Question Jake.
Monday, May 22nd, 2006People may be wondering how Jake, our dog, is taking all this travel.
Hmmmm. How do I answer this? Jake is doing great. But that doesn’t encompass all that he has had to go through.
When we first started traveling, Jake was NOT accustomed to traveling in a vehicle. Sure, he has ridden in a vehicle several times, but all those times, he wants to be in the passenger seat in my lap. This wouldn’t do since his claws can hurt my knees after a while. That is where Tim’s Jake platform came in. Jake would be able to lie down or sit in his bed in back of the cab while looking out the window in comfort.
A problem with this arose. Jake would look out the back window of the cab and see a reflection of cars coming at him from the front window. He would freakout and shake and forcefully try to be in either my lap or disturb Tim while he is driving by trying to get into his lap…over his shoulder. Sometimes he would scoot down by the break pedal. This caused more than irritation for our part. We solved the problem by buying paper and taping it on the back window area so he wouldn’t see the reflections. It worked, he was much calmer and then started looking out the front window to get freaked. What about our vision to see from our rearview window you ask? There wasn’t any vision there anyway. All our stuff in the back effectively blocks all vision of the road out of the back window so it didn’t matter whether it was covered or not. We made do with the side mirrors.
Yes, he is still shaky looking out the front window, but we discovered a secret. Open a window anywhere and he is immediately distracted and no longer shakes. He even goes to sleep!! Occasionally he looks at us as if to ask “can I come in your lap now?” We usually say “no, you silly dog.” Actually, we just ignore him.
He is getting alot of sleep time on that bed of his in back. All the east coast rain wasn’t a good thing for us but for Jake, it was miserable wet smelly dog time. He even seems to notice if his bedding isnt washed after such wetness (he sleeps easier on a clean dry bed vs. a dirty dry bed). If we went out for a walk in the town on a rainy day, Jake would get a quick “find a spot” outside and then “in….IIINNNNN!” In the truck he would go, sometimes for hours but we would come back to the truck occasionally during those hours to let him out and love him up a bit.
Many of the States we visited required him to be on a leash at all times. We occasionally broke those rules and let him run at times but for the most part, he has been leashed or in the truck sleeping. I began to think he was getting too much sleep. This all changed in Canada. Although we haven’t written about it yet (we will), Jake has 150 acres to run on, all day long at the organic farm we are working on. Now he has a reason to sleep. Barking almost at will, he is having the time of his life.
Abrupt change of subject. While we were in the states, we brought Jake into the Vet. He has a weird bump on his skin on the back of his leg, near the ankle. We were worried it might be a burroughed in tick or something else. It was somewhat “scabby”. The Vet said it was just a growth and not to worry about it. It can be removed easily if it continues to grow (it is just a little less than the size of a pea). We are likely going to have it removed here in Canada so it can heal up in time for our family camping weekend in the first week of July. Shouldn’t be a problem.
Another abrupt change of subject. We switched Jake’s food to a dry mix for this trip since he ate Sojos (looks like spicy oatmeal) and vegetables and cut up meat regularly at home. All this “regular” food would have taken too much space so we switched to IAMS. He seems to have the least reaction to that food. One thing (you were expecting at least one thing weren’t you?), Jake normally doesn’t like to drink much water. He is changing that habit fast since he has to “hack” down his food morning and evening. He now drinks way more water than we have ever seen him do. Even when he is just sitting in the truck. He gives us the “look” now for water.
Doggy communication is a funny thing with Jake. There is the “whine” which we call “singing” to us in the tent in the morning so he can go outside. There is the “look”, an intense stare until we acknowledge him and some need he has. This need can be several things. “Let me off of this stinking leash so I can go kill that tasty squirrel!!” (Tim and I call squirrels S.Q.U.’s so Jake doesn’t get all excited about that word). “Throw my toy now!” This can be followed up by a bark. “Where is my dinner!”. “Can I get into your lap?” “I’m miserable and wet! Fix it.” (This is a little more forlorn of a stare). “Outside now or I might squirt at an inopportune time!!” “I’m hungry! I want what you are having right now and I am trying to forceably will you into giving it to me!” I’m sure there are other things he says but I can’t think of any right now.
Jake also talks (beyond the whining although it can mean other things like “please throw my toy!”). There is a huffing sound he makes at certain times as if to say “do what I am staring at you for RIGHT NOW!” “I don’t want to wait for my dinner, get it!” “You are slow! Hurry up!”
Jake has learned a new command. “Up!” Which means jump up (usually to somewhere or over something along a path) We use it to get him to go into his bed in the truck. We use it to get him into the truck but that sometime is also “in”. We have used it to get him to jump over a fallen tree on a trail vs. going under it so we don’t have to mess with the leash or him or his collar so we also don’t have to “go under the tree at low levels”.
Jake is now doing really well with travelling. He considers the tent site his home and inside the tent is his bed (most of the time on our sleeping bags if we are not in there at the time). He looks out for squirrels and barks at them and “squeeky” birds…loudly. I think he does this to stay awake sometimes because he will bark even if “S.Q.U.s” or “birdies, bunnys, kitties, or other doggies aren’t there.
That’s it for Question Jake for now.
Write more later,
Dan
timdan2