Althouse: At the Good Dog Café...

July 26, 2012

At the Good Dog Café...

... you don't have to beg.

43 comments:

chickelit said...: The deck is north facing? I can tell from the green moss on the wood.; 7/26/12, 11:29 AM
Rusty said...: Gotta love labs.; 7/26/12, 11:30 AM
edutcher said...: You can sure tell that isn't one of our dogs.; 7/26/12, 11:32 AM
Christopher in MA said...: What a nice doggeh.

Someday I'll have to post a link to my two little girls.; 7/26/12, 11:34 AM
yashu said...: Aw, you're such a gooooood dooooog.; 7/26/12, 11:34 AM
ooonaughtykitty said...: Aww...

Labs, best dogs in the world.

:); 7/26/12, 11:38 AM
ooonaughtykitty said...: Aww...

Labs, best dogs in the world.

:); 7/26/12, 11:38 AM
granmary said...: Time to powerwash & put wood preservative on the deck?; 7/26/12, 11:38 AM
rehajm said...: I can tell from the green moss on the wood.

My first thought, too. On closer inspection it looks more like just the typical color of pressure treated timber. Railings appear fresh and mold-free, but that might be the fresh paint

(tosses Scooby snack to happy puppy); 7/26/12, 11:40 AM
Alex said...: Doggie wants a treat!; 7/26/12, 11:48 AM
Ann Althouse said...: We're going to replace the deck floor. The rails were replaced a few years ago and were painted in the last month as part of the big house-painting job that Meade is working on.; 7/26/12, 11:51 AM
chickelit said...: rehajm said...
On closer inspection it looks more like just the typical color of pressure treated timber.

Such coloration comes from "chromated" copper arsenate: link.

I'd rather it were moss if it were mine.; 7/26/12, 11:56 AM
Meade said...: I plan to replace the decking with THIS
(That is, as long as our friends Bingo and Joey maintain their rough pads. We wouldn't want them to slip and feel uncomfortable whenever they come over for cocktails on the deck.); 7/26/12, 12:00 PM
chickelit said...: @Meade: I was thinking of raising a small concrete patio using that stuff which is also on a north-facing side. Does that stuff machine well?; 7/26/12, 12:07 PM
Meade said...: I'm told it does. Saw, drill, sand, router...; 7/26/12, 12:30 PM
Curious George said...: "granmary said...
Time to powerwash..." Never powerwash wood. It hastens rot.

"chickelit said...
Does that stuff machine well?"

Yes. Like wood.; 7/26/12, 12:32 PM
Palladian said...: "chromated" copper arsenate

Is that compound similar to the infamous painting pigment emerald green (copper(II)-acetoarsenite), used extensively in the 19th century?; 7/26/12, 1:20 PM
dandean said...: I keep hearing advertising for this company (http://www.deckhelmet.com/) locally in the D.C. area, although it seems they are nationwide.

Interesting concept, I think.

BTW - Labs are the best, and those two look adorable.; 7/26/12, 1:21 PM
Calypso Facto said...: I'm told it does. Saw, drill, sand, router...

I've built two decks with it, the first more than 6 years ago, and they still look great. Powerwashes to almost new look.

Cautions:
-hollow interior, so router with care, and cover the ends
-railings will sag, so if you add any use the steel insert
-pre-drill and use the specialty screws or you'll split it

Happy decking!; 7/26/12, 1:34 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: This is the kind of dog, eager and attentive and energetic, I think can be trained to do almost anything in minutes. If there is a trick to it, it is to get them to calm down a little about the FANTASTIC GREATNESS OF BEING WITH YOU 1111111a MILLION!!!!

Of course you know that by your own being calm.

The training collar for my Belgians was like jewelry compared to this, and no collar around the house. It slipped very easily but was never actually used. It was just the clue that now we were doing the training thing.

But one day Tera was on a leash and we were doing heeling in the back yard. All of the Belgians were like little Nazis in their heeling. A bit frightening how close they kept. In competition they'd be knocked down for crowding, but I loved the dog keeping that close, actually on my foot no matter what quick move I made. Those dogs are fast. So is this one. So one day on lease I gave a mild correction and the dog spazzed out right there on the leash. She got so confused about being perfect she went short circuited TRYING TO PLEASE GOD she was actually twirling on the end of the leash I lost it and I yelled at her loud as I could yell

RELAX !

And she did relax. On the spot. Bang. Relaxed. Just like that.

And my neighbors were confirmed that I am insane.

And thereafter the dog relaxed on command by simply suggesting to her quietly whispering, "relax."

Oddest little training session ever.; 7/26/12, 1:35 PM
dandean said...: Locally (D.C. area) I hear radio advertising for this retrofit soltion to aging decks: http://www.deckhelmet.com/

BTW: Labs are simply the best, and those two look especially fun.; 7/26/12, 1:39 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: Hollow interior?; 7/26/12, 1:40 PM
ndspinelli said...: Labs like wheat beer for a cocktail. Poodles, a nice chablis. Bulldogs prefer bourbon. German Shepherds, a lager. Irish Setters will drink anything.; 7/26/12, 1:41 PM
The Elder said...: Meade said:
"I plan to replace the decking with THIS."

