New Environments; New Dogs?

Well, it's been a while since I've posted.  That doesn't mean that we haven't had dog training struggles and joys in the meantime.  Realistically, it just means that I haven't been able to take the time to think and blog on it.

Since the last post, we have moved out of the condo!  Yay for not living downtown!  Our dogs love it too!  They seemed to settle into the new house almost immediately.  I honestly think the downtown setting was too much stimulation for them.  Too many noises.  Too many new people.  Too many other dogs.  Too many unknowns.

Gotta Love the tongue sticking out!

Our new place is on a one acre lot that, while not fenced, is surrounded on three sides by large trees and heavy brush.  Our dogs have been really good about staying nearby us when we go out to do business or play.  We don't have sidewalks and we live on the end of a dead end street, so it is in general, pretty quiet.  It's almost the opposite of living in downtown Nashville.

This new place is dog utopia, right?  Well, almost, but not fully.  We still have issues with leash aggression on walks, but this time, it's the dogs in the yards initiating it.  We also deal with people who don't fence their dog in and just let it roam in the yard.  I must say, though, I've been impressed with how well my poopies have reacted to the neighbor dogs so far.

Here are a few things I've learned and been reminded of in this new environment:

*  No living environment is perfect, so you constantly have to train your dog and adapt to the new challenges
*  Dogs love to run.  Well, my herders do at least!  They have excelled because they have the space to run and get their energy out.  We still go on walks and to the dog park for socialization, but if the day is busy, we have the yard to run around in.
*  You have to know your dogs' limits.  When we are on a walk, I know there are certain houses that we cannot go past without an eruption.  If I can, I'll turn around and go another route.  I praise the dogs when they calmly walk past a house with a barking dog.  I always want to set my dogs up for success, not failure.
*  I'm going to become an expert at removing ticks this summer!  Each dog has already gotten their first tick bite.  Yuck!

Happy Copper