can you believe its almost AUGUST?!
[the eighth month of the year!?!]
a few weeks ago, i was contacted by a local PR firm, asking if i would be interested in taking a fitness class hosted by dolvett from the biggest loser. its a class designed to keep both humans & their dogs in shape & healthy.
sign me up!
the class was last weekend & was pretty fun.
blake & i tag-teamed with daphne ; she has some pretty intense fear-based nervousness with other dogs when she is on the leash.
shes fine with humans ; but when other dogs approach & shes on the leash ; she has a really hard time. in the past six months, we have made some pretty incredible progress [last year, we couldnt be within 4 blocks of another dog without barking, splaying, growing & pulling]. right now, she still isnt able to greet dogs, BUT we can pass // be around dogs 10-15 feet away with pretty good results.
daphne attends daycare a few days a week & does really, really well ; but when the leash is on ; she struggles.
we knew that an event like this [50 humans + 50 dogs] might spell trouble, but we wanted to give her a the benefit of the doubt & a chance to interact with other dogs.
look at the air this guy is getting on his box jump!! {i love dolvetts face here} // tiff & wotan doing a relay // my friend sho carrying maggie
the event was held at a park in the suburbs of minneapolis. there was a 30 min window to register & the class was 45 min long.
dolvett led the class & it was sponsored by banfield pet hospital.
we did jumping jacks, planks, relay races, laps around the park, squats & other exercises. daphne, blake & i were in the back of the class, off to the side. daphne did a pretty great job, overall. she laid down while we were planking & she ran on the very outside of the circle when the other dogs were doing laps.
the group doing laps // daphne taking a bit of a break // my friend tiff with her 2 pups
after the class, we were able to meet dolvett & take a photo.
he took the time to introduce himself, ask our names [and our dogs] and pet each pup. he also took a minute & chatted while he was taking photos.
i think dolvett is a total babe & was really impressed with how he treated everybody in attendance.
and OMG ; can we all just 'sqeeeee' at this second picture ; look how he is looking at me. haha.
i think dog fitness classes are a great idea & wont be surprised if they become a new fitness craze.
*also, when we took daphne to the class, we brought along both her pinch collar & her bark collar. if you have any questions about how they work // why we use them ; please ask before you leave a nasty comment. both look scary & mean ; but we have been trained on how to use both. her bark collar wasnt turned on [she wears one when we are around other dogs & it seems to have the same effect on her as a toddler with a pacifier] & we use the pinch collar to a) keep her from pulling my arm off & b) keep her focused. ALSO, a pinch collar is NOT the same as a choke collar! i am happy to answer any questions!*
see you tomorrow!!
