Run/Walk/Sniff
I decided to give running another shot, even though after my little 2+ miler on Saturday, I got sicker than I've been in years. I think it was just my turn for the flu, but I felt fine. Went for a little run, showered, had breakfast and got sick within an hour of my run. Maybe the raspberries had gone bad (tasted and looked fine) or maybe it was just a coincidence, but I've been nervous about running again.
In spite of that, I know running does not make me sick, so I decided to just go out and take it easy today. So here is the story:
CAST:
OM - Old man (i.e. me)
OD - Old dog, our 8 yr old border collie/black lab mix
YP - Young pup, our about 6 month old shephard mix
OD was content to start with a warm-up walk with me, but YP wanted to run, so we gave in and let YP set the pace for the first 1/10 of a mile. We slowed so OD could smell some scents left by his neighborhood friends. YP kept the leash tight trying to keep running. You would think that he didn't have a nice big yard to run in or something. He does have plenty of room to run, but doesn't like being more than 2-3 feet away from OD.
We ran through a little park near the house with some medium sized rocks and YP had fun climbing over them. OD is smarter and just goes around, but maybe YP gets a better view for his efforts.
YP kept the leash tight while OD was content to run next to me in a near perfect "heel" position with the leash almost dragging on the ground. Only took me 8 years to get that behaviour perfected.
About 7/10ths of a mile in to our run (and an our way towards home), YP finally started to slow down a bit, either because he realized that is what OD was doing (and YP is a relentless copycat) or because he was starting to get tired. Whatever the reason, the last half mile was the most fun as I didn't have to keep pulling on the leash to keep him from running away.
By the time we were getting close to our house, I started saying "Go home, YP. Go home OD." Something that I have always done with OD so that if he gets out of the yard, he knows the command "Go home" if someone yells it at him. They both went straight to the gate.
A nice run. Hope to have more.
In spite of that, I know running does not make me sick, so I decided to just go out and take it easy today. So here is the story:
CAST:
OM - Old man (i.e. me)
OD - Old dog, our 8 yr old border collie/black lab mix
YP - Young pup, our about 6 month old shephard mix
OD was content to start with a warm-up walk with me, but YP wanted to run, so we gave in and let YP set the pace for the first 1/10 of a mile. We slowed so OD could smell some scents left by his neighborhood friends. YP kept the leash tight trying to keep running. You would think that he didn't have a nice big yard to run in or something. He does have plenty of room to run, but doesn't like being more than 2-3 feet away from OD.
We ran through a little park near the house with some medium sized rocks and YP had fun climbing over them. OD is smarter and just goes around, but maybe YP gets a better view for his efforts.
YP kept the leash tight while OD was content to run next to me in a near perfect "heel" position with the leash almost dragging on the ground. Only took me 8 years to get that behaviour perfected.
About 7/10ths of a mile in to our run (and an our way towards home), YP finally started to slow down a bit, either because he realized that is what OD was doing (and YP is a relentless copycat) or because he was starting to get tired. Whatever the reason, the last half mile was the most fun as I didn't have to keep pulling on the leash to keep him from running away.
By the time we were getting close to our house, I started saying "Go home, YP. Go home OD." Something that I have always done with OD so that if he gets out of the yard, he knows the command "Go home" if someone yells it at him. They both went straight to the gate.
A nice run. Hope to have more.
Comments
(stay tuned for puppy pics. Hopefully this weekend I'll get some posted)