Chit Chat in VOLTVILLE Thread #2 :)

[awsum140]

'moanin, Volties.

Looks like Tanka is really coming along, Lizzie. It's tough working with animals and getting them to understand, and accept, what we understand and accept so easily. Everything is new/strange to them and they don't trust those things. We see that with Leo all day, every day. Sometimes the slightest thing will startle them and you end up back at square one. You're doing well with him!

Leo had a bout of stomach problems and is on some meds and a bland diet. The vet gave us some new food for him, but we're not happy with it. It has corn in it and he's been on grain free. To make it "high energy" it has a form of sugar in it as well. Then, it's almost half again as expensive as the grain free stuff we were using, which isn't cheap either. Looking at the ingredients list it's not really any different than what we were giving him other than the grain and sugar. He's recovering pretty well and is returning to his normal energy level though.

He was scheduled for blood work prior to getting neutered when he got sick so the neutering s put off until he's recovered from the tummy problems. Every time we plan something for him something else happens and it gets put off. We did, finally, hear back from a trainer and have an appointment for an evaluation later this month. The trainer is trying to reschedule a few things and we may be able to see her a week sooner which would be great.

With the tummy problems he hasn't been able to have treats, which means working with him, constructively, on training hasn't been possible. He is very strong and walking him can be a challenge even for me. Mrs. Awsum really can't walk him outside of the back yard which is very frustrating for all of us. We're hoping this new trainer works out, if not I do have a "plan B" with yet another trainer.

 

[Wuzznt Me]

'afternoon, Voltaticalytes.

I've been busy so I haven't posted much. The chipper/shredder works like a dream. It's still work but it's a lot less work than before and now I have oodles and oodles of fine mulch and chips. I've got about two hours on the engine, so far, and have produced at least a cubic yard of mulch. The discharge is low down, on the front, no chute like the big chippers. For my first test, the other day, I used it right where I wanted the mulch to go. Today I was working in the front so I had to do something different.

A lot of people park it on a tarp, then rake and pick up the mulch. I have a plastic "mud" container that's actually meant for mixing cement in. I park the chipper with the front end in the container then chip until it's full. Then, just move the chipper out, pick up the container and dump that into the trailer on the lawn tractor. The loads of the container fills the trailer and I dump that where I want/need the mulch.

Feeding leaves is a little tricky. Just like us, the chipper has a big mouth and small throat so if I feed them too fast they clog. Other than that it's great. Now I feed the leaves by picking them up with a snow shovel and "clamshell" it with a leaf rake. It does save bending over a lot, but it is still work, just not as much and a short cut compared to raking and piling them up somewhere.

The chipper portion is great, too. I've fed handfuls of branches, it'll take a four inch branch, and they disappear into chips very nicely. There is a lot of vibration to the hands as they're chipped up but it's no big deal with gloves on. Eye protection is a must as well. Surprisingly, it's not as loud as I expected.

https://www.ruralking.com/gardex-po...tid=88810089&gclid=CNDT3NbumdMCFUUvgQod5g0D5Q
I think Lowe's, Big Lots and maybe Harbor Freight has these

 

[awsum140]

Not bad, Wuzz, but you have to bend over to use them. The snow shovel and rake eliminate most of the bending and having the rake in my hand makes "tidying up" a continuous process at the same time.

 

[Renolizzie]

We are feeding Costco brand chicken and rice formula with no corn. The dogs look good and the price is reasonable. It's pretty good dog food.

Thanks, I know Tanka is trying his hardest.

 

[Wuzznt Me]

Not bad, Wuzz, but you have to bend over to use them. The snow shovel and rake eliminate most of the bending and having the rake in my hand makes "tidying up" a continuous process at the same time.

I always consider that exercise. I've got some pretty bad arthritis in my lower back. Best thing I can do for it is keep it moving and try not to lift anything too heavy.

 

[awsum140]

I have low back problems and too much bending aggravates it. The shovel/rake don't eliminate it, just keep it down to a more manageable level, sort of. Besides an acre of leaves is a LOT of bending.

 

[awsum140]

'moanin, Voltizens.

