Bennigan's Shenanigans

20/06/2024

This little nugget turns 7 today! Yes... SEVEN!! It's the first time I'm away from him on his birthday 😭, but we're planning on celebrating when I get home next week. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BENNI! 🥳🎂🎈

07/06/2024

Catching their breaths at the tail end of a brief playdate. It's been super hot all week, and Benni was full of beans. He got all his zoomies out tonight. 🙃

20/05/2024

A few years ago, I learned of the untimely death of a young, sweet Border Terrier following an unfortunate accident involving the short end of a bully stick. It so scared me that I immediately stopped giving Benni most types of chews.

Benni having lost access to the chew things he loved most has weighed heavily on me since that time. I didn’t want to deprive him of such important enrichment, but the potential price of something going horribly wrong was just too high for me.

Recently, though, I learned about the “Bully Stick Safety Holder” by Bully Bunches. It seemed promising, so I tried it.

And it has changed *everything*.

The design is fantastic. It’s extremely solid, and it holds the bully stick in place like it was welded there. I kid you not.

I still actively supervise Benni while he uses it, of course, but I trust that he’s very unlikely to dislodge the stick from the holder’s grip, as long as I’ve tightened the holder’s mechanism as much as I can (which is super easy to do).

If you give chewing sticks to your dog, I highly recommend this product! (I have no affiliation with the company and am receiving nothing for this post. I just really, really like it!)

08/04/2024

Benni with crescent shadows! We are in the path of totality… about 10 mins away.

19/03/2024

Benni knocked the phone out of position in my hand and it turns out I like this shot better than the one I intended! Looks like some sort of faceless hairy creature with a wee hat and two tiny ears sticking out. 😅

15/02/2024

I’m at the beach, y’all!

31/01/2024

I love pet strollers. I mean, I LOVE them! I’m seeing how more dogs and cats get to join their people outside of the house, thanks to strollers.

People use pet strollers for all kinds of reasons.

Some dogs aren’t allowed on restaurant terraces… unless they don’t touch the ground. My mom’s retirement home allows dogs… as long as they don’t walk in common areas like hallways. So residents use strollers, and they get to live with their dog.

Elderly, injured, or dogs healing from an injury get to continue getting “out there”.

In our case, Benni often runs out of fuel before we do, when we’re out and about. He’s just a wee guy, so we pick him up and keep going. But that’s not always easy. It’s still over 7kg of canine cargo, and, well… he gets heavy.

So I got a stroller, and I’ve been gradually getting Benni used to it. Keeping in mind that Benni doesn’t like heights, I got one that sits low to the ground.

He’s also claustrophobic, so I chose one with mesh on all sides, and a very large front opening. He’s suspicious of things over his head, so this opening is perfect because of its angle.

I started the process by just having it in the house, folded. After various steps meant to gradually desensitize Benni to its presence, we’ve reached a stage where I set it up next to the kitchen table, make my lunch, and before I have a chance to sit down, Benni has jumped into his “buggy”, without me asking, and has settled in.

From the start, I never asked him to sit or lie down. That’s always been his choice. Allowing him this freedom also helps me gauge his comfort level.

He gets his lunch, piece by piece, as I eat mine. I turn on music, Tom moves around, sometimes we both just look outside. I’m aiming to graduate to eating out in public.

I’ve moved the stroller around gently with him in it. He’s gotten used to the sensation and accepts it calmly. Next step will be moving around outside.

Will people judge and criticize the sight of my dog in a stroller? Oh god yes. Do I care? Pfft… Not even a little bit.

This is totally worth it to me. All of it. The time and effort to desensitize, the comments that may be less than positive, the expense. All worth it! Because later, when Benni is older and less mobile, we’ll be ready. And he’ll continue to join us in our activities and adventures. ❤️

(I’ve added commercial pics of the stroller so you can see what it looks like. I love it!)

26/01/2024

This will not look like much to anyone other than those who *know*, on a personal level, just how beautiful these three teeny-tiny dog nail clippings are.

Benni easily does his own front nails with a scratch board, and I file his back nails with a nail file. The back-nails filing originally took a very long time to work up to, so that alone was a major victory.

Recently I’ve been working toward re-introducing the trimmers (red-handle Millers Forge, the very sharpest on the market) for his back nails. When Benni was little, nail trimming was a breeze. During adolescence , he suddenly started saying “Nope!”, and I had to change my approach.

Today, I got to clip the tippy-tips of 3 back nails! You can see how little I took off. That’s a crucial part of the desensitization process. Easy does it! Benni didn’t feel a thing (or much), and the sound was minimal. Success!

