Trails Again

I had hoped to be able to run with Stetson on Kennesaw Mountain in January, 2013.  Based on his conditioning when he came to us in November, I knew he'd need some time to work his massive muscle from "body builder" type strength muscle into the leaner, longer endurance muscle.  Don't get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with this dog.  He was drop dead gorgeous, he is a finished Champion in both the American Kennel Club and Australian Shepherd Club of America, and I can see why judges would put him up and award him the points necessary to earn both his Championships.  The dog was very well cared for, it was just a different activity type that produced a muscle different from what is necessary of an endurance athlete.  Additionally, the terrain on parts of the trail is pretty difficult on pads with large, loose gravel under foot and his pads weren't used to that type of challenge.

When we ran on the beach at Hilton Head during Christmas, I knew we had progressed quicker than I'd anticipated and I began to think greedy thoughts about getting to the mountain on or about the 1st.  On the other hand, in the transition from kibble to raw diet, I'd let him get a little too thin.  I was working him pretty hard regularly in an effort to get his endurance built up, but I was so paranoid about bloat (something I honestly didn't stress over with the Siberians, I took reasonable precautions, but I did not stress much over it) that I ended up cutting out some of the extra snack meals I had done with Mira, and Maddie before her.  I also failed to take into consideration the additional load his system took with being in tact.  I've had spayed/neutered dogs in recent years and didn't compensate adequately to compensate for his additional food needs.  The result was a dog that was thinner than need be, and he was using his nutrition on "work" days so quickly that we had a couple of instances of stomach upset and untimely bile elimination (Three or Four O'clock in the morning kind of flying out of bed to the sound of a retching dog only to have to clean dog, crate and dog bedding).  We had a thorough medical evaluation/exam and blood work done with our Vet to rule out potential medical issues, and it was decided that adding weight and also adding an extra small meal before bed on "work" days would hopefully resolve the problem.  He is gaining weight and we have not had any additional vomit problems since we increased food and added a snack before bed on run days.  With the weather turning so cold overnight, I could no longer resist the call of the trail.  I decided early into the weekend that we were going on Sunday morning for our first trail run together.

Last night I began gathering up the "tools" for our run.  For Stetson: harness, lead, collar, nutrition for after the run and water.  For me: gloves, head gear, trail shoes, shirt change (dry shirt for after the run to stay warm), post run nutrition and water.  I try to take a healthy protein and some healthy carbs for both dog and human.  For myself, I'm packing dried cranberries with cashews and walnuts (a mix pre made from Publix).  For Stetson, I packed freeze dried chicken hearts, dried apricots and a high quality kibble.  We both get just enough food after to help us begin effective recovery.



Finding the stash of chicken hearts

While I was packing his food, Stetson got to try a chicken heart for the first time.  When I finished his packing, I got my nut mixture out and began packing it and pulling out the water bottles...I heard a little rustle behind me and found Stetson had discovered where I keep his new favorite treat, freeze dried chicken hearts!


We got to the mountain this morning before 8:00 and it was 27 degrees.  Stetson stopped to pee one time as we began the trail and other than that, he had his head on task.  I was very impressed that he wasn't wanting to stop and mark every few feet.  I recently read that the Australian Shepherd is a follower, not a leader.  I hoped that his view of me as leader perhaps lessened his need to mark.  Regardless of the validity of that thought process, it was nice to not have him trying to mark every few feet.

I started out thinking we'd run 3 miles, I was concerned about the large gravel under foot and certainly didn't want to ruin the experience for him by making his pads sore.  When we got to the turnaround for the three mile out and back, he was moving fine and we'd already been over the worst of the terrain.  After a quick pad check, I decided to go on and we ended up going from the Burnt Hickory parking area all the way to the Illinois Monument and back.  He handled the five and a half mile run incredibly well.  He was a good partner, although I will fix the pulling that I anticipated I'd regret letting take place, he's just too strong to pull on me, sigh.  It won't be hard to correct and I knew I'd need to eventually, but it served as a good measure early in our work together to know how much effort and enthusiasm he was putting into a run.

Even better than the way he handled the run was the attitude he had with the ever so bossy Madison when we returned home.  She greeted him at the door with her mouth wide and loud, and her nose pushing up under his belly and rear in typical "left behind, alpha bitch" manner.  He humored her for a minute, but before I had my shoes off (and that's almost immediately upon entering the house), he had given her a bunny scoot, flipped his butt in her face and play bowed until she eagerly engaged him in a romp around the house.  They are a good match for each other!

Here he's enjoying the reward for being a good partner and working hard on the trail for me - dried apricots, freeze dried chicken hearts and some high quality kibble. 





















