SociaBulls: Because we Don't Want to Do this Alone

It's hard to believe that these photos were taken just the other week, considering a half-foot of snow now blankets Chicago changing how we dress (pups & people), where we go, and most importantly...how willing our pups are to take bathroom breaks.

 Even after a huge coldsnap, with several single digit and subzero days, our walks are still filling with so many pups out with their people.

 As we were all being pummeled by the wind before the group started walking, one member told me that even though it's completely freezing outside she likes coming on the walks because she doesn't want to do this alone.

Since most of us in the city don't have backyards, we need to walk our pups any way.
Anyone else have any advice for getting up and walking your dog even in the worst weather?

Also:
This is another reason we come out.
Plus, who wouldn't want to see this?

Check our Two Pitties in the City Facebook page for further comments.
To learn more about our group, join our Chicago SociaBulls page for more photos and updates. 

Miss Goofus and Mr. Gallant Part III: Dating Edition

We always joke how much our pups are like another set of commonly-mistaken-for twins-but-have-different-personalities duo: Goofus and Gallant. Much like Gallant, Mr. B is polite and respectful, while Miss M is like Goofus....and is not.
Let the pups show you what we mean:

Mr. B is an avid listener who enjoys hearing what his dates have to say:

Meanwhile, Miss M lets her date know she is talks too much:

Mr. B makes an effort to have a good time and enjoy the activities his date has planned:

While Miss M makes it obvious when she's not having a good time:

Mr. B is grateful for a nice night out and he gives appropriate G-rated smooches:

While Miss M not only does not return the kiss:

But she secretly sneaks some swigs from her date's drink:

In case you missed it:

Earlier Goofus and Gallant posts Part I and Part II.

As an Elf on a Shelf.

Check our Facebook page for more photos, comments, and story lines beyond the blog.

DoggyStyle: On Leash Modifications for Better Walks

I've heard that City Moms take great care in choosing their strollers, often considering it like their SUV: equipped to hold and store everything they need for their walks and journeys.
And just like our pups go for so many daily walks, our leash has taken on the same importance. Through our daily walks through days like this or like this, these are some modifications we've made to make our walks easier:

Add-On's:

Miss M is upset we are not getting her best angle

We added a circular key ring to the leash handle and we were able to clip on our poo bag dispenser and an extra carabiner. We can use the carabiner to hold extra things like our dog treat bag, extra keys, or citronella. Though it sounds excessive, it's not bulky because I use the double-elbow hand hold that I wrote about here. 

Safety Measures:

It's funny how we all put so much trust in the little latch that clips the leash to the collar, but through our own experiences, and talking to several of our friends, we have learned how that little clip can fail. Sometimes it just wears out and doesn't clip as well, or if your pup rolls or snags it against a chair or table it could come unclipped. It has happened to us once with Mr B (he really wanted to meet a giant poodle), once with Miss M (we didn't even know it was unclipped until we looked behind us and we couldn't understand how Miss M was lagging so far behind) and a funny story from a friend (their pup came unclipped, rushed into a grocery store and was frolicking in the bread aisle). Since then, we learned to thread a carabiner through the base of the clasp serving as a second connector to the collar. We wrote more about it, here and this is what it looks like.

An Extra Grip:

Sometimes leashes can become slippery. Or cause rope burn.
To get an extra grip on the leash I originally used a leash with an extra loop at the end that acted like an extra handle, though I found Miss M found that extra loop very tempting to play with as we were walking. One of our dog walkers taught as a different trick: you can get an extra grip on any leash by tying a knot in various places to get more control.
Especially important if Mr. B is having one of those days where he doesn't understand the meaning of  'a walk'.

Style:

Mr. B is happy to match his person

Just like buying fun new gym clothes gives you extra incentive to go to the gym, I found using cute leash sets give me that extra push to enjoy our dog walks even when the weather isn't enjoyable. We have been using matching leash and collar sets from both Sirius Republic and Silly Buddy. They both handmade all of their collars and leashes so sizes are customizable. We like using the wide martingale and matching leash. Sometimes we even coordinate by the seasons.

Also:
We are liking this length now.
We also carry these on our walks.
Check our Facebook page for more photos, comments, and story lines beyond the blog.

Things to Do in Chicago with Dogs: Miss M and Mr B Attend the Houndstooth Ball

While the pups have made their way around the city as downtown dogs, walking in parades, and even via boat, one thing still on their bucket list was attending a formal party. Luckily for them, One Tail at a Time rescue holds their annual Houndstooth Ball fundraiser: a dog-friendly cocktail party complete with open bar, silent auction and photo booth.
The pups were excited to 'suit up' and make their big debut for a good cause. Like many a socialite, Miss M made sure to make a smashing entrance: bullfrogging her way through the entrance pulling E behind like her he was on a skateboard.

