Monday, March 10, 2014

SociaBulls: Using SociaBulls for 'Spring Training'

With all of the walking obstacles we find in the city, we all know how important it is to be consistent on our daily walks so our pups always understand what we expect.
Unfortunately, this can be beyond difficult in the winter.
With narrow, snow-covered sidewalks, on our personal daily walks we are finding ourselves allowing our pups to walk in front of us leading the way, forgoing sitting at the corner, and bypassing our check-in's  just so we can all go inside more quickly.
We are also finding that even in our crowded city with weather like this we are much less likely to see as many other people and dogs which becomes even more difficult in spring when the sidewalks are flooded with other pups all excited and out of practice.
We feel lucky that we do have our Chicago SociaBulls group where we have been walking all winter with our dog-friends so it won't be a big surprise when they see all the dogs out again in the spring.
This winter our fellow SociaBulls friends have sacrificed sleeping in, drove to somewhat obscure locations, and endured ice, cold and wind to stay consistent and give their pups the opportunity to socialize through the pack walks. So when we all see all the other dogs out and about on our daily walks, it won't come as a big surprise.
Has the winter deterred you from your walking? Or have you found ways to remain consistent?

Also:
These good things about walking in bad weather
How long we walked.


To learn more about our group, join our Chicago SociaBulls Facebook page for more photos and updates

6 comments:

SherBear said...

This winter has been absolutely terrible! When it's cold I can't take her out of any longer than 45 minutes or else she'll be shivering out of control (even w her hoodie and Ruff Wear coat on). I also can't get to my treats easily due to multiple layers and gloves, so we haven't been able to work on her reactivity. Fortunately it hasn't gotten worse, but at a plateau from where we left off last fall. I was worried that she was going to go stir crazy but she's been fine - in fact I had a comment yesterday from her dog sitter "I tried to take Nala for a run by the lake, but she didn't seem to understand the concept"...haha that's my baby girl, just as lazy as ever!!

Hannah@Eriesistibull said...

Our daily walks have definitely gone by the wayside this winter. We do still try to get them to as many PEDs walks as we can, which like your walks, has been so helpful in keeping us on track this winter!

Anonymous said...

We have def been deterred a little, one by weather and two by Jake's leg issues. But it's warming back up and we have a solution for his paws so we are getting back on track! I LOVE every coat on every dog in this post (although I know that is not the goal, i'm all about the fashion)!

Kirsten (peacefuldog) said...

We are pretty consistent, year round. If anything, winters are easier as there are less skateboarders for Fozzie to freak out about! I don't think summer will bring too many more dog walkers--that is a year-round challenge to work with--but the wheeled challenges are definitely something to gear up for!

Two French Bulldogs said...

Pack walks are so good for pups. We love watching how they transform all the winter gear into les and less for spring and summer
Lily & Edward

Unknown said...

This winter IzaBella and I hardly got out for walks. Fortunately for us though, we have a yard for her to do potty breaks in. However, as deep as the snow was this year, she had to keep borrowing through it and remake snow paths.

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