And finally, he gets a well deserved rest before dinner.  I'm glad to be looking forward to weekends again, and runs with my dog.  Today was a great way to close 2012 with a very special dog, who has a very special place in my heart.  Welcome Stetson, I'm so glad you are here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Beach

We will only have one run on the beach this trip - it's a short trip and we're cutting it a little shorter yet in an attempt to get home and unloaded tomorrow (Christmas Day) before any potentially severe weather hits Atlanta.  Since being caught in tornadic weather near St. Louis in May, we are electing to err on the side of caution and head back before the holiday storms that are being predicted hit near home.

Stetson and I got in somewhere between three and four miles this morning on the beach - it was gorgeous to run into the sunrise with my dog.

The following shots were taken when we finished near the boardwalk - so many people come out just to photograph sunrise, it is a worthy reason to set the alarm!

 

 

 

Yesterday Dave and I took the dogs for a long walk on the beach - Maddie was happy to show Stetson what it's all about.  She loves the surf and pulled us until we finally reached the edge of the water.

Dave captured a sweet moment between Stetson and I that pretty much sums up the way I feel about this dog and how grateful I am that he's willing to explore new places and activities with as much enthusiasm as I have.

 

Routines

It feels "normal" to have dogs at the door to the garage waiting to "go" because they have heard Dave or I move the truck out.  We haven't had much sense of "normal" for the past several weeks, and have been redefining it as we go.  Stetson is getting used to our routines, but he hasn't been able to figure out some of the more obvious routines that Maddie has experienced for years here.  He happily comes to the door when we bring the harnesses in, but he hadn't yet associated the movement of the truck with a pending activity that he would be a part of.  See, we can't open the tailgate of the Enclave in the garage because it's too tall and will actually bang into the garage door overhead - so to load dogs (or anything else in the back end), the truck has to be moved out.  That being said, the only reason we typically move the truck out before we leave is if we're taking dogs somewhere.  So when we exit the door to the garage and the truck gets moved out, it is assumed by the canines in this house that they are going someplace.  They don't care where, but they are going.  He hadn't put the movement of the truck in relation to activity together; at least not until yesterday.  I happened to be passing through the entry when I caught a glimpse of the "anticipation".

Watching the door and listening to the truck moving out of the garage
 

We're going, right????????
 

I'm glad I captured that moment, it meant a lot to me.  He put me at ease and I felt a little weight lifted off my shoulders when I understood that he not only "gets" what we do, but he anticipates it eagerly.  The whole morning was comfortable; I felt like I was healing and letting go a little. 

We finished the 3.1 miles at the river by taking the full loop (which includes a little larger gravel on the path) so he would have a little exposure on his pads to a rougher surface.  It was the 4th time we did three miles together this week.  The jog/walks in the neighborhood are a little mundane in comparison to the activity on the trails at the river, I think he's a little bored with the runs in the neighborhood, can't blame him I get bored too sometimes.

Maddie tired to a fast walk on the last third of the trail.  She rocks, she'll be 13 years old in a few weeks and I can still say "she's not for whimps".  She'll drag you down for the joy of a squirrel or chipmunk chase.  Stetson wasn't tired, but he wasn't impatient with the change of pace either.  He's ready for more distance, and I'm longing to increase mileage too. 

We will increase distance this week on two of our three jog/walks.  We are both ready to take another step forward in our runs.

 

Testing Progress - Endurance Evaluation

Stetson and I have been out three times this week for 3 mile jog/walks.  We have made great progress together and he is showing less and less fatigue/stress, while we jog/walk/run together.  Today was a "long run" day; so we normally would increase the distance by about 10%.  Rather than increasing the distance of the run, we added a herding lesson this afternoon (the same day as the run, but with a rest period between of about two and a half hours).

We began the unofficial "endurance testing" at the Chattahoochee River this morning at about 8:20 am for a 3.1 mile jog/walk.  The weather was pretty warm for the dogs and Maddie tuckered out to a easy walk by two and a half miles.  Stetson on the other hand kept some tension on the line most of the time, (which I suppose I will have to "correct" eventually, but for now it is a useful measuring stick regarding the way he feels) for most of the run. 

We were passed head on, and from behind by cyclists on numerous occasions; had many dogs coming and going; as well as noisy children around most of the run.  The only time he flinched was when someone dropped the metal door to a trash bin rather close behind us, but as usual he recovered without any issue.



Handsome dog decked out in red

 

Moments before they were nose to nose egging each other onto a romp

I knew the run wasn't going to be an issue for him today, we've done it before and he recovers well.  What I didn't know was if he'd handle the additional physical and mental load of a herding lesson this afternoon.  I am proud to say, he was great!

He worked hard today on sheep and I didn't have control of him  (thank you Amy for rescuing me), but he learned to be confident and I began to learn to not fear he would kill something (previous experience with my older dogs may have scarred me a bit in the fear area).  Most importantly to me, he showed me that he is making strides in the endurance arena.  Again, I can see longer runs at Kennesaw Mountain in our near future.

