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Flashy Friday Week 2!

Flashy Friday! Week 2 -  "Spin" Whew! A whole week between posts, sorry guys! Like I've mentioned before we're pr...

Friday, May 29, 2015

Summer? Is That You?

First Trip to the Lake
 This Season!


Don't speak to loudly, it might leave! We are having such wonderful weather right now, with studies winding down to final presentations, and tests I decided yesterday was the perfect day to take a break and go play in the water with the pups! 

Everyone had a blast and the weather was perfect!


Jack came with us too, but since his recall isn't quite where I'm comfortable he was stuck on a leash attached to me most of the time. However after Ziva started to get tired from swimming I hooked her up to Jack and she got to help me by babysitting!

It worked pretty good! The leash was short enough it wasn't tangling them up, Jack couldn't go very far because Ziva is really good about staying close by, I felt comfortable allowing him more movement/freedom, and since he's not a fan of the water I didn't have to worry about them swimming while attached!




Jack Update -

Yes we still have Jack, we've ran into a few hangups regarding his potential adopters...

Dz Dog Dad and I disagree on the severity of the issue, but what it boils down to is that Jack is a bit of a runner. Last week he squeaked out of the front door 3 different times and two of the times Dz Dog dad had to help me get him back.

Living in an urban environment recall is very important for Jack's own personal safety. I don't want him to get hit by a car, and him bolting down the street with me running after isn't what I would call a good time...



Two of this times this happened last week, Dz Dog dad and I had to use treats and a tennis ball to coax him back. He's smart enough to know that if he gets too close we'll grab his collar, but we're smart enough to know not to chase after him or else he runs farther away - he seems to think its a big fun game. The third time he escaped last week was different.

The straw that broke the mama's back (that would be me...) happened on Sunday.

I was taking laundry into the garage, the bay door was open, and as I was closing the garage door the leads to the house behind me Jack zipped out like a flash and took off down the street.

Dropping the basket I started sprinting after him, no leash, no shoes, just me. Oblivious to all of this Dz Dog Dad and my in-laws were inside the house.

Thankfully Jack didn't go far, he stopped running so I stopped running. He wandered into a neighbors yard to pee on a bush, I cooed and spoke nicely following after him, calling him in and saying good boy I got within inches of his collar, then he was off again!

Next yard, same deal. Me walking after him, cooing and coaxing, this time he let me get within a couple feet. Only this time he danced away, looked me gleefully in the eye from a safe distance, turned his head towards the highway, and like a shot he was off!

Well, seeing him head straight for our busy highway and at a dead run, I panicked! I sprinted after him, cursing and calling the whole way. Wearing no shoes, down the sidewalk like a madwoman! Cursing myself for not having my phone, imagining him getting hit by a car, angry at running barefoot, and Jack still way ahead of me not looking to stop.

And then just as he got to the end of the sidewalk/the edge of the highway he decided to detour into a neighbors yard to pee. Just my luck this particular house had some very high garden beds, laid out like a maze, and a giant fence. I was able to corner him and grab his collar.

I hate to admit it, but boy was I mad. Probably not the best frame of mind to be grabbing a dog if you want them to come to you in the future. But combine that rage with panic, fear, and adrenaline and that is about where I was on Sunday. I then dragged an unapologetic Jack all the way back home, through the front door, and marched him right into his crate...again, a crate is not supposed to be a place of punishment, but I felt like until I had cooled my head a bit it was the best place for him.

We then called the potential family and expressed our concerns regarding Jack, we think he isn't quite ready at this point. The last thing we want to do is have a family heartbroken because the dog got out and wouldn't come back.

Hubby and I differ on the severity of the issue, but we are talking to our trainer and will be meeting with her next week hopefully, to set up a stricter training plan to see if we can work on his bolting issue. Wish us luck! We'd really like to find this guy his forever home! Besides that, he is an amazing house dog, and he is a perfect gentleman with our cats.

The face of a naughty husky/plott mix.


Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Happy Adoptaversary!! Giveaway!

Ziva's Gotcha Day Giveaway!

I know we just did the #SquishyFaceContest, but this one is going to be a bit different.  
It's a giveaway of Ziva's favorite things!

Naughty mommy, how could I have missed my sweet little girls Gotcha day?! Must've been all the stupid school/graduation stuff going on in my brain...I can't wait to finish!

This summer we have lots of plans!  Last year we put together a Summer 2015 Bucket List, you should totally check it out!

