Yes, these are all in Oregon. The rock picture is on a crazysteep trail that's only 10 minutes from my house. The last picture was taken on the border of the the Rouge River-Siskiyou National Forest and Kalmiopsis Wilderness. Everything else is either inside or at the dog park.
So we had some abnormal weather last night that resulted in about 3/4 inch of snow on the front lawn this morning. I knew about it (since I basically stay up all night) and decided to be an oddball and take Conker hiking in the morning. (I normally hike in the afternoon.) He was thrilled!
The trailhead of Cathedral Hills.
As soon as he was given the go-ahead, Conker RAN OFF INTO THE FOREST and vanished from sight. I imagine some other Shiba owners would have had a miniature (or major) meltdown at the sight (or lack of) their Shiba running off into the snow-covered forest. I waited a bit then called, and Conker came back. No meltdown for me.
Obligatory Shiba-on-the-pick-nick-table picture.
There was some pretty neat scenery too. This is the view of Grant's Pass from the highest portion of the trails.
Some parts of the trails had more snow than others. My guess is that something around 2 inches fell in Cathedral Hills which is only a little over 5 miles from my house. Funny how much of a difference about 100-300 feet in elevation makes when it comes to this. (Other places not-too-far-away got 6 inches or more.)
Other than running around like he's on fire, catching balls of snow mid-air is Conker's favorite snow game.
It was a pretty good hike. Most of the snow is gone now, so getting up early (I never really fell asleep, actually) was worth it.
Also, I almost never do these things, but I decided to give it a shot anyways. If you guys could vote (like) for Conker in the Bestbullysticks.com facebook smiling dog contest, I'd greatly appreciate it! Or you could enter your own dog... The winner gets $100 worth of treats./chews/toys from their site.
Yeah, I really like that one too. I was shocked when I saw it on the computer since that camera is not known for taking quality pictures. I need to get myself one of those spiffy DSLR cameras sometime soon, point-and-shoot cameras are driving me insane.
Love the snow pictures, and must agree with Brad, that is a beautiful picture!! Conker is really cute, as always, and he has a very lovely smile (already voted for him)
Conker was super leggy for a while a couple months ago. And pretty skinny. He's packed on a bit of weight since then and doesn't look so stick-like, but he's still pretty dang leggy.
I don't even know. I think he was rolling.
This day was strange. It was 60 degrees the day before, then it shot up to 90 for three days, then went back down to 60.
Conker likes to sniff flowers. Because of this, hikes during springtime flower-season take twice as long.
This was taken last March? I think. This is just a taste of how he treats Juneau when I'm not close enough to stop him.
It's pretty green in the spring here in Southern Oregon
It's basically tradition now to stop and take a picture on this pick-nick bench.
Even the "brown" parts are green. It's unavoidable here.
I love the scenery! I can't wait to move out of South Florida and have some actual variety in the terrain and foliage. Looks like Conker sure loves his hikes The picnic table picture is great, I'm just imagining him hopping up to sit down and being like "Ok, where's the camera? Let's do this!" Is that the older model Web Master?
@hondru Yeah, it's so people know he's a dog, and so I can see him easily since in certain season/areas he just blends in with everything. I've had one or two hunters pop out of the brush and ask me about my "fox", so I put the bandanna on to make it a bit more obvious that he's owned, and not a fox.
@cezieg Yeah, it's the old Web Master. Er, older old one, now that Ruff Wear has a newer version out. It used to be an Approach but I hacked off the packs and made them re attachable with clips like the Palisades is. It doesn't come in Conker's size, so I just made one.
Conker on a pick-nick table, this one is at a local trail called Limpy Creek. I do this thing on my blog I call Obligatory Pictures, where Conker is on a pick-nick table. I accidentally turned it into a tradition at my favorite hiking trail system, so now whenever I go, I need to post an "obligatory" picture of Conker on the pick-nick table. That's why there are a lot of these type of Conker pictures.
Conker posing in the morning sunlight on another pick-nick bench just outside the Oregon Badlands Wilderness. This was the day after we went lure coursing in Bend.
This trail, Dollar Mountain (I call it Dollar Hill), is the one that's 2 miles from my house. We walked there, making the trip 6 miles instead of just 1 up and 1 down. It's a 1,000 foot climb in that 1 mile though, and you gotta go back down it too. Cathedral Hills, my favorite trail system, is to the right of Conker behind that little tree.
Conker started to slide off the rock...
