{"id":1118,"date":"2018-05-23T18:18:23","date_gmt":"2018-05-23T23:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mo4d.wordpress.com\/?p=1118"},"modified":"2021-12-07T14:39:41","modified_gmt":"2021-12-07T19:39:41","slug":"bugg-the-brave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doghairlife.com\/?p=1118","title":{"rendered":"Bugg the Brave"},"content":{"rendered":"

A timid boy<\/em><\/p>\n

In late February of this year, Bugg joined our family of misfit toys after his previous owner needed to rehome him. Bugg is a Treeing Walker Coonhound\/Australian Cattle Dog mix and one of ten pups whose mother died of bloat soon after birthing them. If this story sounds familiar, Bugg is indeed, a littermate of my boy Norbert, who I\u2019ve had since he was five weeks old.\u00a0 When I heard his brother needed a home, and knowing I wanted another pup, it seemed obvious that I should see if we could make this work.<\/p>\n

The moment Bugg trotted up on my front porch, it was love at first site. His warm eyes and sweet disposition were the first thing I noticed. I knew within hours that we would likely offer a home to him. Though red and white to Norbert\u2019s tri-color, the two have many similarities \u2013 their butt spots, the way they hold their ears, their affinity for casing the cats\u2026 They also differ greatly. Where Norbert is headstrong, dominant, and protective, Bugg is passive to the point of frequent bouts of submissive urination.<\/p>\n

This has been a challenge. Bugg is a big boy and Bugg has a big bladder.<\/p>\n

\"Pre-race<\/p>\n

Just prior to our new addition, I learned about the US Canine Biathlon from a Canicross Facebook page that I had joined.\u00a0 Norbert had been my constant adventure buddy from the start \u2013 trailrunning, paddleboarding, skijoring, etc\u2026 He was quite the athlete and I thought participating in what is essentially a Tough Mudder with your dog, seemed like a great way to spend the day with him.<\/p>\n

Once Bugg joined the family, he became part of our weekend hikes and runs. He quickly took to the fun but wasn\u2019t quite as athletic\/agile as his brother and was often timid when faced with a challenge (Bugg vs Log<\/a><\/strong>). In time, he started to try new things such as jumping in the lake and swimming out to retrieve a stick, but his insecurities were still a mountain. I called my trainer in to help and started a routine with me to help build his confidence.<\/p>\n

Additionally, I took Bugg on a couple of road trips and camping trips with Norbert and me.\u00a0 After his first road trip where he stood in the back seat for 4.5 out of the 5 hours each way, excited about every truck that went by, he had liquid diarrhea for two days following.\u00a0 A camping trip later, his anxiety about riding in the car started to subside (though he still gets really jazzed about trucks!). Our next trip to Alliston, Alabama was a long one so I was prepped with some Pro-Pectalin on hand, just in case\u2026.\u00a0 I planned on bringing him down with Norbert and me for the race so he could be exposed to the event, crowds of people and other dogs.<\/p>\n

That was the plan.<\/p>\n

\"Roadtrip

“Look, a truck!!!”<\/p><\/div>\n

What about Norbert?<\/em><\/p>\n

Then, last week, my Norbert didn\u2019t live up to his perfect social media persona and snapped at a hiker on a trail where some friends and I had been camping. Long story short, the guy was very understanding about things, but I was a mess. I had failed my dog. I knew he reacted to strangers sometimes and I made several mistakes (not being aware of my surroundings, not having full control, verbal or otherwise, of him, and not keeping the space I know he needs when out and about).\u00a0 I had also made the mistake many owners make of not taking it seriously enough sooner (\u201cMY kid isn\u2019t a bad kid!\u201d). When a dog is labeled \u201creactionary\u201d people tend to think of the big dog that really bites down and could kill someone. Norbert isn\u2019t that dog; but, he is the dog that will rip clothing and might just get some skin while doing so \u2013 he will also sound like Cujo as he\u2019s doing it and is a fairly big dog which is intimidating to many. It can\u2019t be a pleasant experience for the casual hiker just going out for a peaceful walk in the woods\u2026<\/p>\n

I was a wreck over it. Me, the dog person who knows how to work with my dogs, completely failed. I immediately recognized the errors I made, but also lost my own confidence that I could be certain not to let it happen again. It shook my world.<\/p>\n

A call to my trusted trainer, Jeff Hacker, to postpone Bugg\u2019s training to discuss, and work with Norbert, became priority. After just one session I felt 100 times better and had a plan in place that is already showing promise.<\/p>\n

However, I was just days from heading south to Alabama and though I knew they allowed for dogs of all sorts to participate in the event, I was new to it and wasn\u2019t going to put Norbert nor myself in a situation to err again.\u00a0 After talking to my trainer, I decided to run Bugg instead, but still bring Norbert with me so he could be exposed to the event and see what was happening, but under my watchful eye.<\/p>\n

With the decision made, we headed south with the The Doghouse<\/a> in tow. \u00a0Norbert, who has many road trips in the books, settled in and napped most of the hours on the road while Bugg stood for all but about 15 minutes, excited about every truck that passed on the highway. \u201cLook, a truck!\u00a0 Look, another truck!!!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I was glad I had Norbert with me. It was hard enough to make the decision to not run him, but to leave him at home would have broken my heart. When a stranger approached my camper at my stop Thursday night, where Bugg would have likely hid in a corner and wet himself had we been alone, Norbert was fully in tune and on the ready to protect me. Norbert may have a bad attitude at times, but is ever loyal and protective.<\/p>\n

\"Sweet<\/p>\n

Bugg’s Big Day!<\/em><\/p>\n

The event was at Vapor Wake K9, a training facility for dogs who are trained in explosive detection. This was the fifth year for the Canine Biathlon, which I was told, has doubled in size every year through word of mouth alone. Many of the participants were from military and police backgrounds and had dogs trained in specialized programs \u2013 there were a number of Malinois, German Shepherds, and Doberman Pinchers, many of which were dog or people aggressive, but in full control by their handlers. In fact, during the whole weekend where there were over 800 dogs out and about, the only issues I saw were with pet owners (not the working dogs) whose dogs got loose or whose leashes were dropped during the race.<\/p>\n

The forecast called for thunderstorms all weekend.\u00a0 As it turned out the only time it rained was when I first arrived. We had about a 15 minute downpour just as I was setting up camp. Since I didn’t expect it to stop, I was completely drenched by the time I had everything set up.\u00a0 Then the sun came out for the rest of the weekend.<\/p>\n

The event and course was designed with dogs and their safety in mind, first and foremost. Humans be damned! As Paul Hammond, the Mad Brit, who designed the course stated in his opening remarks, “We always send the runners off first without dogs so they can clear the snakes for our beautiful furry friends!”<\/p>\n\n\t\t