2019 New Year's Resolutions
Markus looking off in the distance during a trip to Sorrento, British Columbia
In our development with Markus, we’re constantly pushing for the next thing. We’re always trying new things to train and work with him - so much so that when something doesn’t go the way we expect it to, we can become discouraged or even frustrated.
Taking the time to reflect where things began helps us to appreciate where we are today and it gives us the boost for another day. Putting in perspective that Markus was a rescued dog who had difficulty being adopted because he was labeled as aggressive helps us to appreciate how far he’s come in his time with us.
The Paws & Reflect series is our way of pausing to appreciate all the progress Markus has made from his days as an aggressive dog at the rescue shelter. We revisit his past to help us put into focus all the great things he’s already accomplished with us.
Happy New Year to everyone! From both of us and from Markus, we hope that the year 2019 will be an incredible one for both you and your doggies!
To kick off the year, we wanted to share some of our resolutions with you as our "put it out into the universe" type of thing. In the past year, we made a lot of progress with Markus and his training, so we wanted to ramp up those goals up for 2019.
Without further ado, we give you our list of 2019 New Year’s Resolutions.
More Outings and/or Trips
Markus standing at the top of Quarry Rock after a hike at Deep Cove, British Columbia
This is a two-parter and it is as much on us as it is on Markus. The first part is to bring Markus on day-to-day outings more consistently like going to a dog park or something a bit more intensive like a hike.
The goal of bringing Markus out more regularly is to get him exposed to different types of people and dogs out there. One of the reasons why he went unadopted for so long was because he was said to be reactive and potentially even aggressive towards other dogs. We were aware of this when we adopted Markus, so we committed to working with him to become comfortable in these types of settings.
For most of the past year, we've been bringing Markus to (enclosed) off-leash parks and to events like the Shiba Meetup. We're happy to say that although there have been moments where he barked or lunged at other dogs, those moments weren't the norm and he was consistently good for most of the outings. For 2019, we want to continue encouraging Markus to play and meet other dogs at dog parks and trails.
Markus standing on the beach at the end of the hike on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
Secondarily, we want to find the thing that makes him tick. Markus doesn't bark and feel threatened all the time, so we're hoping to pinpoint the thing that triggers him.
Beyond the day-to-day outings, we also want to go on more trips in 2019. We spent a lot of time training Markus in 2018, so we didn't get to make as many trips. The training was intentional so that we were in a position to bring him out on overnight outings.
We were able to do a handful of trips with him by the end of the year, but we're looking forward to ramping it back up in 2019. Prior to adopting Markus, this was something that we did regularly and we wanted to get back to that type of schedule. We look forward to exploring the Pacific Northwest with Markus.
More Meetings with Dog Friends
Markus (middle) playing with his friends at David Gray Park
One reason why Markus' transition has been so smooth so far was that we've been able to do outings with dog friend that Markus has become familiar with. Through Instagram, we've been able to meet a few dogs this year - some of whom are also reactive. It's been nice going on strolls with owners of other dogs with a similar reactivity level as Markus because they're also aware of the same things and we can look out for each other.
The dogs have gotten familiar with each other by now and they're comfortable walking side by side, which has been nice to see. We try to meet up regularly and little by little, we've invited new members to our walks and our pack is slowly expanding! This is a great way to network and meet new dogs and to allow Markus to familiarize himself with them as well.
Finding a food Markus loves
We have yet to find something that Markus really enjoys eating as his full-time meal since we've adopted him. We've tried him on a few different brands and types of dry dog food, but we have yet to find the one thing that Markus will finish completely. There have been moments where Markus is extra hungry and he'll finish an entire bowl, but those moments are few and far in between.
We already have a head start on how we might be able to solve this. About a week ago, we started to switch him onto the raw food diet. We had been looking into it for a while and we made the switch last week when we were at home for the holidays. We're still early on in the process, but we're hopeful that we may have found the thing that Markus loves to eat!
We’re so grateful for your support of The Markus Project. We mostly choose our locations through searching and word of mouth. If you know of a park, trail or location you think we should check out, please share it with us. We’d love to know!
