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Walkies!! please help a newbie out!


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Hiiiii everyone....so, I believe I need advice as to how to ensure my dog lives his #bestlife

 

The following are a bunch of questions that pop into my mind often enough that I’d really appreciate some input :)

(please don’t judge, but despite living with beautiful dogs since before I could stay awake long enough to drink a bottle, I’ve had precious little leash experience. This was honestly the choice of the dogs, too little so carry me!! Too big/disinterested - let me rescue you from the ocean!!! Or too traumatised - don’t you dare take me out where I used to have to fend for myself, even if do have my pretty bling bling on).

 

- leash etiquette- if I’m walking my dog, I am of the belief that it’s kinda wrong for my dog to make the decision haul ass (and me) up to a stranger, two or four legged, and do with them as he pleases. 

I also thought that this was a pretty commonly held belief, as I’ve heard calls of “come away, kids” before (good onya, Mum!), seen service dogs out there, have common courtesy.

But today we were chased by a snarling mini designer thing who thought that dragging their owner around would be cool. My dog thought it was pathetic tbh.

 

And to think that big dogs are the ones people are scared of.....

anyway, this happened to us before (at the vet of all places! Like, hi! Please give your potential parvovirus to my dog!!), again it was a little dog.

So what’s the go with meeting others, especially dogs? 

Am I out of line by thinking that my dog and I ought to walk on and do our thing whilst respecting others and not interfering in their outing? And hoping for the same in return?

 

Beach- temperature wise, why is it ok to go in the middle of a hot day?

I must be missing some strategy to keep bubs cool on the hot sand etc - anyone able to fill me in? 

(I haven’t taken a dog to the ocean in decades so I likely am missing something. Even if it’s just the improvement in air conditioning in cars since then)

 

Also under Beach Heading - is ice cream actually safe??

I was thinking no with the sugar, xylitol etc but people with more walking experience than I feed it so....help!!!

 

Milage - I’ve got the distance per age thing down and I know that free running is better, but for a growing dog, if I think it’s better to skip a day or two, is this ok?

(should prob add that the walks are more for mental stimulation as he likes to follow commands (yes, he does, I didn’t force him to be a workaholic :p )and to observe different sights. 

 

Leash length - if they like a short leash and don’t pull, come with you on the honour system when you realise that they likely are strong enough to bust out of their collar or smart enough to unclip it, do you need to learn loose leash? 

What skills are we missing by not doing long leash?

 

Taking up a sport - I’m thinking Rally O (like, if he wants...I’m not a DanceMom or anything!), it seems like he’d love that as he, well, kinda loves doing things that I tell (ask)  him to while bringing our leash with us. 

What age would you recommend before starting classes, is loose leash necessary first etc?

 

Collars!! What collar do you think gives a dog max comfort but an owner a modicum of control if I should ever have to yank him away from someone who thinks that ambushing a lil tacker out for a walk is super duper fun?

he admittedly did extremely well today when I asked him to come with me please. (away from the snarling  mini doodle woodle) but I know that any dog can always find something more interesting in than the person who exists purely to open their refrigerator.

 

sorry for the rambling....I really want to make sure my guy has everything he wants (within reason - we ain’t dining on freeze dried liver for tea! ;) ). 

Plus he is awesome so I want him to achieve his full potential, especially since he honestly does seem very driven to be a #highachiever (honestly if his calling was to be a couch potato, I’d embrace that lifestyle wholeheartedly but he is determined to be a Colonel to my Major General)

 

any advice is much appreciated :)

 

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You will find plenty of people who let their dog pull them over to you in vet offices, sidewalks and everywhere really. It is a PITA.  Nothing much you can do about it except ask them not to which often gets met with a blank stare.   And protect your dog if needed. 

 

I don’t understand your loose leash/ long leash question. Short leads can be loose. As for Rally, I know a number of people who got their first title at 6 months, which is the minimum age allowed to compete I think. 

 

Edited to add, if you think your dog is strong enough to break out of their collar, get a better quality collar. K9pro has gear they won’t break out of but any quality equipment should do. 