We're right on track with our agility goals, Ziva, Dz Dog dad, and myself just finished our third (? I think it was third, could've been forth...they're starting to blend together...) six week agility session. Ziva is progressing great! She is super flexible and able to switch between hubby and myself easily for courses, I've needed help doing this at the same time as school. I've worked with her the most, we generally always go to class together, but the last couple weeks hubby has been going with her solo to class. Well the session just ended and we are switching to private lessons! We talked it over and decided private lessons with free use of the agility barn during open hours would be easier on our schedule and allow us to practice more.
We're hoping to do our first agility competition this summer! 

Whew though, a whole year we've had our little girl! She's bloomed and grown so much!

Here is the first picture we ever saw of Ziva, previously named Honey.


Many of you know we were very selective in choosing a little sister for Dante, and she is perfect! We could not be happier! Here is more about Ziva and how we picked her - A New Sister

Ziva's First Day Home


Dante and Ziva hit it off right off the bat. 
They have been inseparable since!


It's hard to believe this previously super shy golden princess has come so far out of her shell, we've learned a lot from each other, accomplished great things together, and made mistakes. But through everything she has been wonderful, loving, and the perfect sister for Dante. 

In order for you to celebrate with us 
we put together a basket of 
Ziva's Favorite Things!!

Open to U.S. only.



We have a winner!! 
Congratulations to Ann! 
We will be contacting you shortly!

Squishy Face Winner!

We Have Our Winners!!

Thank you to all our blogger, Instagram, and Facebook buddies who pawrticipated in our #SquishyFaceContest!

We loved seeing all of the entries! And it was very hard to pick a winner, 
**DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!**

http://groovygoldendoodles.com/


Look at that sweet squishy face! 
I just want to cuddle him and smooch that little button nose!

Congratulations Doodlers! You'll be hearing from us soon!

Our Contest went so crazy on Instagram we felt that we needed to have to separate channel winners.

****DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!*****

Chance!
From @FetchersForMission






Some of the runner ups - Some More Squishy Faced Enjoyment For You!









Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Ding, Dong, Dogs!!

Once upon a sleepy Sunday, the neighborhood group of kids decided to haunt some houses. These little kidlets full of mischief and glee thought a nice game of ding, dong, ditch was in order and knowing all the houses up and down the street they decided to pick their favorites for the game.

The 8 kids snuck around in unsuspecting yards, taking turns ringing the doorbells while one would run and ring, the others would hide from a safe distance to watch the trouble.

Little did they know one of the houses on their hit list has the doggy Portal of All Knowing, the family can see out but visitors cannot see in...

The Portal of All Knowing

This particular family was sitting quietly enjoying a nice show, snuggled on the couch after dinner when all of a sudden a streak of blue about 3.5 feet tall rushed the door, slammed a finger onto the doorbell and the hounds of hell broke loose from their slumber!

With a barking, some banging, and a hound's bay the three dogs charged the door to see who was there, but the culprit had vanished...

With a twinkle in her eye, the mom of the house knew immediately what had happened and decided to confront the culprits head on with a bluff.
Jumping into action, running barefoot across the yard, she spotted the gaggle of gigglers hiding behind the fence.

With a quiet whisper she approached them and said, "Do you know what happens to little kids who play Ding Dong Ditch?"

Giggling all the while the kids said, "No, what happens?"

"I release the hounds on you." Bluffing while she said this.

The kids, "You'll what?!"

"Release the hounds..." She said even quieter...

At that moment the dad of the house with a gleam in his eye had a brilliant idea (not knowing what mom was up to) he opened wide the front door and yelled, "Get the kids!!"

With a thunderous bark the brindle boy, and the golden girl leapt into action barking the whole way!

Mom shocked but laughing with glee joined in the chorus, "Get the kids!"

While the kids screamed in delight the chase began through the neighbors yards and down the street, the mischief makers running as quick as possible while the dogs searched for the closest victim to smother with kisses.

The Moral of the Story?  Don't Ding Dong Ditch a married couple with doggy children, or you might find yourself being the one pranked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authors Note -

We would never do anything that would cause harm to our dogs or the children involved, we know all of our neighbors and all the neighborhood kids.

The kids love us because our dogs are so awesome to play with, they are gentle and listen to the children. Anytime we are outside with our dogs, even if we are doing yard work the kids come over and politely ask to play with Dante and Ziva while the dogs run to get their toys.



