Its not only big dogs that "don't hear you" when they see something. Even little dogs do this. Fortunately for me, Molly has to take a packed lunch to go down to my front gate and therefore only needs a long work every now and again. I would never let her off her lead when travelling. I used to have an irish setter but everytime I opened the front door to someone I was on guard as I knew she would be rushing up behind me to go out. Still after some 20 years it is a natural reaction lol. I still miss her terribly.
We also had a Chow but he liked to get out and visit the neighbours and steal their chickens.
That said, I believe there are lots of lead free places to take your dogs and they will really enjoy travelling. Look up the internet and I think you will find a lot of options to take you dogs.

msg wrote:

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Its not only big dogs that "don't hear you" when they see something. Even little dogs do this. Fortunately for me, Molly has to take a packed lunch to go down to my front gate and therefore only needs a long work every now and again. I would never let her off her lead when travelling. I used to have an irish setter but everytime I opened the front door to someone I was on guard as I knew she would be rushing up behind me to go out. Still after some 20 years it is a natural reaction lol. I still miss her terribly.
We also had a Chow but he liked to get out and visit the neighbours and steal their chickens.
That said, I believe there are lots of lead free places to take your dogs and they will really enjoy travelling. Look up the internet and I think you will find a lot of options to take you dogs.

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 I have had Chows who would, if allowed, walk the block, never cross a road because I trained them that way, even to chase a cat etc but these two are not like that at all. As to stealing chickens, yes I knew a Chow breeder who also bred prize show poultry (chickens) and while she was out one day, a Chow of hers escaped the pen she was in (recently mated to a male and thought to be pregnant) and got into the chicken enclosure. The owner got home to see the Chow do what all Chows do when they catch something - grab it by the neck and without letting go, flick it over their heads to break the caught thing's neck. She put the Chow back and fixed the escape route and went back to the chicken roost to find that all the others had been cleanly plucked. None had been eaten and none otherwise marked in any way. I saw one of my own catch a HUGE rat when an excavator behind our first house went through the middle of a hidden rat nest and this one decided to run under the fence into our yard. With something like glee, she chaed and got it then flicked it as explained above without letting go and I heard a scream from the rat that sounded like a 5 year old human. My wife, transfixed in horror beside me, watched that Chow, who was MY girl, brought the new catch, apparently a great present and dumped it at my wife's feet. My wife started breathing in deeply to scream and I intejected "Pat her and tell her GOOD DOG" and that got my wife's attention who said, in a voice almost cracking "Why?". I replied "If you dont, the next one that comes across your feet may be alive" so she patted the Chow, told her what a good girl she was and rushed inside with all possible haste. I went to pick it up and the darned thing was still alive! It turned its head (couldnt move the body) to snap at me. I had to kill it before disposing of it.

Anyway, back on topic - I cannot trust my two at all and I dont believe there are many enclosed off leash areas anywhere around the country simply because councils dont like them and then they dont want to be sued by those using them. So if you know of any answers, I would appreciate it but so far no search has helped.

 

Ron and Shirley wrote:

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Unbelievable

 

I certainly would not want your dogs in an off lead park, or bush camp, with my little fella.

 

By your own admission they need to be tethered at all times if you ever go on the road.
Maybe even muzzled so they don't attack other animals or pick up bait.

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 I have no idea what it was that you were reading but on the off chance it had something to do with a nice bottle of Drambuie, could you pass it here? I think yours was off and I need to taste test it so next time you read, you dont read something that wasnt written. OTOH, I am a known taste tester of Drambuie! ;-}

No idea what you read but whatever you read wasnt in this thread so you might try again. All I said was that my two arent trustworthy off leash. I can call them and they wont come back. It isnt because they are dumb as doorposts but because they are too damned headstrong and would find adventure in any direction they pleased and I would have no chance of catching them. So whatever you read, I would love to publish that one in a fantasy section book! I reckon making stories from nothing is the backbone of a good author! Keep it up! Look at the millions J.K Rowlings made - you can do it, too, with an imagination like that! ;-}

biggles wrote:

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I don't even have a dog and I read it the same .. sorry 'bout that !

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 Well, it only goes to show you that it is true - we all need to stop putting off getting our glasses prescriptions rechecked! ;-}

GregTheComputerGuy wrote:

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 I have had Chows who would, if allowed, walk the block, never cross a road because I trained them that way, even to chase a cat etc but these two are not like that at all. 