Edited by Diva
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54 minutes ago, Diva said:

You will find plenty of people who let their dog pull them over to you in vet offices, sidewalks and everywhere really. It is a PITA.  Nothing much you can do about it except ask them not to which often gets met with a blank stare.   And protect your dog if needed. 

 

I don’t understand your loose leash/ long leash question. Short leads can be loose. As for Rally, I know a number of people who got their first title at 6 months, which is the minimum age allowed to compete I think. 

 

Edited to add, if you think your dog is strong enough to break out of their collar, get a better quality collar. K9pro has gear they won’t break out of but any quality equipment should do. 

Thanks, Diva.

 

It so is a PITA! I don’t get it. It’s like they want their dogs to be mauled to death/put to sleep for mauling someone else to death/really want to have their shoulder dislocated. Ugh. 

 

 

Leash - sorry, I’m still not that up with the terminology (like, I still find myself saying “choke chain” instead of check). 

 

We use a 165cm leash, I think that’s regarded as a training leash? 

He walks loosely on that, though - like he’ll happily walk along side of me and not pull ahead. In the yard, just playing when he was too young to go out, I couldn’t even let go of my end without having him bound after me frantically with “our leash”.

 

(I can’t bring myself to call it “heel” because...well technically it’s more like “ankle”, or “Achilles”, plus what when he grows? Do I change it to “pelvis”? So we do “with me”).

We haven’t used a leash longer than that, like one of the 4 metre ones etc. 

No retractable ones either. 

I’ve seen a lot of training clips where everyone uses a long leash to have their dog check in with them, stuff like that - I ask if he could please look at me and then say thank you for a “check in”...what can I say, I don’t have the patience for Kohler or the coordination for clickers :p, I ask if he could please sit - - which he does - before we do our next thing, then just tell him what it is and we do it and I swear he seems to like it? 

But im worried we’ve skipped over something that he’ll need later on or that I’ve missed teaching him something that he’d need, that sort of thing.

 

Ooh, 6 months!! That’s so cool. 

I don’t care if he wins anything (as long as he doesn’t care. He has a lot of pride!), just want something that would give him a good mix of learning things (addicted to this, he is), being active (he’s an athlete) and doing things together (because everything must be done together, he is a big boy :) )

I guess there’s the added bonus of the people there not being willing to throw their pets at other people on a whim ;) 

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If your dog is behaving as you want and is happy about it you don’t need to follow anyone else’s methodology. Well except maybe for class and competition stuff, but just find a trainer or club that suits you so there is no clash. 

 

I think you already know that.

 

The only thing I worry about missing at a young age is exposure to new things. That builds neural pathways in the brain and positive associations that are easier to build when the brain is still developing. Behaviours can be taught whenever you need them if the dog is well adjusted and has learnt to be operant. 

 

 

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I agree with Diva about the importance of youngsters getting out and about to different places and encountering different people and things and noises … all in a safe and comfortable way, so they are building confidence.   It is important if a do startles, as they may at different times, to pay attention to that, and help them work through it at their pace (unless of course it's something they should startle to.

As far as rude people and dogs go … I have a reactive dog I need to protect, so I'm proactive .. I change sides of the street or directions if I can, and also say well in advance .. something like .. I'm sorry, my dog is not friendly .. could you call your dog please.   For my girl I have the reverse problem .. of constantly explaining to her that no, it is not necessary togreet every person and dog she catches sight of … so again, turn and go is helpful/

As far as beaches go .. depending where you live, the middle of the day is too hot.   The back of the hand test applies to sand as well as pavement - if you're not comfortable holding the back of your hand on the surface, the dog's paws shouldn't be on it.

Ice cream … in small doses occasionally is probably OK.  The main issue is probably the fat content if it's proper ice cream, especially if you have a dog that has had pancreatitis.

Ideally dogs will not be pulled back by the collar .. any collar.   

Leash length … if it's a mental stimulation walk, longer (say 2m or so is probably better so dog can mooch and sniff and investigate .. you may find there are council regs in your area. for streets.

