Welcome to the December 2023 ZENFULdog of the Month featuring Indy! Indy’s pet-parent, Stephanie, describes Indy as “a giant white floof.” She shares that he is also described as a ‘cloud,’ ‘a marshmallow’ and (possibly Stephanie’s favourite) ‘a throw cushion!’ Indy is a gorgeous white Samoyed and a beloved member of the ZENFULdog Training family!
Indy
Age: Indy turned 2 on November 22, 2023!
Meet Indy’s Family
(Stephanie—Indy’s pet-parent): It's just Stephanie and Indy these days, which makes him extra important to her: “[Indy] is my best friend, but also my therapist. I am bipolar, which has made navigating the world a little more challenging, but Indy helps to level me out. He is always there to make me laugh out loud when I’m sad or have had a bad day.”
Indy's Personality: Stephanie says that Indy’s personality matches his exterior—he has floof for brains: “He is known for bounding around like a bunny. I always say he is ‘book smart’ because he can perform all the tricks and commands I ask, but I've also watched him run head-first into a tree.”
Stephanie shares The Most Unique Thing about Indy: Indy is a very special boy who enjoys bunny hopping after toys his mom throws. He has never met a human, dog, cat or horse he hasn't liked (even when they strongly dislike him).
Indy's favourite Treats/Foods according to Stephanie: Indy's favourite treats are any that his mom doesn't have, but he's really not that picky. “When we first started out, I was able to use his kibble for treats, but we've had to switch to more high-value treats as he's gotten older and learned there [are] more delicious options.”
Stephanie Describes Indy’s Favourite Activities: Indy loves Parkour—it's definitely his absolute favourite activity! He also participates and excels in Canifit, Canix, water sports like kayaking and paddle-boarding and specialized classes like ‘click-to-calm.’ Indy participates in Disc Dog as well, but Stephanie explains that “anyone who has witnessed our attempts will agree that we mostly go for socialization and comic relief!”
Stephanie Describes how Indy Unwinds After a Full Day of Activity: “Indy is an extremely high-energy guy! Kendra and I have worked relentlessly to teach him to "settle," but if it was up to him, his ideal way to unwind would be to run a 5k canix.”
If Indy had a human voice, which celebrity would he sound like?: Stephanie thinks that Indy would sound like everyone’s favourite muppet—Elmo!
Indy’s Training
Stephanie and Indy have been training with ZENFULdog for a little over a year and they have tried all of the things! Stephanie has learned that Indy will either excel or flop completely at activities with no in-between. They've participated in Canix, Bikejoring, water sports, Cani-hiking, Canifit, Disc Dog, Parkour, Obedience levels 1-3, ‘click-to-calm’ and Private Training sessions.
Stephanie Tells Us How Training Has Shaped Indy: “I should first explain that training with ZENFULdog has entirely reshaped my relationship with dogs. When I started training with Kendra, I had just left a trainer who used prong collars, e-collars, slip leads, etc.. In fact, I showed up for probably the first month or two of training with a slip lead before Kendra switched me to an H-back harness and gentle leader. It completely blew my mind how quick the results were and how gentle the tools were in comparison.
When I took my canine First Aid with ZENFULdog, the trainer said something that has forever stuck with me: ‘You do the best you can with the knowledge you have, and when you know more, do better.’ That quote allowed me to forgive myself for not knowing better when training my last dog and during my first year of training Indy. I strive to constantly learn more now so that I can do better for my dog and the dogs I interact with on a daily basis.
Indy has learned how to settle around other dogs even when he desperately wants to play with all of them all of the time. He has also learned how to focus on the task at hand (though this is still a work in progress).”
Stephanie Describes Indy’s Biggest Training Challenges: Indy's best asset is also his biggest challenge. He loves everyone so much that he sometimes struggles to focus because he is so excited about wanting to play.
Stephanie Names Indy’s Biggest Training Success: Indy's ability to actually settle around other dogs, in front of busy stores, and at family gatherings is by far his greatest achievement! It might sound boring, but when Indy and Stephanie started at ZENFULdog, Indy couldn't sit still for ten seconds.
