Weekly Wag Dog Bonding: Oliver Takes on Snow

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

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Heading to 11,000 Feet!

Oliver's first experience with snow was most certainly an adventure. I am so glad I was able to share it with him, helping him through the lessons, bumps and grinds. I'm proud to say he survived, and we're even more close as a result. 

Helping your dog take on a scary, new environment can be a richly rewarding experience for both of you when approached with confidence and a matter-of-fact attitude. And let me tell you, we did have a few opportunities to use this strategy. Like when Oliver jumped into a snow drift, not realizing he would sink to the bottom. All I could see were his ears and then there was a cute little yelp. Yikes! I scooped him up as quickly as possible, set him down and dusted off all the snow. Quickly saying "Let's go!", I took off walking, eager to send the message that this experience was business as usual when out in the white stuff.

This Golden Was Fun to Romp With

During our hikes, we met lots of other dogs and saw some beautiful sights. Everyone there was also on vacation, so we made many new friends. During our family mealtimes, Oliver was always ready to hang out in his Snoozer carrier, napping away lunch and dinner, as my family and I enjoyed a new restaurant. 

Oliver was curious about all the ski paraphernalia, so I let him explore when he could do so safely. He sat on a chair made out of skis, climbed aboard a child's sled, and generally enjoyed any experience that got his feet off the cold stuff. 

Where's the Gas Pedal?

While hiking, I found that I had to watch him carefully for shivering. That was my signal to pick him up and bundle him inside my coat for a while to warm up. Once he was warm, he was ready to hit the ground running again, although I had to stop him on a few occasions. I can only run so far these days, especially on slippery snow. The last thing I wanted to do was have to call 911 for a busted ankle. 

All in all, our trip was a huge success, enjoying family fun and outdoor adventures. We're eager to plan another trip, next time to the Florida Keys in our family's new set of wheels--the greenest RV yet! Watch for more on how we're making RV travel a greener form of vacation transportation.

Watch for my post this coming week sharing tips for hiking with your smaller dog in

Winter snow. We learned a great deal last week and can't miss a chance to share some of this new-found wisdom. 

While I'm preparing our list of tips, we'd love to hear from you. What are your thoughts for enjoying snow with your dog? Big or small, there is always a way. Have a great weekend.

All Things Dog Blog Hits the White Stuff!

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

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Shouldn't I Bring Blue Dog?

Tanner and Oliver have never experienced snow. Strange, huh? Remember, we live in the deep South where snow has never, to my knowlege, appeared on the ground. A flurry or two, maybe, but certainly never an accumulation. Not even one flake. :(

We have a family event coming up that will take us to the mountains for some experience with the white stuff--at least for Oliver. Unfortunately, Tanner can't can't make this trip, so he'll have to wait for another opportunity. I know he'd be jealous of Oliver, so please don't tell him. Hopefully Tanner will get his chance soon enough.

I've probably been overthinking this whole trip and how to prepare without over-preparing. After all, I do want us to bond through this experience. Today is, after all, the Weekly Wag, when I love to share ideas and inspiration for bonding with your dog. 

Ready to Snooze

It seems that my best tool is going to be the Snoozer backpack. It converts to a rolling carrier, much like a rolling suitcase--telescoping handle and pockets. The exterior is made of mesh and two areas zip open for easy access so that Oliver's head can pop out to watch the scenery like he would if he were in a stroller. Oliver enjoys traveling this way and it gives me 2 free hands to deal with tickets and my own bags. So that's the plan.

I'm looking forward to photographing Oliver's first experiences with snow. I'm sure he'll be quite the girl, tip-toeing through the cold stuff as if it were foreign. And that it is. I have to give him the benefit of the doubt since he's never even seen snow before. I wonder what he'll think when he sees all that white, and no green. Hmmm, will he want to hold his bladder till we get home? Eeek! I guess we'll find out.

New adventures like this are a great way to bond with your dog, helping them work through any anxiety, while finding a way to enjoy the new scenery. I hardly think that Oliver will find snow a great playspace. He's not the water lover that Tanner is. Too bad the tides are not turned. Oliver is the service dog, so he'll be along to do his job. But we can sneak in a few minutes of fun too. At least I hope it will be fun.

What would you like your dog to experience that would be totally new to him? Do you think he would be curious, frightened, or excited? And do tell; how would this experience together help you bond more deeply?

