the exercise junky and busy intellectual.

One of my favorite magazines is Modern Dog - I love it so much that not only do I get a copy in my mailbox, but I also subscribe to their emails. A few days ago, they sent this:

How to Bring Out the Best in Your Dog - Activities to Suit Every Type

Every dog has his game. Identify your dog in the list below for activity ideas to match his particular personality and turn his crank, hence making him a happier (and easier to get along with!) housemate.

• The Exercise Junky (EJ) can be a demanding, pushy, and obnoxious housemate, especially without his daily run. This dog is a perpetual motion machine, rarely relaxing on his own.
• The Busy Intellectual (BI) is a canine-stein who specializes in finding the optimal angle to pull out the security lock on the dog-proof garbage can, and who can open all the baby gates in the house.
• The Lone Wolf (LW) is completely on her own agenda, a bit like the high school loner who just seemed to march to his own tune.
• The Couch Potato (CP) is at the other end of the spectrum from EJ. She may have attracted you because of her cuddle-bug personality, and definitely isn't hankering for a long distance run.

Claire is a mix of EJ and BI, which is why she keeps me so busy. When I was thinking of adopting a dog, I knew that I wanted one who would help me be more active. Claire definitely fits that picture. She only relaxes after she's had ample play time and exercise. And even then, she keeps me on my toes with her mischievousness. If I were to categorize myself with the descriptions above, I would have to say that, in the three years I've had her, I went from a couch potato to an EJ/BI myself. And that's only one of the ways in which Claire has turned me into a healthier person! But more on that later... :)