A small dilemma
 Gerts is doing very well, slimming down and turning into a VERY active, cheerful little girl  . We have even come to the conclusion that she is not anywhere near as old as we were told...perhaps no more than middle aged for a beagle.  Here is my current dilemma, however... We go on our long art fair road trip soon. We will be living in an RV for more than two weeks total. We always take the sheepies, and they do just great. They see the trailer as a home away from home, and basically tend to just nap when stuck inside it. During shows, we park behind our booth and the dogs have a little "fenced" yard (we use plastic snow fencing to enclose the awning area) and they have a back room in the booth itself where they can hang out if they want to be closer to Scott and I while we work. The sheepdogs are NOT: 1-Escape artists 2-Barkers 3-Anxious about being left alone 4-Super food oriented Gertie???^^^^^see all of the above    A plastic mesh fence, left alone for hours, and surrounded by food booths....yeah...I don't think so  She may be able to stay with her Auntie Liz, but Im getting more and more worried about her overwhelming FOOD obsession. She would have to be crated whenever she was left alone, as she is a ninja about getting at garbage, countertops, etc. I really dont know of any other solutions though  . We cant afford 2 weeks of boarding. My mother is recovering from a dislocated hip, and I'm not about to ask her to take on a 4th dog  !THIS is the main reason I didn't want a third dog Its hard to imagine our home without her now though. She's such a funny little weirdo!  |
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| How does she do in a crate? If she stayed with her Auntie Liz, is there anyone who could give her mid day walks/attention/play time? |
| Compromise? She's small. Fit a small crate in the booth with you, so she's close, which may make up for the lack of spacious abode. Throw in a good chewie she only gets while in that crate? And then make it up to her with extra long walks when you're not working? You may be surprised how quickly she, too, falls into the rhythm of being on the road with you. If I could survive taking psycho rescue dog, with all her associated anxieties, with me to the national last year, a beagle, even a chow-driven escape hound, should be a piece of cake Kristine |
Mad Dog wrote: Compromise? She's small. Fit a small crate in the booth with you, so she's close, which may make up for the lack of spacious abode. Throw in a good chewie she only gets while in that crate? And then make it up to her with extra long walks when you're not working? You may be surprised how quickly she, too, falls into the rhythm of being on the road with you. If I could survive taking psycho rescue dog, with all her associated anxieties, with me to the national last year, a beagle, even a chow-driven escape hound, should be a piece of cake Kristine Well, she could be crated in the "back room" out of sight, but I'm concerned she will still bark, when she cant see us. The fair rule for dogs at this particular show is: dogs are fine as long as they are neither seen nor heard by the public. Our walks have to be taken in the early AM before the show starts, and potty breaks during the day must be taken in the large field behind the Vendor RV area. Our work days at the fair are also aprox. 12 hours long, (sometimes longer) so a long time for crating. Perhaps I'll try a "Test Run", and crate her in the back room at our weekly market here in Anchorage, and see if she barks. The Saturday Market couldn't care less if she did . We have two more market days before we leave for Fairbanks for the State Fair, so it might be worth a try . |
| What worked with Dazz was either (a) crate her near me and/or (b) crate her near one of her buddies and, finally, cover crate completely. I'm pretty sure no one knew she supervised the DNA draw at the national for two days straight. I was able to sneak her out and let her really run at least once during the day, plus a couple of quick potty breaks here and there, though. And two weeks is a while...This was only for a week. But they're just so GRATEFUL to not be left behind that they seem to really try to behave. But a test run sounds like a great idea....Nothing like getting there and realizing we have a problem... Kristine |
| I did a similar thing with Bunny (my foster OES) at a weight pull. She had known crate anxiety. I crated her right next to Chewie, and then wrapped all 3 dog crates in a couple sheets. Bunny's had a total cover, but she could see through the mesh somewhat when looking down the line thru Chewie and Biscuit's crates. It worked! |