<snip>

I saw one of my own catch a HUGE rat when an excavator behind our first house went through the middle of a hidden rat nest and this one decided to run under the fence into our yard. With something like glee, she chaed and got it then flicked it as explained above without letting go and I heard a scream from the rat that sounded like a 5 year old human. My wife, transfixed in horror beside me, watched that Chow, who was MY girl, brought the new catch, apparently a great present and dumped it at my wife's feet. My wife started breathing in deeply to scream and I intejected "Pat her and tell her GOOD DOG" and that got my wife's attention who said, in a voice almost cracking "Why?". I replied "If you dont, the next one that comes across your feet may be alive" so she patted the Chow, told her what a good girl she was and rushed inside with all possible haste. I went to pick it up and the darned thing was still alive! It turned its head (couldnt move the body) to snap at me. I had to kill it before disposing of it.

Anyway, back on topic - I cannot trust my two at all and I dont believe there are many enclosed off leash areas anywhere around the country simply because councils dont like them and then they dont want to be sued by those using them. So if you know of any answers, I would appreciate it but so far no search has helped.

 

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 Sorry I must have mis read your post.

The above was enough for me to keep our little fella away from free running Chows anywhere, particularly yours as you say you cannot trust the two you have now.

I travelled for six months witha small yorkie and a large nz huntaway, it was very easy but having said that the huntaway was very obedient, and in bad weather was happy to lounge in my van , it sounds like your two love exercise and action, so, if you want to take them, as suggested in the post above, sounds like a running wire is the best option, or, stay home.
I think another poster on here was worried by teh sound of your dogs that perhaps they would kill a small dog such as a pug? I would be worried about my yorkie also.
Fenced off leash areas are very rare in my limited travel experience.

There is no way around it- dogs in vans need regular exercise, by you, on leash. The leash protects the wild life and other dogs, it also allows you to know where and when they go to the toilet so you can pick it up. If your dog is a threat to smaller dogs or other humans, it needs a muzzle.

We used to travel with a portable pen, and have also used a tethering system and long lead. Other people has quite clever fencing around their awning areas.

I agree with others, fenced off leash areas are rare.

I agree with Ron & Shirley and Biggles also, he did also say he wouldn't trust his own dogs off a tether. seems a good story teller himself actually, or may be his drambui was off.

"hi we travel with 2 dogs 1med the other small, they have plenty of free runs we find spots for them to go , and they have plenty of walks on leads also . always be careful of baits, in doubtful areas always put a muzzle on them :)"

Good point.

If you ever happen to stay at the Cania Gorge caravan park [ the one nearest the dam ] take a walk to the end of the park and get through the barbed wire fence. You'll see 2 concrete headstones. The result of dogs running uncontrolled, both victims of 1080.

Rip and Rosie wrote:

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There is no way around it- dogs in vans need regular exercise, by you, on leash. The leash protects the wild life and other dogs, it also allows you to know where and when they go to the toilet so you can pick it up. If your dog is a threat to smaller dogs or other humans, it needs a muzzle.

We used to travel with a portable pen, and have also used a tethering system and long lead. Other people has quite clever fencing around their awning areas.

I agree with others, fenced off leash areas are rare.

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 Yes off leash areas are rare simply because they cause a lot of trouble when a nasty dog let off leash attacks someone else's dog. Councils CAN be sued by irate rate payers in such cases.

I have to say exercising on a leash probably is enough for a small dog say about the size of a Maltese but for Labrador sized dogs it really isnt unless you are a fit marathon runner and are happy to run a few kilometres with them while on leash. My dogs can cover half an acre before I can take a few steps. They come when called while in the yard but only MOST of the time, not all of it. I also like to train them against being frightened too easily by being down the hallway of our house and making a noise and when they come to investigate, jump out and scare them then roll around on the ground with them, make it a game and give them a treat. I do this because two Chows I had some time back were very FRIGHTENED girls, easily scared by anything. It occurred to me that someone's 6 year old child putting their hand through the fence to pat my scared ones back then may well end badly and my scare tactics worked well. Neither were actually frightened by anything much excepting lightning, after a solid 3 to 6 months of doing it every night. Sure they got used to what I was doing and that is part of the story. My current girl has taken up the game and plays it back on me. She likes to hide in the bush in the yard, especially at dusk and not make a noise until I am close then jump out at ME and run away jumping in the air thinking it is all good fun. Normally it is but when you think they may have escaped or it is raining, it isnt much fun. At those times she wont come until she has sprung her trap.

My boy likes to play inside more than out and stares at the girl until she comes to him to see what is going on then he whacks her in the face with a front paw and runs off. When playing, neither hear "come" unfortunately and honestly, about 37Kg of male chow and nearly 25kg of female Chow hitting you while playing isnt much fun so I like to get the girl worked up in the yard to play with the boy to blow it off outside. If he decides he will do it, he comes inside later and goes to sleep for hours. So you see, I have a real problem without an off leash area if I were permanently on the road. I still havent found anything that may work though. I am not sure I ever will but it also occurs to me that the more people talk about it if they see this as a problem, the more chance someone may come up with an answer.

gold dandelion wrote:

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I agree with Ron & Shirley and Biggles also, he did also say he wouldn't trust his own dogs off a tether. seems a good story teller himself actually, or may be his drambui was off.