While it took Miss M some time to contain her excitement, she was eventually able to calm down and pose for photos. She did give out many extra-excited smooches, likely a plot to knock peoples' beers out of their hands so she could sneak a sip (It worked! Three times!).

It was fun being able to dress up, see if our Mr. B could pull off a top hat, and seeing so many other pups in their finery like our friends Eddie, Chicklet, and Detective Munch. 

Our secret to finding 'formal wear' for our big pups: we shop in the human kids' section. 

Miss M is wearing a little girl's tutu and flower headband (designed by Target!) and a tiara from a party store. Mr. B has a costume stove pipe hat, and he borrowed his black bow-tie from E.

We sew an elastic band as a strap to secure the hat and tiara so the pups don't have any wardrobe malfunctions.

One Tail did a really, really good job putting the event together, and we all had such a great time. 

Even Miss M who spent the entire next day looking like this. 

Also:

How we make walkable dog costumes.

Kissing Booth!

We also did this.

They once looked like this.

Check our Facebook page for more photos, comments, and story lines beyond the blog.

Pooches: Our Dog Training Essentials for a Polite Dog

While I always had dogs growing up, Miss M was the first dog I ever had on my own. I was a bit nervous to have my own dog, especially after being led towards a misguided Wiki-article predicting 

all types of dire traits. While these types of blanket statements are never true, it did scare me into becoming over-prepared and developing a solid training plan once Miss M came into my apartment. 

Vintage Miss M came to me as an excited, stubborn pup who knew what she wanted...and she wanted it now. While she will always have an over-the-top personality, we were able to develop some routines to help her make better decisions and become a polite dog.

We know all dogs are different, but these are some things that worked for us:

Start out Hard Because There's No Going Back

A friend of mine used to joke that I treated Miss M like she was in boot camp. Sure she had a lot of rules, but I also knew it was easier to set up a lot of rules up front because it would be harder to go back and have her un-learn a behavior. One of my biggest things was not letting Miss M on the sofa. I knew I could one day choose to allow her on the furniture in the future, but if I started out by letting her sit on the furniture I could never change my mind since it would be that much harder to train her to stay off.

We were also very strict about following the 'Nothing in Life is Free' principle. Miss M learned to work for every privilege. She wasn't allowed to just eat dinner, but she had to go to her bed, lay and wait as the food was placed before her. She wasn't allowed to eat until I gave her the command. She also learned to be in a down-stay before putting the collar on for walks, and she would never just get a treat but she would have to perform some kind of trick for it. (When she was newer it would start with just a sit, but it would work up to a wave, and eventually this!)
I can see how this looks intense to an on-looker, but Miss M could get very excited and these rules helped her learn patience, self-discipline, and understanding our routine. Now it has become automatic where sit has become the pups' default behavior.

Be Consistent

While Miss M was learning all of these routines, the biggest thing I needed to do was to be consistent. Sure, it was tempting to save time by just giving her dinner, throwing a leash on her if I was in a hurry, and giving her a treat just because she looked cute, but having a familiar routine is extremely important for dogs and not following the pattern could cause set-backs. 

We also make sure to consistently practice their training in new situations.

Using "Wait Time"

This is one of the biggest things I learned from teaching that I'm able to use on the pups. The idea behind wait time in the classroom is that after you ask a question you need to stop and wait to allow students to process what is being asked. Sometimes it seems like an uncomfortable amount of time and it's so tempting to just ask the question again, or rephrase it. Though I've learned if I do wait, even if it seems like a long time, I will always have a student answer or at least ask for clarification.
I started doing this with the pups when I give them commands. If they aren't responding immediately, it can be so tempting to repeat the command which will actually teach the pups not to listen to me the first time. So if I wait, it may seem like a long time but they will process, make a decision, and learn what I'm asking from them.
Notice how this video would have turned out differently if Mr. B was allowed wait time.

