FDL names a Doodle – Issue 9
Best of FDL 11/16-11/22: Doodle names, old dogs new tricks, GPS trackers
Welcome to the Fine Dog Living weekly newsletter – curated content from the FDL Facebook group + a little editorial riffing by me, Lisa Murnan.
A proper Doodle name
Jessica I. posted: “NOT FDL!!! my father and his wife decided to go off the radar and get on a waitlist for a puppy. They didn’t consult me 😂😂 and now...now they are getting this “parti doodle” just after Thanksgiving! While trying to remain calm, breathe, and remind myself, “to each their own” and I have legitimately met a handful of doodles that were okay (yea I said it) and also not be flabbergasted and blindsided about this decision – they just told me they are planning on calling her “Sophie” or “Missy” and... I cannot. They may as well call her “Bella” 🤦 So, in my hilarious mind – I want to suggest they call her, “mistake” – but I’m not a complete jerk - so... any ideas?”
When I first saw this post (at 6 am, when I saw that somebody reported it… which is how I LOVE to wake up, btw), I thought “UH OH.” (We’ve had some Doodle bashing posts on FDL before and they led directly to the creation of FDL’s Rule #3 “No Divisive Posts.”)
But when I got my coffee and started reading through the comments, I was smiling. The comments were hilarious. And there are many Doodle lovers out there in FDL land!
A cringe-worthy fact. Todd and I actually have a Malinois named Bella (Todd named her before I met him, so that one’s on him…maybe he was a Twilight fan? 😂).
(Before I sound too superior…I named one of my Goldens Littlebit…she was the runt of the litter and I didn’t think I’d be keeping her. Her puppy name stuck. So Todd and I are tied 1-1 in the couldn’t-you-have-come-up-with-a-more-creative-name challenge.)
More facts. My parents have a Goldendoodle. Her name is Stella. 🤣 (That’s close enough to Bella. It’s really funny when they’re trying to get her attention – “Stelllllaaaaaaaaaa!”)
(Note to Jessica: Stella is a really nice dog and my parents adore her, so hey, it could all work out!)
Some great comments:
Mattie. ‘Cause she’s probably gonna be Mattie anyway. 😉
We always say doodles pay the bills in the obedience training game. Bella and Lucy are seriously the most used female dog names. I've worked at boarding and train and boarding facilities the last 4 or 5 years. Had to talk my mom out of using Bella.
She's adorable! I freaking love doodles so much ❤️❤️ I don't think I've met more than one I've disliked! I work with so many doodles and across the board adore them (currently snuggling with two doodle training clients right now). Hope she ends up being wonderful!
I have also worked with dozens and dozens of doodles... and have never met a bad one (named Sophie or Missy or not 😉)
I’ve worked with hundreds, if not thousands of doodle and like it or not they were all super nice dogs - I can think of perhaps a dozen that were not.
I am vehemently against doodles of any sort, but I secretly think they’re cute as hell and would adopt one from a rescue.
I love Doodles (I have 3) and despite all the haters I will yell it from the rooftops. They make great sport dogs with the right training and guidance and they are freaking teddy bears to cuddle with. They make great family dogs and as a pet dog trainer they are a huge part of our clientele. So tell them congrats and welcome to the doodle family! 😊
Such good family dogs and as a dog trainer I absolutely love when I get a new Doodle client! Not only are they good money, they are just lovely dogs almost all the time!
Omg they should just name her Bella. The icing on the cake!
I Like doodles. Don’t shoot me.
Doodles are awesome! They are very goofy dogs and I feel like they need silly names.
I have worked with so many doodles and I have only met a couple that I didn't really like. Most have been lovely. They should be fine. And the names, meh, whatever makes them happy. This is a very awful year, let them enjoy their new puppy. We all need more happy. Plus she is really cute!
Support the name Sophie and help when needed. We all get old and do weird things eventually.