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 I dont trust them off leash simply because they wouldnt come back. You have to know your dogs WILL come back to trust them off leash. I have trained Chows to be that way and an elderly old girl I had who died last year was that trustworthy EXCEPT if there was something interesting going on. Even then, I would call her name in a stern voice and she would quickly come to me. My current two couldnt be trusted to be off leash in a pink fit. I would never see them again. They would want to play with anything that moved and actually though I had the boy on leash, a Kanga surprised us when on holidays up near Coffs Harbour. A brand new area had been built out for residential and we were walking in it. Apparently no-one had bothered to tell the kangas anything and just built on their habitat. Anyway, a kanga hopped around the corner coming towards us. I stopped waiting to see what it would do and it stopped and eyed us off. My boy got really excited. He hadnt seen a mouse that size before!! He wanted to play with it. The kanga, as there were 2 Chows and my wife and I, decided to turn and go back the way it had come. As it did, a group of kids who all looked under 12 came around the corner. The poor kanga got such a shock he dived into the road. Fortunately, no traffic. The kids loved the dogs and the dogs loved the attention. One kid warned us about the rip in the surf off Safety Beach. He said:

"You can get pulled out to sea but dont worry as the current goes South and you will go past Woolgoolga and the life savers are almost always on duty. Just wave at them and they will come and get you. Dont know what would happen if you went past when they werent on duty. You'd probably end up in Wollongong!"

I found out, after listening to this earnest 10 year old, how hard it is to hold onto a leash and hold your guts at the same time while laughing. Funny little kid.

Yes, I have been asked to write stories many times. I grew up with a father from the Outback in Qld though. When I could do something REALLY well as a kid and would show off like kids do, he would bring me back to Earth with his Outback Qld "Common sense" approach. It amounted to the "tall poppy syndrome" really. You were brought up to try JUST enough to NOT stand out from the crowd and "Not be a smart a**e". I was actually picked for representative soccer and my father thought that wasnt a good thing. So while I occasionally DO write a story (I tend to find it easier to write science fiction strangely) and it is always well received, I also have my childhood programming stop me. If people like it, I stop doing it! ;-} Yeah yeah grow up and get over it and all. I guess at my age I am too old to be bothered with putting the energy into changing that! ;-}

BTW - and changing the topic - you can buy a jacket from Rivers that looks like leather though isnt (might be vinyl but I cant see anything to identify that and I have my doubts that it is vinyl) that looks for all the world like a copper's leather jacket. In my day job I always wear a blue shirt with breast pockets either side and pencil pocket on the left pocket. I also always wear black jeans and black shoes. The upshot is that when a guy pulled out in front of me and I almost t-boned his car into his driver door but JUST scraped around the rear of his car without touching him then pulled over to park, he came at me as if it was my fault then saw me get out of the car and stopped dead in his tracks. While I didnt mean to look like a copper, I actually must have, to him. If you can make them think twice it saves you getting into a problem with a car rage incident driver like that. I always have the crash cam on and when looking at it later saw the guy was looking left while pulling out in front of me. I think I might try to wear that jacket a lot. I rather like not being punched in the head! ;-}

Ron and Shirley wrote:

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Why do I feel I have just wasted 15 minutes of my life reading this stuff???
I should have known better.

For God's (and our) sake give it a go on short local trial trip, and give us a break
.
Tether your dogs, wearing suitable chest padded harnesses, to the van next to your outdoor chairs, and then walk your dogs on lead 2 to 3km twice a day, and see how YOU go.

THEY will love it.

-- Edited by Ron and Shirley on Saturday 15th of June 2013 10:54:24 PM

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 I agree with you, Ron and Shirley.

Dogs adapt, they just want to be with you. 

I think you forget they ARE DOGS, although you think they are "boys" and have such human like personalities, they are basically  dogs. Despite your wish to customise your van and let them run free, you are doomed to be frustrated and beset with ongoing issues. It won't work, hasn't for others and won't for you.

Your dogs are basically no different to anyone else's, so take advice as offered- use you annex, keep them on a lead/chain or penned up, off lead in designated off lead areas only, don't let them make a nuisance of themselves with other travellers, pick up droppings and control barking.

Try is and see how you go.

I hope you have a good solicitor if they are running free and crash into someone. I despise dogs running up to me with the owner screaming behind them "they're ok, they won't bite"...

Re looking like a copper, impersonating police is a criminal offence. I was a cop for 17 years and got "pulled over" once by some idiot Dressing like a cop. When I showed him my real police badge he was very sad...

As for writing stories, stay at home and do that, then the dogs can run free in your yard without annoying anyone.