We're gonna have a hurricane, or maybe a blizzard...the trainer actually called back and we have an appointment for this week for an evaluation and a first lesson. Whew! I do have some hope, she actually worked, on the phone, a little with Mrs. Awsum and gave her a technique I had sort of wanted to use. We started with it last night and want to think we saw a little progress.

It was a gorgeous day yesterday with temps in the low 80's and will be even warmer today. I'm planning on working outside, lots of chipping/shredding to get completed.

 

[Renolizzie]

Mrs awsum, you can do this. A big dog can be a handful.

Has Leo been neutered yet? Sometimes that helps a lot.

I hope the new trainer helps. Let us know how it goes.

 

[awsum140]

No, he was scheduled for the bloodwork when his tummy acted up. He did get the bloodwork but that was for the tummy problem although it should work for neutering as well. We're going to schedule something with the vet after the trainer visit this week. We're trying to picture him with the neck cone on and it ain't gonna be pretty.

 

[Renolizzie]

No, he was scheduled for the bloodwork when his tummy acted up. He did get the bloodwork but that was for the tummy problem although it should work for neutering as well. We're going to schedule something with the vet after the trainer visit this week. We're trying to picture him with the neck cone on and it ain't gonna be pretty.

Yes, the cone of shame is difficult to deal with even if your dog isn't larger than life sized.

 

[awsum140]

'moanin, Volties.

I have to say Leo is kind of a mixed bag. He has his problems with "distractions" when walking and Mrs. Awsum has a really hard time with him at times. I attribute that to the gender differences and his raging hormones. Usually, with me, he walks fairly well but if a distraction happens all bets are off and he can, literally, pull me along if he catches me off guard. Sometimes just a leaf blowing in the wind is enough to startle him. Although I am about half again the size of Mrs. Awsum and my voice can go very deep when I correct him which also help, I think.

In the mean time he's developing the guarding instincts and growls/barks/investigates sounds that are out of the ordinary. I've been reluctant to leave him alone, uncrated, and work outside. I hate crating him during the day so it has really slowed down my work plan for the yard. Monday I took the plunge and went outside for an hour in the morning and left him loose in the house. He'd run out onto the deck when I went into the back yard and to the front door when I was in the front yard. When I came back inside everything was fine, no chewing on furniture, no signs he had even been on the furniture or bed and a happy doggy greeted me. I spent the whole afternoon out there Monday and repeated the same thing yesterday with the same results.

He doesn't even bother with the toilet paper or the garbage cans. He seems to know his toys are what he can chew on when he's bored. He also stays close to me in the house except when he hears or smells something that he perceives as a potential threat. Then it's "all hands on deck" until he's satisfied everything I OK again.

Overall, he's doing OK but there's always room for improvement. Depending on what the trainer says, when we see her, we may not even crate him at night. Given he snores like a freight train that may not be such a good idea if we want to get some sleep and he wants to sleep in the bedroom with us,

 

[wvducklady]

The chipper definitely sounds fun!

I have been busy turning the garden over along with many other outside chores. I have had alot of fun To be honest! I love being able to get out and do things again! After having the side issues the year before last and then getting it under control last year I thank God that I can get out there and do stuff without suffering, and if I do have pain I know what it it.

Sent from my NXA8QC116 using Tapatalk

 

[wvducklady]

'moanin, Volties.

I have to say Leo is kind of a mixed bag. He has his problems with "distractions" when walking and Mrs. Awsum has a really hard time with him at times. I attribute that to the gender differences and his raging hormones. Usually, with me, he walks fairly well but if a distraction happens all bets are off and he can, literally, pull me along if he catches me off guard. Sometimes just a leaf blowing in the wind is enough to startle him. Although I am about half again the size of Mrs. Awsum and my voice can go very deep when I correct him which also help, I think.

In the mean time he's developing the guarding instincts and growls/barks/investigates sounds that are out of the ordinary. I've been reluctant to leave him alone, uncrated, and work outside. I hate crating him during the day so it has really slowed down my work plan for the yard. Monday I took the plunge and went outside for an hour in the morning and left him loose in the house. He'd run out onto the deck when I went into the back yard and to the front door when I was in the front yard. When I came back inside everything was fine, no chewing on furniture, no signs he had even been on the furniture or bed and a happy doggy greeted me. I spent the whole afternoon out there Monday and repeated the same thing yesterday with the same results.