This is that same rock, but Conker is on the other end of it. This is a different day. We went "exploring" behind the cell phone tower at the top and kinda got lost and ended up on some private property, turning out 6 mile hike/walk into a 10 mile mishap. Not doing that again.
Conker decided to break his fast with a pork butt bone. (I had a thread about this a little while ago.)
So far, he is eating well and gaining weight.
These last three were taken today. Conker has a favorite trail at the Cathedral Hills trail system. It's called Hogback, and it's a somewhat strenuous trail with lots of ups and downs. Conker always wants to go on this one whenever we go to Cathedral Hills, and today, he objected to me taking an easier trail called Cloverlawn instead of Hogback by standing on the trail above me and refusing to move.
Somewhere on a trail called Skycrest. This one is my favorite. It's the farthest trail from the trailhead in the system, so it's got the least amount of traffic. See the cowbell? I was inspired by a video I saw of Chrystal's Juno climbing a tree, and she was wearing a bell. I got one for Conker and love it. It took a bit of getting used to, but now I don't worry about how far around the corner Conker is while hiking since I can hear the bell and judge distance and speed by the sound. It also helps locate him if he goes off-trail, and alert other trail users to his presence.
Conker sitting on a bench overlooking Grant's Pass. To give you a bit of perspective about how small GP is, Dollar Mountain is just to the left of Conker, hidden behind the trees. Both views look over the same section of town. Though GP has a population of about 34,500, most of it is rural and farmland. The city itself is only about 8 square miles.
Looks like Conker is really enjoying the trails! His photo sliding off the rock looks silly. How is he with walking off leash? Your photos are beautiful.
Thanks, I try to take good pictures, but most of them have to be edited to look nice.
Conker is really good off-leash, especially considering he's a Shiba. He's actually better off-leash than on-leash. He's a reactive mess on-leash, so it's better for him to be off unless circumstances call for him to be leashed, like around horses. I called him off a deer today, which surprised me. He usually doesn't chase after deer, but he came right back when I got his attention, so that's good. I knew he was after something by the sound of the bell he wears. I didn't know it was a deer until after he'd come back and I spotted it bounding down the ravine. Usually, if I tell him to "Leave It" before he gives chase, he will not bother the animal. But I have to spot them before he does and get his attention, or say the command in that split second between him seeing it and giving chase. When he chased the deer, I was fiddling with my pack and was not giving the forest enough attention, so I did not see it or notice Conker tense up before he ran. That was entirely my fault. He does have moments where he'd rather sniff something than come when I call, and he'll finish his business first. Sometimes it takes a few moments longer for him to respond, but he always does. He is far more reliable with sticking to the trails than my other two, but Juneau beats him by a mile with recall. She takes off like a rocket but recalls on a dime, no matter what the distraction may be.
Here's another picture taken today. I don't normally get pictures of me since I never think of it and using a self-timer is annoying. I tried a couple times today but most of them are crap. And, it's very obvious in this picture as to why most people think I'm a guy...
Comments
He was thrilled!
The trailhead of Cathedral Hills.
As soon as he was given the go-ahead, Conker RAN OFF INTO THE FOREST and vanished from sight. I imagine some other Shiba owners would have had a miniature (or major) meltdown at the sight (or lack of) their Shiba running off into the snow-covered forest. I waited a bit then called, and Conker came back. No meltdown for me.
Obligatory Shiba-on-the-pick-nick-table picture.
There was some pretty neat scenery too. This is the view of Grant's Pass from the highest portion of the trails.
Some parts of the trails had more snow than others. My guess is that something around 2 inches fell in Cathedral Hills which is only a little over 5 miles from my house. Funny how much of a difference about 100-300 feet in elevation makes when it comes to this. (Other places not-too-far-away got 6 inches or more.)
Other than running around like he's on fire, catching balls of snow mid-air is Conker's favorite snow game.
It was a pretty good hike. Most of the snow is gone now, so getting up early (I never really fell asleep, actually) was worth it.
Also, I almost never do these things, but I decided to give it a shot anyways.
If you guys could vote (like) for Conker in the Bestbullysticks.com facebook smiling dog contest, I'd greatly appreciate it! Or you could enter your own dog...
The winner gets $100 worth of treats./chews/toys from their site.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=168800239900719&set=o.98130390206&type=1&theater
http://www.facebook.com/BestBully
Thanks!
I really like this pic...
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Conker is really cute, as always, and he has a very lovely smile (already voted for him)
This was in December.
