I was thinking about Harlan and appreciating what an awesome dog he has been to work with, and I have always just remembered Harlan has being such an easy puppy. And then I remembered that Harlan has separation anxiety that I have been working through for years with him. It’s been a total challenge and, while there is a lot of improvement, it’s a touchy subject that hasn’t had the most straightforward path. Lots of accomplishments and also several setbacks. But then I remembered back even further to Harlan’s worst problem at all. His intensity in motivation for food. This brother is sneaky. One time I watched him through a small window from outside. My partner and I had just baked a ton of cookies and set them to cool. We stepped outside briefly and watched him get up from his bed, look around to see where we went, do a perimeter check and look in every room in the house before he went into the kitchen and jumped up to snatch the cookies. I had set him up because he had successfully done this the week prior and ate all of my cookies. Counter surfing is the worst and thankfully this is no longer something I worry about. He also used to attempt to steal food -from my mouth-, or my hand on its way to my mouth. Or from my plate. Once, he managed to snatch a Hagen daz ice cream bar from my hand, swallowed it WHOLE, and then pooped out the stick 5 days later (thankfully! And also thankful that he is now extremely polite around food haha) And all of that being said, I still look at that little pest and think “omg you are just the sweetest angel and the best most handsome dog man ever who could never do bad things and deserves all the best treats.”. Tell me about your dogs nuisance behaviour and share your stories!

A question I've got asked a lot over the years is; "How do I deal with off leash dogs running up to my on leash reactive dog?! ...or even the other way around! Some people know their dog is reactive and yet they don't leash or muzzle them! It's unacceptable to expect other dog owners to have to deal with an out of control dog! What do you think? I have my own suggestions, but would love to hear others...🤗

Be honest… what food do you share with your dog? 👉 from the table? 👉 a sneaky bite on the couch? 👉 trail snacks out of the backpack? Or do you keep a firm rule: only from the bowl, no begging allowed? Ivy gets cheese (obviously 🧀😅)… your turn — what’s your dog’s favourite “human snack,” and what’s the rule in your house (or on the trail)? Drop your answers (and GIFs if you’ve got ’em) ⬇️

It’s a soggy weekend here on the wet west coast of BC. The joke goes… we don’t tan here, we rust. 😂 My husband already took Ivy for a nice long walk this morning, and I’ll head out with her again this afternoon. Today, I’m going old-school vinyl raincoat instead of my Gore-Tex gear -- keeping it slow and skipping the hills so that I don't end up wetter inside my jacket than the outside. 😅 Ivy doesn’t mind the rain. No jacket for her. She just gets a quick towel-down when we get home. When we first adopted her, she hated it, but with gentle handling and treats, she came around. Now it’s part of the routine: towel, zoomies, couch rub. 💭 What about you and your dog? 💧Do you splash through puddles or power-walk for survival? 💧Raincoats — people, dogs, or both? 💧Toweling off — love it or loathe it? 💧Washing feet — every time or only when muddy? 🐾🧼 How do you and your dog handle rainy days where you live? 🌦️🐾 🏡 🛌

Dogs have to think really hard when they lead their bodies with their back end. Throw in some additional awareness of front end positioning and you have one challenging task! Pardon Harlan’s loudness.. he is actually unusually quiet for a hound. 😂