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.

Lakota and Yahzi

The day we brought Yahzi home.

The Beginning

OK...so here's the story of how I ended up with more than one husky. When we went there initially, I was dead set on getting one that reminded me of MJ (my first husky growing up). So that meant picking out the biggest black and white male with 2 blue eyes. However, when we arrived at the farm there was only one beautiful little white puppy greeting us. Out of all 6 puppies, only 1 would let us get close. The rest were afraid of us. It was obvious they had experienced minimal human interaction.

She was such a sweetheart, but we were dead set on a black and white male so we left her there and picked the biggest, friendliest black and white male. Once we got home we couldn't stop thinking about the adorable little white girl sooooo 2 days later we went back and picked her up. We named her Yahzi. Needless to say Lakota was VERY happy to be reunited with his sister:)