We have worked hard in teaching the kids as well as our dogs how to interact with each other and playtime is always supervised.


That being said, the kids thought it was hilarious that Dz Dog Dad let the dogs out.

"Who Let the Dogs Out! Woof, Woof!" Sorry that phrase gets me every time.  

We did not scare any kids, the dogs chased and thought it was a merry game, but they didn't jump or knock anyone over - they just enjoyed the running aspect.

Our dogs also come when called. Jack did not get to enjoy the game because he doesn't come back. If we couldn't trust our dogs off-leash or around children we never would have let them out.
After our merry chase ended the dogs gave kisses and everyone went home, while the parents of the kidlets laughed on their front porches (they had to come out and see what the ruckus was).










Monday, May 18, 2015

Two More Weeks!

Captain Jack

Great news!
One of the families we interview would like to adopt Jack! Unfortunately they are going out of town this week, so Jack won't be going home with them until next Friday.

But that's okay because it gives us a little more time to enjoy his goofball, lovey self! 

We are very excited, they seem like the perfect place for him to continue to mature and train. They all adored him, and they have lots of room for him to run and stretch his legs - that is after he gets better at recall of course.

Do you know what we discovered?

When we first rescued Jack he weighed 50 pounds...in the month that we've had him can you guess how much weight he's put on? 8.5 pounds! He's a growing boy! It's not fat, hubby is pretty sure Jack is a bit taller too so it's possible he's younger than we initially thought.





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Saturday, May 16, 2015

Cross Your Paws!

Today we met and interviewed two potential adopters for Jack!!
Each family offers very different home environments but both families were wonderful and love dogs. 

And best yet? Jack was awesome!
He was super sweet and on his best crazy husky puppy behavior, we did lots of playing, chatting, dog petting, and we were happy to answer their questions and vice versa.



Hopefully we have found Jack a furever home but as we told the potential adopters we're in no hurry to get rid of him, the goal is to find Jack the perfect home, one that will have him for his whole lifespan, not just give him away to any ole person who wants him.

After a whole month of having Jack we've put a lot of hard work into his training and manners. He's become such a good boy!

A New Jack!

Initially when we rescued Jack he did not like to give eye contact or take eye contact, it would make him nervous to the point of growling and barking.
He now gives great eye contact on a regular basis and doesn't mind being stared at when people are transfixed by his striking eyes.

Jack used to mount the dogs constantly....
After his neuter Jack is still a crazy child at times but he is not constantly becoming over-aroused and mounting the other dogs, chomping and drooling, as well as some other not so pleasant undesirable behaviors associated with being intact. Why Neuter?

Jack now has great house manners! Thankfully he was never destructive.

He has a good base of general obedience, we taught Jack to "sit", lay "down", "bed", "crate", "off", "bedtime", we're still working on "come" but his recall has improved significantly since we first took him in. We consistently have him sit before entering/exiting doors - this is important for him because he is a bolter and will happily lead you on a merry chase.

And now he fetches and brings the ball back!

It's been tons of fun having him, it's also been frustrating at times. I've learned that while I thought I was a patient person I really struggle with patience. Dante and Ziva have made it easy on me, they listen and comply pretty quickly when I ask them to do something. Not having such a strong base with Jack has shown me where I can improve as a dog trainer and doggy mommy.

Hope you're having as great a weekend as we are! I now must get back to my studies...

T-Minus 4 Weeks to Graduation!!!

Meet Jack Here - Our initial crazy child...
Adopting or Fostering a New Dog - How to Integrate them into your home.
What is Jack?
Mutt Pride - Husky/Plott Hound

Thursday, May 14, 2015

The Boys - Update


Hey Friends!

Jack is still available for adoption. We have a couple prospects in the works, one of which he's meeting this weekend  **cross your paws!
He's a super good boy, he's very smart and takes to positive training really well and fast! He now knows "touch", "sit", "down", "crate", "bed", we are still working on "heel" and "shake". But he also fetches, and is doing a wonderful job of bringing the ball back and not running off with it.


Dante's tooth extraction went really well on Tuesday, thank you all for your loving thoughts.  
Here is a very non graphic photo of the before shot - sorry he wasn't cooperating for me to get a good non blurry picture. The site seems to be healing up really nice, turns out this is a much more common injury than I had previously thought! We received a lot of love and sympathy from fellow bloggers and Instagram accounts whose dogs have had teeth pulled.

