Many good ideas. Whistle, air horn. Good things to have if the come-along can’t move everything. Vacuumed ours yesterday and my bride is planning to stock the snacks, etc this week. It’s that time of the year in Moore.
Does anyone have any suggestions for how to get your dogs into and out of the shelter? I have 2 fat boxers and it is NOT easy to get them to go down or up stairs, especially in a stressful moment like when I'd need to be in the shelter.
You know, I hadn't thought about actually training them to go down there. I was actually thinking about getting a piece of plywood to use as a slide. With me on the outside and the side on the inside, I figured I'd just give them a boost and let them slide down.Treats. One step at a time. It will take FOREVER.
Work with one dog at a time. Put a treat on the top step and wait however long you need to. When he is comfortable taking the treat from the first step, move down to the second. Couple times a day, 15-20 minutes at a time with each dog. Once they make their way down about halfway (sometimes a little less than that) they should just go on down. MAKE SURE there is nothing in their way at first, so they can go down and up as they wish.
Once they are not scared of going in you can work on staying down there for a bit. Don't try to close the door until they are completely comfortable sitting in the shelter with you for 25-30 minutes at a time.
As you can see, depending on your dog, this could take a couple weeks -- or it could take 6 months. All depends on how much your dog trusts you and how afraid they are of being in a tight space.
Btw, my GSD STILL won't go down. He just WILL NOT do those steps. Much as l love him he will be on his own in the hallway (safest place in the house) if something happens and we have to go into the shelter.
You can buy a magnetic cover from Smart Safe I think it was, but they are well over $100. For mine, I only need about 27in x 72in. Amazon will run around 40-50 bucks for one, but Lowes has some stuff they will cut to length, its 36in wide, and will run be about $20 for a 7 ft piece.Oh good GOD, we could LIVE in our shelter for a month. Lol
Like SMS there, I need to vacuum it out. That rubber mat over the door is a good idea. I'm gonna measure and see if I can find one that will fit. Amazon, here I come!
EF5s usually leave t clean as a whistle lol.Worst case is hard to plan for. We've never been in ours more than 15-20 minutes since we've had it, but if the EF5 comes through there's no telling what your shelter could be buried under and how long it will take for rescue.
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