Dog Days (Ottawa) - November Project

Oh hi. It’s me, Alfie! In honour of National Dog Day, which I believe occurred at some point in the near or possibly distant past, I was honoured to be asked to lead today’s workout. After all the noggin pats and belly rubs I’ve received from all of you over the years, it was the leashed I could do.

Also, I’m what you might call an expert at working out. I work out all the time. For example, yesterday I worked out a way not to walk by lying down on the grass and refusing to move. The trick is to roll over on your back and tilt your head to the side with your tongue sticking out the side of your mouth. It makes the humans go “aww” and works like a charm. Being the size of a small horse also helps.

Anyway, I’ve attended quite a few November Project workouts over the last few years and – if I’m being honest – there are some important movements that you folks seem to be avoiding. I mean, sure, I’ve seen the occasional fire hydrant or downward dog, but us hard working canines have a whole repertoire of movements that we perform in order to maintain our desired fitness levels. Hopefully today’s workout gave you time to paws and reflect on the importance of these movements. For those who missed it (or want to repeat it at your local dog park), here are all the great ideas that I came up with all by myself. I mean, Rebecca helped a little bit but I did most of it. Actually she did all of it but I was the main source of inspiration and really I think that’s the most important part of the planning. So you’re welcome.

We started off with fire hydrants, moved between downward dog and upward dog, then I demonstrated the I’d like a belly rub please pose (dead bug) and a few bird dogs. Then we had to sit, lie down, and roll over (squat, plank, and rotate in a crab position). We also did some agility training (side shuffling) and I showed everyone the proper technique for jumping onto the couch (half-burpee) in a way that makes it almost impossible for your humans to know you were ever on it (please speak directly to Zephyr or myself for more information on this technique). We went on a hike (mountain climbers), chased our tails (humans are bad at this), and finished off with the welcome home dance (star jumps) and some intense doggy dreaming (bicycles). OH and I almost forgot the most important activity – Fetch! Most of you seemed more experienced in this area, but, as I suspected, there’s still some work to be done before we begin incorporating squirrel chases into the workouts.