Dogs

Is It Ever Too Early To Socialize Your Pup?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

We didn’t think so with Farley

We picked up Farley, our wheaten terrier, when he was 8 weeks old. My sister-in-law picked up Piper, 8 week old border terrier, the same day.

On our 2 hour ride home, the pups decided to sleep together. Pretty cute. When they arrived home they were greeted by Murphy, a rottweiler, whose home they  entered. Just to be on the safe side, we introduced the dogs outside. Poor Murphy was invaded by puppies for a week. Piper stayed with him, and Farley came home with us.

My only caution is not to leave the dogs alone when they are that young and new to each other. At one point, Farley grabbed Piper by the neck. Quick action by brother prevented any harm from being done, but it did remind us to be careful.

Now look how they get along. Farley looks like he wants to hold hand with Murphy . . .

How do you socialize your dog?

Dogs and Shoes

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Farley, my wheaten terrier, has decided it’s time to empty the closet. Guess boredom got the better of him, or he really likes shoes. He ‘dug’ the shoes out of the closet while laying on his side. When he was happy with the results, he gave me a look that said, “So what are you going to do a about.

And then made himself comfortable. At least he didn’t chew my shoes . . . This time.

Dogs and Ticks: Yuck

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

What dog doesn’t love to run off leash in a yard or in a field? My wheaten terrier certainly does and that ups the risk of him getting a tick on him.

Farley has already had ehrlichiosis, and it was not fun. He had it when he was a year old. After being bitten by a brown tick in the Bahamas, he got very lethargic. His joints hurt – we could tell because he yelped when we touched him. The pain seemed to move from on joint to another. He had a fever of 104. Lucky for us, there is a vet in George Town, Bahamas who diagnosed Farley and treated him. Now, I’m a little sensitive about ticks.

Farley in on Advantix and he has a Lyme’s disease vaccination. I’m not saying this is right for your dog, it’s just what I do. I wash him in Avon Skin So Soft body wash. This seems to reduce the number of ticks that land on him. I met a woman in a park who told me about it and, and I thought, what the hey, it couldn’t hurt to try it – and he smells sooooo nice.

Do you have any good tips for preventing ticks?

Flying With Your Dog.

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Is your dog crate trained?  This summer I’m taking Farley, my wheaten terrier, on a plane for the first time. I’ve flown several times with Chica, my yellow lab, but never with Farley.

Farley was crate trained as a puppy, but hasn’t been in a crate for three years.

Farley at 3 Months Old

I decided I better get him used to it.

This is how I did it:

  • Put him in crate and let him walk right back out
  • Fed him in crate for four days in a row and let him get out as soon as he finished eating. The gate remained open during this time.
  • Put him in crate for 10 minutes with door open and me the room.
  • Increased time by 10 minutes each day up to an hour.
  • Closed the door, but I stayed in the room
  • Started leaving room for 10 minute intervals, then increased the time.
  • I remove him from the crate before he started to fuss.

Yesterday was the big break through. Farley fell asleep in the crate.

I hope this helps you if you are trying to get your dog crate trained. Farley rarely barks, so barking in the crate hasn’t been an issue.

Let me know if you have any other tricks that might help.

Farley Crate Training
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How Do You Exercise Your Dog in the Heat?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

I don’t know about your dog, but mine gets lazy when it’s too hot out and doesn’t want to go for a walk.

My last dog, Chica, a beautiful yellow lab, needed a lot of exercise or she was a handful. I worried about her overheating, so for us, water was the answer.

Here she is diving into a pond (and yes I photo-shopped this photo) at the magnificent Greywolf Golf Course in Panorama BC.

The pond was only a few minutes from our house, but still, I had to drag her there. She knew lying is the shade was a good answer, but once I got her to the water she could retrieve floating objects forever.

If only I could have stopped her from stealing golf balls.

Traveling with a Dog

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

The two thousand kilometres from Ottawa to Winnipeg is a lot easier to travel in a car when you take a break. The temptation is not to stop, to keep covering miles as the pavement slips by, barely touched be out tires.

Farley, our wheaten, makes sure we don’t take the drive for granted. With him along, we stopped for hikes at some amazing places. Another great reason to travel with a dog.

This photo was taken somewhere in Northern Ontario, but is typical of the beauty we discovered. My husband is trying not to get his feet wet while Farley tastes the cold river water.

Farley’s on a leash because there are bears in the area, and we don’t really want a dog-bear encounter. Who would?

Do Dogs Need Role Models?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

#Dogs

Joe, the 120 lb retriever, teaches Farley, the 15 lb wheaten terrier, some manners.

Farley arrived home at 8 weeks old, and Joe spent a few months teaching him how to behave like a dog.

Joe is a very tolerant and gentle dog, and even though he is huge, he made a great leader for Farley.

The best friends played, slept and ate together.

Running Safely with Your Dog

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

#dogs

Farley, my wheaten terrier, loves to run. If he can run off leash, he is ecstatic. I only let him do this if he is in a safe place. In the photo, he’s running in a wheat field in Manitoba.

When I take him running with me on the road or on paths he is on a leash.

For my safety, I have a leash with a belt. I wear it around my waist and that way, if he jerks sideways at, oh say a rabbit, he won’t jar me. This protects my knees and shoulders.

But really I’m writing about dog safety.

First, learn the dog’s limits. Farley can do 10K. More than that and he seems sore. I’m not sure running in a straight line at a consistent pace is what dogs are build for.  He can run forever off leash and not show any signs of soreness.

I have a command for him to run on my right side. He’s been trained to heel on my left, but this doesn’t work while running. On the right, he is tucked between me and the side of the road.

This allows cyclists to pass without the worry that Farley will dart in front of them, and it allows me to be sure he won’t dart unexpectedly in front of a passing car. If there are other dog walkers coming the other way, I have better control of Farley so he can’t stop of a visit.

If you have any tips about running with your dog, I’d love to hear them.

Dogs Underway

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 10 Comments

#dogs #sailing

Does your dog have a favourite place to sit when you’re sailing?

Farley likes to sit on our trampoline if and only if:

– we are on a beam reach

– the seas are calm

– the engines are off

– the sails are up.

If all of these criteria are not met, he’ll hide down below or in the cockpit. If the seas are rough, he has a spot in the cockpit where he can brace himself on all four sides. If it’s rough enough for us (the humans) to be tethered to the boat, then Farley wears a tether too. He has his own harness, tether and life jacket.

Sailing With Your Dog

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

#sailing

If you bring your dog sailing with you in the Bahamas, I hope you don’t mind sand and salt water on your boat.

Farley plays in the waves off Stocking Island beach in the Bahamas. He loves it, but I always keep an eye our for sharks or sting rays. I don’t want Farley to meet up with either of them.

We discovered the hard way that if a dog is stung by a sting ray, the only treatment is to wash the wound with very hot water, as hot as the dog can stand it, and that should take the pain away. Farley hasn’t had this misadventure yet, but our friends’ springer spaniel has been stung twice.