As we crested our first hill at 6:30, the horizon glowed read and yellow. It seemed like even the skyline forgot the season, leaving behind the pink and blue hues of our winter sunrises. By our second hill, I pulled out my sunglasses.
When we reached the high point of our run, I practiced Kona's heel walking. She did great, though I always keep these mini sessions only a few seconds at a time in order to not lose her. Later down the trail we ran into two off leash dogs that we hadn't met before. Kona stiffened during their greeting, as she almost always does. The furry pair were mellow guys and went on their way after a short sniff. Kona then got a burst of energy, perhaps a release of the nervousness left by greeting the two new dogs. Off downtrail we went.
I decided to practice a sit-stay on a new portion of trail. After I made sure there weren't any humans or dogs around, I told Kona to wait and ran down the trail. She stayed beautifully until I vanished around a corner. She then broke her sit and followed me at light speed. I rewarded her for coming straight to me. I figure at this point in her trail training, wanting to keep me in sight is a good thing.
Both Kona and I were ready for a helping of water when we finished our run. I'm glad that the weather forecast calls for a gradual cooling the rest of the week.
My camera went MIA this morning, but here's Kona last week. She managed to soak in a few rays this afternoon too.
4 comments:
What does 80 degrees feel like? I don't remember. LOL. I'm sure I wouldn't like it. I'd be seeking shade.
That's great that Kona was able to stay at all, and even better that she came running to you. Always safer to have a dog seek you out, then scurry away.
Kona looks like she sure knows how to live the good life.
Great photos!!!!!
Out of sight stays are really tough for dogs like Kona. I've always used my older more stable dogs to 'hold' the younger less secure ones in place when we start out-of-sight stays (by having them stay side-by-side). But, I agree that wanting to keep you in sight is the most important thing at this point!!!!!!!! Way to go Kona!
I agree with Sara - I can't remember what the warm weather feels like. Yet, spring is just around the corner!
It sounds like you had a pretty successful day on the trail, and those pictures of Kona are priceless! Nothing like scratching your back in some cool grass..
Thanks so much for your comment on my post yesterday! You really understand what I'm facing, and that alone made me feel better.
Yesterday, I took Oreo to a pet store, a small, locally operated one. I tried to play "look at that" with the two/three people in the store, but he was slightly above threshold and was just staring. However, a few seconds later he did turn to me and get his treat. I thought the fact that he was eating, and not pulling/yanking on his leash, seeking a dark corner to hide in was good. When we were leaving, a new person walked in, and Oreo walked toward her and sniffed her. I treated him for that and left. Oreo was SO happy to get back to the car though.
Again, thanks for your support.
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