He doesn't even bother with the toilet paper or the garbage cans. He seems to know his toys are what he can chew on when he's bored. He also stays close to me in the house except when he hears or smells something that he perceives as a potential threat. Then it's "all hands on deck" until he's satisfied everything I OK again.

Overall, he's doing OK but there's always room for improvement. Depending on what the trainer says, when we see her, we may not even crate him at night. Given he snores like a freight train that may not be such a good idea if we want to get some sleep and he wants to sleep in the bedroom with us,

I love when they go into protect investigate mode it always made me laugh to see Ram go and "clear" the area He sounds like so much fun and entertainment. If Ram had not have been fixed (he was a rescue, and he was abused)he would have been a handful. When we first got him he busted the window out of the door when someone knocked on the door. We had to work with him quite a bit. He loved people, and if I had him on leash and someone talked to him excitedly (my neighbors ex girlfriend would do it everytime...I wanted to yell REALLY?!?! Lol) I had to just let him go or he would dang near tear my arm off...After much work and my neighbor and the woman split up and her no longer there to do that he quit doing it. Ram was a handful in the beginning, but he turned out to be amazing!

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[awsum140]

We've started to get Leo's "exuberance" when greeting people under control, at least a little. When Mrs. Awsum came home from work he would jump on her repeatedly and saying "down" or "no" had no effect. So I started holding him and, if he jumped, she would walk away and not come back until he calmed, repeat and rinse. He doesn't jump nearly as often, if at all, but now we're working on the paw issue the same way and that is changing as well. He can leave welts through jeans with his strength so it's something we want to stop. I tried wearing shorts one day and ended up looking like I had been in a war. He did go through the sliding screen door on the deck but hasn't been too much of a problem around the doors. We do have to make sure we deadbolt the doors though, they have lever handles and he found out he could open them if they aren't deadbolted.

 

[awsum140]

Did I say I really like that chipper/shredder? I raked down the slope, across the whole front yard, this afternoon and had a trailer full of twigs, branches, leaves, acorns, sweet gum balls and flotsam and jetsam. It took all of five minutes to turn that into mulch that would fit into two five gallon buckets. My only complaint is all the raking, although it is good exercise.

 

[awsum140]

'afternoon, Voltizens.

We, and Leo, had our first session with the new trainer this morning and it's almost like we have a new dog! She was cautious with him at first, until she found out his aggression was aggressively wanting to sniff/lick/jump on her. Once that was cured she had us switch to the "prong" collar. I know, how cruel. I tried that collar on myself when we got Bo. Yeah, it can hurt but it doesn't puncture the skin at all, even my the frail old dried out hide on my neck.

All I can say is that this is the first time Mrs. Awsum was able to walk him, without problems, in well over a month. He is obeying the "heel" command almost without fail. The trainer brought out her own dog, a female Doberman puppy, and Leo maintained discipline with us and her. Amazing! No pulling, jumping or other commotion. Even getting him back into the Jeep and out again at home, was a non-event rather than a riot.

There were a bunch of first, like the first time he went down a full flight of steps. It was a bit of a struggle getting him started, but he came along nicely. Going up was fairly easy as well. He also "met" both of the trainers dog, the puppy and a full grown Doberman without problems at all. He actually sat and, basically, ignored both of them while we talked. Previously he would have been pulling like crazy to get to them or run from them depending on his mood.

The three of us learned a lot, far more than any of the classes taught us. It will take more work, but things have definitely turned around, in a good way, after one, hour and a half, visit.

 

[Tritium]

I want a picture of you with the collar

 

[awsum140]

Leo's wearing it right now or I would do it now. I've got to take about four or five links out of it 'cause his neck is 24 inches, already, and mine is only 16 or 17 inches.

I just took him for a walk and the difference is unbelievable. Absolutely no pulling, at all and he stuck to my left side like he was nailed there. When we got to a narrow spot, between the garden and some lilac bushes, I went first, no question or argument. I did let him stop an sniff when he wanted 'cause that's what puppies, and doggies, do but he always resumed in the heel position. I am amazed to say the least.

 

[Tritium]

LOL! plz don't upload a pic here lol

 

[awsum140]

C'mon, I ain't THAT ugly!