Gumboot Rant

Hey guys! Yeah, yeah- get your own blog Dina Mom. Just one more..please? Thanks! Topic for today: gumboots. Yes. Odd, isn't it? Well I want to have a rant. About my gumboots which I recently got. They are really nice and snug and waterproof with an adorable paw print pattern. It's all cool. Until you get to the traction.

What is this? I acknowledge that it is a shoe, I don't mind putting it on my foot every once in a while but craft: do not call this traction. That is not the shape, size and style of traction. Seriously though, I was on a trek with Dina and I literally could walk properly for all the skidding I was doing. These boots don't even have a heel! I was slipping and sliding my way along the track, cursing whoever designed these wretched things, and trying to calm down. (I failed. Miserably). My heart rate was higher from my anger than the actual walking- which, to make matter worse, was uphill. I know what you are all thinking: "Jeesh! Someone has a temper." And that is probably true. But that is no excuse for companies to make trash like this. Next hike I am wearing my old boots. Rant over!

Hugs,

Dina Mom

PS. The header is from today's hike.

Favourite Dog Paraphinalia

Hey pups! Mom and I have complied a list of our Favourite dog related items. In no particular order:

Activity Dog Treat Bag

I love this- it's where Mom holds the treat on hikes, walk and when we train. But shhhhhh....don't tell her- she think that I think they rain from the sky when I do something good. How stoopid do you think I am Mom?

DM: I like this because it's easy to wash and has a removable inside. It looks pretty cool- the other colour choices were blue and red- I think. The two grey/white pockets can hold poop bags and the other a clicker which is super practical. I've had it for around 6 months now and I have only one bad thing to say but it is a pretty major thing; the material around the removable baggy inside has had two holes as has the inner baggie. :( One other thing I like is the fact you can close the baggie with the string you can sorta see on the side.

Multi-Clicker clicker

This is the clicker we have always used since the beginning of time. I'm used to the sound and I know it means training and treats.

DM: I bought this clicker along with Dina and I've had it ever since. It's pretty good, easy to use (duh, all you do is click!) and it has sound regulation which is cool. It has one of those button click systems which some owners prefer but I don't really mind. It's a good clicker.

Puppia Soft Harness

My second harness as my first one rubbed my skin. This one is way better, it doesn't rub and is super comfy to walk in. A couple of people has complimented me in it so that speaks for itself.

DM: As Crazy Top has just told you her first harness used to rub her under the elbows so we switched and are not looking back. It is easy to put on, you can tell is is comfortable on Dina and she is easy to get hold of if the need be. As I said we are not looking back but we are looking forward so if you have some good harness recommendations we welcome them in the comments.

Natural Chemistry Shampoo

Now this one I don't like and I don't even know why it is on the list. I hate it! Baths......ugh! *Shudder!*

DM: Dina might not like it but I do. Her coat is nice and supple and moisty. No horrible smell for me or for her. Easy to rinse and lather. Great shampoo! Not to mention we got it in a sale in TKMaxx so double yay!

Poop Bags

Again, I don't understand why these are here.

DM: Yeah, yeah they're just poop bags... no, they are cool poop bags. Got them from my best friend and they are seriously good. 240 bags- gonna last me forever! Or not!

101 Dog Tricks by Kyra Sundance (in Polish)

I don't read so....bye!

DM: Great book, it lit my trick training fire and it continues to fan the flames. I recommend it (in whatever language :)!

Licks, Wags and Hugs,

Dina and Mom

E is for Easter Energy

Hey pups! Mom is on two weeks leave for Easter so that means loads of walks, training and Mom fun!

Licks and Wags,
Dina

Pee S. Sorry for the short post Mom isn't feeling too well.

Distress in Dogs

Hey guys! I know, I know- Dominating Dina's blog again. Sorry- just this one then I'll be gone for ever a bit. So I wanted to mention the book I am reading at the moment and I could not figure out how to weasel it into the A to Z Challenge.  Until today. In today's chapter there was a section on stress. That is the topic for today.