Good idea. Then you can put the water bowls on the deck and not hear any more complaints about THE BIG SHWEETIES slobbering on the wood floor. Sheesh. The floors probably needed some breaking in anyway.; 7/26/12, 2:03 PM
Calypso Facto said...: Hollow interior?

Actually hollow OR solid, depending on what you buy. I used hollow to reduce weight and expense.; 7/26/12, 2:06 PM
Meade said...: "Good idea. Then you can put the water bowls on the deck and not hear any more complaints about THE BIG SHWEETIES slobbering on the wood floor. Sheesh. The floors probably needed some breaking in anyway."

She doesn't really complain. Ever. She observes. In fact, she observed that you haven't been up to visit us this year. You're welcome anytime, you know. Just don't slobber on the hardwood floors. If you can help it.; 7/26/12, 2:29 PM
chickelit said...: @Palladian: Related, but not the same. I put "chromated" in scare quotes because it's probably present as Cr2+ and Cr3+, substituting for an occasional cuprate (Cu(II) in: link. The color comes from the copper (II). The color of verdigris also comes from copper(II). The 50 different shades and hues of blue-green are due to subtle squeezing and binding of the electronic orbitals surrounding the atom.; 7/26/12, 2:52 PM
Rusty said...: The avatar is a picture of the Mocha doggeh.
Not that I'm proud of her, but so that when she decides to go on a husky walk about and you spot her you can call.
huskies like to run.
great distances.; 7/26/12, 2:55 PM
chickelit said...: @Palladian: OTOH, chromium is such a chameleon when it comes to color (hence it's name) that it's hard to rule it out as a source of the green.; 7/26/12, 2:59 PM
smitty1e said...: What if begging is the only skill the government imparts?; 7/26/12, 3:07 PM
chickelit said...: Chip Ahoy said...
Hollow interior?

If true, I can't use it. I need to cut the ends to have a slight curve such that a bunch of them layed side by side will make a semi circle.; 7/26/12, 3:13 PM
Meade said...: chickelit, I hope this helps: http://www.trex.com/trex/groups/content/documents/document/trexmd_001655.pdf; 7/26/12, 4:21 PM
Michael Haz said...: Meade - Trex is a good deck material, and is quite easy to work with.

A few tips: Trex expands when sun warms it, so leave adequate room between boards. I use a penny as the gauge. Also, use stainless steel flathead screws, and countersink them a bit so they don't burn bare feet.

After you have stripped off the old deck material, take a day or two and pressure wash and then coat the joist material with a good wood preservative. You won't have another chance this good.

Trex heats up more than wood when exposed to sunlight. Barefoot on the hottest days will not be at all comfortable, for you or the dogs.

Otherwise, it's a great deck material. Hose/brush it off a few times each summer and your maintenance is done.

Oh, and...

Good doggie! Good doggie! Who's a good doggie? Who wants a belly scratch? A belly scratch??; 7/26/12, 4:21 PM
Meade said...: Great advice, Michael. Thanks!

And doggies said to tell you, "heheheheheheheheh!!!"; 7/26/12, 4:28 PM
Titus said...: Did you get a dog Mary?

tits.

Couldn't find a rare one huh?

The wait and application process for a rare dog can become quite complicated.

tits.; 7/26/12, 5:18 PM
Dustin said...: Charming dog!; 7/26/12, 5:23 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: The MeadeHouse has gone to the dog house ;); 7/26/12, 5:36 PM
Ann Althouse said...: That's Joey, one of the dogs we borrow. I've never had a dog of my own.; 7/26/12, 6:23 PM
dandean said...: Locally in the D.C. area, they advertise a retrofit product for decks called Deck Helmet. I've never seen it or read any reviews, but the concept seems good. I went to their website and thought their introductory video was laughable ( 'warn out deck,' and 'permanently seals you deck...for ten years'), but if cost is a consideration...

As someone who lives with two yellow Labs, I share in your delight at having two new clowns in the house. Why would anyone not want a Lab?; 7/26/12, 7:01 PM
garage mahal said...: Labs are such an awesome breed, and these are really cute dogs.

I sat next to a guy who was diabetic, and he was on his way to buy a lab in Vegas that can sense a diabetic blood sugar levels. Through breath I believe. He said he was getting a deal @ 4500.00, normally they go for a lot more. He didn't know how they "train" them, I wonder if it's too late to train my lab pup for my daughter. Couldn't really find anything last time I poked around the web as far training books.; 7/26/12, 7:20 PM
Chris said...: That is an absolutely wonderful, happy looking dog, btw.; 7/26/12, 8:14 PM
Michelle Dulak Thomson said...: A neighbor has three Labs,and they are sweet as Labs always are.; 7/26/12, 8:33 PM
Wally Kalbacken said...: That's pretty much the point about dogs - all of them can be declared to be the best dog in the world, and it's not falsifiable. They are the best!; 7/27/12, 12:06 AM