BOXER ADVENTURES

 We got the camper all pack and headed out this morning.  It really isn't that far to the campground, but it's all back roads and winds through the Adirondacks.   We pulled in and the dogs were happy to ve out-of the car.  But we had to open up the camper, unpack the car and put up the screen house.  Booker was extremely excited and wanted to run around and sniff everywhere.  We had "neighbors" and couldn't trust him not to head off and visit so he had to stay tied up.  Needless to say he is not used to this and was not happy. Once we had everything set up, we took them for a walk around the campgrounds.  This was great stimuli for the dogs - tons of people, kids, other dogs, campfires, cooking smells,  animals.  Even Sisko who is a veteran camper was entertained. This is the Adirondacks and it was windy and rain was moving in, so we ate in the camper.  The dogs climbed up into their bed and I covered them up and they both fell...

 As we prepare to leave to go camping I keep a list of things I need to bring for the dogs.  Of course, first is their food.  I pack their food in a convenient food safe dry bag .  A bag like this is easy to pack and carry with a strap.  It's almost the same as a kayak bag and keeps their food  safe and dry.  Because they will be out of their routine and exercising, I also pack wet food  and treats .  I like taking training treats to hand out when we're hiking to keep their attention and reward for good behavior.  I keep them in treat pouch that fits through the loop of my backpack.   Speaking of hiking, I made sure to pack their backpacks so they can carry some of their own gear.  It also helps keep them focused.  I put their food, dog bowls , poop bags, and another essential - Benadryl .  I always make sure to take Benadryl - it's safe for dogs (1 MG per pound of bodyweight) and in case they get bitten by bug...

 I have been greatly looking forward to some vacation time and it is FINALLY here!! We go camping for a week every year in the Adirondacks.  We are trying out a new camping area this year.  We have always camped in a tent.  But we've gotten *cough* a little older we have been talking about getting a camper instead.  Not one of those honking huge homes on wheels but just a nice little one to make sleeping more comfortable and to have better refuge if and when it rains. 2 years ago it was cold with DOWNPOURS and it flooded our campsite.  The water leaked into our tent and EVERYTHING got wet - the dog's bed, my sneakers, parts of our pillows, etc.  It was MISERABLE. I have a small SUV and we tow our kayaks on a trailer.  But it doesn't have very much tow capacity so we have been casually looking for a used pop-up.  It is surprising how much those suckers weigh!!  But yesterday I looked and there was a small pop-up under 1,000 pounds about 4...

 Ok, well maybe not.  BUT Booker has officially learned to swim!!  I was pretty confident this day would come as Booker has been very comfortable in and around the water.  But he only pseudo-swam a little when Marc held him up a couple of weeks ago. Today I had Juneteenth off and is has been BLAZING hot here.  So I have been looking forward to a trip to the beach and I wanted to get in some swimming practice since I am doing a triathlon on Saturday. We paddled out as usual and landed on the beach.  Marc threw in their Water Kong  which Sisko was happy to jump in and swim to get.  Then Marc threw it in for Booker and with a gentle tug on his collar, Booker was swimming!! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Booker and Sisko (@boxeradventuresny) So maybe it isn't the most graceful or natural glide but he did it!! After many swims and running along the beach, we had lunch and relaxed.  I then went out to start swimmi...

 Happy Father's Day! Marc and I have both lost our dads so we celebrated him being a dog dad! First he opened his present Sisko and Booker got him.   Later in the day we ventured over to Stewart's Shop.  Now let me tell you, Stewart's is a convenience store located in upstate Eastern New York and Vermont.  Not only do they somehow have the nicest employees of any chain store in the world, but they are known for their AH-MAY-ZING ice cream. Stewart's Shops To celebrate Father's Day, they were have a sale on their single scoop cones.  We had to take advantage.  As we stopped I realized - this was Booker's first time getting ice cream!  What took us so long.  Major dog mom fail! Needless to say both boys definitely loved having a treat! The funniest part was Booker with the cone.  He didn't realize it was edible!  He kept licking the inside of the cone but wouldn't bite into it.  Marc finally had to break off a piece and give it t...