I quit after 3 nails and he got a treat scatter. I should note that this session took place immediately after a playdate, so he was good and tired.

I never judge when I see long nails on a dog. I KNOW how challenging it can be to keep them trimmed, and I also understand how long it can take to implement a good desensitization plan. Don’t give up!

25/12/2023

We’re having a quiet one this year. Nice and mellow. Benni’s had his Christmas morning breakfast and is fighting to stay awake. 😂 Wishing you all a safe and Happy Holiday season!

31/10/2023

Me, when we bought this couch in 2016: “I just love a chaise feature. I’m gonna use it ALL THE TIME to lounge and relax!” 😃

Benni, when he arrived in 2017: “Yeah hi, this will be mine, now. The whole feature. In its entirety. So I can lounge and relax. Thanks.”

19/10/2023

ME: Hey Benni…

BENNI: What

ME: Have you put on a little weight, maybe?

BENNI: I don’t think so.

ME: ...

BENNI: Why do you ask?

ME: Oh, nothing.

30/09/2023

Benni left his souvenir toy laying rather fabulously on the rug this morning.

17/09/2023

Someone loves his sitter. Jennie has been here for 12 hours. Benni is smitten. 😍

26/08/2023

Happy International Dog Day! It’s also Benni’s Gotcha Day. It’s on-and-off rain this afternoon, so we decided to celebrate by snuggling on the couch and watching a movie.

Benni is the BEST couch snuggling partner. ❤️

23/08/2023

Behold the canine giraffe neck, a.k.a. “Whatcha eating there?”

17/08/2023

(I’d barely begun taking all the furniture cushions out early this morning…)

ME: Ben? Where are you?

BENNI: Here.

ME: Geez, that was fast. I just put those out.

BENNI: I’m calling dibs on this one.

ME: It’s early. We’ll come back out later.

BENNI: Right, but this one’s mine.

ME: Right, okay. But for now, come have breakfast.

BENNI: Oooh! Can you bring it out here?

ME: Are you serious?

BENNI: Poolside breakfast! 😃

ME: Come eat.

BENNI: But my chair…

ME: It’ll be there when you’re done.

BENNI: Can I have my coffee out here then?

ME: Your *coffee*…????

BENNI: No? How about tea? Ooo, ooo - mimosa!

ME: 🙄

BENNI: And bring out some music.

09/08/2023

Benni says he'll be your best bud if you vote for him (please!). :)

You can only vote once, so this is for those who haven't yet had a chance to click on the link to vote. THANK YOU SO MUCH! ☺️

************************

He's already got his little calendar tacked to the wall, and he's crossing off the days until his next Barkwells visit in February. 😉

THANK YOU! ❤

Barkwells

03/08/2023

***Benni needs your votes!***

BENNI: Did you tell them?

ME: I'm doing it now.

BENNI: Are you explaining how much I loved running there?

ME: They know. Give me a minute, I'm trying to type...

BENNI: Did you tell them about my ears? They flippity-flop in the air when I run really fast.

ME: Yes. It's all in there.

BENNI: And how I wasn't crazy about the water but I ran and ran and ran and barked at a few goats and then ran and ran?

ME: I didn't mention the goats, or the water... but yes, they know about the running.

BENNI: Do they know they need to vote or else I'll be sad?

ME: Well, no. I'm not gonna guilt them into voting.

BENNI: Right, right. That would be wrong.

ME: So wrong.

BENNI: No guilt.

ME: None.

BENNI: Got it. 😉

ME: ;)

Barkwells

20/06/2023

As per tradition… sharing some birthday trout!

20/06/2023

Somebody is 6 years old today! 😎

He had his annual check-up at the vet’s this afternoon (and lots of birthday greetings from the staff).

We felt guilty about scheduling his visit on his birthday, so he got to pick out a new toy at the store. 😅

I wanted to get one good shot of him with the toy before he started playing with it in the yard. It took a few tries, but I got one!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BENNI-BUNNY! 🥳❤️🎂🐾

20/06/2023

BENNI: What’s this?

ME: They’re my new socks. Penguins, Benni! Like your favourite squeaky toy! The one you like to sing with! Aren’t they cool? I love them so much. Very comfy. And cute. And different! And-

BENNI: No, I mean why are your feet in my spot.

ME: 😒

07/06/2023

My sweet, kind Benni-bunny came upon this baby robin in the back yard this morning. He leaned in for a sniff, and when it moved (crouched down into the grass), he was startled and hopped back, tilted his head, and then sat down next to it.