| We haven't crated her at all since she's come to live with us, so I don't have any idea how well she deals with crating. Our only crate is a huge sheepdog sized one, that we only use for air travel. I guess its experiment time! Another idea Ive had is to put her into the RV and test how audible she actually is outside of it . If we cant hear her from 10 feet or so away...the customers wont either! She (oddly enough) doesn't really bark all that loudly  . This would mean the sheepies having to either be restricted to the trailer with her, or outside/in the back room with the trailer door shut...but I'm sure they could cope.On a separate...but related note, we've been leaving Gertie and Abby at home while Scott, Eggbert and I do the weekend Market each week. We figure it would give Bert some much needed "only child" time away from Gertie (who he is a bit put out and jealous over) and let the "old girls" relax and hang out...this  being their typical activity most days  So...we come home last week to our house being completely COVERED in ripped up garbage!  I would have considered my angelic Abigail completely innocent, if it weren't for the stash of choice garbage bits she had hidden in her BED!!!  This was the incident that started making me nervous about leaving Gertie with a sitter  |
| Such a sweet pic. Sorry about the garbage thing. The only pet who gets into the garbage here is Pearl, the cat. We keep a small bag in the kitchen to throw little things in, because we keep our garbage out in the garage so we don't have dogs getting into it. I don't put any food in the small bag, and it gets thrown out each day. I hope all works out for Gertie. This may turn out to being a great experience for her. |
| I missed that you got another dog!!! I wish I was there to help fursit again! I definitely think it makes you appreciate non-barkers more. We could take Kobuck everywhere with us because he didn't go crazy when he saw other dogs and didn't bark, but it makes me sad that we can't take Yuki to an upcoming dog show because she'd make her presence VERY known. I hope the crate works out!! Can the guy you used to tell me about who used to work for you guys help? |
Joahaeyo wrote: I missed that you got another dog!!! I wish I was there to help fursit again! I definitely think it makes you appreciate non-barkers more. We could take Kobuck everywhere with us because he didn't go crazy when he saw other dogs and didn't bark, but it makes me sad that we can't take Yuki to an upcoming dog show because she'd make her presence VERY known. I hope the crate works out!! Can the guy you used to tell me about who used to work for you guys help? I wish you were here to sit too!!!! Nathan, (my former assistant) is very unfortunately, going through some serious health problems right now, since he had a stroke. He cant be out here in the boonies so far from his many Dr.s appointments. His roommates wont go for Gertie staying with them at his place, so that's a no-go. My current part-time assistant will be up in Fairbanks with us much of the time, (6 out of the 15 days) so she cant help either. The ideal thing would be for someone to stay out here at the house with Gertie, but since we live kind of off the beaten track, that's hard for most people. I need a new Eagle River friend !Lizzy is really my best bet for a sitter, as she knows Gertie well, and is home much of the time. My only big worry is that her 2 dogs are NOT food oriented at all...so she's not used to having to practically suspend edibles from the ceiling to keep them out of reach . |
| I'm so sorry to hear about Nathan I hope he makes a full recovery. ((hugs)) Lizzy is definitely a great choice and I'm sure it'll be fine if you tell her what she should be expecting. *fingers crossed something works out* |
| Oddly enough, a perfect solution to our dilemma popped up last night! Nathan was over at the house for our weekly game night, and mentioned that he needed a temporary place to stay between his current living situation, and when he moves into a new place. The dates match up perfectly with our trip  . He is sure that his Aunt will be willing to drive him to his appointments, so this will work out well. He's great with dogs, and Gertie will be able to stay in familiar surroundings...that I have already 'beagle proofed" . I'm half tempted to leave Abby with him as well, since she adores Nate, and is getting a little elderly for the whole camping thing. I dunno...she has always loved our trips, and I feel like Id like to give her at least one last year of traveling with us. |
Glad it all worked out for you! We travel with 3 dogs and 3 teen kids, all in a 31 ft travel trailor. Tight fit but fun most of the tiime. Have fun on your trip.  |
Wow, that sure worked out well!!  |
| I'm sure Abby will love to stay with Nathan, but..... I have to say ...she sure seemed a lot like Yuki (but uh... calmer than my girl haha) ...and misses her parents like heck when they're gone. Not to make you feel guilty I definitely do think things are easier when traveling if you have even 1 less pet or kid. I'm so glad things worked out!! |
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