Chief is a tired boy!

Tired boy

Chief says good night

Hiking

Today was a beautiful day for a hike. We found a nice park about 15 minutes from us that is definitely worth the drive. Plus, it never gets muddy and there is water at the park for the dogs. It's a really cool idea. There is a water pump with a water bowl chained to it. So, all you have to do is pump the water up and fill the bowl. It's the only park I've ever seen that provides something like this for the dogs. I love it because then I don't have to bring water. The dogs love it because they are always dieing of water by the end of the hike. Hopefully more parks catch on to the idea. Next time I go there I will have to take a picture of it.

Kodiak lovin the moonroof:)

Kodiak trying to take the wind

Naya

The pillow thief strikes again!

Pillow Thief!

I think Naya is ready for bed

Night Everyone!

Kodiaks favorite place to go to bed at night

So Many Choices

From our very first puppies, we made the choice to feed them Purina. We started out with Purina One and then switched to Purina Pro Plan when we discovered that type of dog food. It worked and great we loved. The dogs had no problems with Purina. There teeth were clean, coat was shiny and soft as could be. We loved it!

Well, after Lakota died, we discovered that we had some significant aggression issues with Yahzi with other dogs. We had  got Kodiak so that Yahzi wouldn't be alone and all she wanted to do was kill him. We sought out multiple avenues of help and guidance. One of them recommended that we change our food to a more high protein diet. So we did some research and decided on a brand that is considered a premium dog food higher in protein and all natural. All around it is suppose to be healthier for my dogs and of course quite significantly more expensive. We stayed with this brand for over 3 years I would say.  After some time we noticed all 3 of our dogs had horrible breath. This was something new. We had always been glad and proud that our dogs weren't "one of those dogs" with disgusting breath that could not you over when they got close. We couldn't figure out what was causing it. Plus, we started noticing that Chief started to have really bad dry flakes all over him, his coat was really dull and felt not soft. All three of the dogs coat became dull but Chief seemed to be affected by it the worst. He had white flakes all over him. Anytime you would pet him white flakes would go flying around the air. Something wasn't right.   

A few months ago, Jolene suggested that maybe we go back to  Purina Pro Plan  The food we were on now wasn't doing anything special for the dogs and it wasn't worth the extra money we were paying. Plus, we thought back and the dogs were much healthier looking on  Purina Pro Plan  So, we made the switch and boy did we notice changes. Not only did Chief's flakes go away and coat become beautiful and soft again, but all 3 of their bad breath suddenly was gone! Within 1-2 months we noticed all the issues were gone. It was a drastic change and quite amazing to see such a difference.

When you start doing research on dog food it's overwhelming how many choices there are out there that claim they are "best" for your dog. I'm sure there are a ton that really are good for your dog. We decided to go back to what we "knew" made our dogs look and feel healthy and that is Purina Pro Plan. 

Everyone had a blast today.

Mautino State Fish and Wildlife Area is one of the best hidden gems in the my home town area. I absolutely love it and love taking the dogs there. I try to go for a hike there any time I go home to visit family. There are numerous small lakes that have unbelievably clean water. The dogs love it but it is inevitable that we are pulling at least 1 tick off of a dog when we leave the park. It doesn't matter what they are on they still end up getting one embedded in them. It's amazing to me. In one of my previous posts I discussed the issues we've had with flea and tick medicine. We are thinking about getting a Lyme's Disease Vaccine for all of the dogs. I need to do some more research on it before we make the final decision but we're thinking that it might be are only way of fully protecting our dogs from the disease. 

Beautiful day for Mautino's!

Moonroof Fun

Kodiak has discovered the moon roof!

Crazy Naya says night:)

Hiking

Tiring day at a park

Hiking at Castle Rock

Fall Time

I don't know about you but fall time is my favorite time of year. It's hard to beat taking the dogs on a hike when it's a beautiful fall day. I've definitely been taking advantage of it lately and have been taking them every chance I get.

She is such a good girl:) Naya was the only one I could get to sit for more than a few seconds so I could take a pic!

Look at this dirty boy!! 

They love the water

Naya says good night!

Leash Walking Update

Big mooch:)

How do you get mad at this big goofball when he gives such big kisses! Is he not adorable:)

Here's an update on my attempt to train Kodiak how to walk on a leash. He is still horrible and have not made any significant improvements. I know it has not been that long but it drives me crazy. So, I've been doing some research on trying something different before we walk. I am looking into a bike attachment so I can tire him out before we actually put the leash on him to walk. There are a number of different options out there and the prices vary pretty dramatically. I am concerned about how bad Kodiak pulls and will go after other dogs, squirrels, rabbits, etc. Does anyone have any experience with bike attachments for dogs? I would like to know which one would be the best option for very aggressive pullers. Any feedback would be great so I could get this big guy tired out.

Walking Update

I wanted to update on Kodiak's walking on a leash attempt. I was able to take him on a walk with a choke chain 3 times last week. The first 2 times I walked him by himself first. Needless to say the other two were not happy. Once I got back with Kodiak I took Naya and Chief at the same time. They walk great together and are easy for me to do by myself. It actually amazes me because Chief has had little to no training. He has always been pretty good on a leash. I would have to say that these first 2 walks were not too bad (for him). They were tolerable. The 3rd attempt, I walked Kodiak while Jolene walked chief and Naya. We went at the same time because we were running short on time. There was definitely a difference with Kodiak. He was not nearly as good with the other dogs along on the walk. The other 2 weren't quite as good as they were by themselves either.

