Haas
Here's Anchorage Animal Care and Control's Adoption of the Week, courtesy of Brooke Taylor, AACCC public relations coordinator.

Use this space to discuss training issues -- brag about successes, lament setbacks or bounce a question off the group.

Our first commenter below sent me an interesting email about treadmill training for dogs. She wants to teach dogs how to do it and video the training for use on a future web page. She's a former musher who now does, if I remember correctly, kicksled-joring. She loves it and uses treadmill training as a way to get the dogs in shape and train on lousy weather days.

Reply to her comment if you're interested.

Here's a nice surprise with the new computer system. You can now leave comments on reader-submitted galleries.

Check out the Alaska Dogs gallery and let posters know what you think of their pics!

I got an email from Dog Blog regular jarnold saying she's getting a lot of error messages when she clicks on the dog blog link off the home page -- or uses a bookmark. Has anyone else had a problem accessing the Dog Blog since today's changes to adn.com?

Evidently, our systems gurus are aware of problems and are working on it.

Interestingly, I can't duplicate the error from my home computer, so I'm wondering how prevalent it is. It looks a bit different from my firefox browser, but no error messages. My Chrome browser looks exactly the same.

Do you walk your dogs at the same time(s) every day? Is it first thing in the morning? After work? Some other convenient time? Does that walk schedule work for you and your dogs well?

I've worked a second shift for so long that I forgot how difficult it must be for people who work morning shifts. For me, I wake up at 10 or 11 and don't have to be to work, typically, until 3:30. Plenty of time to give the dogs a satisfying walk before work. When I get off work, the park is empty and it's nice to take a second walk after midnight by ourselves. It's really the perfect shift for dogs.

Here's Anchorage Animal Care and Control's Adoption of the Week, courtesy of Brooke Taylor, AACCC public relations coordinator.

Gibson

Failed attempt at a group picture

Use this space to discuss training issues -- brag about successes, lament setbacks or bounce a question off the group.

I staged an impromptu photo session today to try to get a new promo picture for the blog. I discovered it's not an easy trick when you don't have any help.

Poster Contest flyer
WHAT: Annual Poster Dog Contest. Submit a picture of your pooch for a chance to become AACCC's poster dog for its 2013 licensing campaign.

WHO: Anchorage Animal Care and Control Center

WHEN: Pictures must be received by Friday, Sept. 28, 2012, to be considered.

Sugar

Enter AACCC's Poster Dog Contest

Here's Anchorage Animal Care and Control's Adoption of the Week, courtesy of Brooke Taylor, AACCC public relations coordinator.

Eddie in legless wool coat and fleece booties

Over at the little-dog meetup, our ranks are already thinning. It happens every year about this time as a bite returns to the air and the snow creeps lower on the mountains. Owners say their dogs refuse to go outside in the cold.

Like it or not, not all Alaska dogs are northern breeds, or even double-coated. Some pets have short hair. Others, like my Yorkies, have single coats that don't insulate well.

Rex

Here's Anchorage Animal Care and Control's Adoption of the Week, courtesy of Brooke Taylor, AACCC public relations coordinator.

Use this space to discuss anything you'd like.

Do your dogs ride well in the car? Not just short trips, but a trip to Homer or Fairbanks that takes 4 to 7 hours.

Do you take any precautions -- i.e., crate them or put a seatbelt on them? Did you find yourself having to train them to tolerate the long stretches? Do you stop often, for the dogs?

I've brought this topic up in the past, but I find myself wanting to revisit it after I've completed a trip. We went to Denali over the weekend for the road lottery, and I was reminded of the challenges.

Chico
Here's Anchorage Animal Care and Control's Adoption of the Week, courtesy of Brooke Taylor, AACCC public relations coordinator.

Portrait of Jillie by Dagmar Anderwald

Do you save photographs that you really like of your dogs? Have you put any in frames? Do you have any drawings or paintings of your dogs that you cherish? Bonus points for anyone attaching one of your favorites in a comment on this post ;)

I ask because an online dog forum buddy just sent me this drawing she did of my 3-year-old Yorkie, Jillie. I love it, and it's destined for a framed spot on the wall next to pictures she did of two other Yorkies of mine years ago.

Use this space to introduce or discuss training issues -- brag about successes, lament setbacks, or bounce a question off the group.

Mine this week is more in the "lament setbacks" category.

My dogs have a so-so "leave-it" command. They know what it means and they perform it when I practice it in a controlled environment, but in real life it often goes haywire.

Putu

Here's Anchorage Animal Care and Control's Adoption of the Week, courtesy of Brooke Taylor, AACCC public relations coordinator.

Did they get nervous with all the sounds? Refuse to go outside? Or did they ignore all the fuss?

Jillie and Lucy were oblivious to the commotion, but Eddie struggled. He acted like he does when fireworks are going off outside. Fortunately, Kelly was home with him. She put on his Thundershirt and gave him a few drops of rescue remedy, and he eventually got some sleep.

Use this space to discuss training issues -- brag about successes, lament setbacks or bounce a question off the group.

I'll go first:

Eddie did well at his first state fair demo -- nosework last Sunday. I realized even before the show started that it was going to be a tougher venue than I'd anticipated: Immediately before our show, the herding dogs were chasing sheep over the same area.

Eddie had never seen sheep before in his life, and he's real curious about wildlife. Topping it off, the sheep were relieving themselves, and he loves to explore with his nose.

Join the Anchorage Waterways Council's Scoop-the-Poop Committee in a special fall Scoop the Poop Day at University Lake.

It's a great chance to get the city's most popular dog park in good shape before the snow arrives.

Gloves and shovels will be provided as well as gifts and refreshments. Here are the details:

What: Scoop The Poop Day

When: Monday, Sept. 10, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Where: University Lake Dog Park