Anyone who knows anything about animals can tell you that dogs develop stress related problems.  These problems are what humans consider misbehaviour.  There are three types of stress (these apply to people too):

1. EUSTRESS- the positive stress you can do something about.  If you are too hungry,  you get stressed.  It relieve the stress you eat. EUSTRESS is positive because it looks after us and keeps us alive.
2. NEUTRAL STRESS- neither positive nor negative. The TV is loud bit out doesn't bother you enough to turn it down.
3. DISTRESS- this is negative stress. You are starving but you can't get food; you're in distress. This affects people abs dogs both physically and mentally. It can have long lasting effects.

Since EUSTRESS can be solved quickly and NEUTRAL STRESS doesn't bother us,  it is DISTRESS that we have to combat. A lot of things can cause DISTRESS in dogs such as: being left alone, loud noises, exposure to something they are afraid of or boredom. You can tell if your dog is subject to stress of they show displacement behaviours.  These behaviours allow for some of the stress to be released. Behaviours like this include: chewing,  peeing in the house, licking the body into a state, pacing or excessive barking.

Not all dogs that show these behaviours are necessarily stressed.  If a house broken dog pees in the house it could be a sign of a health problem.  If a young puppy chews it is teething. A way to combat stress is too teach the dog that whatever it is that they are stressed out about is not that bad. For example start training a dog that has separation anxiety that it is ok and fun to be left alone. I would consult a professional positive dog trainer/behaviourist for this. Give appropriate chews such as antlers or bully sticks. You can give your dog a KONG with their kibble, spiced up with cottage cheese. Giving more exercise is usually key too.

Keep on the lookout and react early.

Hugs,
Dina Mom

Choke Chains

Hey guys! Today's it's me, Dina Mom, at the keyboard to talk about choke chains for the C of the A to Z Challenge. I don't think I'll be able to squeeze everything into one post which I am trying to keep short during the challenge so I'll return back to the topic after the challenge. This is a part one, if you will.

What is a choke chain?

A choke chain is what is suggests; a loop of chain that goes around a dogs neck. It tightens when a dog pulls and is primarily used to 'correct' leash pulling issues.

It is a form of positive punishment and there is no other way of putting it. It is cruel. As a dog owner who uses positive reinforcement I find it completely useless.

An Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK leaflet on the matter can be found here. I encourage you all to read it.

Hugs,

Dina Mom

A to Z-less Wednesday: Banana

Hey pups! It's a mash up of Wordless Wednesday and the A to Z Challnege so without further ado...BANANA!

Blogger did something stoopid that Mom can't fix so the black and white isn't too good.

Licks and Wags,

Dina

I'm An Agile Pup

Hey pups! Day One of the A to Z Challenge and I am already posting late...great. So today Mom took had a day off because she needed to sort some paperwork stuff out and in the afternoon took me about for a good long trek. This was a perfect opportunity to show off my agility and tell you pups about it!

If you want to fly like me you have to be AGILE

If you want to have a sexy body you have to be AGILE!

If you want to jump you have to be AGILE!

If you want to fetch you have to be AGILE!

If you want to be a wild pheasant hunter you have to be AGILE!

If you want to trek you have to be AGILE!

If you want to climb hills and see views like this you have to be AGILE!

If you want to learn adorable trick your brain has to be AGILE!

So how do I stay agile?

Good Food: 

I am on Applaws Adult food and I love it. It has a good level of protein and is tasty. Also comes in two flavours: chicken and lamb. Yum!

Exercise:

I adore my walks and get loads out of them with all my sniffing and running around. Not to mention playing chase and fetch!

Mind Agility:

I keep my mind fit by training using only POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT and treats. The results are great and my tricks and behaviours are wonderful!

Licks and Wags,

Dina

The Sheep Toilet Walk

Hey pups! Today's afternoon was a two hour stroll in one of the local common which is often a place where sheep or cattle graze (hence the name also partly because Mom happened to step in sheep poo once of twice but you didn't hear that from me.) On the way to the common I went into hunter mode

This was my victim!

I also received and replied to some pee-mail!

During the short walk to the common there is a small field where I was let off leash and we played fetch. Yaaayyy!

After 15 minutes 3 weeks of walking we finally got there: The Common!