I've been thinking about this part and my relationship with Oliver. Since his nose is definitely a key to our relationship (he's a Medical Alert Dog, providing early notice for oncoming medical issues by scent), I can't help but wonder if the cold, clear mountain air will give him an even better sense of impending change, or will the big chill impede his olfactory senses? I guess we'll find out. Watch for more on this as it unfolds.

Let's Bond! Get Out and Go, Doggy

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

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I'm Bored!

It all started like this. Oliver had an allergy reaction to a new, scented candle in the house and next thing you know he was chewing on some exposed skin from last month's surgical area. One thing quickly led to another and we had to resort to the cone.

After a few days of the prescribed treatment, Oliver's hot spot was much improved--dried out and healing nicely. It was time to give him some "out of the cone" time to regain his sense of self. Or should I call it 'dogliness?' The best way to assure that Oliver would enjoy the adventure and not pester his healing hot spot was to keep him walking. So off we went on a long weekend adventure to St. Augustine. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that we took just a few photos. 

Mt. Matanzas National Monument
A Great Place for a Picnic

St. Augustine is a terrific place to explore on foot. And when you're a 10 lb. Papillon, 3 hours of walking the town is enough to wear you out for sure. We saw everything--the fort, the pirate ship, the old cemetary, the churches, some really cool historic shopping areas, and lots and lots of ice cream shops. It's amazing how many people were eating ice cream when the weather was in the low 50s. I would have loved to enjoy another Ghost tour, but was just plain exhausted after walking all over town for 3 hours. It was time to get off our feet and relax with a leisurely dinner.

Back at the campground we bundled up as best as we could (Florida folks don't generally have much to bundle up with!) for a chilly night and tested out the heater at bedtime in our new RV that I've dubbed the Green Machine. I'm bound and determined to figure out how to make RV camping a greener activity, as coming up with Eco strategies has long been a passion of mine. Success is on the way; watch for more tips coming soon.

Ahoy Mateys!

One thing I've discovered so far is that I naturally use less water and electricity while camping. That helps to compensate for the extra gasoline. In addition, we did buy a high-efficiency diesel model that gets 18 mpg and is much better for the environment than regular gasoline. I'm learning that this is better gas mileage than many pickup trucks or larger SUVs, although it will never match my Prius that gets 50 mpg. We're getting there though.

The pirate ship was a fun new find. I don't recall this cool sight when I was here about 15 years ago. There were actually 2 of them--a small (far left) and a larger one. Don't miss these if you go; the harbor is beautiful and you'll also want to enjoy the historical shopping district just across the street. There's a large dog relief area at the entrance to the ramp that leads to the pirate ship, so we stopped there and took care of Oliver's business in the warm sunshine, greeting a few other dogs and their owners. St. Augustine is clearly very dog friendly; yay!

Thanks Mom!

After a delicious roast chicken, blueberry muffins and some fab organic brussel sprouts (my favorite veggie), we were all stuffed and ready to relax for the evening, off of our aching feet. The RV has 2 captain's chairs and an upholstered booth that seats 4, so there was plenty of room for everyone--furry and otherwise. 

With the dishes done and all clean up complete (Yes, we have a full bathroom on board!) we snuggled in for a long Winter's nap. Oliver was a great bed warmer. He snuggled up against me all night, and was in no hurry to find the little boys room in the morning. I did get a nice smooch from him that I trust was his thanks for getting him out of the cone and the house. What a nice trip!

Tell me what your plans are for Winter getaways with Fido. Even dogs can get cabin fever, so cone or no cone, think about taking a short trip to enjoy a change of scenery and have some fun. It's a terrific way to bond with your dog, and doesn't have to cost much. By camping and eating in (no meals out during our adventure) we had a very budget-savvy mini-vacation. Tell me about yours.

I'm glad to finally return to posting the Weekly Wag. My holiday respite and the Super Dog Sunday™ Charity Blog Hop  events to support Petfinder Foundation have rather gotten in the way of my routine. It has all been well worth it though. That said, have you visited the photo contest yet? It's off to a great start. Check it out at the link. Entries close at 6 PM ET on February 2. Here are some tips for joining in.

Join us each Saturday for the Weekly Wag, our bonding series that shares inspiration, tips and ideas for bonding with your dog.