are not already our Facebook friends!

Our Vests & A Special Honor

We finally got our CGC patches for our vests!!

Do you like it?

Do you wanna pet me?

It's easy for me to be well mannered when I'm wearing my vest because it turns me into a statue and I don't move.

If you only see the front you can't read our names!

Stanley looks pretty sharp, eh?

Mom says we are the cutest Doods in our CGC vests.

Oh, and another thing . . . SURPRISE!  Our Blogville mayoress declared today to be: 

Pip and Puddles Appreciation Day!

Pip was bestowed the title "Blogville King of Cheeseburgers"  and Puddles the title of "Blogville Queen of Merriment and Mayhem" .  We thank you both for all the laughter, joy, and entertainment you have shared with us!  You make our world a better place!


Murphy & Stanley
CGC Doods

Running Doods

Guess what we did this morning!!!

We practiced our running - the most ever!

Mom and Dad said we did the best yet!

We went 4 miles, doing a run/walk combination.

The most important thing is to have a loose leash and to stay along side our pawrents when we run.

As you can see, we are getting much better keeping the loose leash!

We ran on the sidewalk just so we could take these photos (we normally run on trail or in the road).  We can't take a picture when we are running "officially".  We started out and went about 1/4 of a mile and then walked a bit, we did that over and over but one time we went a half mile without stopping!  Mom and Dad can easily go a long way without stopping but they want to work up to longer distances with me and Stanley.  They don't want to overwork our muscles/pads too soon.  Sometimes when we do a walking portion it is because they know there are barking dogs up ahead and that me and Stanley will be distracted.  Mom says it is easier to walk through those sections right now.  But, the bestest thing is that they said we are really improving!

Only a few more days until we leave in the little wheelie house!


Murphy



Pee Ess - I want to give a special birthday wish to my sweet girlfriend who turns one today!!

Brontë Doodle - Isn't she beautiful!!!!

Spileash - Final Review

I'm going to let mom write our post today because she wants to let everyone know how our  Spileash worked out for us.  So . . . here's mom:

"Mom, Murphy wanted me to tell you not to embarrass us since it is OUR blog."

We've used our Spileash enough times that we feel like we can give you an idea of how it worked for us.      We already posted about the features, construction, etc. You can see that post HERE. The bottom line is that it is a very well made leash with a convenient pouch for carrying your supplies like phones, poop bags, treats, etc.  It is sort of a minimalist design in that when you are running or walking with the dog you don't feel encumbered.  You don't have a sensation of something thick around your waist and you don't feel the bounce of the pouch.  But if the dog pulls at the leash, you're going to feel it pull the leash into your midsection.  A hands-free leash isn't going to make up for a dog that needs loose leash training.

Being hands free is NICE!  No more yanking at the shoulder.  If the dog wants to pull the human, he has to pull the whole weight of the human, not just dislocate a shoulder. But the flip side is that dog and human are tethered.  The better trained the dog is, the less of an issue this would be.

Leash length was a huge decision for us.  I like the fact that this comes in two sizes.  At first I thought the shorter one would be the best for Murphy (to avoid him getting entangled) and the longer one for Stanley.   But after one outing (just a walk) with the shorter leash, I learned (the hard way) that having a little room to recover from a dog moving into the human's foot strike space is the difference between remaining upright and kissing the pavement.  I kissed the pavement.  OK, lesson learned.  The longer leash worked out best for Stanley and after trying Murphy on the longer leash I was sold on it too.  The additional 12" gave me a larger "recovery" area. Murphy was far enough away from me that if he started coming into my space I could just grab the leash and redirect him to stay on my left side.   So my recommendation would be to get the longer leash for smaller dogs.

I copied the leash length info from the manufacture's web site, so here are the 2 options:

Small – 72" from end to end. Depending on the waist size, the length will vary. Measure your waist size and subtract from 72" to find the length left over (72" leash – 32" waist = 40" leash length) 

Large – 84" from end to end. Use the same equation as above (84" leash – 32" waist = 52" leash length)

After you finish running, you can also take the leash off your waist and use it like a regular walking leash (using waist part as a handle).  This allows the dog more freedom to "roam" (stop for sniffs, etc.) while walking.

We're taking the leashes with us on our upcoming trip to Zion National Park and intend to use them for running and hiking.  We are still working on training issues with the Doods (staying on the left side while running is critical) but look forward to running many miles together.  For anyone who wants to run with their dog, a hands-free leash is the way to go.  The Spileash will secure your dog to you (without bogging you down with heavy apparatus), give you a place to carry a few essentials, and allow you a natural arm swing.  It is possible to run with your dog and still feel "free"!  We give this product a thumbs up!

Murphy & Stanley & Pawrents

Jail

Me and Stanley spend almost all our time with our pawrents.  They take us everywhere that they possibly can.  But sometimes we just can't go with them so they need someplace where we can be and not get into trouble (mom says when we are older we can just stay loose in the house).  In nice weather we go outside to the Doodle Clubhouse.  But when it is bad weather (and winter) we go to jail.  We don't mind it.  Mom says, "Let's go to jail!" and we run down the stairs and wait for her to come and close the door.  Since it is Monday, our pawrents will do their long run.  So if you want to find me and Stanley, we will be in jail.

It's not so bad.  We have everything we need.

Sometimes we just go in there to sniff around.

Murphy