Some random holly leaf....blame Mom!

(DM: Love the expression here. It's all: "Say what?")

The killer head-tilt

Who has an awesome recall? That's right, this baby!

See all the sheep prints

There was a lake

Me loves trees! They make great toilets!

Richard Lionheart? No, no they meant DINA Lionheart

 That's our walk today. We also wanted to check on a local Geocache but some stoopid windsurfer dude or something appeared and I didn't like the noise so we left ASAP. *Poor puppy*

Licks and Wags,

Dina

Pee S. We're joining the A to Z Blogging Challenge. We have to blog for 26 days in April (we get Sundays off) and each post must have a theme starting with each letter of the alphabet. Check out the sign up list here; we're no. 1815. I think this is a great come-back opportunity with Train Trek England instead of Dog the Dina. Wish us luck!

Fresh Start

Hey guys! We're back! On our first blogaversary! You don't have to be too smart as cookie for your ol' clogs to be goin' "Hang on a tick, mate! Somethin' ain't right here!" Well, if that is what you're thinking then well done you! Dina and I (mostly me) didn't feel that our old blogging style was for us. I was trying too hard to get followers and be like everybody else in the wonderful world that is Blogville that I didn't really pay attention to whether I enjoyed blogging or if it was a chore for me. Sadly, mid-February I realised that this was the case, it was a chore I mean, and I knew that had to change. So once when out hiking with Dina I was thinkin'...what do I love most about having a dog? What do I like so much I think I could learn enough about that I could share it with others and hopefully they could learn something? (Now I realise that Dina is my first dog and I am still a newbie but hopefully with time I'll learn some handy tips and share them with you guys.) And the answer to these questions that I came up with was the long walks. And the absolutely fascinating science of animal behaviour with the art of dog training. So that is what we are now: Train-Trek-England! We hope you are as excited as we are. Dog the Dina has come to a close after a exactly a year of existence and we have learnt loads but time to move on. However, we want Train-Trek-England to have the same 'birthday' as Dog the Dina so here we are blogging on the blogoversary (I would love it if someone told me the actual spelling ;)). For this summarised check out the 'About' bit in the sidebar.

I've had by bit and Dina wants a go so to make this post a bit more entertaining and less boring here is a taster of what will be on here: yesterday's trek.

Hugs,
Dina Mom

Hey, pups! Did ya miss me? I sure missed you! Anyways let's get crackalackin'! Yesterday, at 10am Mom and I set off for a trail we have walked once before about a year ago. As we have walked it before we were fairly confident. We set off and climbed up the hill. As we got to the peak Mom realised she didn't bring by frisbee (dawg, who can you rely on these days?) so she came up with the very clever (NOT!) idea of taking the rubber ring off my water bowl and throwing that for me. This worked fine for a whole 10 seconds when it split. Still Mom threw it around and I had fun.

The view of Surrey that met us

Wheee!

I had to strike a pose...

...before we continued up on our way to the tower. The ticket was only 80p so Mom asked if dogs were allowed. They weren't (who needs some rubbish tower anyway?) so we found our trail and carried on. Well, I say found Mom went along to the general direction saying she knows what she is doing as she's been there before. Wooooof! Yeah right! Whether we got lost or not depends on your definition of lost: if it's not being able to pinpoint where you are on a map then no we weren't lost, but if to you lost is not keeping exactly to the trail you planned to be on, then hell we were lost! It took us about 10 or 15 minutes on a public footpath to get from where we were to get to where we were supposed to be. It looked something like this:

(Yes! This was done on paint. #technology)

Toward the end of the 10-15min backtrack there was an almost vertical drop that is inaccurately represented in this photo:

Our path was where the two nearly invisible red dots are!

On the up side this adorable photo was also taken there:

From there everything went smoothly apart from a couple of drops of rain. We saw a cool waterfall which Mom didn't take a picture of (again: hello who is by servant here? Errr...you Mom!). It was a nice 3 hour walk but at the end we had to wait for the bus for 50 minutes. It wasn't late...we were!

Licks and Wags,

Dina

Pee S. If you liked what you have seen read, then please come back for more soon!