Boots

Yesterday I received a box with some dog boots in it. They were lent to me by Lobo's owner (over here at The Buhund Blog) so I can walk Conker while his feet heal. They are blue Ruff Wear Grip Tex Bark N' Boots. They are a size small, which is a tad big for Conker, but they will work for now.

Today he wore the boots while being fed. I hope, through doing this, that he learns to accept the boots since they are paired up with food. That has worked for Conker in the past, and he seems to be mostly okay with the front ones, but doesn't really like them on his hind feet, especially the right hind.
I am going to continue to have him wear the booties when he gets fed for gradually longer periods, then take him for a short walk in a few days.

For those interested...

This is Conker's new mince. It consists of: Chicken Q's, ground pork, beef liver, canned oysters and clams, a whitefish (not sure what kind of whitefish), rice, oats, egg, yogurt, and his supplements.

He thought it was delish!

ORANGE

Conker is currently eating a chicken-based food and has yet to show any signs of irritation! He ate a food that contained chicken meal while in Alaska and also didn't develop any of the stuff he has in the past when he's eaten a chicken-based/inclusive food, so I am wondering what the deal is with that.


Anywho, Ruff Wear, my favorite dog gear company, has come out with some spiffy new stuff!
First off, they have updated the Approach Pack. While I don't think this newer version looks as cool as the older one, it now comes in... ORANGE.
This means that a lot of online companies are clearanceing the now outdated style pack. I am torn between paying full-price for an ORANGE pack, my favorite color and "Conker's color", or going with a discounted older-model green one instead. Or not getting either and just waiting until I can find an ORANGE pack in the correct size on sale...

They also reintroduced the Chain Reaction collar they had out a few years ago. I like this collar, a lot, and guess what? Yes, it comes in ORANGE too! I've seen the old one a few times on the web but never at a good enough price to buy. So now I get to wait until I spot one of these on sale to buy as well.
The Top Rope collar has been updated too and also comes in ORANGE.

Their new Slackline leash is pretty cool too. (Yes, it comes in ORANGE as well.) But I am really not into padded-grip leashes, which all of Ruff wear's newer leashes appear to be. I've got a black padded-grip leash that I sometimes walk one of the Girls with and I really do not like it very much. So unless I can find one of these leashes for a really good price, I probably won't be getting one.

Aaargh why does Ruff wear's stuff have to cost so much! I love their gear, it's so awesome...

Ruff Wear: TurnUp

The other toy I got when I ordered some stuff from Altrec was a Ruff Wear TurnUp!

 I ordered the older discontinued kind in green for $7.49. They normally retail for around $10.

Juneau instantly decided the TurnUp was hers. She took it and carried it around with her and refused to let Conker touch it, much to his great annoyance.

The TurnUp is made from the same durable rubber that Ruff Wear uses with it's other toys. It's hollow in the middle and can be used like a Kong or similar toy that you can put kibbles or treats into. I wouldn't put wet food or stuff like that in it though, the openings are kinda small.

This toy is really easy to use. It's easy to grip and throw and it's odd shape and rubber material makes it bounce allover the place. It can get some pretty good air if it hits the ground right. And bounce over the fence into the neighbor's blackberry bushes.

 It's pretty durable too. Juneau has chewed on it quite a bit (I try not to let her do that) and so far she hasn't ruined any part of it yet.

Juneau loves playing with this toy. Since it bounces all over and sometimes pretty high, she can get it before Conker does who is a tyrant when it comes to playing with the same toy as another dog.

Something I find really fun is that the TurnUp can fit into a standard ChuckIt! This means I can give this thing a good heave and watch as Juneau really has to race to get it. That makes this one of my favorite dog toys when it comes to versatility.

Overall the TurnUp is a good toy. Durable, fun, able to be used in more than one way. If you can find it for a good price, I recommend you buy it. It's well worth what I paid for it.

A Comparison of the Old vs the New: Ruff Wear Web Master Harness

With the purchase of the Palisades for Juneau (and the mutilation of Sasha's Approach) I have finally acquired another Web Master that I can compare to the old one.  While they are two different sizes, and the newer one doesn't fit Conker, I don't think that is relevant to the comparison.

