the dark is still bothering with "our time"

I refuse to let my dog down and last year my schedule was super early for work so we had a 40 minute walk in the morning partially by street light. I had no choice but, to get up and walk in the dark. It was disciplined by my job and because I don't really have my own discipline I am having trouble adjusting this year. My schedule changed at work and I have trouble getting up in the dark to push myself into a walk with my dog in the dark before I hit the gym. I either will skimp on the gym or not go at all and thet is not good for me. I need the confidence it brings me and like how healthy I feel when I push myself.
How do we adjust to the winter months? It is hard. It is important not to compromise on your time with your dog. You can bring some training into the system. My current solution is I force myself to get up by 7am and that way I can walk about 40 minutes before I go to the gym for an hour class and return home for a half hour or so of play before getting ready to go to work. The night time is difficult. After being alone for hours my dog really wants to get out of the house but, I return when it is dark and we only have so many routes around the neighborhood which make it boring. The answer. When I get home put the leash on and hop back in the car driving a few minutes into another neighborhood like I do when the neighbor dog is in heat. We can walk 30 minutes or so and get a ride mixed in for added interest. The downfall of this plan is more eating on the go with less time at home to relax. Since my schedule has changed I miss the evening classes I used to attend with my dog and he misses his daycare which I can't pick him up from anymore. It makes things difficult. I wish my work would justify my schedule returning to as it was but, we are not busy enough and with the economy it makes me feel lucky to have a job at all.
The winter brings with it the cold and the cabin fever on those cold windy snowy or wet days when we can't play ball in the yard because then we would have not yard. So we play indoor games more. We use commands to dance. My dog knows "spin,through the legs, come, around, back, stretch" and when combined to music it makes a fun little work out. sometimes I add other commands and treats to mix it up. He loves it.
We also play a game called find it. My dog uses his nose to sniff out treats I hide one by one around the house while he is in a stay command. I walk up to him and let him sniff my hand with part of the treat and say find it he starts sniffing. If your dog doesn't sniff start with several pieces of large smelly treats and keep them close to the starting position. let him/her sniff your treat and point to the treat saying find it" they pick up quickly. You can branch out to article "find" like setting a treat in a piece of cloth and keep a small section with you then let sniff, etc. eventually they will only get the treat when they carry the item back to you. We also do a variation on this game with "find me" where he is on a stay and I hide behind a door or next to a bed and yell find me, and he comes running following my scent, and he gets a treat and praise when he finds me successfully.
We play tug and ball some but, mostly after dinner he has a chew toy and lies down to work on that while I relax with some tv or a book until bed. My dog is very high energy and sometimes that makes it tough but, I also really like that he is ready for doing things when it comes time. I really like the long walks because they are almost meditative for me and we get our connection time then too. My dog had an injury late this summer and was on exercise restriction for 3 weeks and he was like an insane dog. I realized why people get rid of their dogs due to lack of exercise because they blame it on the dog when really the dog just needs to run, run, run and then run some more. Really don't we all need a good little run now and again too!