I witnessed this from the deck about 50ft away, but I couldn’t tell what the thing was from that distance. So I walked down to where they were.

When he looked up and saw me coming, he wagged his tail and then sniffed the bird again. Still walking toward them, I shouted “Leave it!”.

And he did. He stepped away, took one more look at the bird, and then lied down to wait for me to get there.

When I arrived and finally saw it was a baby bird, I became aware of the adult robin making a lot of noise in a nearby tree.

So I called Benni to follow me back onto the deck. From there, we watched as the mama bird went to the baby bird, shoved some food down its throat, and then she started hopping away. The baby immediately followed, hopping along in the grass.

Benni was fascinated, but stayed by my side.

He’s curious about things, and always gentle. I’ve seen his prey drive kick in when he sees something on the other side of the fence, like a cat or a groundhog, but when it comes to small things like this… a mouse, a mole, a frog, a butterfly… he’s always so very gentle.

I honestly don’t know what I did to deserve such a dog. ❤️

19/05/2023

We’ve been busy! A few years ago we bought the lot behind our house. Recently, we completed thinning out the forest and fencing in the whole thing, with a gate to our back yard.

Chewie came over today for the first forest playdate. There’s still a lot to discover in that space this summer! :)

15/04/2023

This afternoon we took advantage of the sunshine and summer-y heat to take out the deck furniture.

Because it’s still Spring and the snow melted literally only two days ago, the lawn is splotchy and muddy in spots, and therefore so is Benni.

As I set up the cushions, I thought, “You know, I should put some towels down in case muddy Benni decides he’d like to lounge on the furniture too.”

Benni was yards away, lying in a corner of the yard. I put the towels down, went inside for TWO SECONDS, and came back out to find Benni like this. 😂

He had to have moved quickly through the wet yard to get there, muddy paws n’ all. Looks like my timing was perfect!

08/03/2023

He put himself in jail and I have no idea why. He’s just sitting there. 😂

25/02/2023

Today:

1. Ran around (a lot).

2. Got caught and soaked in the cold rain.

3. Got thoroughly combed out and massaged.

4. Had a larger-than-usual dinner.

5. Insisted he wasn’t tired.

6. Aimed for the side of the bed to rest his chin, but instead smooshed his face on the couch.

7. Is too tired to care and is sleeping like that, so there.

25/02/2023

Benni has an incredible recall (coming to me when I call him).

Wait… Benni has an incredible recall UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS.

Over the last couple of days, he’s started ignoring our calls and choosing instead to follow his whim (aka his nose).

Does this upset me? No.

Does it mean he needs more discipline? No.

First, Benni is only off-leash in secured areas. The place we’re staying is 8 acres, completely fenced in.

The reason Benni’s recall appears to be falling apart is because we’ve never trained for these particular conditions.

We’ve worked on recalls off-leash in other areas, but they weren’t this big. We’ve worked on recalling off of wildlife, cats, people, other dogs, food, toys… a number of things.

But we’ve never practiced recalling in this large a space with these particular stimuli (new environment, many more dogs - some of which represent a lot of excitement to him).

So on two occasions recently, Benni disconnected from us while we were walking on the property, and off he went! He was deaf to our calls.

How did I respond to that? Well… first, I stopped calling him. That wasn’t working. Instead, I followed him and waited until I was close enough and certain I could get his attention.

THEN I called him.

It was like he had just noticed our presence and was surprised to see us. “Oh hey there! 😃”

When he finally came to us, he got treats, a happy greeting, and an invitation to join us again on our walk.

“But aren’t you rewarding him for ignoring you and running off??”

Nope. I’m reinforcing the last behaviour he did, which was to come to me when I called.

It’s the same situation as when your dog slips through the door and has an unauthorized adventure in the neighbourhood. When he returns, resist the urge to punish him! Instead, make returning home the BEST part of the adventure! Throw a treat party! Play!

It’s counter-intuitive (because you’re probably really angry), but “returning home”, no matter when it happens, is what you want to reinforce.

That’s what I’ll be doing with Benni this coming week. We’re training in a new context now, under new conditions he’s never seen before. So I’m going back to the starting point for training a recall.

That means treats in my pockets and a toy in my hand when we walk the property. It means frequent recalls so I can reward them and then send him off to explore again.

He’s not “being bad” by running off the way he did. He just hadn’t learned the recall skill *under these conditions*.

And I don’t know when I’ll have access to 8 secure acres again, so now’s a good time to work on this! :)