Dante is on a soft food diet for two weeks, he is not allowed to play tug or any sort of grabbing games with his mouth.

We're feeding him soggy kibbles - no he is not thrilled about that, but we are mixing in some awesome Merrick wet food to bribe him to eat so that we can give him his painkillers/anti-inflammatories.


Dante sleeping on the couch after surgery.

Ziva was the best little sister and she snuggled with Dante and I after I brought him back home. Isn't she a great sister!
Jack couldn't understand why all the fuss and no play. So he chose to do some crazy zoomies and chew on his horn rather than cuddle. 



Our "pit pile" haha! 

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Monday, May 11, 2015

Hijacked - Don't Tell Mom!

Psssssssssssst.....Dante here..

Tell mom, that really i'm fine and don't need to go to back the scary place. Just look at me! Healthy as a horse! You know those really big dog things that people sit on.
I think it's a complement.



Although the dogtor was real nice I never like having to shush...mom's always shushing me. She doesn't seem to understand the potential dangers that are all around her! That guy with the broom for example, brooms I get - mom uses them...but that thing he was carrying around with the broom? Looked suspicious to me, mom said it was to help him pick up trash.

And that lady for example, she had a horrible looking growth on her leg! I had to warn her about it, you never know, maybe it would attack my mom next! "Cast" sounds like a terrible thing that should be avoided at all costs, it was big and clunky, and I didn't like how it was looking at me. The poor lady fed me treats though and didn't seem to mind the monster on her leg.

Then the lady nurse came, her and mom made me stand on a scale to check my weight. Mom says I lost some weight but they all agreed I look nice and healthy. I'm a whole 67.4 pounds!
Although I like the lady and she gives me lots of treats, she's also rude. Thermometers? I don't think they need to go in THERE to get a reading, how does that make sense?

Then the dogtor showed up and put that cold thing on my chest, mom said it's to check my heart, anyways dogtor said my heart sounds good. I could've told him that, I have a heart of gold! Of course it's good!

But then they stuck their fingers in my mouth! Mom kept saying to say, "cheese" but that didn't make sense cause she brought hot dog treats, not cheese...silly mom's.

Lots of looks later mom said something about having to have my tooth pulled...but honest it's not that bad!




*DZ Mom here*

The story is: Jack and Dante were playing really hard, wrestling in the backyard and at some point they clashed teeth and Dante managed to break the front tooth on the inside of his top right canine. Unfortunately our vet said that their is no hope of restoring it because the pulp and root is exposed. So, tomorrow Dante is going in for a tooth extraction and since they'll be in there already, the vet is also going to clean Dante's teeth.

On a good note, the vet said Dante's teeth otherwise look great and don't appear to need much cleaning!  Poor boy...stay tuned!
Pictures to come!

And if you haven't yet done so, please enter our 


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Sunday, May 10, 2015

Best Squishable Face Contest!


Squishy Face!





Alrighty friends we want to see your best squishable face! 

You are welcome to watermark your photos, the winner will receive a shout-out on our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages as well as a custom designed cartoon! 


Contest is Now Closed, thanks for entering!





Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Look of Love

A recent instagram campaign we participated in telling everyone what we love about our dogs. I love the hashtag slogan! You can find us on instagram   @dzdogadventures

"The Eyes Are The Window to Your Soul."  ~ William Shakespeare


"True Love Doesn't Need Proof.
The Eyes Told What the Heart Felt."  ~ Toba Beta

So recently a study came out regarding doggy eye contact with their owners. Turns out that dogs who gaze longingly at their owners had elevated levels of oxytocin - which is the "cuddle chemical" if you are unfamiliar. Oxytocin is the hormone in your body that is associated with nurturing and attachment, like how a mother feels for her child.
In this study owners that returned the long gaze also experience elevated levels of oxytocin, and often the dogs gaze would create a response in the owner that would result in talking, and touching their dog thus increasing the bond and solidifying the relationship.

I love science! Isn't it great!  For a more in depth read you can click HERE - for the NY Times article on it.

What I love about this experiment is several things, they tested both neutered and intact dogs, males and females of all different breeds and sizes. They also tested full bred wolves raised by humans, the result is that the wolves rarely gazed at their owners and the owners oxytocin levels barely moved. But this makes sense because according to many recent studies wolves and dogs are extreme opposites and their is no comparison in behavior. Wolves use eye contact as a very important means of communication - signifying dominance, greetings, and other social behaviors. Where dogs are thought to use eye contact as a social strategy and way of bonding with their human counterpart, or communicating a need.

