davisn456
Member
Frankie and I had our first big trip together this weekend, and it went incredibly well. My family reunion was this past Saturday, and I was determined to try to get Frankie prepared to go. It's about a 90 minute car ride, so not too far, and it was a great opportunity for Frankie to socialize in a fairly controlled environment.
I've spent quite a bit of time working with Frankie to wear one of the aviator harnesses. Up until now, she hadn't been very cooperative. It was a bit of a fight that morning to get her to wear it, but I knew once she had it on that she'd be ok. We managed to get through that without any damage to either of us, and I got her things packed up to go.
I had a bit of a dilemma in the car...I have a crate for her to ride in that's plenty big enough, but it sits in the floor and she gets somewhat scared riding down there. I had to drive to my parents' house first, which is about 10 miles away, so I thought I'd give something else a try - riding on the seat. I took the headrest off the passenger seat to see if she could set on top comfortably. She stepped off my arm onto the seat and stayed there the whole way. She loved being able to look out the windows, and I think because she was able to see me better, she felt more comfortable. It took her a couple of miles to adapt to the motion in the car, but after that, I could watch her lean back and forth in curves so she didn't slip. Since the short ride to my parents went so well, I decided to let her ride that way to the park for the reunion. Probably not the safest way to travel, but it was much less stressful for her.
Once we got there, she was the star of the show. She absolutely loved the kids, and everyone was fascinated by her. She was very content to let people pet her, and didn't seem to be stressed or uncomfortable at all. A couple of times when a breeze would blow through the picnic shelter where we were sitting, she would turn her head into the breeze and close her eyes like she absolutely loved the air. At one point, she was so comfortable with everyone that she even took a short nap. It was a pretty eventful day for her, so I can see why she needed to doze off for a little while. I stayed close by and made sure she had plenty of water. She snacked a bit on few things throughout the day.
The trip home was easy, and when we got to the house, she actually let me take the harness off without too much of a struggle. She was very happy to be back home though. She recognized the front door and I could tell she was excited to be home.
It was such a good experience for us that I can't wait to start taking her out more often. I had been waiting for a while to do anything like this to make sure she really trusted me and so she wouldn't panic. The family reunion was on the 2 month mark (to the day) that I've had Frankie.
I'm really looking forward to the end of August now, when I'll be taking her with us on vacation to the beach. That should be quite an adventure!
I've spent quite a bit of time working with Frankie to wear one of the aviator harnesses. Up until now, she hadn't been very cooperative. It was a bit of a fight that morning to get her to wear it, but I knew once she had it on that she'd be ok. We managed to get through that without any damage to either of us, and I got her things packed up to go.
I had a bit of a dilemma in the car...I have a crate for her to ride in that's plenty big enough, but it sits in the floor and she gets somewhat scared riding down there. I had to drive to my parents' house first, which is about 10 miles away, so I thought I'd give something else a try - riding on the seat. I took the headrest off the passenger seat to see if she could set on top comfortably. She stepped off my arm onto the seat and stayed there the whole way. She loved being able to look out the windows, and I think because she was able to see me better, she felt more comfortable. It took her a couple of miles to adapt to the motion in the car, but after that, I could watch her lean back and forth in curves so she didn't slip. Since the short ride to my parents went so well, I decided to let her ride that way to the park for the reunion. Probably not the safest way to travel, but it was much less stressful for her.
Once we got there, she was the star of the show. She absolutely loved the kids, and everyone was fascinated by her. She was very content to let people pet her, and didn't seem to be stressed or uncomfortable at all. A couple of times when a breeze would blow through the picnic shelter where we were sitting, she would turn her head into the breeze and close her eyes like she absolutely loved the air. At one point, she was so comfortable with everyone that she even took a short nap. It was a pretty eventful day for her, so I can see why she needed to doze off for a little while. I stayed close by and made sure she had plenty of water. She snacked a bit on few things throughout the day.
The trip home was easy, and when we got to the house, she actually let me take the harness off without too much of a struggle. She was very happy to be back home though. She recognized the front door and I could tell she was excited to be home.
It was such a good experience for us that I can't wait to start taking her out more often. I had been waiting for a while to do anything like this to make sure she really trusted me and so she wouldn't panic. The family reunion was on the 2 month mark (to the day) that I've had Frankie.
I'm really looking forward to the end of August now, when I'll be taking her with us on vacation to the beach. That should be quite an adventure!
