The camping trip to Golden Gate Canyon State Park was great, just returned home. I didnโt have internet service, so I havenโt been able to post until now. I did leave a night early so I wouldnโt have any traffic at the dump station. A good thing, too, since the cleaning hose at the dump station was leaking badly.
Molly behaved wonderfully, although she did growl at Dash when they were in close quarters, and he growled at her in response. Nothing came of it, though, it was just a โspaceโ thing, and I think sheโs a bit afraid of him. Of course, I admonished both dogs when the growling occurred, but I do believe it will stop once she has adjusted to her new home (there has been no growling at all since we returned home). For the most part, though, they got along fine, and they walked together really nicely, even sniffing together at the same places, and I am making progress with her leash pulling. They did send some kind of pinch collar, but I took one look at that thing, and said "no way". I find a much better approach is simply to stop if she pulls and have her come back to me. When she does this immediately, she gets praised and we continue. Training her to heel on leash is the next thing.
We went on a couple of hikes while at the State Park; she LOVES to hike, and the altitude didnโt seem to bother her at all, although I did limit her first hikes to a few miles (and carried lots of water) to avoid any potential problems with assimilation. The dogs were all very well behaved during the hikes. Below are a couple of pictures I took during one of the hikes, at a place called Panorama Point. She seems to like the crate I keep in the motorhome, so she slept there, and I even fed her in the crate, so there were no food aggression issues. I also prevent issues by removing the food from any of the dogs who do not finish in a timely manner. It seems to work, as Mollyโs eating habits have definitely improved.
I mentioned that she growled at Dash a few times. She also growled at Lily, but not since a minor accident during one of the hikes. We were coming down a fairly steep and rocky incline, with Dash and Molly in front, and Lily lagging behind me. Suddenly, I heard a scream of pain. When I turned around, Lily was crying out and holding her front leg up. I checked her out, and looked at her leg, there was no visible injury, and she was able to put weight on it after a few moments, but I stopped for a few minutes just as a precaution. She was fine after that; probably just a misstep. What impressed me, though, was when she started crying, Molly walked over and stood next to her. Overall, I am very pleased with her behavior during the trip.
Before the trip, she spent Wednesday at Doggie Day Care, and made friends with all the staff, and several new friends among the dogs there. The staff told me how nice she was, and she got โ5 bonesโ (highest mark) on her report card. Sheโs very sociable, and loves making friends with all the people she meets. She is also very affectionate, and climbed up on the RV bed this morning looking for a tummy rub. She is lying by my side right now as I type this. She is a good dog and I couldn't help falling in love with her. I have already introduced her to the staff at my vet and made an appointment next week for an exam and heartworm test, so I can put her on Heartgard with the others. I did find out from her medical record that she will be 7 on July 20, so I now have two July Birthday girls (Lily turned 8 today). I look forward to many years with this sweet girl.
Molly behaved wonderfully, although she did growl at Dash when they were in close quarters, and he growled at her in response. Nothing came of it, though, it was just a โspaceโ thing, and I think sheโs a bit afraid of him. Of course, I admonished both dogs when the growling occurred, but I do believe it will stop once she has adjusted to her new home (there has been no growling at all since we returned home). For the most part, though, they got along fine, and they walked together really nicely, even sniffing together at the same places, and I am making progress with her leash pulling. They did send some kind of pinch collar, but I took one look at that thing, and said "no way". I find a much better approach is simply to stop if she pulls and have her come back to me. When she does this immediately, she gets praised and we continue. Training her to heel on leash is the next thing.
We went on a couple of hikes while at the State Park; she LOVES to hike, and the altitude didnโt seem to bother her at all, although I did limit her first hikes to a few miles (and carried lots of water) to avoid any potential problems with assimilation. The dogs were all very well behaved during the hikes. Below are a couple of pictures I took during one of the hikes, at a place called Panorama Point. She seems to like the crate I keep in the motorhome, so she slept there, and I even fed her in the crate, so there were no food aggression issues. I also prevent issues by removing the food from any of the dogs who do not finish in a timely manner. It seems to work, as Mollyโs eating habits have definitely improved.
I mentioned that she growled at Dash a few times. She also growled at Lily, but not since a minor accident during one of the hikes. We were coming down a fairly steep and rocky incline, with Dash and Molly in front, and Lily lagging behind me. Suddenly, I heard a scream of pain. When I turned around, Lily was crying out and holding her front leg up. I checked her out, and looked at her leg, there was no visible injury, and she was able to put weight on it after a few moments, but I stopped for a few minutes just as a precaution. She was fine after that; probably just a misstep. What impressed me, though, was when she started crying, Molly walked over and stood next to her. Overall, I am very pleased with her behavior during the trip.
Before the trip, she spent Wednesday at Doggie Day Care, and made friends with all the staff, and several new friends among the dogs there. The staff told me how nice she was, and she got โ5 bonesโ (highest mark) on her report card. Sheโs very sociable, and loves making friends with all the people she meets. She is also very affectionate, and climbed up on the RV bed this morning looking for a tummy rub. She is lying by my side right now as I type this. She is a good dog and I couldn't help falling in love with her. I have already introduced her to the staff at my vet and made an appointment next week for an exam and heartworm test, so I can put her on Heartgard with the others. I did find out from her medical record that she will be 7 on July 20, so I now have two July Birthday girls (Lily turned 8 today). I look forward to many years with this sweet girl.
