The objective is to use one hand to successfully close Sadie’s mouth while she frantically chomps at the air and huffs and puffs.
It’s nearly impossible to beat her at The Hand Game. She’s very agile and her reflexes are on point.
One way we try to secure an advantage is to grab at her paws, which she immediately tucks under her chest, forgoing her leverage.
And then we die laughing because she bounds forward on her chest, keeping her paws to herself so we can’t grab at them.
Sadie is the smart one though and has a legit trick in her arsenal that is a game-ender.
The Dead Hand.
When she’s mouthing our hands, sometimes one of her teeth will press into a spot in our hand that immediately makes our hand get that horrific fuzzy feeling. We call this the “Dead Hand” and Sadie is awarded instant victory upon dead handing.
We’ve been playing The Hand Game for years and Sadie wins the game 95 percent of the time.
So that’s how we spent our night last night. Losing at The Hand Game. 
Workout
I have two new workouts to share with you this morning! I did them back-to-back and they left me incredibly sweaty.
First up was a 30-minute incline walking workout with a short burst of five minutes of running thrown in the mix to get my heart rate up a little more:
Once the incline got above 11, I was pumpin’ my arms like crazy to get through it! Incline walking is no joke.
After my time on the treadmill, I hopped off and did a new circuit workout inspired by the 1,000 rep workout I found on Pinterest a few weeks ago.
My circuit focused primarily on leg and abdominal exercises and looked like this:
I wasn’t really paying attention to the clock and took a few longer-than-usual rest breaks, but I think this circuit took me right around 20 minutes to complete.
Breakfast
This morning’s breakfast was a nice change of pace, though it included oatmeal and yogurt, two ingredients that seem to find their way into my morning meal an awful lot.
I ate a bowl of Chobani 2 percent mango Greek yogurt (love this flavor!) topped with freshly sliced strawberries and a bunch of my homemade granola that I made last night.
The bowl looks kind of small in the picture (it is very wide), but there was a crap-ton of food in there! Granola overload… in the best possible way.
Now it’s time to type up a freelance article and a corresponding recipe that I worked on yesterday and send it out! There’s a reason no lunch or dinner popped up on the blog yesterday… because I snacked my way through the day, eating my freelance flops as I perfected the recipe and made a mess in the kitchen. Mmm!
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The Hand Game reminds me of the game my hubby and I play with our dog, Mila. For some reason she hates when you touch her at her hip joint, so we’ll sit in front of her and go for her right hip, which will make her lung to the left, where we have our left hand waiting to tap her on the left hip. She flops around with her mouth half open, back and forth, side to side, until she catches us in the arm and gives us “dead arm.” Darn dogs really know how to play… haha
this comment literally made me laugh out loud. 🙂
Sadie reminds me so much of our Weimeraner Huey! So cute!
I love those pictures of Sadie! She looks so adorable! I love playing games like that with my family dog. I cannot wait for the day that I have my own dog. 🙂
Mango Chobani is good! Have you tried the new apples and cinnamon flavor? It’s my new favorite!
i haven’t seen it for sale in ocala yet, but i am anxiously awaiting the day!
Apples and Cinnamon sounds good! Our Publix has a million flavors, why not this one?? Sounds good!
Sadie is TOO cute!!! She (and your blog) have totally sold me on a vizsla…and in turn I’ve sold the BF. 😉 We’re really hoping to find our own vizsla this spring!
I have legs on the workout agenda for today- your workout looks like the perfect challenge!
AH! if you get one PLEASE send me pictures. they’re the best dogs. 🙂
Sadie is the most photogenic dog EVER! She could be a dog model. Seriously 🙂
I end up getting hurt with games like that. I am not fast enough to get out of the dogs way. The workout sounds intense.
The Kidless Kronicles
Sadie is so adorable! I play cat and dog with my dog. I pretend that I’m a cat and chase him around. He’s old but so puppy-like when he plays!
I need to try that inclone workout. I hurt my quad and I’m just supposed to walk for awhile, not run. 11 incline is intense!
awe, Sadie. She’s such a cutie!!