Stephanie explains, “he easily waits in his ‘spot’ now while my extended family enjoys our holiday meals, settles seamlessly around other dogs in group classes, on hikes and on runs. [He can also] sit in front of Walmart and Canadian Tire for 30-45 minutes just watching the shopping carts, people approaching and talking to his mom, and anything else that's thrown his way (except other dogs—he's still working on that).”
Stephanie Describes Indy’s Most Rewarding Training Moments: This past summer, Indy and Stephanie worked their way up to a road trip diagonally across the USA to Utah for one of Stephanie’s design contracts. They started with general local socialization at stores, parking lots, outside of dog parks, etc.. Then, they moved up to day trips. They went to Old Montreal, Ottawa (Capital hill and Byward market), Brockville, Kingston, Merrickville and more—“We then went to Tobermory for a 3-day design contract which gave us the opportunity to test our training. We had taken the 30-minute ferry in Brockville in preparation for the 3-hour ferry we had to take for this trip and Indy was beyond prepared. That said, we learned a lot in that shorter road trip which we were then able to apply to our great US tour. The most rewarding part was watching our hours of training allow us to have an unbelievably successful trip consisting of 9 days, 7 states, 9,000+/-km, and 90 hours of combined driving all while questioning my sanity on several occasions while defending my choice to drive across the states with my dog in tow when I could have just been flown out for the work contract.”
Kendra adds: “Indy is a happy-go-lucky kind of dog. He is spectacular one moment, gliding along in the most beautiful gait, and the next he has this weird grimace on his face and looks like a total dork! He's a fun dog who can do it all and go anywhere—of course, this doesn't mean he didn't need consistent management and training with his awesome pet-mom Stephanie. Watching this team evolve on their training journey has been a true joy. It's always so cool when someone comes from a different training background and is open to learning new ways to teach their dogs. Stephanie embraced a new training style and has done and continues to do such a wonderful job with her cuddle floof. The two of them make a perfect team and balance each other, each lifting the other up. Indy and Stephanie are definitely considered family to the Zenfuldog community. We are always excited to see what new adventure they will tackle and rock!”
Bonus Content
Stephanie’s Tips for Traveling With Your Dog!
Don't skip the ‘boring stuff.’
I know for those I don't regularly talk to, it may seem like we just picked up and left, but I've been working with Indy for the last year preparing for this trip. We started with socializing him locally, working up to day trips, then a short road trip to see how he'd handle it. We've worked on coming across other dogs on trails, being comfortable traveling in his travel crate, doing a 20-minute ferry ride to practice for the two-hour one, going to a friend's apartment building to practice taking the elevator and hearing people walk around outside the room, and so much more. So, don't skip the ‘boring stuff’; think through any potential challenges and find creative ways to practice before you go.
Plan well but be flexible.
It can be difficult when you've put hard work into looking for pet-friendly activities and accommodations and gotten yourself excited about taking your trip to assess the situation objectively.
For example, through the entire training process leading up to this, I had to be okay with the fact if Indy got hung up on something major (eg: crating while traveling) that he would have to stay home. It's important to put your dog’s needs first even when you're excited.
Indy also had to have a vet check the day before we left because he had been exposed to kennel cough a week before departure and we obviously didn't want him spreading it across the US. So, again, I had to be okay with the fact that he may have to be left behind even very last minute. Be it training, health concerns, or just your dog's quirks, some dogs are able to handle traveling and some aren't. I'm very fortunate to have a very adaptable dog (who can be difficult in other areas).
Things not to leave home without:
First aid kit (invest in a good one)
More water than you think you need—bottled at home if possible (we went through about 4 litres per day with mostly cool weather)
Skills that I found handy to have:
Basic roadside safety and automotive maintenance (know how to change a tire and boost your car in an emergency, check oil levels)
Canine First Aid
Traveling with your dog can be extremely rewarding and, when done right, I cannot recommend it enough!
A very special “Thank You!” goes out to Stephanie for providing such fantastic content and bonus content for this feature.
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THIS WAS AN AMAZING ARTICLE!!!! So good Steph/Kendra!!