FARSEER

It took Dawg 5 weeks before he used the talking buttons for the first time without prompting. He continues to learn the new mode of communication, but he occasionally wants to default to his old methods of paw waving or whining when he wants something. Old habits die hard.

Training session when Dawg was just a pup. He wasn't always the responsive, well trained adult he is today.

Accounts of common mistakes leading to tragedy in the wilderness. Watch this and my common backpacking mistake videos. Don't become the next dead hiker or backpacker. Book mentioned in this video: Over the edge: Death in Grand Canyon 2001 edition http://tinyurl.com/OverTheEdgeDeathGrandGanon2001 (likely what we read) The 2012 Edition: http://tinyurl.com/DeathGrandC2012Edition Prior Videos: https://rumble.com/v3yqobs-common-backpacking-mistakes-part-1.html https://rumble.com/v3yt4ti-common-backpacking-mistakes-part-2.html

After just a week of working with Dawg and his speech board, he talks for the first time. For those interested in more information about this technique, see www.hungerforwords.com. The next step will be communication completely unprompted by me. Spontaneous communication! Stay tuned for his next breakthrough!

We both caught colds after Thanksgiving and spent two weeks indoors. Now that we are fully recovered, I return to training Dawg. This video shows his progress with the search command on two different days. I asked Andra to sneak out of the house so he was unaware she left the house on both days. She takes a path right around Dave's house on day one and left on day two.

After a full year, will Dawg remember to avoid rattlesnakes when we return for his refresher course? Or more to the point, did the training from last year really work?

As Dawg is a working dog breed, it is highly recommended to repeat the training next year. Working dogs are more determined and will often step up to the plate in dangerous situations when family are involved. A second class will help reinforce the avoidance concept. The training is put on by www.getrattled.org and is very inexpensive. $85 first time, $45 for refresher classes (back in 2017, now it is more). If you live in areas with rattlesnakes, I highly recommend this training. Go to getrattled.org for current pricing and schedule/training sites. Dawg is 8 months old at the time of this video.

This video is a time lapse of Dawg growing from weeks old to about 9 months. He's been a joy to train and the best hiking and backpacking buddy we could ever wish for. Now at age 7, his love for our outdoor adventures continues unabated.

Some of the most common questions non-backpackers ask us about backpacking.

Continuation of my common backpacking mistakes part 1 video (https://rumble.com/v3yqobs-common-backpacking-mistakes-part-1.html). Again, if you know of other common backpacking mistakes I've forgotten, please list them in the comments for the benefit of others.

Having taken groups new to backpacking into the woods, I have compiled a list of common mistakes made by new outdoor adventurers. Although I've listed quite a few items in this two part series, this can never be a comprehensive list. If you know of any other common mistakes I forgot, please feel free to enumerate them in the comments.

Slide show and videos from our two week backpacking trip in the fall of 2019.

A narrated slide show and movie collage backpacking in John Muir Wilderness. We started at North Lake off HWY 168 west of Bishop, CA. and spent 5 days hiking high mountain lakes.

Milton Friedman discusses the pitfalls of government run healthcare.

After teaching Dawg the new "collar" command, I test to see if he will retrieve it even if I'm outside. (First test video on Rumble service)