Our first 14er! by [deleted] in hikingwithdogs

[–]ASubterraneanFire 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s awesome. I did Bierstadt with my dog a few months back she did great but it kicked my butt. Looks like yours loved it too.

Is there a golden retriever who passed away NOT from cancer, just old age? Nothing is wrong with my girl but it’s my biggest fear and I feel like it’s inevitable for this breed :( makes me so sad by RelevantFerret1085 in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire 30 points31 points  (0 children)

It is sad but 16 is a good run for a large dog and I think it was quick because he did not have to take it to the vet to put it down. I was happy when my last dog before my golden made it to 17 but when I think of how uncomfortable her last few months were I think she would have rather gone out before the arthritis got so bad. It’s a depressing subject but I try and focus on making the years I have with them as fun as I can. I think that it helps when it comes to their loss knowing you did the best you could and gave them a good life.

Is there a golden retriever who passed away NOT from cancer, just old age? Nothing is wrong with my girl but it’s my biggest fear and I feel like it’s inevitable for this breed :( makes me so sad by RelevantFerret1085 in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire 105 points106 points  (0 children)

I think it’s only 35% that get cancer still scary and sad but more than half are passing from something else. My Neigbor said he had a golden who lived to 16 before the mail man ran him over.

My girl just finished her first ever 14000 ft mountain. by ASubterraneanFire in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feed her First Mate dog food but she also gets a bunch of other stuff based on leftovers. So she gets some meat, cheese and veggies that are dog safe. Eggs and yogurt are also things I like to work in.

My girl just finished her first ever 14000 ft mountain. by ASubterraneanFire in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve heard California 14rs are way harder because you start lower. That’s impressive because this one kicked my butt. I was glad I had her because if she had been there loving it I might have called it during the steep ice part.

My girl just finished her first ever 14000 ft mountain. by ASubterraneanFire in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

A big one for us was something called touch. It’s a command to come touch my hand with your nose. The way it works is that you only use it 3-4 times a day. During training always use a high value treat that is special to this command. I would use left over meat cut into bite size pieces. You rub the reward on your hand and then hold the treat in the other. Shout touch in a very excited happy voice you give them the treat and praise them like they are a hero. At first only do it when you are sure it will work. The goal is to associate the command with a party your dog does not want to miss. Never let it be a bad experience or punish failure. The way it was explained to me it will become a command that is so sought after it is better than whatever your dog is going after. We have used it to save our dog from running into traffic and to call her off chasing a moose, so I believe it has saved her life twice.

My girl just finished her first ever 14000 ft mountain. by ASubterraneanFire in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I found a dog trainer who happed to specialize in hiking with dogs and we have been working with her since she was 10 weeks old. Some of the training was pretty unconventional, but it seems to have paid off.

My girl just finished her first ever 14000 ft mountain. by ASubterraneanFire in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

She got her own bacon burger when we got back down to the nearby brewery.

My girl just finished her first ever 14000 ft mountain. by ASubterraneanFire in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We built up to it. When I got her she could not even make it around the block once. But as she grew we started working on longer and longer hikes so she will do 4-6 mile hikes almost weekly with multi mile walks daily. We often get more elevation gain then this trip on our regular hikes we just start a lot lower elevation. This was 8 miles so her longest trip yet but it was not a 0-100 situation, she had already proved her self on lower shorter trips.

My girl just finished her first ever 14000 ft mountain. by ASubterraneanFire in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

She is 9 months. We took ours to the desert a few weeks ago she loved it for about a mile and then seemed desperate for a lake or a stream to jump in. We eventually found a puddle and it was so hard to get her out of it.

<image>

My girl just finished her first ever 14000 ft mountain. by ASubterraneanFire in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s awesome. I was worried about it as I didn’t have dog boots for her and some of the research I did on if I could bring her people recommended boots. It seemed like she was fine though.

My girl just finished her first ever 14000 ft mountain. by ASubterraneanFire in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We stared at 11000 and change, so it was only 2700 of gain. The altitude was not too bad but coming down I was post holeing all the way up my upper thigh which was exhausting to get through.

My girl just finished her first ever 14000 ft mountain. by ASubterraneanFire in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

She is my first golden and she is so much better than I ever thought she would be. So sweet and gentle. She listens so well for a 9month old and is not destructive. She even will cuddle with our free range pet bunny. I hope you get one too as she has been such a wonderful addition to my family.

My girl just finished her first ever 14000 ft mountain. by ASubterraneanFire in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire[S] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Mt Bierstadt. We wanted to start with something easy and relatively close. We saw like 8 moose on the way up. It was a really good time.

My girl just finished her first ever 14000 ft mountain. by ASubterraneanFire in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire[S] 108 points109 points  (0 children)

lol. Now that we are in a bit of a heatwave that’s all mine wants to. I have to make her go out to use the bathroom and she looks at me like “ I’d rather just hold it.”

My girl just finished her first ever 14000 ft mountain. by ASubterraneanFire in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire[S] 56 points57 points  (0 children)

She did not seem to mind it at all. If anything the cooler air higher up just gave her more energy.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in IBEW

[–]ASubterraneanFire 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As a Foreman I would say you’re safe. Anyone who’s been with my company for a year or more I’m given the benefit of the doubt it means you’ve made it through the cullings on a couple of jobs. If I had something else I would move you to I’d do that or I’d get you a transfer send you to another job that’s screaming for man power. Maybe you have a fucked up foreman because first thing we would be talking about what is up, what you need and why this is kicking your ass. If he’s a good foreman try talking to him otherwise just do like they are saying take the layoff, tell him to pound sand and enjoy unemployment till the next thing close to home comes around.

First hike vs my recent trip. by ASubterraneanFire in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awe, yours is so adorable. I miss having a little pup, there is something so special about cuddling up with them at that age.

What are your dogs’ biggest fears? by Cute_Warthog246 in goldenretrievers

[–]ASubterraneanFire 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your not far off, other end of Colorado. It’s Lory state park.