Training Puppy for Airline Travel
We started off the day with stacking show-dog training (just in case) and airline travel carrier training (just in case)! We know for certain that one of our heroes will be flying off to Montreal so we are taking the time to train everyone! The carrier we are using is conveniently tunnel shaped and the boys have been using tunnels in Puppy Playtopia for weeks. So currently this is a short tunnel that get a click & treat for laying down in. Peter being an over achiever demonstrates turning around in it near the end of the video. We will soon be closing up one end and practicing turning around. We also have a Zipper The Cat cameo at the end of the video as he as opportunistic as the ACDs when it comes to cookies!
Training Puppy for Cars & Trucks
On the topic of travel, it was a short time ago that every trip in the truck created some kind of serenading drama from the boys. I committed to daily drives even if it was a made up errand for the travel experience. So happy to say that the last two journeys by truck have been dead silent!
We went the next step today and traveled split into two crates and that went smoothly as well! Our next truck challenge will be traveling solo without our security blanket siblings — wish us luck!
Vet Visits & Shopping
So today we toodled off to Okotoks Veterinary in our brand new wagon for the first time. The boys were rockstars and enjoyed the wagon (in spite of the bungee net) much better than being jammed in a single crate! Not a peep from anyone when they got their needles and a clean bill of health for everyone! Dr Sebastian was very impressed with everyone’s cooperation and I was impressed that we didn’t have a Cattle Dog Throw Down and make a scene! I’m kidding, of course… the Heroes are generally pretty well mannered but spontaneous Wrestlemania matches do happen in close quarters.
Since they did so well I decided to cross the parking lot and take them to Winners for some new teething toys. The novelty of the bungee net wore thin but I kept the visit short and sweet (<10 min from vet departure to truck loading) which had them falling asleep as we crossed the parking lot.
The wagon/bungee net will have a lifespan limited by the age and gained experience of these babies… but I gotta say it got the job done brilliantly and I’m going to leverage this mode of transport away from home as long as I can! I loved the fact that it gave me the confidence to take them for the experience in public without the risk of vulnerability to disease or illness. The net was also an easy for Joe Public to understand that this was an “observe at a distance” puppy experience.
While the need for wagon travel is short lived, I expect this experience to stay with them in the future. I have flown with three of my adult dogs over the years where they had to be transported in cargo and be wheeled about in a crate on a trolley or on a conveyor belt. Shopping carts and wagons are a close comparison. Bumps and bangs can be pretty unnerving at any age… so conditioning these babies with cookies and praise now will go a long way to “no big deal” or “does this thing go any faster?!” for the dogs later!