Rally O … is actually quite a precise sport, though many people start off thinking it's easy.  Done properly, it is not only fun, but also provides lots of different training opportunities which are easy to do at home.    My previous agility girl didn't believe in obedience, but she was prepared to humour me with Rally O -- got her RAE when that was the top title. My current agility boy loves formal obedience, and really loved Rally .. he got his Rally Ch the first year it was available.,    Word of warning though  …. just because they can compete at 6 months, doesn't mean they should.  Sure you can do preparatory training, but for the way I want to be with my dogs, 6 months isn't long enough to learn who they really are, and to build up the sort of solid relationship I want with them before we go near the serious stuff, and the mental pressure of competition.    I like to think in terms of my dogs still competing well into their older age, rather than finishing everything off before age 3.   But that's just me.

 

I'll get off my soap box now …. sorry :)

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On 20/11/2018 at 11:32 PM, Diva said:

If your dog is behaving as you want and is happy about it you don’t need to follow anyone else’s methodology. Well except maybe for class and competition stuff, but just find a trainer or club that suits you so there is no clash. 

 

I think you already know that.

 

The only thing I worry about missing at a young age is exposure to new things. That builds neural pathways in the brain and positive associations that are easier to build when the brain is still developing. Behaviours can be taught whenever you need them if the dog is well adjusted and has learnt to be operant. 

 

 

Thanks, Diva :)

yeah he is perfect (not that I’m biased ;p haha), I’m mainly “concerned” about my lack of *dogs in public* experience, as all of my babies have eschewed the public eye, not to mention that things change SO much in such a short space of time as far as dog ownership goes.

Our last dog, when we took him for his first vet visit in the early ‘00’s was offered, as an afterthought, Kennel Cough vax “only if you plan on boarding him”. 

New baby, Kennel Cough is given without even seeking my permission - it’s part of the core vaccines now. Oh, and it’s now made known that it’s a disease transmissible in situations other than literal kennelling. 

Bite inhibition wasn’t a thing when I was growing up either, just “don’t annoy a dog  or else they’ll bite and it’ll be your fault!”. 

I understand things like this are due to good things like scientific advances and inevitable things like social change (the nerd in me had fun reading up on that haha), I just don’t want to overlook anything. 

Like, bubba is teething atm, and kind people (who I assume think I’m paranoid :) ) tell me to not brush his teeth daily. It’s more of a gum massage to get him used to my handling his mouth and because he loves being groomed...he’s such a woman...but yeah. It’s a THING :p

 

Now, my 17 ish year old dog, when he passed, recieved daily teeth brushing from me - he had to as he ate a modified diet from very early on in life due to health reasons. 

The vet who euthanised him had failed to read the lab report sent a week prior saying that my baby had very little time left. So when he saw my guy standing proudly in his surgery, he was disgusted with me for asking that my dog please be euthanised instead of going home to fall into a coma or bleed to death.

He got cross with me when I told him my baby had started to have bleeding from the gums...because that was not illness but MY fault for letting him have “filthy” teeth. 

 

Now, when he arrived in our home, dogs weren’t having routine dental care at home yet, so he wasn’t started on toothbrushing right away. 

He wasn’t recommended to attend puppy school, either.

 

I know that’s a far fetched example, but it is an example of how a f up now can see your little one suffer later on.

I know I can only work with what I have now in terms of science and best practice etc, but yeah, I wanna do right by this little guy. 

 

I do like me a bit of neuroscience :)  he is very well adjusted, his breeder did an incredible job prepping him for the real world! And I’ve driven everyone good and crazy by capitalising on every loud or different situation to build his confidence haha. 

It’s the other dogs that get me though, since there really seem to be so many who are owned by people who give zero cares about anything :(  my “oh look, a good example for us to sit and be calm whilst that 4 kg schoodleydoo goes past” turns into “ok that was a very good turn babe, thank you!!! Now let’s walk back gently and see if the owner needs any help getting up off the pavement.” 

 

The puppy schools here are ridiculously long - 6 hours?? On the other side of town? For an 8 week old pup? 

That wouldn’t mess with his requisite sleep needs or anything...seriously.

Thank God for neighbours! 

 

I might try googling classes in my area for dog sports to suss out what I think he’d like, that would hopefully provide a good mix of training for him and socialisation, but with sane people.