Having Role-Models

When we adopted Mr. B he was already 5 years old. We joke that he just came to us this way, but when we first met the big guy he was devouring baseball mitts in a single sitting and barking at anything that moved. We know dogs learn from each other and if they see a dog being rewarded for a behavior they may learn to do that behavior also. Seeing how Miss M would go to her bed when it was time for dinner and how she would wait nicely before walks, Mr. B learned these same behaviors. It has also worked with some of our foster dogs. Here is our very first foster dog, Wilma, during one of her first weeks with us. I never taught her this directly--and I don't think she would even stay on her own--but she would follow the behavior of both of our pups. (The pups are so close because none of the dogs are resource guarders).
What are some other things you consider essential in your training?

Also:
The command that changed our lives
Crowd Pleasers!
Living with a Circus Dog

Check our Facebook page for more photos, comments, and story lines beyond the blog.

SociaBulls: On Local Like-Minded Dog People

I always felt a bit isolated when I first adopted Miss M.
She was the first dog I had that I was raising on my own, and I often doubted my own abilities to care for her.
I didn't know what to do when she would play tug of war with the leash (especially because we had to go on so many walks each day!). I thought I had broken her when I discovered her paws were cracked and irritated from the ice, and I never know what walking equipment worked best and I was constantly trying new things looking for that magic tool.
I wasn't sure where to find people who had been through this too.

So one of my not-spoken-about-alot reasons for starting our Chicago SociaBulls group was to begin creating this community. We had started meeting so many great dog people out-and-about, many of them would stop us because they knew our dogs from our blog, and I wanted a way to continue these connections.
Since then, our group has become an amazing resource. We are all facing the same Chicago-specific dog situations, as well as discussions on food allergies, snow boots, and the latest in walking gear. Plus, we all actually love hearing one another's dog stories.

We feel very lucky to have our group as a resource, what are some other ways you connect with local like-minded dog people?

Also:
If you want your own...
About the dogs in our Group!
Who we really are

Check our Two Pitties in the City Facebook page for further comments.
To learn more about our group, join our Chicago SociaBulls page for more photos and updates. 

Pooches: On Smiling Pooches

When I was first thinking of adopting a dog, I thought I had to know the type of dog I wanted ahead of time. 

I spent a lot of time perusing profiles on Petfinder, I would accompany my friend to the dog park where I would 'window shop' different types of pups, and I would spend my spare time incessantly browsing Happy Ending photos. It was only after seeing a Happy Ending photo of a widely-smiling pup that I realized what I wanted: a dog who could smile.
So naturally, I ended up with a pup like Miss M:

Who even stuns Mr B with her perpetual frown:

Luckily, I did get that smiling pooch. Mr B is the perfect anecdote with his wide-faced grin:

That can even make a grumpy-looking pup like Miss M show her biggest smile:

Do you have a smiling pup? Show us your smiling pup by posting on our Facebook page.

Also:
Behind-the-Scenes Secret
I never knew I wanted a pit bull.
Pink!

PS. Did you know Miss M and Mr B have broken their silence and they're sharing their thoughts on Twitter?

How to Spy on Your Dogs when You're Not Home

We have always been curious about what our pups do when we're not home.

Perhaps Mr B is having grand adventures with his beloved stuffies,

While Miss M is being sneaky and fulfilling her dream of sleeping on the bed.

Usually we never know because our pups are careful to cover their tracks, running back to their beds and pretending they've been there the whole time.

Most of the time we come home to 2 sleepy pups with everything in order.

But, there has been times when we mysteriously came home to things like this:

Or even this:

And we can only wonder what really happened.

After several failed attempts of trying to sneak into our own home and catch them in the act, we found an easier (and inexpensive!) option.

We purchased the iCam for our phones (only $4.99 for our phones!) and downloaded the iCamSource software from their site. 

We set up multiple cameras in different rooms using the webcams on our computers, and we are now able to monitor and record pooches when we are away. 

Our cameras caught this footage of Miss M eating her kong:

(Doesn't it look like Miss M is on to us and looking right at the camera??)

And while we were expecting to see some other crazy hijinks, most of the footage looked like this:

From our spying we have learned: Mr. B will pick one bed and sleep in it. Miss M will pick a bed, change positions several times, then creep into Mr. B's bed and use him as her trusty pillow.

We have yet to catch any of the crazy hijinks we were anticipating, but there tends to be some excitement when we're coming home:

Is there anyone else out there with doggycams? Or is it something you have thought about?

Also:

Because Miss M is over it.

Mr B is guilty.

This.

Check our Facebook page for more photos, comments, and story lines beyond the blog.

DoggyStyle: Snooding Up!

Chicago winters are hard.
Like this kind of hard.
 But despite the weather, our dogs still need to be walked.
Last year we took on the motto "There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes" and we learned how to "gear-up" to brave the Chicago winters.

