Every dog has his or her own distinct personality. They do things differently and like different things. My second Springer, Spencer, loved to lie in the dirt. He also loved to lie in my daughter’s sandbox. Spencer first started to dig an oval shaped hole inside his fence. My husband filled the hole several times, but Spencer could dig faster than my husband could fill up the hole and Spencer won this challenge.

Spencer dug the hole only large enough for him to lie down inside the hole. After it was large enough for him to completely hide himself, he stopped digging. If you were in the back yard, you could not see him unless he had his head above his dirt hole. He spent many spring, summer and fall days curled up in his oval shaped dirt hole, just taking in the sun. If he was not in his dirt hole, he was inside the sandbox just enjoying the feel of sand and sun. That dirt hole remained until he passed away and then my husband filled it up and planted grass seed. My third Springer, Eliot, never bothered to dig there or anywhere else inside the fence.

Did your dog ever get you in a situation that made you call for help? Well, that happened to me and my second dog, Spencer! At one time my office was in the basement. I went downstairs to work like I did every day and was working for awhile when I heard a loud bang. I went upstairs to investigate the problem. However, when I got to the top of the stairs, I could not open the door! The door knob would turn, but the door just would not open. Now Spencer was barking and trying to help. I knew just what the problem was!

My husband, Jim, bought a piece of plywood the day before and brought it into the house and leaned it up in the hallway. Spencer must have leaned against the plywood and it fell over and rested on the basement door. When I went to open the door, the plywood pushed up and under the door knob, locking me in!

While I had several hours of work to do in my office, I did not have access to the bathroom and considering this happened early in the day, it would have been a long day until Jim came home. I tried to get Spencer to move the plywood, but all he would do is bark and avoid contact with the plywood. If only Lassie would have been there to help! There was only one thing to do. Call Jim and have him leave work for a short time to rescue me!

A daily walk is great exercise for both you and your dog. Dogs love a walk and it teaches your dog several lessons. It enforces the heel, sit and wait commands. It also teaches your dog to be a good social member of society. If I stop to talk to someone, Eliot will either sit or lay down until I am ready to continue the walk.

It also introduces dogs to the sight of other dogs. Be aware, you never know how a dog will react to another dog! So be very cautious when introducing your dog to another dog! I try to keep Eliot focused on me and his walk while passing other dogs. It is a great test, and sometimes he does fail, but for the majority of times he comes through with flying colors!

Once you start a routine, your dog is a great motivator to help keep you walking. Your dog will know when it is time and be ready. However, be prepared your dog thinks this is a great time to relieve himself. I tie several plastic bags to the leash or stash bags in my pockets.

If your dog is a very young puppy, be prepared to carry him or her when they get tired, or do not stray to far from home. An active puppy needs a daily walk of a half hour or more. A tired puppy is a good puppy!

A senior dog might need several walks during the day instead of one long walk. This helps to keep their joints limber. A walk is also a good bond for you and your dog. Happy walking!

If you are a dog owner you know there are leash laws everywhere. While I do keep my Springer, Eliot leashed, I wish the law applied to cats as well as dogs. Oh well, that is another issue, back to dogs on a leash. I know lots of people who train their dogs to stay within a certain area and expect the dog to obey that training no matter what happens. I have seen this at campgrounds as well as at private residents.

A rabbit, squirrel, or a deer can definitely catch any dog off track of previously learned lessons! Unfortunately, cars sometimes follow these elusive creatures putting your beloved dog in harm’s way! Also, other dogs off leash can cause serious bodily injuries to your family’s loved dog!

Every dog likes a good run, but be aware there are dangerous situations everywhere. Unless you and your dog are hunting and your dog has been trained for hunting, it is best to keep your dog leashed. I do not think of the leash as a constraint for Eliot but a device used for his protection and safety. There are long leashes and retractable leashes for that taste of freedom. As that old saying goes; “It is better to be safe, than sorry!”

My husband, Jim and I are campers and we love to travel. But due to the high cost of diesel fuel we decided to take a seasonal site in a nearby campground. The campground is quite a large and to get around the area, we use golf carts and all our friends use them too!

Eliot knows the golf carts as “cookie-mobiles”! All our friends carry dog biscuits in their carts and keep them in the “glove box”. So when our friends see us out walking with Eliot they stop to talk and Eliot hops into the carts and puts his nose in the “glove box” in search of cookies! Eliot’s favorite kind of cookie is peanut butter.

After he locates the cookies, he immediately takes a good dog position! If they ignore him, he places his paw on their lap! In the end he always gets several cookies!

If Eliot sees a golf cart, he immediately heads in that direction! He is like a child that sees the ice cream truck!