sportside
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Posts posted by sportside
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Thanks Rovers3... Just what I need, another dog book.
The worse thing I have encountered was an unseen animal... we were out in the woods and heard leaves rustling, and some twigs snapping. I never did see anything, but courage was hiding behind me... Later in the same woods I did see a deer (I don't think that was it though).
There are coyotes and foxes around here though...
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Late to the thread... I use an iPod nano and CacheMagnet for paperless.
Before that I had a notebook i would write down number, size, and the hints. I like the iPod much better...
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Yup their a very versitile dog.... And you are right, the books are limited theres only 2 at the public library, I think.
And yes i have gotten by a bunch on google, the only problem im still alittle worried about is that long hair shedding alot. I know you told me how it sheds, and i've read a bunch on google about how it sheds. But it seems a dog with that hair would just be a shedding machine. 
They shed half as much as a cat, if even that much.
If you brush a Sheltie every night, it takes two minutes and keeps all the hair where you want it, on the dog or in the trash. If you brush them once a week, you get more hair on other things and brushing is a little more difficult. They don't shed as much as you would think, except that annual pushing of the undercoat, the hair they do lose is just longer then some other dogs. I have been told that German Shepherds shed a lot, and I would have never suspected that. Can't always go by looks...
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Thanks for the input, Most of my hikes are only 2-5miles, so i would'nt consider that extreme. And almost all of my hikes are on well marked flat dirt trails. However, I do agree with the lab being probably the best all around hiking dog, but a bigger dog than 12-16" was'nt really an option. (I've had to big labs before, I thought they were great but some family members dont want a bigger dog. Beacause of how much they eat and poop.)
So I am looking into a sheltie, but have not made a for sure choice. I have read pretty much the first 10 pages of searches in google, and several books. 
If you can get past most of the stuff found on Google and still want a Sheltie, it may be your breed
I'll look at the Sheltie books I have and let you know which one was the most useful. With some breeds you can find a lot of different books, Shelties are somewhat limited... Talking to a breeder in your area will also help. A good breeder won't just send a dog with anyone, they want their dogs to find a home.
There is a reason Labs are so popular, they do pretty much everything...
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I have an 18ish inch tall Sheltie, weighing in around 23lbs - and she isn't overweight. She is oversized... most are 13-15" and under 20lbs.
A sheltie (also called Shetland Sheepdog) for hiking? Depends on the hiking.
Everyone in our family has shelties but us so we've known quite a few shelties. We have labs. The reason we don't have shelties:
1) Shelties like to bark A LOT--at everything--like the grass growing and an airplane flying over and any funny sound. And it's a high-pitched annoying YAP! We've never had a lab that was a barker.
I've been told I have an oddball... she hardly ever barks, and its a real bark. All the others at the breeder were 'debarked' so I can't comment on how a Sheltie normally sounds, but it would probably depend on size too. Small diaphram, small bark.
2) We hike a lot and shelties collect a lot of cling-ons on hikes so they need much more grooming than our labs.He's been warned
But brushing a Sheltie is not hard, checking them for ticks is! They do pick up everything...3) They don't have the endurance on a hike that our labs have. When we've hiked with our family, they end up carrying their shelties. Our labs can walk circles around us as can most larger dogs that do a lot of hiking with their owners. Larger dogs can also carry some weight in their own backpack and can handle rough terrain better.The max I have done with mine is six miles, but she was still ready to go. Again, she is oversized - 3 inches taller than the breed standard allows, so terrain is easier for her than a small Sheltie would be. I wouldn't recommend a 13" Sheltie for hiking - they're better for use as slippers.
Don't get me wrong. I don't dislike shelties. I just don't see them as a good choice for long or extreme hikes. If you are just walking around in your local city park, shelties would be fine.I know he said hiking, but he didn't say how extreme it was...
My advice was to make sure its really the dog he wants, and not just pick it for looks. It is a beautiful dog, but they can be a lot of work and not right for everyone. I would also try to get a 'big' Sheltie. The 'standard' calls for 13-16" at the shoulders, many end up much bigger. A lot of Sheltie owners want a small dog, I wanted a bigger dog (a Golden Retriever actually...).
Also read everything you can on whatever breed you are looking at. When I was looking I read a few books on some breeds. At the start I wanted a Golden Retriever... read a book and decided it wasn't right at the time. A Sheltie was also chosen because they are never going to be considered intimidating - and someone else is afraid of dogs. I don't regret my dog, but I'm told I don't have a normal Sheltie...
The big problem with hiking with a dog like a Sheltie is the hair... ticks around here are a problem. But, if I didn't have my Sheltie, long hair would still be a problem - all of my dog choices had longer hair. I'm not fond of short coated breeds...
Most of the dogs I see on the trail are Labs. It's not really the breed for me. For the next dog, I'll probably end up with a mutt...
