Yes. I have been cheating. We can go further with less work from me if Luna's hooked up to the bike rather than me! It's not as dangerous as it sounds to bikejor with her, she is a rather 'soft' (...wimpy...!) dog and keeps at a reasonable speed until I ask her to stop. This harness is the best dog item I have purchased since the Gentle Leader!
But that's not to say we aren't running! Depending on when we're able to get out there might be more traffic than usual, in which case we will run as safety is my primary concern.
Kristen
Monday, May 5, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Keeping Up
The weather has been absolutely beautiful this last week...for once it's a challenge for me to stay inside rather than head out the door.
Most of our walks have been around the property, with gast at 3.50, it's painful to go anywhere that I don't absolutely have to. But that doesn't mean I'm not going places! Wednesday we had some time to spare between a meeting and our agility lesson, and tried to find a place to walk. We ended up finding the Alum Creek Dog Park, near Delaware, Ohio, instead. That place was fabulous, wooden fences with wiring , double gates, nice directive signs, and a great group of people.
We've visited the trail at the park that I've commented on before, someday I'd like to see how far we can go on there in a day or whatnot. That will take some planning though.
Today's walk/run was two-sided. We saw a baby calf, both dogs were very interested in the scent and the mother watched us as we passed (with a healthy distance between us-and a fence!). It's finally spring! On the down-side, we had to take the short path home. My older golden is having trouble keeping up and it's such a shock, I rememeber a few years ago when Luna couldn't keep up with him. I'm guessing it's a combination of the warmer weather, his new meds, and his growing age as he does seem to be worse off compared to a few weeks ago. I think we'll be doing more stretching out before hand and shorter paths for him before Luna and I go out for a more lengthy run. I'll be speaking with our vet and I suppose I will again have to look into nutrition and supplements for him.
Kristen
Most of our walks have been around the property, with gast at 3.50, it's painful to go anywhere that I don't absolutely have to. But that doesn't mean I'm not going places! Wednesday we had some time to spare between a meeting and our agility lesson, and tried to find a place to walk. We ended up finding the Alum Creek Dog Park, near Delaware, Ohio, instead. That place was fabulous, wooden fences with wiring , double gates, nice directive signs, and a great group of people.
We've visited the trail at the park that I've commented on before, someday I'd like to see how far we can go on there in a day or whatnot. That will take some planning though.
Today's walk/run was two-sided. We saw a baby calf, both dogs were very interested in the scent and the mother watched us as we passed (with a healthy distance between us-and a fence!). It's finally spring! On the down-side, we had to take the short path home. My older golden is having trouble keeping up and it's such a shock, I rememeber a few years ago when Luna couldn't keep up with him. I'm guessing it's a combination of the warmer weather, his new meds, and his growing age as he does seem to be worse off compared to a few weeks ago. I think we'll be doing more stretching out before hand and shorter paths for him before Luna and I go out for a more lengthy run. I'll be speaking with our vet and I suppose I will again have to look into nutrition and supplements for him.
Kristen
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Snow and Mud
Is the running going well? Not so much.
We've been walking with a local group of dog people, it's fun to have the dogs all milling around while the devoted owners slosh through the mud and then frantically try to call the dogs away from dead things. It's been good to meet more dog people and give Luna more opportunity to do the same. Last Sunday we had a great time with the 60* weather.
This week it's another story! We've had 12-20" of snow (depending on who you ask...) and taller drifts. We plow through it and I'm thankful for the belt and harness...and wishing I had a kicksled!
We've been walking with a local group of dog people, it's fun to have the dogs all milling around while the devoted owners slosh through the mud and then frantically try to call the dogs away from dead things. It's been good to meet more dog people and give Luna more opportunity to do the same. Last Sunday we had a great time with the 60* weather.
This week it's another story! We've had 12-20" of snow (depending on who you ask...) and taller drifts. We plow through it and I'm thankful for the belt and harness...and wishing I had a kicksled!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Ooops- More excuses:( Training is usually a good thing.
Did I ever mention that between indoor track and classes my life is crazy:)? Kirsten can laugh at me, I too seem to have 6 million excuses on why I shouldn't train my dog or post or....
Our new gear came, it is amazing. I love it. There is only one problem. And it is sort of a big problem. My dog does NOT pull. It is not that he never pulls, if he sees a squirrel or deer he will, but in general he runs along side me or lags a little behind. When I was using a normal leash it works fine, but with the harness I get tangled and it is not very fun. So I need to actually train my dog- preferably before Sunday when I get to run with him again. I'll start tommorrow- there has to be five extra minutes somewhere in my day....
Our new gear came, it is amazing. I love it. There is only one problem. And it is sort of a big problem. My dog does NOT pull. It is not that he never pulls, if he sees a squirrel or deer he will, but in general he runs along side me or lags a little behind. When I was using a normal leash it works fine, but with the harness I get tangled and it is not very fun. So I need to actually train my dog- preferably before Sunday when I get to run with him again. I'll start tommorrow- there has to be five extra minutes somewhere in my day....
Friday, February 8, 2008
Careful Planning
I eagerly read the lastest post on here to see what Karin had said. Halfway through I realized it was about Luna, and Luna is my dog.
My most recent excuse is a good one! This week we have had heavy rains, resulting in quite a bit of flooding. I even saw a tow truck get stuck. What? Take the dogs to the park? Ah. Good idea. I really have been good and am still sore from our last adventure.
Kristen
My most recent excuse is a good one! This week we have had heavy rains, resulting in quite a bit of flooding. I even saw a tow truck get stuck. What? Take the dogs to the park? Ah. Good idea. I really have been good and am still sore from our last adventure.
Kristen
Monday, January 28, 2008
Having Fun
Finally the weather and my schedule cooperated to be able to play with the new equipment and be focused on it. Due to heath-related issues with my other dog, Luna had to take over as my assistant in a massive training project/testing. With that weekend behind us and a beautiful warm day we pulled out the harness!
I decided to try the easy thing first and be a "bad trainer." I put on my belt, put Luna in her harness and pulled out our fancy tug line....and waited to see what happened.
It was nice! Obviously we're lacking in some training to do just about anything, but she did get into position out front and was pulling a little if I moved faster than a walk. I could not believe how much leash walking alters -my- balance. When using a leash, I tend to put more weight on my left side and have my arm ready to hold and shift my weight back if my dog is to pull, but now there are no worries! My arms were free to move and I was able to move in a more dogless fashion as well as be comfortable while my dog pulls!
Now, back to the training!
Kristen
I decided to try the easy thing first and be a "bad trainer." I put on my belt, put Luna in her harness and pulled out our fancy tug line....and waited to see what happened.
It was nice! Obviously we're lacking in some training to do just about anything, but she did get into position out front and was pulling a little if I moved faster than a walk. I could not believe how much leash walking alters -my- balance. When using a leash, I tend to put more weight on my left side and have my arm ready to hold and shift my weight back if my dog is to pull, but now there are no worries! My arms were free to move and I was able to move in a more dogless fashion as well as be comfortable while my dog pulls!
Now, back to the training!
Kristen
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Finally! Happy Dogs :)
After a week of Track practice I am not sure who was happier to do a slow easy run, me (because slow and easy rarely happen at practice), or Owen (because I haven't run with him in forever, since last Sunday. He runs with my mom but its not the same.....). So we went a nice slow six miles and survived despite the tight legs and rapidly dropping temperatures. The high for tommorrow is 15 *F - I'm sure I will be very glad to run on the indoor track again. Now if my harness and belt would just come....
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