Depending on how cold and wet it is outside, our pups have been wearing a combination of hoodies and dog coats: sometimes both. And just like I don't head outside without my trusty scarf, we have discovered 'dog-specific scarfs' for our pups.
We like how snoods fit like an infinity scarf slipping over their heads without any loose ends for them to trip on. They keep the pups a bit warmer and prevent any snow from slipping into the necklines of their jackets. And while it's hard to be excited about taking a walk in the bitter cold, it has been a bit more fun coordinating their jackets and snoods. Lately our pups have been wearing these brightly colored fleece snoods from Sirius Republic. For this year they've been sporting classic-cold  Buffalo Check and hopeful-for-spring-soon colored chevrons.

Added bonus: the pooches have been getting some extra pets from some people who are impressed to see 'dogs wearing scarves'. Though our favorite was when a tourist was yelling at her severely underdressed husband telling him "even the dogs out here are wearing scarves".

Also:
Cold-weather gear for big dogs.
Our current favorite.
The time they thought they were really wearing Burberry.
A sure way to make people smile on a gloomy day.

Check our Facebook page for more photos, comments, and story lines beyond the blog.

SociaBulls: Making Pack-Walks Work in Your City

It doesn't seem that long ago that I used to enviously follow HikeABull's Facebook page and lament that we didn't have anything like that in our city. It was only after making this comment on one of their photos that their organizer asked "Why don't you start your own?".
Which made sense.
While it seemed a bit daunting at the time, we have figured out how to make it work for us (we wrote about it extensively in this post here.)
We are always so excited to hear about other people taking the plunge and starting groups in their areas. Though it seems like the biggest question is how to find like-minded members to join the group. While we were lucky that we already had a strong on-line community through our Two Pitties blog, we realize not all cities work the same way and it may be harder to find a dog-community in some areas. We had written this original post about ways to find members.
If those ways don't seem to work where you live, here are some additional thoughts we had for finding members specific to your city:

Finding the Formula for Your City

We think one of the reasons our group has become so popular is because most of us who own dogs don't have backyards. Chicago has a strong walking-culture where we are all used to taking our dogs on several walks per day. Part of the attraction to the group is that since we have to walk our dogs anyway, in all types of weather, it's much more fun to do it with a group of friends.
If you you live in an area that doesn't have a strong walking culture, think about what would make people want to come out and walk.
Is it having pride in your dog and wanting to meet new people? Is it a breed-specific club? Could you have a focus on hiking and have a hiking with your pup group? Maybe it's a focus on exploration and discovering new areas in your city. (I originally wanted to start our group as a city-exploration group!) Regardless of the main focus, the pups will still get the socialization benefits from the pack-walking and no-greeting structure you set up.

Finding the Dog People

Think about your city and where you will find like-minded dog people. Are there specific events that draw dog owners? When people adopt new dogs they are always interested in doing new things with them. Where can you find these people? Maybe you could talk to a rescue group or local shelter to see if they know people who would be interested and to help spread the word. Maybe there are volunteers at your local shelter who are interested in taking the dogs out for pack walks.

Becoming Visible:

From most of the groups we have spoken with, social-media seems to be the biggest way to spread the message. Having a Facebook page, with photos and information, is a good way for people to learn about the group and for you to communicate and email with potential members in a centralized location. You could ask rescue groups, local pet stores, or your veterinarian to share your Facebook page as a way for more people to learn about the group. Having a Facebook page also allows you to join in discussions on other dog-specific pages where people can find out about your group.
 Meet-up is another way people search for things to do. Having a Meet-up is a way to attract members and set up walks. We also meet people while we are out walking our own dogs, or on our SociaBulls walk, and we carry Moo cards directing people to our Facebook page so they can get more information about the group. Maybe you are at the pet store and you run into someone with a new dog, you can start talking to them and give them one of the cards with your group information.

We know it can sound a bit daunting, but starting our Chicago Sociabulls group was one of the most rewarding things we've ever done. We would love to hear from everyone else out there.
For those of you who started groups, how did you find members? 
For those of you who joined groups, how did you find out about the group? 
And those of you thinking of starting groups, what obstacles are you encountering?

Also:
Read how other cities made it work with guest posts from Seattle WalkABulls, Twin City Pack Walks in Minnesota,  Positive Pittie Pack Walks in New Jersey, and HikeABulls in the Bay Area.
How we found our members.

Check our Two Pitties in the City Facebook page for further comments.
To learn more about our group, join our Chicago SociaBulls page for more photos and updates.