I especially love those last 2 comments. 2020 really has been a shitty year. So if someone you love is happy and excited to be getting a Doodle and naming it Bella or whatever, just let it be. 😊
Old dogs new tricks
Samantha Y. wrote: “Ok y’all...this is absolutely FDL but also need ideas... My old man (15 years young) just retired from Flyball this year (August) mostly due to his vision. He thinks all other sports are dumb...learning tricks is stupid...only Flyball please. I’m desperate to find him another fun outlet. I hike with him and he does Fit Paws and the treadmill.”
I can kind of relate to Frank. Although my vision is fine (well, I need reading glasses now but whatever), I too am pretty much retired from flyball and am always looking for something new and fun to do with my dogs. (I also walk on the treadmill and think learning tricks is stupid.)
Some great ideas people shared:
Barn hunt? He would need to be able to see to maneuver safely on the course. The stacks can be several feet high…. It’s worth trying. Gabby loves to find those smelly rats.
We moved Satch to barn hunt at 13. He went to his first trial, blind in one eye and half deaf. He took highest in class every time he hit the barn. That included the time it took him to walk each and every rat from the ring. On his “best last day ever” I rented the barn hunt training facility near us, and he hunted rats until it was time to go to the vet. It was a good last day.
Would he play disc with rollers? The movement would make it easier for him to see, and it's a physical activity he gets to do, playing with you? Try a softer smaller disc. Hero candy taffy atom 185 size. I bet he'd love it! And start a league if there isn't one near you. Great fun!!
How about scent work? Wear out the brain and be nice to the body
Another vote for Nosework.... keep the brain worked out and the body will follow!!!
I started nosework recently with my 10-year-old, because she has vision issues and this is something she can do even if she goes blind. She loves it, and so do I!
Nosework using your ball. If he is ball crazy. That will keep the excitement of the game. I just toss another ball when they find the one they are searching for. You can hide multiples as he gets better at the game. I had to retire a few of my senior dogs do to vision and health issues. Nosework was a great outlet.
Just about every dog seems to love nose work. Try and find an NACSW coach/class. Our retired sport dogs live for it, including our blind dog.
Dog Parkour! You already hike and you can decide what he works on. Win! Win!
Frank says he wants to try Fast Cat
Treiball
Honestly the closest thing to flyball would probably be disc or FAST cat. If he would do either of those!
Would dock diving be an option for you?
Some things you could try that I haven't seen mentioned yet. Enrichment like snuffle mats and feeder toys, could be a lead in to scent work and is a work out for their brain on its own. And I have a dog who couldn't care less about fetch, plays with toys on occasion when he feels like it and we've been working on reactivity for quite some time. He LOVES the flirt pole. He goes nuts for it and takes me about ten minutes or so to get him super tired and wanting to plop on the floor. I only wish I had found it sooner.
GPS trackers
Danielle G. wrote: “I *thought* my dog got out this evening and my husband and I spent an hour driving around looking for him, sure that a coyote got him, before returning home and finding him shut in the hallway closet. 🤦 That said, it got me thinking about dog GPS trackers. I have looked at the Fi dog collars before, but I wasn’t sold on the price plus the monthly subscription for three dogs. I have seen some people use Tiles on their pets, but I’m unsure how they work. Any suggestions or experience with these? I’m totally down to make a monthly payment if it gives me peace of mind 😓”
It was immediately clear by the comments that Danielle was not alone. (We lost our Jack Russell once…she was behind a bigger dog in a closed crate!)
I have to laugh because that happened to us when we were dog-sitting for a friend! I was hysterical thinking that I lost my friend’s dog. We combed the neighborhood in tears and come to find out that the dog got locked in the basement. 🤣 I nearly died of heart failure!