The (other) Approachisades Pack

With me being me and liking to modify things, I couldn't keep my hands off the new Approach Pack I'd bought for Sasha. (There are needles in my keyboard that are rattling right now) I wanted to do something a bit different from the Approach II that I'd already modified and now that I knew how to (sorta) use a sewing machine, I felt invincible.
Well, not invincible, but certainly capable.

If you've read the previous post detailing how I made the Approachisades II, this version is somewhat different but I feel it's more badass.  Instead of using fabric as a skin, I completly left that part out and just made the skeleton with strapping. Much, much beefier strapping.

Here's what I used:
1 Ruff Wear Approach Pack (small)
4 3/4" plastic buckles
3 feet of 3/4" strapping (polypropylene heavyweight)
2 feet of 1" strapping (polypropylene lightweight)
2 feet of 2" strapping (polypropylene lightweight)
Many yards of heavy-duty thread
Velcro (optional)
Lots of pins
A tempermental sewing machine

In case you are unsure of where to buy buckles and straps, Strapworks is an excellent site to order from. They have a nice inventory and great prices, plus cheap shipping. Also, you will want to get more strapping than you actually need in case you mess up somewhere or have to repair something down the line.

The Approachisades II Pack

Yes yes, I know, lame combination of names.

A while ago I mentioned that I was going to turn my Approach II pack into a Palisades style pack. I finally got around to doing it. This took forever since I couldn't find any plastic buckles or straps of the correct size locally and I generally don't like to order anything online unless I have to.
I ordered the buckles and straps from Strapworks who has pretty good prices on buckles, really good prices on webbing (straps) and had a nice low shipping rate as well.  I highly reccomend you buy from them if you can't find what you want for whatever your project might be. They have several other things in their inventory as well.

Anyways... For this project you will need:
1 Ruff Wear (or other brand) dog pack with harness
4 Plastic buckles of correct size (for the XS pack I used 1/2" single-adjust buckles)
3 feet or more of strapping (I used 1/2" heavyweight polypropylene)
A couple feet of fabric (I wanted to use heavy-duty mesh but instead went with lightweight canvas)
Several yards of heavy-duty thread
A couple feet of hemming strip (bias tape, 1/2" extra wide doublefold)
A sewing machine and/or hand sewing needles
Lots of pins
Some velcro (optional)

Ruff Wear: Sqwash

One of the items I got in my package from Altrec is a Ruff Wear Sqwash.  Like usual, I got the older discounted type that comes in an orangeish yellow color instead of swirly purple berry goodness.

Older Sqwash looks like a squash.

I thought this toy would be a bit bigger than it actually is, but that works out good since Conker can easily grip it.  Like the other Ruff Wear toys, it's made out of a durable heavy rubber. It's hollow inside and the rubber isn't as thick as some other toys, so it is easier to squish.

Conker immediately claimed the Sqwash as his.

Conker began to play with it right away, then he settled down to chew on it. After a while Juneau got a hold of it and chewed as well, and while Ruff Wear says it's not a chew toy, so far neither of them have done any damage to it.

Juneau being harassed by Conker.

Juneau took to retrieving the Sqwash instantly. She loves it, almost more than a ball. The Sqwash, being lighter and thinner than some other Ruff Wear toys, can get some pretty neat air when it hits the ground, or shoot of at strange angles when it hits something. The dogs have to be paying attention when they play with it or they might lose sight.

Juneau patiently but excitedly waits for me to throw the Squash.

I decided to be stupid and took the Sqwash hiking on Dollar Hill (Mountain).  I figured I would only use it where the trail was flattish, but I did not do that. I began to toss the thing down the trail and watching the dogs chase after it as it ricocheted off the trees and down the hills was quite entertaining. Then, the inevitable happened.

It bounced down the hill, over the edge of the hill, and down into a ravine-thing that was about 250 feet deep. FFFFFF-CRAP! My brand new, $9 toy that I'd had for less than 4 hours was down there somewhere, and I'd have to go look for it, and it happened to be the exact same color as the leaves covering the ground.  I was not in a good mood.

I watched the dogs run around looking for it, and saw it in Conker's mouth a couple times, but being a Shiba he did not bring it back when I told him to. He bugged off and did other things more important than listening to me.
As I prepared to climb down into the ravine to find it...

Juneau returns.

