We took a few moments a week ago to review all the fun things that we got to do in 2020 despite the ongoing pandemic. I know what you're thinking - in a year where everyone stayed indoors, what did we even get to do? Well, there were a few things that we were fortunate enough to do including a two-week road trip right in the beginning of the year before the borders closed. We also made the best out of our time doing more local trips to visit other cities, parks and trails. Read all about our 2020 year in review!

Having closed the chapter on 2020, we wanted to spend our update this week looking ahead to 2021. As we normally do at this time of year, we share our personal goals in 2021 (of course assuming we return to a sense of normalcy) as it relates to our dog Markus. Without further ado, here's our list for 2021.

Travel the rest of the Pacific Northwest Again

Of course, this goal will depend on what's happening outside in our world. If you've been following The Markus Project, we're all about travelling through the Pacific Northwest with our dog Markus. As a rescued dog that spent time on the streets and at the shelter, Markus developed reactive tendencies that we're working with him to lessen. We do all types of training including bringing him to more public spaces to meet strangers and new dogs.

At times, though, the result of the reactivity is that going to public areas like dog parks and doing hikes where there are off-leash dogs can become difficult when Markus doesn't respond well to the other dogs. In those times, it's easier for us as dog owners when we know what to expect at a park or trail. The Markus Project has been about paving the way for dogs like Markus - to visit different parks and trails in the Pacific Northwest and document from the perspective of owners of a reactive dog to let other owners know what to expect.

In 2020, we managed to make one major trip down to the US before the borders closed and while the coronavirus was still just a distant threat. Since we've been back, traveling restrictions have been in place and we haven't been able to return to the US for our trips so we ended up doing shorter and more local trips in 2020 instead. Rather than going down south to the US, we started heading up north and east (and even further west to Vancouver Island) for our trips in the second half of 2020.

Our hope is to be able to travel throughout the rest of the Pacific Northwest again. Don't get me wrong - being limited to staying within British Columbia has allowed us to seek out little nooks and crannies that we otherwise wouldn't have looked for and that's been special in its own unique way. The Pacific Northwest is a huge place to conquer and British Columbia makes up a large portion of it. Still, we look forward to being able to cross the border again and to look for hidden gems throughout the entire Pacific Northwest.

Focus on Markus' training

This is yet another goal that could depend on what else is happening in the world outside. Markus is a territorial dog and before the pandemic, we were making a lot of progress by having people over so that Markus could get used to having people in our space and meeting strangers. Although he would bark at first, he was learning to warm up to strangers quickly and be more welcoming of people in his space. He was doing extremely well and then the pandemic hit.

Although we don't fully know where Markus is at the moment, we have reason to believe that he's regressed quite a bit with being territorial. On the occasion we've had people even just at the door, Markus has barked fairly relentlessly at them since he's just not used to other people in our area anymore. When restrictions relax in our area, we'll hopefully be able to invite people over to our space again.

Mastering tricks and commands

Since we're spending so much time indoors and with Markus, we ended up teaching him a lot of tricks in the past few months. During that time, we completed the certificate for a novice trick dog with Markus on the Do More With Your Dog website. It's something that we do for fun and we're always amazed at how well Markus picks up new tricks. In 2021, we hope to move up the ranking level from a novice trick dog to at least the intermediate trick dog level!

Secondly, we noticed that Markus' recall and training outside of his every day area needs a bit of work. When we're indoors or during walks around the neighbourhood, Markus has really good recall and will sit at corners before crossing. Once we're in a new area, his explorer instincts take over and it's like everything he's learned goes out the window. He's no longer interested in our treats even though they're his high level treats and exploring becomes his treat. Our goal in 2021 is to improve his recall and attention while we're outdoors and in an unfamiliar place.

Do the Darn Nails

This is something that we've tried time and time again, but we're just not great at it. We've tried clipping it a bit at a time, with a light underneath and with a Dremel. We've tried baiting Markus with food while we trimmed his nails, but at the end of the day, we're just not good enough at it. Once we've touched his paws enough, he gets suspicious, gets up and starts to avoid us at all costs. Once he's riled up, getting a hold of his paw steady enough to clip the nail is nearly impossible by that point.

The main problem is that most of Markus' nails are black, which makes it so hard to figure out where the quick might be. We've yet to find a good method, so we end up having to bring him in to the groomer's to get his nails clipped before it starts getting too out of control. The cost of getting his nails cut ends up adding up quickly, so we'd rather learn to do it ourselves! 

So far, we have our eyes set on a few things - a trimmer with a guard, a trimmer with a built-in light (so we don't have to fiddle around with a flashlight at the same time) and a quieter Dremel-like grinder with a guard since it was the sound from the Dremel that would spook him when we tried it. We're going to be ordering different types of nail trimming products trying to find one that works for Markus, so be on the look out for those updates if you're in the same predicament as us. Also, if there's a method that's worked well for you, we'd love to hear about it. 

So what do you think? Those are our goals for 2021 and we'd love to hear about your goals for you and your pup in 2021 as well. You can join in the conversation on our Instagram feed!

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.

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!