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Found the coupon:
Earn a $25 Gear Bucks CardPurchase $100 or more of products and receive a $25 Gear Bucks Card to use on a future purchase of $50 or more. Valid on in-stock items only. Minimum purchase does not include taxes, shipping and handling, gift cards, or rentals. Offer valid thru 12/24/08. Other restrictions may apply.
I'm not sure if this $25 coupon is available through 12-24, or you must use it by 12-24? Do you know?
The way it reads, the $25 card is available thru 12/24...
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I've been looking at a brittany.
Was on my list of potential breeds
Whatever purebred dog anyone gets, read up on potential genetic defects and get a dog from a breeder that tests the parents, and the pups (depending on what it is). For example, a Sheltie should be tested for Collie Eye Anomaly, among others. Getting a dog from bloodlines that have tested problem free could save some headache and heartache later down the road. Unfortunately it's not a 100% guaranteed...
Mixed breeds are generally free from genetic defects since both parents need to have the gene to pass it on...
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She looks like she would do good in a show ring, if i got a sheltie i would teach it some of the show ring agility.
(sorry,messed up last post)
She would qualify for agility. We have worked on some, but its more for fun. Even getting her to do that is a lot of work...
It's obvious she was being trained for the show ring (I got her at nine months), she stands in show stance, usually walks very well on a leash, and wasn't trained to sit. Getting her to do that was fun. For a 'smart breed,' she is rather stubborn sometimes... or maybe that is because she knows when there is no food in it for her
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I've had both a black lab-chow chow mix,and a dalmatian. Some of the best dogs are mutts, and my dalmatian had to be put down from cancers.
Thanks for the input! I will definitely do some research, ive actually got several dogs i have to look into.looks like alot of great looking dogs, I didnt know that many people had border collies.
The only problem i would see with a collie is branches and other debris getting tangled in its fur. Does anyone have any experience with a jack russel terrier? I heard they chase everything and can easily run off and get lost?
I would suggest a rat terrier rather than a jack. In my opinion, they are one of the top little dogs. Smart, athletic, obedient, and tough as nails but without the long hair. They are great farm dogs and would be great for someone who is semi-active. There are a couple different sizes and "types" so do your research.
The Rat Terrier is a cool looking dog. Picking a dog breed is one of the hardest things to do, there are a lot of nice dogs out there. For my next dog, it will probably be a mutt. I doubt I could get another Sheltie like Gracie...
Why would'nt you have another sheltie?
I didn't mean that I wouldn't get another Sheltie, more that it probably wouldn't be like her. She isn't really typical of the breed. I'm not really sure if one would live up to the standard she set. I love this dog, even with all her "faults" (oversized, crooked teeth, one straight ear) - all the things that make her perfect
Without these so-called defects, I wouldn't even have her, she would be in a show ring. -
Thanks for the input! I will definitely do some research, ive actually got several dogs i have to look into.looks like alot of great looking dogs, I didnt know that many people had border collies.
The only problem i would see with a collie is branches and other debris getting tangled in its fur. Does anyone have any experience with a jack russel terrier? I heard they chase everything and can easily run off and get lost?
I would suggest a rat terrier rather than a jack. In my opinion, they are one of the top little dogs. Smart, athletic, obedient, and tough as nails but without the long hair. They are great farm dogs and would be great for someone who is semi-active. There are a couple different sizes and "types" so do your research.
The Rat Terrier is a cool looking dog. Picking a dog breed is one of the hardest things to do, there are a lot of nice dogs out there. For my next dog, it will probably be a mutt. I doubt I could get another Sheltie like Gracie...
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Thats a really great looking dog you've got there, when i said debris in a way i kinda meant ticks,fleas, ect. And theres two things i really dont like.......thats spiders and ticks.
I don't think I have seen a tick in years, and that is with not using Frontline on the cat regularly for the past several years. Maybe it's all the other cats in the neighborhood being protected killing them all off. But ticks are a worry of mine living in Lyme disease country... Usually there are a few ticks found after a hike, last week was the worst I have seen. We will not be back there...
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The only problem i would see with a collie is branches and other debris getting tangled in its fur.
The leaves, branches and other debris are the least of my worries with my Sheltie, they just brush out. Checking her for ticks, that is another story... Last week I removed about sixty of the nasty little things after a four mile walk in the woods - our worst outing ever. Every time I moved a few hairs, there were more walking around - only found one attached though. Her hair is starting to get long, next year she will be groomed much shorter during the summer months.
There are a lot of nice looking dogs in this thread. I have a soft spot for the Herding breeds...
I have no actual experience with Jack Russels, but as I said before - my dog's breed tends to be shy, and easily spooked, I don't trust her off leash. A good online source or book on the breed should be able to answer your questions.
Since I never posted a pic in this thread...