 We had a major setback today.  After many times leaving Booker out of his crate and him doing well, we decided to leave him out while we went to a biking event. We were gone for about 5 hours and when we returned we entered the house and stood there in shock. It looked like a bomb had gone off.  I should have taken a picture but Marc and I were both shocked and upset and immediately started to go though what had been destroyed.   I know that dog training is not a one and done.  Just because your dog has learned something doesn't mean he will always get it right.  I had to resist the urge to yell at him.  Especially since the little shit showed not even an ounce of guilt.  In fact as I dropped to my hands and knees to start picking things up, he thought it was playtime. He completely obliterated a cat bed and there were pieces of foam all over.  He had gotten up on Marc's desk and pulled off his mouse, mouse pad, a portable radio we had ...

 As Imagine Dragons would say.... For so many dogs, thunder can cause panic.  Related, of course, is fireworks.  I think that July 4th is the number one day for dogs to go missing every year as they panic and just run... We have luckily never had that problem.  Our very first dog as a couple was B'Elanna, a German Shepherd.  She was slightly nervous around fireworks but it wasn't severe and it actually caused her to cower close to us.  Once while we we camping in the Finger Lakes, we were sitting by the campfire and a huge storm suddenly rolled in.  We yelled at the dogs to run for the tent.  At the time Archer was still with still with us and his big bro Chakotay.  We dove into the tent as the wind picked up, torrential rain came down and a crack of thunder so loud it made my teeth chatter.  Marc and I looked at each other wide eyed and then I looked at the dogs.  Chakotay was laying on the air mattress and was actually snoring....

 Today was blazing hot.  Marc and I love the heat.  There is no air conditioning in our house.  I was at work and found out later that Marc had to leave for a couple of hours. I checked the petcube  and first noticed Booker and Sisko just snoozing on their bed.  Imagine my surprise when I saw a baby gate up blocking the doorway into our entryway.   I realized that Marc must be gone which meant Booker was out of his crate and was #1: not freaking out and #2: not destroying anything!   Marc confirmed later that he didn't want Booker cooped up in his crate hysterically barking when it was so hot so he took a chance.  He moved the papers off my desk and tried to pick up anything Booker would potentially destroy and it worked out!! Win 1. Then my last appointment of the day canceled.  So I cut out an hour early, hurried home, and we loaded into the car and headed for the beach.  I ran down the trail and onto the beach while Mar...

 A friend told us about a trail located north of us we had never heard of.  So we decided to make a day of it.  We started on the south side and traveled north on the east side of the raging Racquette River. Booker is at the age where he has decided he will listen to us only when he feels like it.  The river is rushing rapids and if he ran off, slipped, or otherwise ended up in the water he would have been gone for good, so he stayed safely leashed up most of the hike.  Sisko was happy to stroll right next to us. Parts of the trail was an easy walk through pine trees and dirt paths.  Other sections were rocky and root covered with obstacles and hard climbs and challenging down hills. We made it to the trail end at the north and crossed over the bridge to head back down the west side. We took a pit stop for lunch near a calm area and the dogs cooled off. Then it was back to the trail to enjoy the trip back.   We finished with just over 8 miles whic...

 We brought Booker home at 8 weeks old.  And from that time on he was crated whenever we left as we have done with all our dogs.  He is lucky because Marc mostly works out of our house so he doesn't get crated every day and when he does it's not for that long. With our dogs we've always started leaving them out for brief periods gradually getting longer as we could trust them.  That's always worked great. But then....Booker. He is our first dog with textbook separation anxiety.  We have to literally pick him up and drag him to his crate.  The ENTIRE TIME he is in there he barks and cries and paws at the crate door. When we get home the crate door is dripping with spit from him frothing.  The carpet outside the door and his crate bed are soaked. We left him out for a short period of time and he shredded all the paper - including bills - he got off my desk.  He did this with Sisko right in the room. So then we tried shutting him and Sisko in our til...