Anything that does not have a subscription, will not be cell service based. They usually are Bluetooth or internet based and useless off property/a few hundred feet from you. We use Fi and love it, both for client dogs and my personal. (I pay for an annual subscription.) Also, with Fi, I don't use the collars that come with them. You can either cut off the fabric collar bands (this voids the warranty) or order a different collar through their supported vendors in the site. You do not want the standard collar because the tracking unit is in line with the collar band. So when the dog pulls, the tracker gets pulled on. You would want a different collar band (like from Sexy Beasts) that sits the tracker on top of the band so no pressure is put on it. (Or if you cut the fabric of the standard fi collar, and void the warranty) you would slide the links over your own collar so it sits on it, and not receiving long term pressure either. I used to use Whistle, but they just kept going out on me, not working, and were way less reliable than Fi. Which was unacceptable with my job, so I made the switch.
I have MarcoPolo trackers. They are radio based, not GPS, so they work better for when you are out hiking out of cell service. No phone required to use.
Tile are bluetooth with a limited range. So they might work in a small house but not outdoors. GPS like Whistle or Fi are what you would want for outdoors.
I’m no help, but I’ve shut my dogs in the basement more times than I can count....
I have Whistle Go Explore and like it a lot. It uses 5g cellular. I had the previous generation, Whistle3, and the new one is better. I haven’t tried Fi but my friend has it and is very happy with it.
I use a tile for my cat that likes to hold up in weird places in the house. One time I couldn’t find him at bed time and assumed he’d just found a new spot. Turns out he had door darted when I left the dogs in. Thank god he stuck close to the porch and my boyfriend found him when he got home from work. I also conditioned him to come get a cookie when I ring him.
I got Findster and really like it. I only had mine wearing it on our walks in the woods, but it seems like an item that can stay on the collar full time (except for charging). No monthly fees.
I searched for one of my cats when she was a kitten for about an hour. I could hear her crying but couldn’t find her. Finally opened the fridge and out she popped. 🙄
I'd recommend Whistle or Fi. I have the Whistle 3 and it works decently, not perfect, but better than nothing and better than Bluetooth trackers like Tile. I have Tiles for my wallet/purse/etc. and the tracking and location finding is essentially useless. The only thing I really use them for is finding my stuff in my house/at work and making sure I didn't forget something in the house. The Whistle is fairly accurate and I have no problems with battery life (that's a complaint for some) but the battery on the unit lasts at least 10-14 days and I've had this unit at least two years. Haven't used Fi, but if I needed a new unit, I'd consider switching but I'm not sure how Whistle GO Explore and Fi compare.
I have both Tractive and Fi and I feel the Tractive works much better. It uses several cell networks - att, Verizon and some others, depending on which signal is strongest at the time.
I have Whistle GO Explore. I like that it not only tracks but also gives you some health information such as water intake, scratching, chewing, and rest. If you are interested, Whistle has $100 off through 11/27
Whistle!!! (And a sign on the pantry door is what we use 😉). We have used Whistle for 6 years for a rascally beagle. No complaints, we recently upgraded to the GO Explore. Great Black Friday deals- 20% off.
Links to recommended products:
Fi Series 2 GPS Tracker Smart Dog Collar (on Chewy)
Whistle (20% off for Black Friday on their website right now!)
FDL is…
Stacy S. made me lol with this one.
“Is it fine dog living when your nearly 15-year-old dog bites you in the ass because you're taking too long getting her dinner ready? 😳 #understandablyentitled #sorrynotsorry”
Funny comments:
I see zero remorse! 😂
I see no issue 🤷
Look at those eyes. She was hungry. BTW, my dog bites my ass every day when I get home as part of her happy hello. Lol.
Zoya has definitely earned her ass biting privileges over the past 15 years lol.
Mine of the same age bit my SO the other day when he took too long to get his toy out from under the couch 🤣
Oh yeah, self control is for youngsters. Bite now. Get what's yours. And whatever else.
“I’m not getting any younger here!” Lol.
This is actually the exact dictionary definition of FDL, hahahaha
Meme of the week
Thanks for posting, Samantha H.!
This week’s group stats
We have been growing like crazy for some reason. Not sure if we’re getting linked to from other groups or if Facebook has started recommending the group more, but it’s nice to see!
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