 

I’ll def check out about the leash and collar, there wasn’t much I could find in store so thank you so much for that suggestion :) 

 

 

 

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31 minutes ago, CharbearsMa said:

 

 

The puppy schools here are ridiculously long - 6 hours?? On the other side of town? For an 8 week old pup? 

That wouldn’t mess with his requisite sleep needs or anything...seriously.

 

 

 

LOL I suspect that a 6 hours puppy school course means six one hourly sessions, probably once a week? Or maybe twelve half hourly sessions. 

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9 hours ago, Tassie said:

I agree with Diva about the importance of youngsters getting out and about to different places and encountering different people and things and noises … all in a safe and comfortable way, so they are building confidence.   It is important if a do startles, as they may at different times, to pay attention to that, and help them work through it at their pace (unless of course it's something they should startle to.

As far as rude people and dogs go … I have a reactive dog I need to protect, so I'm proactive .. I change sides of the street or directions if I can, and also say well in advance .. something like .. I'm sorry, my dog is not friendly .. could you call your dog please.   For my girl I have the reverse problem .. of constantly explaining to her that no, it is not necessary togreet every person and dog she catches sight of … so again, turn and go is helpful/

As far as beaches go .. depending where you live, the middle of the day is too hot.   The back of the hand test applies to sand as well as pavement - if you're not comfortable holding the back of your hand on the surface, the dog's paws shouldn't be on it.

Ice cream … in small doses occasionally is probably OK.  The main issue is probably the fat content if it's proper ice cream, especially if you have a dog that has had pancreatitis.

Ideally dogs will not be pulled back by the collar .. any collar.   

Leash length … if it's a mental stimulation walk, longer (say 2m or so is probably better so dog can mooch and sniff and investigate .. you may find there are council regs in your area. for streets.

Rally O … is actually quite a precise sport, though many people start off thinking it's easy.  Done properly, it is not only fun, but also provides lots of different training opportunities which are easy to do at home.    My previous agility girl didn't believe in obedience, but she was prepared to humour me with Rally O -- got her RAE when that was the top title. My current agility boy loves formal obedience, and really loved Rally .. he got his Rally Ch the first year it was available.,    Word of warning though  …. just because they can compete at 6 months, doesn't mean they should.  Sure you can do preparatory training, but for the way I want to be with my dogs, 6 months isn't long enough to learn who they really are, and to build up the sort of solid relationship I want with them before we go near the serious stuff, and the mental pressure of competition.    I like to think in terms of my dogs still competing well into their older age, rather than finishing everything off before age 3.   But that's just me.

 

I'll get off my soap box now …. sorry :)

Hey, ain’t nothing wrong with a good soap box! :)  

 

Kid hasn’t actually startled ever to the best of my knowledge, he may be chugging Valium on the sly...think it was just good work by his breeder though. Not to say that he wouldn’t of course (my pet peeve here, the “he would NEVER bite!!!” Um, he has teeth. He bites every meal time. And he would be justified in biting you, the way you try and proof him by twisting his ears constantly...). He is a very “look before you leap” type of guy.

like, if I were attacked, he wouldn’t defend me. He wouldn’t panic though.

He’d likely take notes and start on a composite sketch ;p 

 

I did have a reactive dog, but thankfully his appearance put people off, and we were given a wide berth when we made our trips to the vet. He never left the house apart from that, his choice as the streets terrified him, he’d lived on them for quite awhile to the best of my knowledge. That’s a huge factor in my wanting to cover all the bases with my lil guy, I know how hard or impossible it can be to introduce something new after a certain point etc. 

Don’t get me wrong, he was brilliantly happy and super fit running and playing in the yard with me, but I will always hate that it wasn’t safe for him or others to have him visit the beach or partake in agility as he’d have adored both if he hadn’t been previously  traumatised to within an inch of his life. He actually had pancreatitis for like 14 or so years...dog ate better prepped food than I did ;) 

 

I lay my palm and wrist on the cement as a test - thank you, you have boosted my confidence big time! And made me feel not as silly for pressing random body parts on the ground haha.

