The three of us had a great time in the woods this past weekend, despite the 5 hour drive to get there!
It started off awesome when I unleashed both dogs before I released them from the car. Predictably, they both bolted. The great thing was that they both stayed close and came with me when I walked to the house. After that, I was convinced: Maxwell could stay off-leash whenever I deemed it safe. Sadie is already very reliable, since she's a clingy home-body at heart.
I made a 10 foot drag line for the puppy, as well as a nearly 30 foot tether. I didn't use the tether even once, and the drag line was great for walking on the roads. I could snag him when cars or other dogs came along, but let him loose most of the time. By the way, making your own stuff is easy and cheap! Rope + leash clips cost under $15. I got splicing instructions off the internet, and made two nicely finished items in perhaps an hour.
Sadie had an absolute blast chasing Maxwell through the forest and swimming after sticks. Poor thing over-did it on Sunday, though. I noticed that she was keeping her tail straight down without wagging when she was standing, and had a tough time sitting. Even when she did sit, it was with her tail on the floor between her legs. I think she pulled a muscle mildly, as she's already much better.
Maxwell still doesn't want to swim, but did with a little, ahem, help. I held him just past where he could stand and put a ball right in front of his nose. He could have panicked and just swam for land, but the ball was just too tempting! Of course, once he grabbed the ball and got back to shore, he took off with it into the woods in what I can only assume was the canine version of 'the finger.'
Despite the non-swimming, I did learn something interesting about my little guy and water. If the stick doesn't bob up to the surface immediately, he has no problem dunking his head past the ears into the lake to get it.
Both dogs got ridiculous amounts of table scraps. I figure they were more than burning enough calories outside to make up for it. Plus, out in the woods has got to be the best place to give two dogs raw chicken necks... you don't need to worry about the mess on the floor!
Luckily, the four of us (2 humans, 2 dogs) will be going back for a whole 9 days in just a few weeks! And to think, the dogs are still recovering today after a mere 3-day trip.
Happy trails and tails!
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