New pics of Aubrey (attn - dial-up pic heavy)

[Chef-Kergin]

So I got Aubrey a stillwater collar.

Figured I'd take some pics of her this morning while I was killin time before work.

So here she is, turned 1 yr old Sep. 9th, and last I checked, she was somewhere between 36-37 lbs.

"Sit."
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/kergin/sit.jpg

lickin' her chops for her pole...
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/kergin/chain1.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/kergin/chain2.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/kergin/chain3.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/kergin/chain4.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/kergin/chain5.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/kergin/chain6.jpg

(sorry for the blurriness, hard to take a pic and hold onto the dang pole at the same time...)
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/kergin/chain7.jpg

All my grass is green again, since she spent nearly 4 1/2 wks inside during her heat, but she's already startin to get some brown spots in there, and when it dries up, she'll have a dust storm in no time.

any and all comments welcome.

also, i've been wondering what to do, since this will be her first winter outside coming up, and where i'm at in OH, it's realtively flat, and gets f-ing cold.

i was thinkin about this...someone recommended it to me who lives in the frigid north; attaching some kind of hinges to a board, and use that to close the dog in her house/barrel at night, similar to just crating them if they were inside, to help keep them warm.

with my shift, i get home kinda late so i'd close hr in then, and i get up at the ball-crack of dawn with the wife everyday, so i'd be able to let her out before sunrise.

input?? :confused:

[Bullyson]

How cold is cold? We usually make sure all our dogs are chipped really well and that seems to do fine. It gets into the teens here occasionally but thats as bad as it gets.

[Chef-Kergin]

we go through stints of where it'll be 10 degrees or lower at night (due to bad wind) and low teens all day...for weeks at a time. last few years were mild up until christmas time, but then after new year, we usually get a couple feet of snow from january through early march, and it's bitter cold for weeks on end, i mean bitter cold when it's snowing and blowin wind.

[Bullyson]

I dont know what to tell you then man. We dont get that sh!t here. It gets cold, but not "Hurt you" cold. Is Aubrey a chewer? Maybe look into a heating blanket or one of those things you can heat up that holds heat with no electricity. Im sure there is someone here who can help. Good luck.

[Michele]

She's so pretty.

Kergin: can you bring her in when it's really cold or do you want her outside all the time? Do you have a sunroom? That's like a outside room, kind of like an extension of the house that's screened in.

[coolhandjean]

She looks good. I love those ears.

[Chef-Kergin]

gbdj - thanks for the idea. i picked up a heated water bowl for her at the feed store. holds 3 gallons, and garaunteed not to freeze. i'll just bury the heavy duty extension cord underground when i plug it in and run it to the garage. and no worries, it'll be positioned such that she won't ever be able to touch the electrical cord, because yes, she chews out of boredom sometimes.

chj - thanks! i like the crazy ears too. gives her more personality :P

michele - she's not out 24/7....i usually bring her in and rub her down for 20-30 mins after her daily maintenance walks, give her some treats for following commands, just some good bonding time so she keeps her house manners. my wife does the same with her in the evening after she gets fed. we also let her in to meet ppl after they've gone out to her chain to meet her.

but i don't want to chance leaving her unattended with my jrt, even in her crate....not strong enough. about half way through her cycle, she started to become less tolerant of my jrt. one time both dogs got real wound up, and it almost escalated into a very bad situation...they were playin around in the living room, she slammed into him and rolled him into the wall, jrt turned, went under the couch, and bit her chest when he came half way out from underneath. her lunging after him when he backed under the furniture and getting her head stuck b/t the floor and couch allowed me to grab her up before anything bad happened.

serious lesson learned for me there, beacuse for a while both dogs were real laid back around each other.

after that, it was strict crate & rotate. she did a real number on it when she was crated during the rest of her heat; bent the sides from banging into it from excitement, popped the top corner off jumping up and down one night, you get the picture.

rotating her in and out at night isn't a bad idea, but i believe it'd be better on her body if she stays used to a more constant environment (temp), adjusting over time. she learned real fast to stay in the shade in her barrel during the hot part of the day, and i'm sure she'll pick up on it when it gets cold. i still have several more months before it starts to get chilly.

[14rock]

You do not want to be bringing her inside from zero degrees, to 75, and back out to -0.

Wooden dog houses, for the winter time. Packed so full of hay, it's difficult to get in for the first time. Once they get in and comfortable, they don't come out too awful much and don't make them. During the winter months, try to avoid getting them all stirred up, where they are outside in the cold barking, and running around. Let them stay warm!

[Chef-Kergin]

14rock - that's what i figured, trying to keep the body temp. regulated without much stress.

i got a couple extra hay bails in the shed, ready to go. i also got another blue barrel, and cut a small hole in the top to swap out when it gets cold. it's really small, but i want it to be, i'll just have to cut it larger if she needs to squeeze through.

[twiztidpitz]

You do not want to be bringing her inside from zero degrees, to 75, and back out to -0.

Wooden dog houses, for the winter time. Packed so full of hay, it's difficult to get in for the first time. Once they get in and comfortable, they don't come out too awful much and don't make them. During the winter months, try to avoid getting them all stirred up, where they are outside in the cold barking, and running around. Let them stay warm!
Sounds like what I would do...also try putting some sort of flap over the front of the house. Like a thick tough cloth that will help hold in some sort of heat. Mine love it, it gets in the low teens maybe lower, here.

[Stillwater]

Cool Pics, Thanks, Shane

[Marty]

You do not want to be bringing her inside from zero degrees, to 75, and back out to -0.

Wooden dog houses, for the winter time. Packed so full of hay, it's difficult to get in for the first time. Once they get in and comfortable, they don't come out too awful much and don't make them. During the winter months, try to avoid getting them all stirred up, where they are outside in the cold barking, and running around. Let them stay warm!I would just like to add, maybe a raw deer bone to chew on also when its cold... takes the mind off of being cold and gives em something to do ;)

[Chef-Kergin]

I would just like to add, maybe a raw deer bone to chew on also when its cold... takes the mind off of being cold and gives em something to do ;)
i don't hunt deer, so that'll be tough for me.

i do however, have a stockpile of beef bones in my chest freezer. we get 1/4 cows at work, and i get to break em down every two to three days, so i have a nice selection of leg bones, rib bone, a couple pieces of back bone, etc, that i like to give em as treats.

are deer bones more durable, you think, to occupy their time more?