This “hand game” you play with Sadie is a really bad idea. Dogs should learn to never put their mouths around a human body part whether a game or not. If you have children someday I hope she does not try to play this game with them because of what you have taught her. You seem to have a wonderful dog, but i had to say something because this is a very bad choices in games to play with your pooch.
thanks for your concern. i hope it eases your mind a bit to know that she is just about the least aggressive creature on the planet (she rolls over at the slightest sign of anyone dominating and literally cowers). she doesn’t bite at us – it’s mouthing which doesn’t hurt in the least and wouldn’t hurt a child. the “dead hand” thing happens when we shove our hands against her, so it’s essentially our own fault b/c we’re playing too aggressively. but rest assured that we are extremely cautious with sadie around children and plan to be that way when we start a family of our own. it’s always good to be extra safe and i definitely appreciate your genuine concern, j!
J … i second strongly your suggestions.. And Julie i have four dogs now, cavaliers.. gentlest dog in the world.. I would still never do this with them if only because there are so many other non competition ways to bond with your dog..
Sadie is a good girl..
i thought of you recently with the Viz rescued off Siesta Key … horrible story but wonderful miracle rescue for the dog by the kayak. I know your family is in that area at times and for a moment thought of you..
carolyn, i saw that story in the news and it broke my heart! he was the sweetest little dog and the way he was shaking was truly heartbreaking. i’m so glad he was rescued.
I play a similar game with my choc lab and she loves it…also she is the least agressive, scared of anything, wouldn’t harm a flea, dog in the world. I also play tug o war with my pups and they arent agressive at all! Each dog is different!
Looks like you had a great workout this morning and your breakfast looks colorful and yummy! 🙂
In your circuit, what are bridges?
the most awkward move ever: https://www.pbfingers.com/2010/08/25/the-most-awkward-move-at-the-gym/
It truly is so awkward but let me tell you- my dad does them at the gym! It’s because he wants to warm up his hip joints so they don’t get too stiff…. it’s always a little funny looking but I still love him! It’s a great move though.
Why is it that silly games like that are our dogs favorites? My Golden loves when my hand chases her around the room. They have so much life and personality in them, it’s fun.
I love that first pic of Sadie! She looks so devilish.
I think that 2nd workout would be perfect for a day that you can’t get to the gym, or if you’re traveling. No equipment and it looks pretty killer!
I iove granola and yogurt–perfect mix of creamy and crunchy–YUMM! Yours looks super tasty!
Love the workout idea–a circuit is always SO fun to complete!
So adorable! We always play “The Crazy Game” where we chase Zekey around the bed over and over. He loves it! We’ve alao atarted slapping him on either side of his mouth (gently of course), until he opens it and it starts making a funny noise. They he thinks its funny and starts acting like a cat on catnip. Dogs are so weird!
You just reminded me that I wanted to make a batch of granola for this weekend. I’m just afraid to make it on a Wednesday because it might be gone by Thursday…
SMART dog
The circuit workout looks great! I try and find exercises on pinterest , but sometimes get overwhelmed with all the options and links! I got an elliptical for Christmas and was wondering if you have any suggestions/exercises for that machine? I know you have a lot of awesome treadmill workouts, but I would love to see some for the elliptical too! 🙂
Love your napkin/placemat – so pretty!
Sadie’s faces CRACK me up. Often times in your photos she seems like a little person. 😉
My old dog, Otis, used to love the hand game!! It would eventually end when he would jump on me and lick my face and then roll over on his back in my lap (note: he was a 100lb golden retriever and not a traditional “lap dog”). Now when I try to play with my Irish Setter, Clancy, he just sits there and looks at me like I’m crazy.
Some dogs just get it, and some don’t.
My dog loves to be chased from room to room (or really, carpet to carpet, since she loses traction on the hardwood floors). At some point she decides she’s the one chasing US, which makes the game much more exciting. 😉
If only Sadie knew how popular she was 😉
haha we have a similar game with our labs, except we don’t have a name for it. they really do give us such a laugh sometimes.
great looking circuit workout!! i’m bookmarking it for later use!
