Taking Out the Tank

So I had to come over to the Eastside this morning, so I thought I'd see how the tank does.

Summary:  for a "cheap" truck pretty well.  Nothing untoward, comfortable drive and got here ok.  It's a little rattly, which is to be expected for a 12 year old vehicle.  Not to mention there is a leak from somewhere around the windscreen.  I noticed that somebody had slathered sealant around the windscreen and used that to talk them down.  But, frankly, if the leak amounted to 2 drips this morning then I'll not lose any sleep.  It was really hammering down.

I suspect that a bush has worn on the offside steering/suspension - there's a slight knocking sensation at certain speeds.  For running around town it's not really an issue but I might consider doing something about it if we decide to actually start going places where I can play with the 4 wheel drive.  We're talking about a trip to the other side of the Olympics, not to mention some friends are determined to get M, Tyson and I out on some hikes.  After that, only time will separate us from kayaking...

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Dog News...

Took Tyson to his second obedience class on Saturday.  The classes are run at the Doggy Day Care where he was being fostered and are run by a fairly formidable woman "Nancy".  Our first visit was a nightmare with Tyson ending up as the demo dog for pretty much everything.

I've been working hard on him for the last few weeks and it really is starting to show.  While you could tell that it was practically causing him physical pain to sit still while another dog let a tennis ball roll away, he managed it.  He still doesn't always come when asked and he hasn't learned to give up a ball yet, but we're getting there.  Nancy gave us some suggestions about what to do with him about balls and she recommended only one more week at level one,  and he can graduate to the next classes.  Cool.

Its getting easier to manage him but he has got some behaviours which are typical of his breed (which we are now certain is Chesapeake Retriever) one of which is a fierce defense of his home turf.  This currently means that he barks at anybody in the public area outside our deck, which given he likes to sunbathe on the deck is a problem.  We're working on this, but I think it might take some time.  Especially as he really enjoys warning us about things.

Other than that he really is becoming an integrated part of the family.  He's much calmer around friends and we're establishing the games he likes to play and he's getting very good at spotting when the tone of my voice means that he really has to go and sit on his bed and behave.  The bed thing is helping a lot at meal times and it's a new game for me, as I get to toss him pieces of dog treat which he is rather proficient at snatching out of the air without getting up.

Blogged with the Flock Browser