Conker was super leggy for a while a couple months ago. And pretty skinny. He's packed on a bit of weight since then and doesn't look so stick-like, but he's still pretty dang leggy.
I don't even know. I think he was rolling.
This day was strange. It was 60 degrees the day before, then it shot up to 90 for three days, then went back down to 60.
Conker likes to sniff flowers. Because of this, hikes during springtime flower-season take twice as long.
This was taken last March? I think. This is just a taste of how he treats Juneau when I'm not close enough to stop him.
It's pretty green in the spring here in Southern Oregon
It's basically tradition now to stop and take a picture on this pick-nick bench.
Even the "brown" parts are green. It's unavoidable here.
@cezieg Yeah, it's the old Web Master. Er, older old one, now that Ruff Wear has a newer version out. It used to be an Approach but I hacked off the packs and made them re attachable with clips like the Palisades is. It doesn't come in Conker's size, so I just made one.
Conker on a pick-nick table, this one is at a local trail called Limpy Creek.
I do this thing on my blog I call Obligatory Pictures, where Conker is on a pick-nick table. I accidentally turned it into a tradition at my favorite hiking trail system, so now whenever I go, I need to post an "obligatory" picture of Conker on the pick-nick table. That's why there are a lot of these type of Conker pictures.
Conker posing in the morning sunlight on another pick-nick bench just outside the Oregon Badlands Wilderness. This was the day after we went lure coursing in Bend.
This trail, Dollar Mountain (I call it Dollar Hill), is the one that's 2 miles from my house. We walked there, making the trip 6 miles instead of just 1 up and 1 down. It's a 1,000 foot climb in that 1 mile though, and you gotta go back down it too.
Cathedral Hills, my favorite trail system, is to the right of Conker behind that little tree.
Conker started to slide off the rock...
This is that same rock, but Conker is on the other end of it. This is a different day. We went "exploring" behind the cell phone tower at the top and kinda got lost and ended up on some private property, turning out 6 mile hike/walk into a 10 mile mishap. Not doing that again.
Conker decided to break his fast with a pork butt bone. (I had a thread about this a little while ago.)
So far, he is eating well and gaining weight.
These last three were taken today.
Conker has a favorite trail at the Cathedral Hills trail system. It's called Hogback, and it's a somewhat strenuous trail with lots of ups and downs. Conker always wants to go on this one whenever we go to Cathedral Hills, and today, he objected to me taking an easier trail called Cloverlawn instead of Hogback by standing on the trail above me and refusing to move.
Somewhere on a trail called Skycrest. This one is my favorite. It's the farthest trail from the trailhead in the system, so it's got the least amount of traffic.
See the cowbell? I was inspired by a video I saw of Chrystal's Juno climbing a tree, and she was wearing a bell. I got one for Conker and love it. It took a bit of getting used to, but now I don't worry about how far around the corner Conker is while hiking since I can hear the bell and judge distance and speed by the sound. It also helps locate him if he goes off-trail, and alert other trail users to his presence.
Conker sitting on a bench overlooking Grant's Pass.
To give you a bit of perspective about how small GP is, Dollar Mountain is just to the left of Conker, hidden behind the trees. Both views look over the same section of town. Though GP has a population of about 34,500, most of it is rural and farmland. The city itself is only about 8 square miles.
Conker is really good off-leash, especially considering he's a Shiba. He's actually better off-leash than on-leash. He's a reactive mess on-leash, so it's better for him to be off unless circumstances call for him to be leashed, like around horses.
I called him off a deer today, which surprised me. He usually doesn't chase after deer, but he came right back when I got his attention, so that's good. I knew he was after something by the sound of the bell he wears. I didn't know it was a deer until after he'd come back and I spotted it bounding down the ravine.
Usually, if I tell him to "Leave It" before he gives chase, he will not bother the animal. But I have to spot them before he does and get his attention, or say the command in that split second between him seeing it and giving chase. When he chased the deer, I was fiddling with my pack and was not giving the forest enough attention, so I did not see it or notice Conker tense up before he ran. That was entirely my fault.
He does have moments where he'd rather sniff something than come when I call, and he'll finish his business first. Sometimes it takes a few moments longer for him to respond, but he always does. He is far more reliable with sticking to the trails than my other two, but Juneau beats him by a mile with recall. She takes off like a rocket but recalls on a dime, no matter what the distraction may be.
Here's another picture taken today.
I don't normally get pictures of me since I never think of it and using a self-timer is annoying. I tried a couple times today but most of them are crap. And, it's very obvious in this picture as to why most people think I'm a guy...