Thanks for sharing that workout, I think I will try it tonight 🙂
Those workouts do look pretty serious! I really need to work on running and walking on an incline! I have such a hard time not holding onto the treadmill (I keep thinking about the Biggest Loser and how they can’t hold on! haha)
Awesome workout girl!! I love reading all about the different workouts you use! I am a runner who has recently found the importance of cross-training and weight lifting to balance out my workout. I will have to give these a try! Oh, and Sadie, how adorable is she?!?!!?
This is really funny because I just posted a video today of our nightly routine with Ginger which involves my husband on the floor poking her or just putting his hand up and Ginger jumping back and forth like an idiot while growling, and snapping at that air.
They really do make for some good entertainment 🙂
LOL we used to play similar games with our dogs when I lived at home and they usually won too! Good luck finishing up your article! 🙂
Sadie is awesome. I told my husband that someday when we get a dog, I want a viszla!
I read a story about a Vizsla being lost in the ocean and thought of your dog. A kayaker finds the dog…pretty amazing video!
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57356386/fla-dog-who-fled-fatal-crash-found-by-kayaker/
My pugs are the best entertainment! I love trying to get them to howl
i saw this! truly heartbreaking!
I just wondered why the dog went to the ocean … and got out so far .. obviously tooo upset to think straight.
Haley does a similar game, except she doesn’t just lie down – she gets all scary excited and jumps around in circles (usually getting tangled up in the sheets in the process)!
You have yet to do a Bachelor review! I want to know your take on this weeks….craziness 🙂
Playing games with your pet is so fun. It makes me miss my parents cat and playing with her with what I like to call the cat charmer (a piece of string). It’s like you read my mind… I was looking for a good lower body workout to do today and this fits the bill!
I love homemade granola but it never lasts long!
We play a version of the hand game with Teek (our bichon/poodle) too. She is not as good at it as Sadie is.
the ‘dead hand’?? hahaha too funny… those are some great shots of Sadie!!
Hahaha I do something similar to this with kona except I put my hand under the blanket and trick her and she freaks out and she hates when i grab her paws!!! she usually barks and gets mad and eventually huffs off!
I play the “dead hand” game too! That is too funny! I usually wrap my hand in a sock or in pull my arm into the sleeve of a sweatshirt and this is my dog’s cue to have at it. It’s hilarious trying to get their mouths shut ! I also grab for her paws but she is normally standing and thus doesn’t tuck them away … perhaps she’ll catch on to that eventually! Glad I’m not the only silly dog owner!
I’m thinking about trying that walking workout today. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I play the hand game with my dog Jersey…. except we always win, not her! She is such a wussy 🙂
AAH! We play a similar game with our golden, except we call it “top of nose game”. We try to keep our hand on the top of his nose, and he grunts and growls and tries to get our hand. If we let him get our hands, then he doesn’t know what to do with them!!
haha I play the hand game with my dog, too! He’s much slower than Sadie and gets kind of lazy, so I usually win.
The Hand Game makes me think of The Spider Game we play with our dog. Basically we pretend that our hand is a spider and go after him with it. He freaks out every time. It’s the best when both my husband and I do it at the same time. There is just no way Remington can battle two spider hands at once! Aren’t dogs the BEST!
Haha. That sounds like a really fun game!!! Our dog would just get grumpy if we did that. It’s fun that Sadie is such a good sport! 🙂
Your workouts look intense and your breakfast looks awesome! Sounds like you had a great morning 🙂 I was wondering, would you ever consider doing a post on how you got into freelance writing and how you like it now that you are doing it full time from home? (If you have already done a post on this, I apologize, but I can’t remember you doing one before) Thanks!!
I used to always do something like this with my old dog! These workouts look perfectttt for me today, I’m going to try them out!
I love how strawberries have been on sale lately!
haha i love the hand game, sadie is adorable. That workout looks killer!
AH! This makes me miss my dog SO much. He is a vizsla and does the same thing, tucks his paws under and everything!
Trying out your peanut butter granola this weekend! I’m so excited! 🙂
Love all the pictures of Sadie! Your homemade granola looks delicious!