This post is part of our weekly series on raising our Vizsla puppy, Zooka.  You can use our posts as a guide to help raise your own puppy, regardless of breed. Keep in mind that different breeds might develop at different rates, so while you can do these things with any breed, your breed might need certain things at slightly different stages or ages.  Click here to see our list of all updates.

Notes from Week 29:

• Continue training
  • continuing with training even though we were on a road trip for this entire week
  • we do NOT take time off from training!
  • practicing most things we've been working on in new places every day
• Field trips
  • this week was one big field trip!
  • this was road trip #2 for Zooka
  • first road trip was when we picked him up at 9 weeks old from his breeder in North Carolina and drove back to Colorado
  • this trip was from Colorado through Utah and Nevada to our destination in California
  • then return from California through Arizona and New Mexico
  • we spent one night at an RV park in our van
    • while OK for sleeping, we found it too crowded for spending the evening
    • thus the stay in hotel rooms for the rest of our travel days!
  • we spent three nights at Ed's parents' house in California
    • they have a nice yard to run around in and burn energy!
    • Zooka discovered that while lemons on the lemon trees LOOK like a fun ball to play with. . . they don't taste very good!
  • we spent a total of three nights in three different hotel rooms
    • we brought an ex-pen for him to sleep in
    • we could have used his crate, but he was traveling in it all day for driving so we wanted extra space for him at night
    • but we did not trust him loose in the hotel room (especially since he was cooped up in the crate for travel!)
    • we stayed in dog-friendly hotels, but. . .
      • one of those “dog-friendly” hotels had wood-like laminate floors that were VERY SLIPPERY and NOT dog friendly
      • Zooka was afraid to walk on that floor and slipped on it a few times
      • we would NOT ever stay in that particular hotel again, very disappointing
  • we visited Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah
    • dogs are allowed only in parking lots and on paved trails not hiking trails
  • we visited Zion National Park in Utah
    • dogs are allowed in the parking lot and on paved trails
    • most of the park is explored only by taking their shuttles – dogs not allowed
    • so we did not get to see a big part of the park
  • we visited Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona
    • dogs ARE allowed here, even on the trails!
  • we visited Fort Union National Monument in New Mexico
    • dogs ARE allowed here!
    • we were the ONLY ones there
    • so we used Zooka's long line to give him a chance to get a little more exercise – he was very happy!
  • we made several other short rest stops along the way
    • gas stations, rest areas, and other short stops for potty breaks and gas
  • when we travel, Zooka is in a travel crate in the van
    • because there was so much driving, he spent a LOT of time in the crate/van
    • because of this, we understood he would be a little extra wild in the evenings!
    • we brought plenty of his toys and chews to help him burn energy when cooped up in hotel rooms
  • we made sure to get out and get some exercise on leash or on the long line whenever we could
  • we made sure he got lots of off leash running around time while in California
  • Zooka did a great job traveling and staying in new places each night
  • we could not have asked for him to be better than he was
  • more road trips in his future!

Photos