When Outdoor Adventures Need to Be Contained

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Ammo

Disclaimer: This post is brought to you by Carlson Pet Products. All opinions are my own and I only share products I think you and your pets will love.

This is the view from the family farmhouse. What you can’t see though, is me, past the garden, past the pasture, past the horses, and in the neighbor’s vineyard…I’m there.

When Outdoor Adventures Need to Be Contained

See me now?

When Outdoor Adventures Need to Be Contained

While it may look like I’m not doing anything too important, I’m actually doing a very important job….hunting groundhogs. See I can find a hole where no one else can, and I have no problem staking out a spot and sitting there for hours on end just waiting to catch myself a big juicy groundhog. Never mind that I’ve never actually caught one (but I have come close), but just you wait one of these days I WILL catch one!

Rescue on the Farm

While for the most part my family indulges me and lets me have free run of the farm to hunt the groundhogs as I wish, sometimes they need a break from chasing after me.

When I’m on the hunt I won’t come back for anything, not for dinner, not for water, not even to rest. That’s how dedicated I am to this life mission of mine.

When Outdoor Adventures Need to Be Contained

This is also why I always wear a GPS tracker (so mom can find me quicker), and ultimately it usually leads to me being contained at some point in the day. If not only so mom can make sure I’m taking a rest and getting plenty of water.

When Outdoor Adventures Need to Be Contained

Recently they installed this outdoor pet gate from Carlson Pet Products on the back deck so that when I was “rescued” from my holes I could still hang out and enjoy the fresh air without having to be locked inside the house. Our outdoor gate is made with an all-steel construction, and can withstand the elements year round!

When Outdoor Adventures Need to Be Contained

While my good pal Trooper doesn’t seem to have the same hunting desire I do, he still tends to keep me company when I’m on lockdown…..that’s what good friends do!

When Outdoor Adventures Need to Be Contained

Our new outdoor gate makes it easy for the humans to come and go, but Trooper and I are stuck on the inside for the long haul. At least we have a view!

When Outdoor Adventures Need to Be Contained

Now if Trooper could just figure out how to open the tiny pet door for me I’d surely be able to dash away towards my holes again.

When Outdoor Adventures Need to Be Contained

Too bad for him he’s much too big to fit through the opening anyway. Better luck next time pal!

Be sure to check out all the awesome gates and more at Carlson Pet Products. They have something for every one of your pet containment needs.

Hippity Hop

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Ammo

Happy Easter from Ammo the Dachshund

Well, it’s almost that time of year again. A day when a giant bunny visits your home in the night and leaves you little chocolatey presents in a basket (that you aren’t even allowed to eat if you’re a dog), and you’re expected not to bite him, chase him, or do anything that you would normally do to a bunny should he come into your home.

Yea, I don’t really get it either.

Happy Easter from Ammo the Dachshund

But, in an effort to humor my mom, and make my little sister happy, I did something that goes against ALL of my instincts as a fierce hunting dog.

Easter Bunny Visit

I sat on the Easter Bunny’s lap at the mall.

Totally embarrassing!

Easter Bunny Visit

I didn’t bite him, but I was definitely not going to smile for my photo either! (Baby P was totally supporting me too and refused to smile as well!)

I hope you’re happy mom, because I’m pretty sure all the critters in my backyard are laughing their tails off!

Happy Easter Everyone! Have you ever taken your dog to visit the Easter Bunny?

Taste of Adventure

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Ammo

Taste of Adventure

Sometimes I get a taste of adventure and it’s pretty much all I need to send me into a full blown meltdown when mom won’t let me off the leash to investigate further.

A video posted by Ammo The Dachshund (@ammothedachshund) on May 19, 2016 at 10:48am PDT

In this case that “taste” consisted of me physically biting a wild animal in the woods. What can I say, I like to live life on the edge! Adventure Awaits my friends!

Does your dog take hunting as seriously as I do?

Live to Stink

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Ammo

Sometimes after a successful day of “stink” hunting on the farm I can’t help but feel super proud of myself for the most recent rich potent smell I found. I mean it’s a real art to find the best spot to roll in.

After inevitably tracking me down with my GPS tracker (thanks for ratting me out Trax!*), mom never quite appreciates my most recent stink-capades. It’s only a matter of minutes before she utters those words…..B..A..T..H.