One thing I've personally noticed is that Ziva is great at eye contact! I can usually know what she is trying to communicate when she looks at me, and it can be anything from playing, fresh water, to snuggling, or maybe even a butt rub. Sometimes i'll catch her looking at me from across the room on the couch. Just staring...she isn't hungry but I think she wants me to notice her and join her on the couch, which of course means that i'll at least pet her, or kiss her if not snuggle up on the couch.

The boys? Well they are quite different, Dante gives me strong eye contact for going outside, and for play reasons. Jack gives strong eye contact if you're holding a treat. Maybe they just don't feel as strong of a need to bond? Or are not as strong a communicator as Ziva?

I'm not sure, do your dogs give you strong eye contact and what do you think it means?


Everything is going great over here! Ziva and I are still involved in agility, but between keeping all the pups happy, agility, and school, my life is crazy right now! Only one more month to go though, and I can't wait!

Jack is still available for adoption, he is the silliest boy but he's wonderful and super smart. Hopefully we'll have him placed soon, the rescue group I work with has a dog they want us to foster but until Jack has a home we can't take on another dog so keep us in your mind, share his pic if you know anyone in Oregon who is looking for a great adventure dog, and pray with us that we can find him a perfect home.  

And we are going to be launching another photo contest on Sunday morning, so get your camera's ready! It'll run for a whole week and we have a really fun prize we'll be giving away.



More about Wolves & Dogs

Decoded Science - "Your Pet is Not a Domesticated Predator"
Scientific American - "Dogs, but not wolves, use humans as tools."
Discovery News - "Dogs not as close kin to wolves as thought."


Happy Not so Wordless Wednesday!

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Saturday, May 2, 2015

Mutt Pride

Husky/Plott Hound Mix!

We recently bumped into an instagram account user with a dog that is almost a dead ringer for Jack!
You can check them out @puprising and say hi!

I should mention...the pink collar is because Ziva's was the only collar that fit when we found him.  He originally wasn't wearing anything, but now he has a handsome blue one!
His name is Cooper and he is a husky/plott hound mix.
A couple people guessed the same thing we did!

Honestly I had never even heard of a Plott hound so I did some digging to try and better understand Jack.

Plott Hounds are an AKC recognized breed.

This breed of dog was created in America and named after a family of German immigrants. Plott's are classified as a coon hound although they were originally bred to hunt bears and wild boar. This is a courageous breed that will not back down easily in the face of a dangerous bear or angry boar.

Once this breed came over to the U.S. it was also used to search for wolves, coyotes, and wildcats.

Because of their tracking drive, they require an experience handler who is willing to train and work with them, they're a working breed and need to be kept physically and mentally in shape to avoid behavioral issues. This is not a good breed choice for first time dog owners.

This breed was designed for speed, endurance, and athleticism. Although originally a hunting breed, these dogs make for great pets and agility dogs.

Plotthund Kynnagardens Ziggy Lundamo.JPG
Photo Attribution: Eget Bildearkiv
Plott hounds come in a wide variety of brindle - 13 different colors to be exact: Jack according to the Plott hound color chart is what is called an orange brindle.

Orange Brindle Plott Hound
With four distinct breed markings: black saddle, brindle trim, graying muzzle & jaw, white chest and feet.







Plott hounds are typically eager to please, loyal, intelligent and alert in the home. They are generally good with children, other dogs but should be socialized early on. Males weigh in between 50-60 lbs, females 40-55 lbs.

Plott Hound








And now it all makes sense! 
Independent Attitude
He loves to run - Husky and Plott both have these attributes.
He never stops playing - endurance from both breeds.
He's psycho crazy if he isn't exercised - Husky & Plott exercise requirements.
Jack is very person oriented and affectionate - Plott
He is a bit suspicious and protective of me when he meets new people - Plott
Super smart and willing to please - Plott
Short hair - Plott
Thick coat - Husky
Orange brindle striping - Plott
Blue eyes - Husky!



I think it is very important to be educated regarding your dogs' breed, by being educated it allows you to better understand where they are coming from and how best to meet their needs. I hope you learned something new today, I hadn't even heard of a Plott hound before now!





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