I saw Juneau approaching, with the Sqwash in her mouth!  Good girl Juneau!  She got much praise, treats and loving for returning the toy to me, and while for a moment I wanted to chuck it back down there to see if she could do it again, I refrained from doing so.

Juneau brings the Sqwash back.

So, as a word of caution to you, DON'T PLAY WITH THIS NEAR BIGASS RAVINES!  It will inevitably end up at the bottom, and unless you have an obsessive retriever with you, you probably will not find it.

Overall, this is a very good toy. Lots of fun even if your dog (Conker) doesn't retrieve so well, since it gets their chase-and-catch instincts into gear with it's erratic bouncing.  Like Ruff Wear says, I wouldn't recommend it as a chew toy since it's not meant for that, but you can load it with treats or kibble and use it like a Kong if you want.

The Sqwash retails for around $12 on Ruff Wear's site and many other online retailers, but if you are like me, you can find it for cheaper if you look hard enough.

Pack Fun

Not pack as in "wolf pack" (since, you know, that's a load of crap) but pack as in...

Reflective striping stands out due to flash

Pack!
I took all the dogs hiking today. There was an unusually large number of horses at Cathedral Hills so the dogs were on leash for about 75% of the hike. Conker and Sasha couldn't really care less about the horses but Juneau... I'd rather not see what she will do when she meets a horse off-leash. She shows way too much interest in them for me to attempt that.

That was some niiice horse crap!

Sasha was really good and was allowed off-leash in some places Juneau wasn't. Conker was pretty good most of the time and only ignored me on a couple occasions.

Bad pun: Conker shakes things up

But when all the dogs were allowed off-leash they minded me pretty well. Juneau is still getting better but continues to need a bit of work, she's progressing nicely though.  I hope to have her to the point where she'll listen when other people are around sometime soon.

Conker being quite boring.

I got several compliments on the dog packs. Normally they aren't noticed as much, since I usually only had one pack on a dog in the past. But since all three wore packs I guess they stuck out a lot more.

Sasha was usually at the back of the pack.

Conker is increasingly getting on my nerves when he and Juneau are off-leash. He gets up in her face and bites her, makes noise and is an ass, and I know she does not like it. Conker does not listen to me when I tell him to knock it off either. One of these days she's gonna snap.

Juneau did a lot of pulling.

One guy suggested I get a skateboard when the dogs were on-leash. I've thought about it, or maybe a mountain board or beefy scooter since dogs pulling bikes is somewhat freaky, fun but freaky.

Anyways, today was a lot of fun. Conker was really worn out, and Juneau and Sasha somehow got covered with mud.  Conker and I barely got any on us but the girls were soaked.

First Look: Ruff Wear Palisades and Approach packs

The Palisades Pack

Remember this?

Sneak Peak picture

It belongs to a Ruff Wear Palisades Pack! I found one at Cabelas (in AZ) for $70 which is a steal for this pack.  Normally they retail around $125, so a Palisades for half off was something I couldn't pass up.
If I had been thinking when I first saw the pack, I would have bought the two that were there. But like Conker's Approach II, I was not, and when I went back the next day one of them had already been bought.

Anyways...

Palisades pack and harness.

At first glance the Palisades appears to be very well built. Sturdy material, good stitching, some nice features like waterproof zippers, refletcive trim, etc. make this pack very attractive.
The pack is a multi-purpose, high capacity pack meant for longer backpacking trips. It comes with two water bladders that have their own pockets and can easily be accessed for ease of water delivery.
 
The Palisades, unlike the Approach and Singletrak, has a really cool feature that sets it apart from the other packs.  The bags can come off leaving a fully functional Web Master Harness still on the dog.

Web Master without pack.

The Web Master is perhaps one of, if not the best, dog harness out there. I have seen many others but this harness is the only one that really got my attention.  Ruff Wear uses the Web Master as a frame for their packs and it works out very well. In the Palisades' case, you get two items in one. Which is probably why the pack costs to much.

Pack without the harness.

The other half of the Palisades, the actual packs, is a pretty good piece of dog gear as well.  The pack is held in place with four buckles and two optional velcro straps that attach to one of the harness straps to prevent the packs from banging your dog's sides as he travels along. The detaching feature comes in handy if you need to cross a river and don't want the gear inside to get wet, or if you want to give your dog a break and don't want to take off the whole harness.


