Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Benny, Henry & Luna love to go on walks and I think we generally do a great job, considering hectic schedules, making sure they get their fill of walking. During the week they go for at least one walk a day (usually a 1/2 mile). And at least once during the week, we go for the super long walk (2 miles). On the weekends, is when the boys and Luna get most of their exercise. We almost always do a long walk and if the weather permits we go to the beach or a local park so they can just go have fun.
In Florida, we are lucky. The Winter, Spring and Fall is perfect walking weather. Summer is stifling hot and the pugs just can’t go for the usual walks during the day, so we can only get out to walk during the very early morning hours and late at night. Pretty soon summer will be here and our walking routine will drastically change.
One of the main reasons we walk with the pugs is to keep everyone fit. Not just the pugs but also us. But I have to admit, that sometimes our walks are so slow that I think we might be burning more calories if we were sitting on the couch. With two boys and a girl that marks like a boy, there are some nights that we have to stop at every tree, pole or weed that happens to be sticking out of the grass.
So last week, I had just had enough of the constant stopping on the walks, and before we left for our walk, I explained to Benjamin, Henry & Luna that once everyone had done their business, we were walking. Every time one of them took a little detour, I just gave them a little tug on the leash to correct them. The walk went spectacular. I thought they were going to fight me at every turn and just pull their way to whatever they wanted to mark, but the little correction work. And while they weren’t perfect, the walk was so much better. We were able to settle into a nice little pace and everyone got a good little workout.
We have been walking like this for a week and I find the walks so much more enjoyable. The funny things is I think Benjamin, Henry and Luna are enjoying them more, too. Granted, I am no Dog Whisperer, with three perfectly behaved pugs all waking at my side, but they are doing a terrific job and their urge to mark every vertical object they see on their walk has greatly diminished.
I thought it was going to be impossible to break the boys and Luna of their bad walking habits, but it turns out, as soon as I changed my habits the pugs happily followed. That really surprised me. I guess you can teach old pugs new tricks.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Sunday was an absolute gorgeous day and we decided to go to the beach and take advantage of the weather before it gets unbearably hot here. Instead of going to our regular beach, we took a drive to another dog beach in a neighboring town. This park has a lot more room for dogs to run around.
Since it was their first time at the park, the boys and Luna were very fired up. They had a blast running in the sand and in and out of the water. I think they liked the fact that the beach was very wide and they could run huge circles around us.
While strolling along the beach, we came across this guy. Luna and Henry didn’t really bother with him too much, but Benny was obsessed with him. We didn’t let him get too close, but he kept trying to flop on his back and roll over it. I have no clue why. Benjamin is just a very odd kind of guy.
Everyone had a lot of fun, but I think Henry enjoyed the day the most. We sat on the beach for a bit and watched the boats go by, so Henry had a chance to soak up the sun and get some petting. For Henry, it doesn’t really get any better than that!
Monday, February 12, 2007
We haven’t been to the dog beach in some time, so this weekend we decided the pugs were due for a much needed beach day. Baby Benny and Luna had been bouncing off the walls at home with endless energy so going to the beach was the perfect way to tire them out. There is just something about the sand that makes all three want to run and run and run.
Benjamin, Henry & Luna didn’t disappoint. As soon as we got to the beach, they started romping around. In the shot above, you can see Benjamin & Henry are “it” and Luna is about to be tagged.
The water was a little chilly, but that didn’t stop Benjamin & Henry from going out and getting their paws wet. Luna dipped a toe or two in, but for the most part she stayed on dry land.
Benny was feeling particularly adventuresome and he went in the water the farthest he has ever been before. Most of the time, Benny hangs right by the shore, but this time he ventured out a few paces. The funny thing with Benny is that he goes out a little bit and then once he realizes how far out he is he turns and runs as fast as he can to shore. You can see the light bulb go off in his head that says, “Oh, no! Benny is too far from shore!”
Monday, January 8, 2007
One of our favorite places to take the boys and Luna for a walk is a nearby place called the City Center. The City Center is basically a big circle with a lake in the middle, complete with fountains, and a wide, paved walking path. One lap around the lake is a half a mile, so walking the whole path at least once is very reasonable.
Benjamin, Henry & Luna love to go to the City Center. It is a popular walking spot, so not only do they get to get out and run around, but they also get to meet other dogs and people, which they love to do. It is hard to tell from the photo above, because the sun is quickly setting, but the City Center also has a lot of wildlife. There are plenty of different types of birds, ducks and turtles.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
To say that Benjamin, Henry and Luna are creatures of habit would be an understatement. They have their daily routines and each of them has their little idiosyncrasies. One of their favorite things to do is to sun themselves in the afternoon. Since the weather has been nice, I have been able to leave the door in my office open that leads to the pool area. The pugs love to lay just outside my office door and catch some rays. But with the sun setting earlier now, the house quickly casts a shadow over them. Without fail, they all inch their way back into the sun, moving farther away from the house. They lounge around for a few more minutes and sure enough they are in the shade again. So they just inch their way back to the sun.
It is quite amusing to watch. I’m not sure why they just don’t go lay at the other end of the pool deck. Then they won’t have to move so often. But for some reason, they like to lay as close to my office door as possible. And without fail, they follow the sun every afternoon. A day never goes by without these little ones making me laugh.
Monday, December 18, 2006
On Sunday, we took a break from the mall and all our holiday shopping and went to the beach with the pugs. Someone had built this cute little “sandman” and inevitably Benny had to pee on it.
Henry could not, of course, be out done by his brother so he got in on the action.
And Luna, who happens to be headless in this shot due to her mother’s photography skills, had to prove that anything her brothers could do she could do better!
Monday, December 11, 2006
Here lies another fallen tug toy. This one lasted all of about 5 minutes. It seems a sturdy tug toy with rope that is not too thick for pug mouths, and lots of limbs for multiple pugs to grab on to is hard to find. The only tug toy that has lasted for more than one game is the all rope kind with two knots at each end. However, all of the pugs like to play tug at the same time so we need something with at least three ends, otherwise there is sure to be conflict.
Part of the reason, tug toys break so easily is because Benjamin is a fierce tug player. When playing tug Benjamin means business and he will drag Henry and Luna around the yard and shake the rope as hard as possible to try and have the other two let go. While Benjamin will play tug with Henry and Luna, he prefers a solo match with a human competitor. He pulls, shakes, growls and does everything in his power to win. And if he doesn’t win he has been known to be a little bit of sore loser. He just can’t stand it when he is not the top dog.
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