Day 2: Go Somewhere New

by lennearbNo Comments
Life always changes. Even if your dog is comfortable in all the places that are part of your daily routine now, you cannot be sure that routine won't change at some point during your dog's lifetime. It's good to work with your dog on comfort in new situations. Of course, the appropriate level at which to work on this depends on your dog. For more nervous dogs, taking a different walking route may be as much or more than your dog can handle. Confident dogs can handle a more challenging environment, but it still needs to be set to their level. I don't recommend starting even confident dogs with a new environment that will require them to stay for a long time. Look for something that allows a quick exit. In the DC-area, we have a number of dog-friendly bars and breweries, which can be a good place for this. Make sure you pick a time that the location is not likely...
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A Quiet Walk in the Park

by lennearbNo Comments
When I left the house Saturday morning and spotted the sun, I admit I did a bit of a doubletake. What was that? After so many straight days of rain, it was easy to forget that the sun would be coming back again eventually. Since we did get lucky with some beautiful weather this past weekend, we decided to take advantage of it by going to the National Arboretum on Sunday for a walk. If you live in the DC area and haven't been to the Arboretum, it's well worth the trip. It's very family- and dog-friendly, but still has plenty of wide open places if you want to avoid getting too close to other people. Usually. That was less true than normal on Sunday, as the combination of sunny weather and Mother's Day had the Arboretum more full than I think I have ever seen it. If you are working on the basics of training your dog to be comfortable around...
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Prepping for Snow: 4 Tips

by lennearbNo Comments
We adopted Sirius in July of 2009. In December of that year, we had the first of what turned out to be three major snowstorms of the winter. On the day the first storm began, I was home and trying to get some chores done before I planned to venture out into the snow to meet a few people coming from the metro. Sirius came up to me and asked to go outside. I didn't want to have to stop what i was doing or bundle up twice, so I told him to wait. He looked at me plaintively for a moment before peeing on the floor. He couldn't wait. Except during illness, it remains the first and only accident Sirius has had in our house. When he has to go, I take him out, as safely as I can, be it blizzard or hurricane. I am not proud of this story, but I tell it as a lead in to my tips...
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THUMP! – A reminder travel safely

by lennearbNo Comments
We had attended two weddings 600 miles apart in less than 24 hours—driving through the night to make it to the second one on time. People said we were crazy, but we didn’t feel we could let down the friends and family that were counting on us. In the end, the trip had been successful, and the car was packed for the trip home. There had been some light rain, but the road conditions were fine, and we expected an uneventful drive. Certainly, we didn’t think anything of having to stop behind several other cars to wait for another vehicle to turn left. That is, until I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the yellow Jeep coming up behind us. It was braking, but not fast enough to stop on the slightly slippery road. Thump! We both jerked forward in our seatbelts, glanced at each other, and pulled to the side of the road. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad,...
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Site-seeing with dogs

by lennearb1 Comment
Last weekend, I took my dog out to Mount Vernon on a sunny Sunday afternoon. It was crowded, but we skirted busiest areas, sticking to the woods, the dock, etc. We avoided getting too close to the livestock (despite Sirius's earnest appeal to be allowed to play with the cows). Overall, I think all of us had an enjoyable time. However, as we headed home, I couldn't help but consider questions that I have considered many times before - when and where should your dog accompany you on trips, and how do you make that decision? That night, I posted a few tips on Twitter. However, I wanted to take this opportunity to expand on the comments I made. Today we went to @VisitMtVernon . Love open air places that allow dogs - be around lots of ppl but still have space. pic.twitter.com/PChPmUHjyF — Next Best Pet (@NextBestPet) August 5, 2013   1) Pick your spot. As I said in the tweet above, I...
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