Dog

Wheaten Terriers, Water and Kids

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments

 

Do Wheaten Terriers like to swim?

Do they get along well with kids?

Are they good on boats?

I think this photo says it all. Farley spends his days in the summer in the lake with the kids. Lots of excitement, exercise, and fun.

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Dog Pack Dynamics

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

Three adults, three kids and three dogs in one mini-van make it through 2000 km of driving.

Murphy (Rottweiler), Piper (Boarder Terrier) and Farley (Wheaten Terrier) get crammed into the van.

Murphy is clearly the alpha as he is in most situations. Farley and Piper are fairly even in the pack, but I think Farley is a little higher in the pack order.

Murphy and Piper met Farley in Winnipeg. The dogs went for a long off-leash romp before we put them in the car together. Any pack issues had to be worked out before they were in the van with the kids.

Each has its own type of food. When I was a kid, the dogs ate whatever we had. It wouldn’t have occurred to us to bring three kinds of food for three dogs. Add in leashes, bowls, grooming kit, towels and poop bags and they need room for their gear.

In the hot summer weather, we made sure we had enough water in the car for all three.  Keeping everyone (including the kids) happy meant water and food on a regular basis. The dogs didn’t want to eat until we were settled in the campground and ate less than they normally do.

Murphy saved throwing up until he was in the tent and the suitcase was open. Gotta love the glamour that comes with dog ownership.

Dealing with an alpha male brings its own challenges.

Murphy drank first, then the other two had access to the water.

Murphy got in the car first, then the other two.

You get the idea.

It was a great trip. Would I do it again? You bet. Travelling with a pack is a riot.

Dogs, Toys and Bad Ideas

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments

#dogs The last two Friday’s I’ve posted about dog toys and thought I’d continue on that theme.

Sometimes a fun idea turns into a bad idea. So here’s ours.

My crazy wheaten terrier, FARLEY,  had a great time playing with the ball fender. All was good until he decided to eat it. Then, he thought all fenders were meant to be eaten.

So what was I thinking when I allowed him to play with the fender? He was occupied and we could concentrate on what we needed to get done on the boat. Okay, so I didn’t think that on through.

When boating, don’t let your dog chew lines, fenders or any other item that you might need. Even it’s an old line, the dog doesn’t know that.

As they say, learn as you go? Learn from your mistakes? At least I’m learning in this adventure of owning a dog. 🙂

Dogs and Toys Continued

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

#Dogs

Mother nature can provide free toys. This lab, retriever and rottweiler have figured out how to play nice together.

Even when we gave Chica, Henna and Murphy one stick each, they all wanted the same one. And aren’t they proud.

My only caution about this toy nature gave us. They are sharp and can hurt the dog. Be careful when throwing a stick. It can land with one end in the ground and the other pointing into the air. The pointy end can stab the dog.

Having said that, have fun and play hard! 🙂

Dogs and Toys

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

#dogs

Do you let your dog play with stuffed toys?

Clearly we do. But there are some drawbacks.

If the toy contains stuffing, then the dog might eat it when it rips the seams apart. That can’t be good for the dogs stomach. To solve this, we’ve found stuffed toys at pet stores that don’t contain stuffing. That probably means they aren’t called stuffed toys 🙂 We also look for toys that don’t have buttons, eyes, or anything else Farley, my wheaten terrier, could swallow.

Chica at 8 weeks old with her favourite toy.

Farley doesn’t have this issue, but our Yellow Lab, Chica did. She thought all stuffed toys belonged to her. That meant, the unsuspecting child walking down the street would innocently hand Chica the toy. Chica consistently ran away with it. The child would cry. Not a good scene. We had to learn to get Chica under control when kids were around playing with stuffed toys. Lucky for us, we returned every toy unharmed and convinced each child Chica was only playing with them.

Any thoughts on toys for dogs?

Is It Ever Too Early To Socialize Your Pup?

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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.

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.