trekker's taco and Melly's 4R

Really good, lots of pictures taken, beer drank, trails ran. Was a good time overall even if the truck didn't get on the trails

 

Awesome! I'm so ready to get out to Hidden Falls in less than 2 weeks!!! We had a lot of fun this weekend - but of course there was no off-roading (except when @trekker kept riding around the little "hills and valleys" around our camp site) I was super excited to catch some fish though!! I wasn't sure I would like it - but I had so much fun.

 

Well that is good for sure! Always good to get out and do a refresh away from the hustle and bustle of everything.

I think I may try and do an overnight trip to Tyler State Park pretty soon, just go and relax for a day/night.

 

How'd the doggo do on the camping trip? Will he be joining at HF's? Teq did pretty well but once we got home at 1 yesterday he zonked out for the rest of the day. Think all the stimulation finally caught up to him once he could relax in the comfort of being home.

Fishing bores me... I think I need to try it again with more heavy drinking involved.

 

She did really well!! She is not a fan of loud noises though - so at one point we "lost" her temporarily (I was freaking out!) but she was hiding out in our tent. lol I don't think we had her on the leash at all the whole weekend - she roamed around camp - mostly sticking close to whoever had food at the time. lol She did spaz out when someone pulled up with another dog - so we will see how she does with Teq. We are planning to bring her to HF for sure. We will likely keep her on a leash though since there will be another dog there the whole time. Basically - she does really well as long as there is no other competition for attention. lol

Fishing was a little slow at first - until I started catching all those fish! I could have stayed out there all day - I really enjoyed it. I didn't drink at all - but I'm sure that would make it even more fun. As klutzy as I am though - I'm not sure I should have alcohol near water that I could potentially fall in to. lol

 

I'll have Teq on a leash/lead most of the time. I try and let him off to run a bit to burn energy if the area allows but he likes to explore farther than i am comfortable with and if cars drive by close I dont trust him to not bolt out in front of them. I also do not freak if another dog puts him in check if he is being pushy but its hard not knowing the other dog whether its just going to be a quick check or something more aggressive. He will be fine if you let yours off leash when he is tied up and of course I will let you know if I want to let him off lead so we can make sure to keep a good eye on both dogs. If he is pushing a dog that isnt interested in playing I get on him and keep him on a short lead until he calms down but he is still learning that. He got teased all weekend by another dog that wasnt interested in playing but would come sit by me just to get him riled up.It was good experience for him since I'm trying to teach him to be calmer around other dogs. I forgot on this trip but for HF I will also bring some calming/anxiety treats that can take the edge off of him when theres too much excitement.

 

I've never seen Lux actually "fight" with another dog - but she is quick to growl/bark and she sometimes does this intimidation/dominance thing (or that's how I take it) where she will stand over them (if she is the taller dog). Hopefully she behaves herself with Teq- but I'll admit that I'm a little over protective so as soon as she growls I tend to pull her back and away from the other dog in order to avoid a fight. I suppose I need to give her a little more leeway to work through social situations without me interrupting. I think that comes from bringing her in to a home w/a smaller dog -I was so afraid she would hurt Abby (which she never did - and actually Abby was the more aggressive one in that situation). I think this will be a good training opportunity for her! She seemed to really enjoy the camping/fishing experience so I think we will be taking her on a lot more trips in the future.

 

Teq is submissive to a more alpha/dominating dog. He will give in to any dog who asserts dominance. I started by taking him to my buddys who has 2 dogs that showed him that he was at the bottom of the pack and needed to fall in line. Even to this day after 7 months of knowing them they will randomly put him in check if he decides to pester them. Knowing they wouldnt actually attack him since I've known them for years(6+ years for the older one and 4 yrs for the younger one since the day they adopted him) helped me be more relaxed. The first 3-4 times I took him over my buddy did get after his dogs when they growled or tried to put Teq in check just for walking by them or having a toy they werent playing with. Now that he is bigger and not a little pup if he is pestering them and wont listen I just warn him hes going to get checked and usually shortly after there will be a quick snap and he backs off for a while. I'm sure we can have them be good near each other with very little effort. I need to re-stock my truck with treats for the trip. I dont go anywhere with out treats for Teq and friends!

 

Looking forward to it! If you recall - they interacted briefly out at Barnwell - but I think that was a day we just stopped by for a couple hours - and mostly Lux stayed in the 4Runner. I think socializing more will be good for her!

 

I remember. I believe it was a short trip and they really only got the 1 interaction. Sitting around camp will let them interact more.

 

Heres some pics @ETXTacoma took of Teq over the weekend.

 

He is so cute! And yeah - we were talking about the whole RTT thing this weekend - wondering how that could work with Lux...she is right about 75 lbs and isn't super fond of being picked up. Would def. be a challenge!

 

I should have my ramp setup working for HF's. I just need to get some measurements and cut the ramp a bit to fit on one of the top steps between the ladder sides. Then I should be able to get him to walk up it and hop into the tent. I only worry he may try and jump out/off and I dont want him hurting himself from that height.

 

We were discussing whether to buy a ramp or try to make one. Might have to check out what you have set up while at HF to get ideas!

 

I have thought about building one but couldnt decide how to build it without it weighing a lot. For christmas I got an ~8ft aluminum pet ramp that folds in half and I just trimmed top to fit between the ladder sides. I'll test it this weekend in the driveway and make sure I can get the him to walk up it. I've had it in the house and hes gone up it but if he misses a step and a leg goes off he gets scared and it makes it hard to get him try to go up again. I'm sure with some more practice I can get him to run up and down it easily. I think I want to find a way to hook it to the ladder better so it can't slip off so easily. I have a simple ideal in mind to hook it on just need to stop by a hardware store this week for a small pc of metal to work with.

 

Lux is such a baby - I wonder if I can even get her to go up a ramp...she might be too scared! I wonder if one of those awning "rooms" would work to just keep her down below and us up in the RTT.

 

I have an annex for my RTT

 

I did not know this! Hell - TBH I'm pretty chicken when it comes to ladders...I might hang out with Lux down in the annex.

 

My ramp setup would work on @trekker's RTT if its on the trailer. It would likely be to short/steep if its at roof height. If I had an extended version RTT with an annex I would just us the annex. Since I dont its up in the tent or outside tied to the truck but he probably wont be happy being alone with me out of sight. I cant trust the pup in the truck for extended amounts of time yet because if he gets anxious he gets destructive.

 

Happy Hump Day! (It is Wednesday, right? I feel like I never know what day it is anymore)