I'm going to be taking them on walks separately today and hopefully Kodiak behaves better than his last walk. Wish me luck! :)

Which Collar To Use?

With our first 2 huskies (Lakota and Yahzi), we went to puppy training class like most 1st time puppy owners. It was a wonderful experience. We worked daily with them on the things we were working on in our class for the week. They learned to sit, stay, leave it and most importantly (for huskies) how to walk on a leash. In class, we were tought to walk the dogs with a choke chain. We walked them nightly so that we wouldn't be embarrassed in class. Well, it paid off and they were great on a leash with a choke chain. We took them everywhere we went and they behaved beautifully in public. Wild and crazy at home and perfect little huskies in public, which is how we preferred it.

Prong Collar

Choke Chain

When we got Kodiak we thought it wasn't necessary to take a puppy class with him because we knew what to do. Needless to say, that was a huge mistake. The kids were getting older so we were getting busier and found it difficult to find the time to walk and work with Kodiak the way we did with Lakota and Yahzi. Plus, we didn't have to worry about going to class and being embarrassed so things got put off. Sure Kodiak got walked but not to the extent that we needed to do. So, sure enough he grew and grew and became a very obnoxious  walker. By obnoxious I mean crazy! He does not like to be contained. The choke chain wasn't cutting it so we went to a choke chain with prongs. I know....I felt bad but I was desperate to get him to walk half way decent. So, we spent quite abit of time trying to work with him on walking with a prong collar but it was miserable so we would stop. We tried it many different times. Each time there was no improvement and was relentless. Not only was it miserable but also very embarrassing. He would yell and scream when he saw other dogs especially this one husky in the neighborhood that he has never even met! 

Gentle Leader 

After awhile, we decided to try a gentle leader on him. That was interesting! He didn't appreciate having that around his face:) However, the leader did make him behave a bit better. Well, I guess I would say he at least wouldn't yell and scream with it on. At first, I thought that was going to be the answer but he never improved. He would scratch at it off and on during the walk making me pull him while he's on his back two legs.  Then when Kodiak would see another dog he would toss himself around trying to get out of it and that became rather embarrassing. So, yes he stopped his screaming but he would throw himself around like I was killing him. It was insane and embarrassing so that eventually stopped. 

It's been awhile since I've attempted to walk Kodiak and I'm refreshed with a new determination. I'm thinking (or hoping) that he has matured a little. He's 4 yrs old now and listens better than he has in the past. Plus, I have a plan and am determined to get him to walk on a leash. Have I said that I'm determined!!!:)  Plus, our other two huskies walk great on a leash but we don't take them out in public for 2 reasons. We don't want to leave Kodiak home alone and if we take him he is crazy and makes it miserable. So, I've decided that I'm going to use the choke chain. That is what I've been trained on and feel most comfortable training Kodiak on. 

I would be interested in hearing what other dog owners use for their hard to walk dogs. 

My 3 Sibes

The 3 dogs in the pictures below are my huskies that I have right now. What happened to Lakota and Yahzi????  Well, it's a long and sad story that I will tell at a later date.

 Naya is 5yrs old. We rescued her from the Dekalb County Animal Shelter about 1 year ago after Yahzi passed away. They were so wonderful to work with!

 These two are my boys:) Chief is the black and white and is 2yrs old. Kodiak is the fluff ball and is 3yrs old. These 2 have grown up together and as you can see fight like brothers. Chief is laying on Kodiak to try and get him to move so he can have that sleeping spot:)

Lyme's Disease

We have always taken our dogs out on trails and into the woods. It's what they love and we enjoy watching them have such a wonderful time. One of the worries that come with that is ticks. We live in northern Illinois and ticks are very prevalent in our area. Our first dog, Lakota,was diagnosed with Lyme's Disease shortly before he passed away. When he was diagnosed, we were shocked. We had been treating him with a popular chemical treatment for ticks. We thought we were doing the right thing to fight against ticks and keeping our dogs from getting Lyme's Disease. Well, come to find out, the treatment we were using killed ticks AFTER they have become embedded. When I learned that, I couldn't believe it. I thought "what good does that do?". Why would anyone want to use that for treatment? As a consumer, I felt misled.

Needless to say, we changed our treatment right away to another chemical that is suppose to be a repellent. However, just this past summer we have found 2 embedded ticks on one of our dogs. We treat them according to the directions on the label. So, I am really questioning what IS the best treatment for dogs to protect against ticks. I have done some research on the Lyme's Disease Vaccination. I was seriously considering doing the vaccination but I have found some research that says the vaccine doesn't do a whole lot for your dog against the Lyme's Disease.

While doing my research I came upon a website that had a really informative chart to show you what each tick preventative product does for your pet. You can find the chart at the following website: http://www.tickencounter.org/prevention/tick_control#top 

I would love to hear what method of treatment works best for your dog and if anyone has had similar experiences.

	Whole body protection	Kills Ticks	Kills ticks on contact	Kills Fleas	Rapid tick detachment	Water Resistant	Safe for cats	Safe for dog/cat households
Certifect : Tick Note Fipronil* / Methoprene* /Amatraz* Certifect website
K9 Advantix II  Permethrin* /Imidacloprid* K9 Advantix II website
Frontline Plus Fipronil* / Methoprene* Frontline.com website
Advantage II Imidacloprid* Advantage II website: dogs | cats
Seresto Collar Flumethrin*/ Imidacloprid Seresto website
Preventic Collar Amatraz* Virbacvet.com website