 

I’m not close to a beach, depending on traffic I could be looking at 30 mins to 60. I want to do a test drive or two to scope out the best times traffic wise and people wise. Ironically the middle of the day is probably best for both if we can go on a weekday esp as I wouldn’t want him off leash. I don’t mind going on a low 20’s/high teens day though, he loves the cold and I...well, I signed up for this haha, I’ll deal with the frostbite ;)

 

So a full fat Vanilla ice cream might be ok? Like from Copenhagen or a good commercial chain? 

***the pancreatitis thing may be why I’m pretty cautious re diet, to others it’s paranoia but once you’ve seen a bone nearly kill someone you tend to be a bit more cautious 

 

I might need to practice my “go away please” voice, it shocked me - even though I knew before the fact that it was going to happen- when people converged on my pup to try and manhandle him at the vet (again! What is with that?? Grrrrr). I guess years of everyone backing away from your “scary” looking dog lulls one into a false sense of security. 

(I’m lifting heavier at the gym too if all else fails ;p) 

 

Sniffing is something I’m always on the watch for as I’ve heard too many horror stories about dogs picking up bait :( but he is more of a visual dog (dunno why tbh as he isn’t a sighthound), he likes to watch things, and he’s not a fan of foods (honestly), so I mainly have to make sure he’s not collecting a pinecone or ginormous twig. Or at least that he’ll give them back ;) 

That’s another reason for wanting a sport for him, so he can sniff should he want to and have it be in a safe environment. 

 

Thank you for the Rally O info!! :) The reason I liked the look of it was mainly the ability to go together through a course as he is Team Player!!! all the way. I initially thought about retrieving work until I remembered I don’t own a gun! :p he really is very determined to Do Something, he almost seems dissatisfied if he hasn’t achieved something each day, even if that something is just finding and killing a ball I told him the night prior was giving me trouble :p

I don’t care if he doesn’t compete tbh, I just want him to have an outlet for his mind. Even doing prep work in the yard with me would make him feel accomplished. As far as mental pressure goes, he has me beat hands down! 

my concerns about age are mainly more the time away from home as he really needs his sleep to grow. Putting off training til he’s older though may lead to him learning how to Hotwire my car or something similar...I gotta use his powers for good and not evil ;p

 

are there many people usually in the classes? And are they flexible in terms of things like going home early if Mum thinks it’s home time, that sort of thing? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, RuralPug said:

LOL I suspect that a 6 hours puppy school course means six one hourly sessions, probably once a week? Or maybe twelve half hourly sessions. 

No!!! Lol noooo. No, no, no.

6 hours on a Saturday. 

 

It is part of a daycare centre (for the dogs) and they mention their daycare program quite often so they’re obviously thinking that they’ll get business from the clients. Good business strategy, I gotta say!

I gotta say I guess that they would be thorough in having things like air conditioning and water, snacks, that sort of thing given the type of facility, that may be what prompted the 6 hour thing. It may work for lots of ppl too, instead of getting in the car, packing the doggy backpack, all for 30 mins of *play*. 

I, on the other hand, am  not that keen on bubba logging a school day worth of work. Or me sitting on a cushion :p

 

ok so I just re-checked their site, the puppy classes may be as you say, they don’t specify  - it’s the obedience and learn how to be (chillaxed, accepting of your body type and paw appearance, an environmentally friendly consumer, a level 5 vegan, all that jazz) seminars - basically all the intersting stuff- that are in the 4-6 hour range.

My bad.

 

although the times they run puppy school didn’t work for us, someone needs his naps and lunch/dinner/no hour long drive and back at their class times. Not their fault obviously, and may well have worked if it were local. 

Although that being said, he knew all their “skills” and then some well before his 12 week shot, only thing he could’ve benefited from (or not if something disastrous happened) would’ve been Socialization, and oddly enough that wasn’t listed as a selling point. I opted for puppy parties instead since I have a plethora of dogs and children around and even people of many differing nationalities & languages & accents (culturally and linguistically diverse....they oughta put that in the brochure ;) ). 

 

Speaking of, has anyone thought to tell the powers that be to maybe stop saying people from ALL races? 

Yes, I get what they’re saying - esp since I’ve had a dog who hated even a London accent! But ALL races/nationalities? 