*affiliate link

Stink eye commence, why is my fun always ruined?

Sigh, don’t worry, I’ll always live to stink another day!

Is your dog a master of the stinky smells just like me?

Following Instinct

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Ammo

Following Instinct - Ammo the Dachshund finds a Groundhog Hole

Some dogs are born with it, some dogs aren’t. And I can’t help that I was ~~cursed~~ blessed with this amazing nose that can lead me to a groundhog hole deep in the woods, through thickets and brush, where no one else knows it exists.

Following Instinct - Ammo the Dachshund finds a Groundhog Hole

My poor pal Trooper doesn’t have this gift, sometimes I’m surprised he even knows which way is up. (love ya Troop!)

A video posted by Ammo The Dachshund (@ammothedachshund) on Apr 20, 2016 at 10:34am PDT

Without me the world would be full of unknown groundhog holes, unattended, and unwatched.

Following Instinct - Ammo the Dachshund finds a Groundhog Hole

And for some reason, I don’t think my special skills are very appreciated around here!

Following Instinct - Ammo the Dachshund finds a Groundhog Hole

Sigh. It’s an uphill battle for me every single day. The struggle is real my friends. #DachshundLifeStruggle

Does your dog like to follow their instinct?

GPS Pet Tracker To Keep Your Dog Safe + A Giveaway

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Ammo

Disclaimer: This post and giveaway is brought to you by Trax and does contain some affiliate links. All opinions are my own, and I only share products I think you and your pets will love.

You might remember that at the beginning of this year I started testing out a new GPS Pet Tracker on the market to keep pets (and anything else you want) safe called Trax.

This tiny little device that gets attached to my collar has changed the way I get to enjoy time on the farm. Not to mention it keeps my mom from worrying ALL THE TIME (She’s a bit dramatic if you ask me) about what I’m doing.

Now for those of you that are dachshund owners – this is a common scene I’m sure you know all too well. You trust “dachshund” to stay close, you unhook leash, dachshund takes off and pretends they can’t hear your frantic yelling, you chase dachshund down, you tie dachshund up again, no one is happy.

Now while a good recall is always a good idea, I (nor any dog) wants to listen all of the time (life is just too short for that), and being tied up 24/7 is just oh so sad. So enter the Trax GPS Tracker.

With this around my neck my mom feels better about letting me roam the farm (which is not fenced) because she can check in on me any time she wants. I’m happy because I don’t have to be tied up as much, and I still get to go on my coveted hunting excursions!

Mom sets up a “geo-fence” around the areas she would like me to stay and anytime I cross the invisible boundary she gets a text to notify her and can check in to see where I’m at using the free Trax mobile app.

And guess what, it even works underground! Thanks to Trax I’m able to enjoy my time outdoors without the restrictions of a leash. If you haven’t tried it, it’s heaven!

Mom even leaves my Trax on me when I’m home alone, and it’s kinda fun to check it later to see where exactly I traveled inside the house. Now while the farmhouse is still too new to show up on the aerial view of the map, you can sort of still decipher that I only traveled to check the side doors and to my dog bed while mom was gone.

A fun little tip for all you Trax wearers out there is that since Trax is only water resistant (not waterproof), mom slips mine into one of these tiny little bags before putting it on my collar to make sure it doesn’t ever get too wet on dewy mornings or rainy days.

Thanks Trax for helping set me free, and making sure I get to check EVERY SINGLE ONE of my ground hog holes!

My pal Minnow is thrilled that I can keep those pesky critters at bay so he has no scary holes to fall into when he’s playing in the pasture.

You can fetch your own Trax GPS Pet Tracker for $249 + 2 years of free service ($5/month for each additional year). Which is much cheaper than many of the comparable trackers we have researched.

Make sure you check out my full review from back in January with even more nifty features that are available when you purchase the Trax GPS Tracker.

And now for the best part….

ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER WILL WIN A TRAX GPS TRACKER! ($249 value!)
TWO RUNNERS-UP WILL WIN A DISCOUNT CODE FOR TRAX + A TRAX SLEEP MASK!