The Approach Pack

Ruff Wear logo strip

After I got the Palisades and took it on a couple short hikes, I decided I needed another pack for whichever dog didn't have one or was left at home. I scoured the net for a good deal on whatever I could find and found one at Backcountry Edge for $60 on sale.  That is a pretty good price since the Approach retails around $75.  I could not find another Palisades for less than $80.
On the site, if you joined up and became a new member you'd get an additional 12% off, so that knocked the price down to just under $53! 
It was actually a tough decision between the Approach and Singletrak which was also on sale for just $67, or $59 with 12% off. I went with the Approach this time, but still want that Singletrak.
(The sale is no longer on. It ended some time ago.)

Profile view

The Approach comes in blue and green. It is meant for day hikes or shorter backpacking trips.  It does not come with water bladders and is not detachable, but is still a very high quality pack and has the same other features as the Palisades. Reflective trim, waterproof zippers, awesomeness...

Top view

The Approach can hold somewhat less than the Palisades and is not as bulky. It is designed to be a day hike or overnight pack.  The Approach can still be used on longer hikes and trips, it just isn't as convenient.

Upside-down

The harness of the Approach is the same excellent Web Master used on the Palisades, only lacking a bit of reflective material that would otherwise be covered up by the bags. It also has loops for the straps (not velcro though) to keep the pack from banging against your dog's sides.

Why you make me wear this...

I am looking forwards to giving these two packs a nice thorough testing out in the coming months. Probably not over night trips (not until it warms up), but hikes longer than 2-4 hours will be taking place.

Both of these packs are size Small. They fits dogs with a girth of 21-30 inches which is bigger than most Shibas. The Palisades does not come in XS but the Approach does.
Keep an eye out for a future post that will explain how to turn an Approach pack (Approach II) into a Palisades if you want a Shiba sized pack that can detach from the harness.
Edit:  Instructions for modifying an Approach into a Palisades:  Version 1 and Version 2.

Ruff Wear: Gourdo

The first Ruff Wear toy I bought was this little orange thing I found while at Cabelas during last Christmas.  I cost $8.88, not the greatest deal but it was the only one I had found that was not online for a similar price.
The little orange thing is... The Gourdo.  I also found a blue Gourdo at Cabelas for $6.88 and got that one a few days after I got the first. 

Gourdo of two colors and sizes.

The Gourdo comes in two sizes, and formerly, three colors. Black, blue and orange.  The newer version only comes in orange but its swirly orange, so I guess that makes it cooler.

Conker with the small orange Gourdo in Arizona.

It's a durable, heavy toy with a rope on one end for the owner to grab and use to throw, or tug with, to avoid slobber.  It's a handy attachment but care needs to be taken with chewers: they will go right for that rope and chew it off.

Juneau with the large blue Gourdo .

Something I find cool about the Gourdo is that it bounces quite a bit.  Despite it being a somewhat heavy toy (even the smaller one has some weight to it) it can catch some good air when it hits the ground right.  This makes it more fun for the dogs since it can bounce over them and they have to try to maneuver correctly to catch it.

Despite it's size and weight, Conker can carry the large Gourdo .

The more enthusiastic smaller dogs can even play with the larger Gourdo .  Conker actually prefers it to the smaller one when Juneau is playing as well.

Juneau waits patiently for me to throw the Gourdo .

Since this toy is pretty heavy, it could potentially do some damage so I don't recommend playing with it inside. Plus since it bounces, even a short toss could result in something getting smashed. And a dog who jumps the gun and gets ahead can easily be hit with it, but so far none of mine have seemed to notice. (I don't intentionally try to hit them, it just happens.)

Tug with the Gourdo is fun.

Overall this seems to be a pretty good toy. Juneau hasn't been able to put a dent in it yet and hasn't had the opportunity to destroy the rope (I know she will if she gets the chance) and the two who will pick it up seem to really enjoy playing with it.  (Sasha will try to steal it but will drop it as soon as it's hers.)

I have seen the newer model of the Gourdo and couldn't really find much of a difference other than color, so if you can find the older models for a cheaper price, I recommend buying them.  It's on sale on Ruff Wear' site and several others across the web.

