Week One!

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Day two- Dog training and my first food shop

Today I got up at 6:40.. O_O! Oh yes I was TIRED!! But it turns out that this was one day followed by many more getting up while it was STILL DARK! Not something my body is used to I can say that! Linda has three massive deciduous trees in her garden...these trees malt BIG TIME!! Her garden was like a carpet of leaves. Now my child-portion of my brain says crispy leaves and thought JUMP!! My adult half thought...dogs poo all over that garden...! So I can cleanly say I listened to the boring sensible half and my clothes thanked me, for yes...I found alotta poop while raking them up!! I did what us normal brits do. Pile the leaves in neat piles about two metres apart all ready to be shoved in bin bags and chucked into the tip. Out here the leaves can actually be USED! My neat little piles were then raked onto a massive tarp and hauled out to the lake to help form a runway down. When the frost comes and the lakes freezes over the dogs can actually be run on the lake! It freezes pretty damn solidly!! So a little slope makes the whole process much easier 😊

At about 10ish a lady (Pat) arrived with her two pet siberian huskies, Lexy and Gabriel?! Mm...I admit I thought it was a strange name aswell..! They were GORGEOUS!! So fluffy it was unreal and a sandy brown colour with beautiful eyes. Gabriel (aka Gabe) had hazel eyes, but one eye had a perfect line in the middle and one side was ice blue! How cool is that!! It looked like a weird yin and yang 😊 Linda then taught Pat three methods to help teach a dog to become a 'pulller'. When you first start sledding or using dogs for caner-crossing or skiing you have to train them properly. Then when new ones arrive (like puppies!!) they can be 'taught' by the older dogs and it makes the process much easier! The first thing Linda did was attatch Gabes harness to a small tyre so that he got used to the motion of pulling. It was so funny when he first started moving and then immediatly stopped and looked around with an expression of UTTER disgust! He was probably thinking "What the hell is this damn thing following me..!" He then progressed to two small tyres before moving on to method numero 2. This involves attaching a leash to the back of his harness (the bit that the dogs actually pull with) and onto her car (where you would tow it if it broke down). You then have to give the command "tighten-up" and pull the dog so that the leash is taught. This helps them learn what the command means and what it feels like. Everytime the dogs moves you say nothing and nudge him back into place! Finally the third lesson involved putting you arm through the back of the harness and 'hoisting' the dog up so its back legs are almost off the floor. Then you have to straddle the dog (lets just say that neither Pat nor Gabe liked the idea of this!!) and walk foward. This simulates the pulling up effect of sled running. It also gives the owner proper control of the dog and Pat had to make sure that Gabe stayed straight. If at any point he tired to move backwards up his back legs went and he was then pivoted on his front!! He HATED that!! And then Lexy had a go 😊

After this Linda and I went grocery shopping....Now I would consider myself an apt shopper..in england! Boy I miss Tescos so bad!! I have to buy my own food…and I panicked!! In Tesco’s I know the prices and packaging etc. Its so much easier. I can survive on 25 quid a week!! Well of course Americano has SO MUCH FOOD! Theres not two types of beans like Heinz and tesco’s own…oh no..there was like 20-30 different types!!! And don’t get me started on the sausages….no caramelised red onion ones that was for sure. They were HUNDREDS of hot dogs and weird ones like turkey sausages?! Mm…turkey should NEVER be made into a sausage! Anyhoo’s I freaked out…bought 15 bagels, (we go shopping once a fortnight) 6 baked potatoes, some peas and salmon and cheetos and popcorn and butter. Well its the marge "I can't believe its not butter" and I only bought it because I recognised the name! So yar..i then had to walk into water town and buy some bread, cheese, lunch foods really, some more dinners and fruit. Oh well. My shopping skills have dropped dramatically. I figured out though that with the money I have I can spend just under 40 dollars a week for food. I spent…32$ for two weeks?! But then again I have like no food…and no decent food! Like vitamin C or protein :P I mainly miss English chocolate though. In the store they had hersheys hersheys hersheys…oh and RITTERSPORT!! But it was 3,50$!!! So much for it in England being what..? 70p!! yar not impressed!! BUT I found the American version of GALAXY!!! Mon favouri chocolat!! Its called Dove and doesn't quite taste the same but is possibly the best American chocolate out there 😊

We then put the collars on the dogs in prepartion for there run tommorow!!

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Photos

Pat and Gabe
Pulling the tyre

Comments

[anonymous]

I'm stalking you ;) hahaa. Nah I saw this on alice's page and thought why not have a look. BTW THOSE DOGS ARE SOOO CUTE!!!!! :):) speak soon laiiin :) xxxxxx