Language and Communication

Most trainers speak about body language and how the postures and manners speak volumes when dogs meet and silently speak to one another. Why are they for the most part silent? what is spoke is important and the words are generally few. When I speak to my dogs I have always tried to use few words. I say things like relax, slow, close, cross, go----, and these words are understood not as commands but the clues of plans to come and readying for those plans. I try to also speak with a confident leadership posture, keeping greetings with others positive with my higher pitch friendly happy greetings and ignore his caution when it is unwaranted.
Why are postures important. Honestly I find dogs are very visual and learn better with hand signal commands than with actual verbal cues. I notice when my dog is confused and does the wrong command it is because my hand signal resembles the other signal very closely and I was lazy in signalling difinitively. There have been studies which have disclosed certain breeds are more visual than others and some dog breeds which are widely known as unintelligent actually are the strongest visual breeds and are not being taught correctly. Think about how differently we humans learn and how some developementally challenged students face difficulties due to their individual needs. All dogs are different and we need to do what is best for each individual but, if we know that they all learn better visually we should adjust our own verbal world to meet those needs accordingly. That being said, what is the best way to get your dog to follow visual cues, they don't always see you. They may be far across the yard or downstairs in your house but, if you are a good leader they will have one ear on you or have you in their periferal sights. They don't want to be left behind by the leader. They are ready to move with your slightest indication.... unless they find somethine else more interesting.
In puppy class I learned you must bond with your puppy and be more interesting than anything else. This starts with good socializing to ensure that what they see out of norm is no big deal. My dog grew up in a house under construction so he hears jack hammers or roofers and sleeps through it. The contrast there, because you can't expose them to everything no matter how you try, the other night we walked by a house decorated for halloween and they had 2 straw scarecrow decorations and he froze staring at them with a hint of low growl. He had no idea what to think. I did not make fun of him and call him silly. I simply stood there a moment told him "sniff" and walked in a non direct path toward them.(dogs approaching mysterious dogs or people, like to approach in a arc veer off to the side,keep moving and depending on the fear intensity give wide berth to greater fear and shallow to less fearful items, arc in towards item) He was cautious and slow but I touched the sleeve of one of the scarecrows and his ears softened. then he leaned far forward ready to bounce back if needed and gently sniffed the sleeve. Realizing it was nothing to fear he let go and sniffed the ground instead. His way of saying "oh, that was silly of me now I am embarrassed and will sniff this spot on the ground so you don't look at me" Dogs arte sensitive creatures and we may not know all that passes through their minds or fully understand what they mean to tell us but, we shouldn't be afraid to try to understand. Afterall do we understand the opposite sex? and we still speak the same language and live in the same social world.
I went to a trainer in the past who was teaching we are the providers and leaders and therefore the subordinates (animals) should get out of our way and do what we say the first time and if they block us they should be stepped on etc. I understand it was because the people coming there needed to see themselves as the leaders and had to take it to that extreme to get results but, I was outraged because without respect in the relationship, you can never get to the point where the leadership is given over to you. It is disrespectful to tell a dog something and expect them to do it when they don't know what you are saying. There is this game where people at training class are paired off dogless and one acts as the dog and the other gives commands using words totally unrelated such as fruit names. The leader is to get the person to obey using these words and gestures such as raising the treat hand overhead (sit) etc. It is to feel the confusion a dog must experience living with a new person and wanting to please them and not knowing what they mean. It starts off with just the words and people get louder as they yell "apple" the trainer shows them they are to show the dog with directions and then it sinks in. You must lead with respect if your dog is in the way don't yell at them to back off or move simply teach them the command for "side" and as they leap to the side they won't get stepped on. They want to have respect and with giving them what they need you will get what you want.
more on this later.

Grooming- static, undercoats and brushes

I feel it is important to properly groom dogs as determained for the breed. Some dogs have double coats, where the top coat covers up a shorter thick almost poly-fill esque base coat. Other breeds have thick wire or single coats with water resistance. Other breeds have hair which does not shed but, needs to be shaped and trimmed. Whatever the breed most dogs find a brushing very relaxing and will settle in for some comfortable grooming time. In order for this statement to be true we need to identify any difficult or sensitive areas, use proper brushes and follow proper techniques to support the type of coat each dog has.
If a dog doesn't enjoy their brushing time you can work them up to liking it. Be gentle and keep sessions short. Give treats and again be gentle. I have been at grooming places in stores where I actually wanted to storm in and unarm the harsh groomer who is riping out the poor dogs fur. I have also been at shows where dogs will jump up on their table and stand there happily while they are groomed. We can all do this.
What do I do. Well I don't have my own table so I let my little boy lay on his side as I work slowly over his body with my slicker brush. I have 3 tools a comb, a slicker brush and a pin brush which I use for each grooming session. Sometimes I will need a undercoat stripper brush which pulls the undercoat gently out during shedding seasons. My dog needs to be wet so I spray him with a mist bottle (you can use a tiny amount of leav in conditioner in the mist if your dog has tangles) I do about 10 sprays on each side.
Spray the side then use the slicker brush to work from the tail and the feet up and forward. I use one hand placed over the area where the fur meets skin then I use the other hand to work small areas until each area is brushed move forward and up on the body until you reach the neck and face/ears then switch to the comb. The comb will be gentle on those areas. The final step is to use the pin brush to go over the coat to shape it much like we use a round brush, guiding the cowlicks and stray hairs and making it all look even.
There are many books available to help find the right brushing for your dog. Remember to start slow, do a single body part gently and then treat and break. Maybe continue or you can wait until that evening and approach again. Most dogs can take a single session each week but , you may need to use the pin brush to "go over" the coat and minimize any tangles each day.
After each bath your dog will probably have some loose fur for a few days and it is a good time to refocus efforts since the tangles should be gone. I am certain we all buy the appropriate shampoo for our dogs bath and rinsing extra well will ensure that the dog is comfortable. Some dogs have sensitive skin and need conditioning lather or oatmeal, while some dogs need a clear coat rinse to take out over oily coat. There is also whitening for light dogs and flea for dogs with fleas. Don't just buy anything, take a moment and access your dogs needs. Once you find one that works well you can stick with it. You may want to write where you bought it in permanent marker on the side of the bottle.
My dog likes his water and will even jump in the tub after I showered so he can get the "raindrops" from the faucet. I let him do this because he then has no problem jumping in the tub when I want him to have a bath.

