Dog Community

Going to a cottage, with my dog!

Posted : 7/20/2006 9:44:15 AM

My friend has invited me and my dog to go up to her cottage with her and her dog and her family. Its in the middle of nowhere right by a lake. My dog has never been to a cottage by the lake before, so I'm a bit nervous about taking her. We'll be going swimming in the lake (with the dogs), and walking around in the woods, and just lazing about all day. My friend lets her dog run around off leash, but I don't feel 100% safe doing that, I dont trust my dog not to run off.

I am buying my dog a bright orange lifejacket for when we go swimming, because she isn't a very competent swimmer, her butt sinks (which surpises me because she is part lab). The lifejacket will also help me keep track of her in the water because she is black in black water, as well as on land. I am going to bring an extendable leash with me for when we go on walks. Instead of letting her run around offleash, I am going to leave a leash on her dragging around, so that if she does being to stary or run off, I have something to grab onto, and if she runs off into the woods it will catch on something.

Do the above ideas sound good? Could anybody give me some tips about surving 2 nights at a cottage with a dog?

Thanks for your help,

~ BP

Melissa Camiel

Posted : 7/20/2006 10:40:55 AM

Sounds fun!!!!! Looks like you're gonna have a great (and safe) time. My only suggestion is to make sure your dog is up to date with flea/tick preventative becasue I'm sure there will be plenty of those in the woods!

jeano

Posted : 7/20/2006 1:00:04 PM

I'd get a nice long clothesline to let her drag. Tie some knots in it all along the length of it. Leave 20-50 feet of it for her to drag. STEP on it if she's running, don't grab it with a bare hand, though! Or you'll get one heckuva burn! Lots easier to catch than a leash.

I put a big, wide red collar that has giant jingle bells on my dog when I go work her outside, just in case she gets away, and in case she gets hung up on brush. It won't do you any good if say, there's a thunderstorm, your dog runs away and gets hung up on brush two or three miles away if you can't HEAR where she is.

I'd also be sure to have the most yummiest of yummiest treats, like raw turkey or something, in a baggy in your pocket whenever you are out with her off-leash. Call her back to you periodically and reward her with that. She'll learn that mom has something really YUM worth coming back for.

Good that you are putting the life vest on her. I worry about dogs who aren't in swimming condition and whose owners just ignore them when they are in the water. Having had to jump in and save my dog before, I congratulate you on your foresight.

Definitely the tick and flea prevention is a must.

Have a GREAT time!

jensw

Posted : 7/20/2006 7:48:38 PM

I let Roscoe drag a long line around, too. His is 100' LOL!!! (You do have to make sure it doesn't get tangled on stuff when it's that long, so it's best for the beach or wide open fields). I agree with everything Jean said, too.

Besides the Frontline Plus (or flea/tick

reventative of your choice), try putting a couple drops of rose geranium essential oil on her collar every other day or so. It repels ticks. Frontline will kill them once they latch on, but if they're just crawling around on the fur, the dog is nothing more than a tick transporter. The rose geranium prevents them from hanging out on the dog in the first place.

simcoe

Posted : 7/21/2006 10:26:58 AM

You're going to have a great time, definitely try the long line! I tried a long line with Toby this week on a romp through some open meadows and oh my goodness, he was like a crazy little puppy again. I thought he'd pass out from the sheer bliss of tearing around out there in the tall grass. It was great to see him running and jumping around so free and happy. I'd never thought of the jingle bell idea, jeano, that's a good one. I'm going to file that away for future reference.

If you're going to let your pooch wander with the leash dragging, BP, you might want to use a harness instead of a collar so she won't risk an injury if she gets hung up somewhere and panics.

glenmar

Posted : 7/21/2006 10:34:36 AM

Just a tiny suggestion....clothesline rope is great, until it decides to wrap itself around your ankle......my ankle STILL is not healed...get the THICK heavy yellow rope that looks like ski rope, but really thick. You'll have to knot and then TAPE the knot where you attach it to a lead, but it's much more ankle friendly.

Laura Johnson

Posted : 7/21/2006 12:52:05 PM

Thanks for all the great tips guys! I am defiantely going to do the collar with bells, that would make me feel so much safer knowing that I could hear her if she ran off. Where did you buy it? Or did you make it? I think that I just might buy a harness...I am worried about the rope getting caught and her hurting herself, and then I can hang bells off the harness instead. I'll use rope insead of the 16' thin leash I have, much safer. I was planning on baking some treats to bring with me, becasue she rarely gets homebaked treats.

jeano

Posted : 7/21/2006 1:52:27 PM

Actually, her jingle bell collar was one of those things you are supposed to hang on the door at Christmas. I got it at a thrift store. You can make one easily though. JoAnne's or Michaels has large jingle bells. Just sew them onto something that you can put around her. [

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Sofie doesn't mind her jingle bells at all, and at Christmas time runs around jingling all over the place. I swear she bounces around just to make them JING!