.....how am I gonna get the dog to Somalia and back in time for his next hiiiiiiiiiggggly recommended puppy class? Will they socialise him in airport quarantine?

 

Do we have any Eskimos handy? 

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I love that you are so keen to ensure that your boy has every opportunity to excel! Once he is six months old and doesn't need as much sleep, then is probably the time to look into regular classes and sports etc. 

In the meantime - keep doing what you are doing, join FB groups like Canine Enrichment to keep his brain busy at home, take him out and about each day for short times to different nearby places where he is going to experience lots of different stuff - construction sites, outdoor shopping malls, beaches/pools, markets, sit and watch the kids at the local BMX/skateboard park - yeah, you will have to work to make sure he isn't mobbed by passerbys wanting to pet the cute baby BUT meeting lots of people one or two at a time for a half- hour or so several times a week is excellent socialisation.

As for learning to play with/get along with other dogs, this is best done only with dogs you already know and trust and you can arrange short playdates with them.
Avoid areas where uncontrolled dogs might be loose ( I'm pretty sure you know that already anyway).
 

And why not advertise for Eskimos - you never know until you ask LOL

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On 26/11/2018 at 12:44 AM, RuralPug said:

I love that you are so keen to ensure that your boy has every opportunity to excel! Once he is six months old and doesn't need as much sleep, then is probably the time to look into regular classes and sports etc. 

In the meantime - keep doing what you are doing, join FB groups like Canine Enrichment to keep his brain busy at home, take him out and about each day for short times to different nearby places where he is going to experience lots of different stuff - construction sites, outdoor shopping malls, beaches/pools, markets, sit and watch the kids at the local BMX/skateboard park - yeah, you will have to work to make sure he isn't mobbed by passerbys wanting to pet the cute baby BUT meeting lots of people one or two at a time for a half- hour or so several times a week is excellent socialisation.

As for learning to play with/get along with other dogs, this is best done only with dogs you already know and trust and you can arrange short playdates with them.
Avoid areas where uncontrolled dogs might be loose ( I'm pretty sure you know that already anyway).
 

And why not advertise for Eskimos - you never know until you ask LOL

Lol!! RuralPug, that comment made my week :) although I’m not too sure whether “Officer, wait! I was just trying to socialise my dog!” would spare me a booking for human trafficking ;p. 

I’m sure there’s a politically correct way to word such an ad, but in my sleep-deprived state, I don’t think I’d nail it :p.

 

Aw, thank you :) I know I’m prone to erring on the side of neurotic, so your kind words mean a lot. 

 

I hope he can handle more waking hours by 6 months, even if it’s just for my sake - I need playtime, dammit!! :p although he’s got about another 15 kilos to stack on so I’m encouraging him to be a, well, typical teenage boy at present. 

 

Thankfully, a teen is apparently lot less appealing to the masses; I’ve already noticed a reduction in the number of “Awwwwwww PUPPY!!!!” cries and an increase in the “He’s...big....bye!” comments/slow backward steps. 

 

I’d never heard of that FB group, I’ll hop on to it, thank you!! 

He enjoys our encounters with a construction site, but that’s literally around the corner, I can’t wait to get him up to the “waking stamina?” (that’s not a term hey) for a trip to the malls and the beach etc. They’d all have to be by car, which he loves being in, but right now he’d probably get there only to be like “Hug me. Hug me! Rub my gums. Hug me, now let’s go nap.” Lol. 

I might pretend to be a human parent and try driving up to and sitting in the carpark with him at school pick up time since we’ve got a few schools near us. They’re well within walking distance for a dog but not a lil tyke with growth plates to think of :( . The mind games at home will be BRILLIANT, thank you so, so much. 

 

I have been open with my intentions to full on stalk a few of my responsibile dog-owner friends :), none seemed too terrified by the thought of me planning a play date (win for the crazy dog lady haha ;p ). That’ll require driving and more “wakey-wakey” time, but will be totally worth it for access to sane people and dogs who will be roughly the same size as my bub (he may now inadvertently concuss a lot of the dogs he initially met! ). 

 

Thank you :) 

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