Here’s HOW TO WIN:

No purchase necessary. To enter use the Rafflecopter widget below. You will be contacted via e-mail to claim your prize. All the winners will also be announced on this blog post once the giveaway ends. Open to WORLDWIDE residents. Winners must claim their prizes within 48 hours of being notified or prize will be forfeited. By entering you are agreeing to the terms & conditions set forth in the Rafflecopter widget (see below).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read our full Terms & Conditions for this giveaway.

Never want to miss any of the adventures (or giveaways) on my blog? Make sure you sign-up for e-mail updates!

How to make a Fake Rabbit Hole for your Dog

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Ammo

Disclaimer: this is NOT a sponsored post, but it does contain some affiliate links.

It’s no secret that I am OBSESSED with holes. After all, my breed was originally bred to go down holes and hunt down badgers.

And go down holes I do! My mom has had to pull me out of many ground hog holes around the farm over the years, and because of my affinity to go hunting whenever I feel like it I now wear a GPS tracker whenever I’m on the farm. While my tracker gives mom piece of mind, she’d still prefer my escapades kept me a little closer to the barn, which is why she decided to dupe me!

So I decided to share how my mom made me a DIY Fake Rabbit Hole so all you other dogs out there won’t get tricked like I did!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Rabbit Scent (or any other scent your dog might prefer)
Spray Bottle
Water
String (I used bailing twine)
Paper Towel
Shovel or Post Hole Digger

Step 1: Choose a spot to dig a hole about 2 feet deep. Make sure you choose a spot where no one could fall in it (placing a marker when it’s done is helpful too). A spot near a bush or tree makes it more believable to your dog as well.

As you can see just the sight of a hole was enough to get me interested!

Step 2: Mix your Rabbit Scent with some water in a spray bottle and mist it into the hole. You can make it stronger by foregoing the water if your dog doesn’t seem interested.

Step 3: Tie a paper towel to a string and mist with the rabbit scent. Drag the towel to and from the hole to leave a scent trail for your dog to follow.

Trooper and I picked up on the rabbit scent trail right away.

But only one of us really cared…..I’m pretty sure you can guess who!

Well I feel pretty silly getting tricked with a fake hole, but I did have a really good time digging to my hearts content. So fake or not, I don’t regret it one bit. Well except for the fact that it landed me in the bath a few hours later!

Do you think your dog would be tricked by a fake scent hole?

*Be advised that fake animal scents can attract other wild animals as well. So be aware of where you are putting it, and make sure to supervise your dog especially if they are out at night.

Throwback Thursday: That Time I got Stuck Under a Shed

Posted on February 19, 2015 by Ammo

So yeah…..there was that one time way back when that I got stuck underneath a shed in the Pocono Mountains.

Full disclosure here though, I MAY have been purposely under there in the pursuit of a rodent. And “stuck” might be a bit of a generous term when you consider the fact that I really didn’t want to come out from under the shed….I mean who else was going to get that rodent out from under there?

Dachshund Gets Stuck Under Shed // Ammo the Dachshund

Don’t worry though, I eventually got “un-stuck”…..well mostly I just came out because it was time for my dinner!

Read all about my adventures under a shed from 2011 on my blog.

Has your dog ever gotten stuck under something it shouldn’t have?

Attack of the Killer Toad

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Ammo

When Toads Attack // Ammo the Dachshund

A couple weeks ago this toad came out of nowhere on the farm. He snarled and lunged right for me! I’m pretty sure he thought having a tasty bite of wiener dog for dinner would hit the spot! Don’t worry, I foiled his dinner plans….

…boy was that a close one!

Don’t worry, no toads were harmed in the making of this video. Top image via.

Hiking through the Forrest

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Ammo

Hiking through the Forrest // Ammo the Dachshund

Over the weekend I went on a fun hiking adventure with my pal Shilah the Husky. Shilah and I both like to get out an be adventurous when the weather is nice, so we decided to practice our hiking for an upcoming camping trip we will be going on this summer.

Hiking through the Forrest // Ammo the Dachshund

Shilah led the way most of the time because she’s ALWAYS gotta be the lead “sled dog”, but I was happy to trail along behind and pick up on all the scents she missed.

Hiking through the Forrest // Ammo the Dachshund