Ice, ice, ice

My backyard is nothing but solid ice. Ice makes running for frisbees hard. Mom is afraid if I run on the ice I'll get hurt, but I have lots of energy that I need to get rid of so I want to run.

Not only is Mom afraid of me getting hurt on the ice, she is afraid she'll fall on the ice. She comes down the stairs with slow, deliberate steps, clutching the rail. She is the alpha dog and I have to follow her. I want to dash in front of her, but no, she makes me stay behind.

Once on solid ground I run in circles but the circles have to be large because I need a lot of room to stop. With a big circle I can turn without getting my long legs all tied up and falling. I did fall once. My legs crumbled under me. Down I went. I slid fifteen feet before I hit the edge of the woods. Frozen pine needles stopped my momentum.

Balls don't bounce on ice they glide across the frozen snow. You can't practice agility on frozen snow. Mom says it is too cold to do obedience outside. (I hate the sit command on frozen snow.)

Winter. Snow falling is fun the first time it happens. I stood in the middle of the backyard staring at the falling white flecks in the moonlight, snapping and trying to catch each flake.

Snow was fun in December. Today is February 20. Snow melted and froze and now the backyard is hard. I can't run and I can't play. Snow isn't fun anymore.

The snow can go away now.

Exercise in the snow

I live in a home with over an acre to play in. You might think that would be enough exercise for a Doberman, but while free play is fun, it isn't real tiring exercise.

The streets around my house are salted. Mom thinks this isn't good for my feet and the town might not be using salt at all but chemicals. Mom hates chemicals on the street, so she refuses to walk me on the street. It doesn't help that she gets home after dark either which makes walks dangerous.

So we've started checking out parks every weekend. During the week we get exercise by going to agility class, obedience class and weekly playgroup. Well, that's three times a week. Better than nothing. Now Mom has added Saturday and Sunday walks in the parks.

First park we went to was Rocky Woods in Medfield. This was tons of fun. When I came home I was too tired for puppy testing but man did I feel good. Yesterday we went to Noon Hill and had the place to ourselves - except for some animal that seemed to be tracking us! I was nervous but Mom stayed cool so I figured hey - she's the alpha dog, let her protect me and I followed her lead. Guess what? We never saw whatever was making me nervous. It may have helped that Mom decided maybe I knew something she didn't and turned around. We'd been walking for an hour so she wanted to get to the car before sunset anyway.

I like parks.

Oh yes, and I did find something that is definitely Doberman safe! I'll blog about that tomorrow so Mom can upload a photo.

Winter in New England. I think Mom and I are getting the hang of it. (Just as it turns 50 degrees! Think I've been inside all day? You must not have a Doberman in your house!)

Its a long, cold winter.

Temperatures in the single digits and the Dobe wants to lie in the sunlight streaming through the slider. The sun is warm inside with the furnace on. Dark brown fur is warm in the sun spot, but short hair doesn't provide much protection outside where wind puts the wind chill factor at 4  below.

So what is a Doberman to do?

How about taking out pent up energy on your dog bed?

While mom and dad were at work, the doberman went after her crate bed. With the stuffing strewn around the kitchen floor, she next went after her Orvis donut bed. She ripped a small opening, but then resisted further damage.

It's been a long cold winter. The kind that is tough on Dobermans. And their beds.