winter months= waking and walking in the dark

With the summer ending and the crisp cold mornings walking in near dark and returning home after work to near dark as well I have to ask " how do I keep my dog interested and well exercised ?" I mean if I slack for a moment he will get crazy nonexercised dog thing happening. I asked some friends last year andthey gave me some games to try.
Our favorite is "find it!" this is played by having the dog sit stay in one room while you hide several treats or toys around the house (start easy with a few close by and get advanced by hidding them on different levels, in things, in far away rooms) then go to dog and let them sniff your hand then say "find it!" and if he needs it point him to the first treat, each time the treat is found say good boy then let him know there are more with a "find it" command until all the treat have been found.
Another one we play is the control game. Hold a treat in your open palm and when your dog pokes, sniffs or tries to grab it you shut your hand. When they back away you open your hand, say good and with the other hand give them the treat. you can advance by bringing your hand close to the dogs nose, then put treats on floor, extend time they must wait and distractions around. This game will help your dog with control issues.
Hide and seek with housemates or family and your dog is similar to find it however we hide ourselves then the dog tracks our route until we are found. You can make more difficult by back tracing steps or walking all around before hiding. remember the praise when you are found.
As far other games winter is a great time to focus on training and tricks because the mental stimulation will help you have a healthy relaxed dog on days you cheat a bit on the walking length. You can find books on tricks at your local library. The ones we worked on so far are: sit, down, stand, stay, back, off, drop it, leave it, around, spin, skip, swing, wait, stay, in, stairs,car (sits close to back tire while I open door) heel, close, front, side, here, pivot, take/carry, through (leg tunnel), and he also knows some agility commands: climb, walk, go, jump, table
Walking is so difficult because I don't like to get up when the sun isn't joining me. I work later in the morning so I try to get my long walk in in the morning time. I walk my dog about and hour or more each day because he requires a little more exercise than most and it is typically somewhere between 30 minutes and and hour and 20 minutes in the morning walk. I live close to trails and try to arrange my route to the neighborhood parts first so as not to encounter any dangerous wildlife on the trails when the wildlife are still active. I also will try to gauge my dogs energy level and our schedule that day so as not to force him to do much if he is being slow waking up or try to get him to be enthused if he will be alone all day long. In the evening when I return from work it is nearly dark this time of year so walking in the dark is expected. I again access the day and will walk an appropriate duration to try to settle my dog into a relaxed zone. I typically come home and grab a few treats, a poop bag, a snack for me to eat and the leash and we are off for about 20 minutes or a half hour. I try to stay to the lighted areas like the neighborhood but, again here I am lucky because I have a few routes I can take that keep it safe. I trust anyday would try to step up if faced with trouble and my dog is a deterant for any would be crazy because he looks threatening and I trust he would protect me though I hope he never has to try. It is always a good idea to walk with someone or at least stay on well lit roads and carry a whistle and cellphone just in case. Some people carry a stick or a cane incase they get into trouble with animals (some people let their pets wander and get into trouble because they are too tired or whatever to look after them responsibly)
It is a few months of adjustment but, if we keep up with it our dogs will remain good company in those months.