Ruff Wear Approach Pack II and Web Master II Harness

Yes, they are both in one review.  Why?  Because I started with this:

The Ruff Wear Approach Pack II is no longer being made and has been updated with the newer Approach pack. It is still available online if you look in the right places.
The Approach II came in red and blue and is built on the older version of the Web Master Harness.


Now onto the actual review.

I found two of these packs at the Grange where I buy food for Juneau and Sasha.  At $50 a pop, that wasn't a bad price since the newer version of the packs retails at around $75.  However, these particular packs were on sale for $25!  If I'd thought about it sooner I would have bought them both but by the time I went in to pick them up only one was left.  Both were size XS and when I tried it on Conker it fit perfectly.
For only $25 I got myself one of the best brands of dog packs out there.

The Ruff Wear Approach Pack II is VERY solid.  I've been using it for about 2 1/2 months, not too long, but so far it's held up amazingly well against rocks, dirt, sand, trees, more rocks, other dogs and countless car rides.  It's been smashed, folded in half, stepped on and shut in a door (no dog was wearing it when that stuff happened) and it's still in the same shape as when I bought it.
The plastic snaps for the straps are good. The belly straps are a bit thin but they have fleece coverings for added comfort and they help protect the straps against rubbing on things.
The bags are made of rugged nylon and the zippers are very beefy with nice big pulls. 
There's a thin stripe of reflective material between the red upper and black lower parts of the bags.  It's not incredibly noticeable but when lights flash across it it does reflect enough to count.

The storage capacity of the bags is really good.  I loaded two cans of sardines, a Zuke's chew, about 20 treats, two rolls of poop bags, and a portable water bowl into the pack and still had plenty of room left.  In total this weighed about 2 pounds including the pack which weighs 11 ounces.  Conker did fine with the extra weight and for some reason it didn't slow him down one bit even though he shouldn't really be carrying that much in the first place.

My official verdict on this pack is:  If you can find it, BUY IT!  It's entirely worth the money, especially if you can get it on sale like I did.  It's an incredibly well made product and unlike the larger Palisades with it's removable bags and the Singletrak with it's close fit, the Approach and Approach II is available in XS and XXS for people with smaller dogs like mine.


Now onto the second part of the review.

Somehow my Approach II pack ended up like this:

Where are the bags?  Did they get ripped off?  Simple answer:  No.  Complicated one?  I took them off so I could make my own version of a Palisades pack.  Modification instructions for pack:  Version 1 and Version 2.

I find it to work incredibly well despite being an older model.  Even if I hadn't gotten it as a pack, it's worth the $25 for the harness alone.  Web Masters retail at $50 so again I got a killer deal on this thing, especially since I'm modding it.

Anyways, after some trials with it as a harness only I'm convinced I never want to buy another harness but those made by Ruff Wear.  This thing is really handy, especially when Conker is being a punk and I need to remove him from a situation before he starts a war.  It's also great for helping him get over strange obstacles and quickly getting him out of the way of a raging mountain biker.

The harness, so far, hasn't caused any fur loss or rubs Conker bad in any way.  He's still got his full range of motion and he still acts like a normal Shiba.  He can shake, run, roll, jump and swim in it without it interfering with his activity.  When adjusted properly, it fits very snug but not too snug and even when it was still a pack Conker could do most activities without being restrained. 

Like I said about the Approach II, if you can find this harness and find it at a cheap price, buy it!  It's well worth the money.  But if it comes down to the old version versus the newer one for the same price, I'd probably go with the newer one.


Edit: After having this pack and harness for quite some time now I felt like an update was in order.
The harness has held up extremely well to the abuse Conker puts it though.  He wears it almost daily and it has survived many nips from other dogs, fights with bushes and wars against trees.  It has gone through countless rolls in various substances (some not so good) and once dry, is cleaned by simply brushing it off or giving a good vigorous shake.
I don't need to adjust it very often, only when Conker gets stuck bad on something or he eats right before I put it on. Even after picking Conker up by the handle (which is ingenious on it's own) the straps do not come loose.
The harness has not rubbed any fur off Conker in any place, given him any hot spots or other discomforts.  His older hanress rubbed a bit so I am glad that the Web Master does not.

I still highly recommend you buy it if you can find it, but try to get it for less than the newer one.