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Thanks for your answers. It is much more clear to me now. I was thinking this could
be a way to catch someone that looks at your page and muggles it, but the last person
mentioned that there was a way to go around that. I am looking forward to the pocket
queries the most when I join next month. In addition, I am looking forward to
seeing where other PMOC caches are, not only to find them, but to better hide my own
caches. I spent a lot of time and energy making an awesome cache but found out that
a PMOC cache was nearby. Oh well, now I know to look for PMOC caches before placing any more of my own. Thanks.
You still run the risk of trying to place near a mystery or multi cache. PMOCs aren't the only thing taking up the landscape...
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Not sure exactly which ones you can use - some use the 'notes' feature, others use something else.
I am using an iPod Nano with CacheMagnet for paperless.
This thread may help some...
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I don't know if I would want it all in one unit, but I started paperless caching with my iPod nano and Cache Magnet. I will not be going back to paper anytime soon...
How ever you do it, paperless is much easier to do at home, and use in the field.
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The log feature is only on 'Premium Member Only Caches.' So, no... when you revisit regular cache pages the owner is not notified.
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I start at a cache page, then use the Google Maps feature to find more caches in the area. Then I usually pick an area with several caches that can be walked to, usually a park or something similar.
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Depends on the muggle... I cache with my dog, so it's usually not an issue. But on more than one occasion when I was in a remote part of a nature preserve or something similar, I have come across other dog owners who use the area for off leash play. The conversation is usually the same, something like "I don't usually see people in this area..." Those are the ones that I will sometimes come clean to. I have not had the fortune of coming across a hostile muggle (72 finds, 2 muggles). You will know the muggles to make something up to, and the ones to let know what you are doing. I have read about some caches becoming missing once a muggle knows what you are actually doing there - use your best judgement.
One more point, it's usually frowned upon to bring a dog into a cemetery - that may have garnered you her attention. Most of the ones with signs list it, but a lot of historic ones do not have any signs. It's one of the reasons I don't cache in cemeteries, I got into it so walking the dog would be more fun. Of my finds, she has only been absent on two. Most of our finds are in parks where the walk/hike is a few miles.
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Car GPS units aren't the best for geocaching, but some have gotten it to work. I have a Maestro, but I haven't tried using it for caching, although I attempted to use a Tomtom... I don't think it will actually lead you to the cache, just get you close since it's meant to stay on roads. You should still be able to use it to find the cache, just go to the AAA screen (if you have it) and see the coords of your location.
Good luck...
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The TomTom is going to try to stick to roads closest to the coords you entered. If, for instance, the cache is in a park, but near a road that borders the park, it will direct you to that road - not the park's parking lot or the road that it is actually on.
Obviously, a TT isn't the best for finding caches (I had attempted with a TT One 3rd edition before getting a handheld). But, if you do some research using Google Maps, etc.. you can get an idea of where you should be going and avoid some problems. Even for my first few finds with a handheld, I went to parks I knew so I could avoid some of the guesswork.
I don't know about the walking mode, I don't think mine has that. I used the 'Where am I' feature, which gives you satellite coordinates.
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If it needs to be pocketsized I break out the Sony P10 - since I dislike the picture quality, that is not very often. It's become the work camera...
Most of the time I carry a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18S. The 18x zoom with a stability control that actually works is nice to have at times. Picture quality is far better than the Sony, which at the time was actually more expensive. But it is far from small...
When money becomes available, I will be picking up a Canon PowerShot, not sure which one yet. Either that or another Panasonic...
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Maybe we can get Obama to provide us with globalized internet so people who can afford it will be forced to share with people who can't? That seems fair!
We already have that, it's called a public library
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I was just planning to to go with the Etrex H for $89.97
Big downside is the serial interface. My laptop doesn't have one, not even sure if my desktop does - I would be entering them by hand. There are adapters, but they don't always work.
There are other upgrades on the Venture HC, but the interface and color screen are the important ones IMO.
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I've been looking around and Amazon has some good prices and free shipping. Link Amazon
Hmm, the Venture HC went up $15. Still a good starter, but not as much of a bargain anymore (I didn't check any other models though).
And yes i have gotten by a bunch on google, the only problem im still alittle worried about is that long hair shedding alot. I know you told me how it sheds, and i've read a bunch on google about how it sheds. But it seems a dog with that hair would just be a shedding machine. 
Hiking with a dog?
in Hiking/backpacking
Posted
It really depends on where we are. If we're pretty deep in the woods, and it's off trail, I tend to leave it. I've never seen a wild animal bag and dispose of it... The key is for it to be off the trail!
Like Totem said, it really depends on the park. I've been places where there was so many horse presents one more pile would not have mattered. The next day we're at a park with nicely kept walking and biking trails - time to bag and carry it out. You'll know what to do when you're out there.