Starting out in the pen, we had much to learn together today - confidence for him and fear management for me

We began to succeed with some mutual trust

We were able to move sheep from one place to another, and then back them up further.  He learned to control himself a little, and I was able to learn a bit, (very small steps of progress), about applying and releasing pressure on the livestock and my dog.  I am really looking forward to the next session!

Once we got home, he hung out in the RV with us while we brought the slides back in and started it up.  I suppose after all the other commotion we've created in his life these past three weeks he wasn't at all concerned about a "big truck" in the back yard.

My new motto has become "keep moving forward, it's the only place you have not yet been".  He has been my gift, and my accelerator to remain filled with life these past weeks.  I already feel I owe him so much.
 

A Whole New World

Dave had plans today, and I had a scheduled session with Stetson's breeder (a new friend), Amy Burnette to see what herding was all about.  Maddie doesn't like to be left out or left home alone.  Soooo, Madison loaded into the truck along with Stetson and I, and we were off to see what we could do with livestock.

I had no idea what to expect - sheep, goats, ducks...I seriously had no clue what I was going to experience today; but I knew I had to see what this dog would do in the environment he was bred to thrive in.

There we were at eleven o'clock this morning; he was wearing his harness (totally inappropriate, but what did I know), I was in shorts two tops and sneakers (also mostly inappropriate; my legs and ankles were exposed and apparently most susceptible to injury, but I typically roll with legs exposed and upper body covered, it's a runner thing, so it seemed okay to me at the time).

We began by watching an experienced dog bring goats into a small pen, which would be our work area.  Then Amy and the dog worked on intricate details of the process with the goats.  We watched another woman bring sheep into the pen, the goats were put up and the sheep were worked by her and then a dog who was equally as inexperienced as Stetson (by Amy).  Amazingly, Amy was able to work the dog and give me pointers as I observed from outside the pen.  At last it was our turn; I had the choice to work him in the pen myself, or watch him be worked for the first time by Amy.  She was very open to either option, and I decided without much thought to go in myself.

I only have a couple of pictures and they actually have nothing to do with the main event today, but they are cute anyway.

Can't see it here, but he was barking at the sheep being worked by another dog; very nice exhibit of drive
 

She was none too happy when we took "her dog" and put him away before he got to work

We moved Stetson from the outdoor runs to indoors in order to save his enthusiasm for the job before it was his turn to work.  Madison was having nothing to do with separation from her new buddy; she kicked into my "high drive working bitch" that I've loved, and struggled with, for nearly thirteen years each time she was separated from him. Actually, it's not as personal toward him as she makes it seem; she's not afraid he's not coming back, she's more angry that someone else it getting action and she's left in a crate or kennel - but she's adorable nonetheless, and she does make it seem like it's about separation. Her noise was deafening to me, but the gracious people, Amy included, were not visibly annoyed by her behaviour.

Herding is a spectator sport for Madison

Stetson, well, my goodness what a nice dog he is!  He walked into the pen with sheep for the first time, with me on the other end of his rope, another first time situation, and he controlled the situation very well.  He seemed to recognize I might be ultimately in charge, and was willing to let me lead.  Amy told me before we started that I needed to watch the livestock and not the dog; it made sense, we were there to control the livestock after all.  She also said to watch their heads, you control them by the head and not from behind.  Again, that was logical to me because I'd watched them be "driven" (my words) from the rear and their heads lead them to where they ultimately ended up...  Okay, I could do that I thought, or I hoped.

Well, we did!  I don't have a "lie down" or even a "down" command with him yet - but he knows "whoa" because I am adamant about control when we run/walk and I use a slow, low, firm "whoa" to stop my dogs from jerking me in uncertain terrain or situations, such as down a mountain, (not funny, but you can laugh, I've been drug down a portion of Red Top with screaming Siberians before I learned that they had to know "whoa") so it was easy for me to keep him standing, but stopped.  We will have to learn "lie down" for herding, obedience, agility and the rest of life; but for today "whoa" worked fine.

He trusted me to be in charge today and I trusted myself to watch the livestock and feel the dog at the other end of the rope.  I think we all had a ball!  I'm so grateful for this experience, I cannot wait for the next time we get out.  I know his complete sweetness will wear off as he "feels his oats" so to speak, and gets more confident, but OMG (yes, I said that, OMG) it was a blast.

So very grateful that my friend Trish McCabe directed me to Coolmore Australian Shepherds and Amy Burnette.  Stetson and I have so many memories to make!  Tonight I'll fall asleep reciting over and over, "walk up"; "whoa"; "that'll do".

We're not running tonight, I seem to be the only one in the house still living on a rush - the dogs are sleeping and cozy so I'll let them be until tomorrow when we hit the pavement and work on endurance and getting it together for the one thing I knew we would be doing together, running!  Rest well little buddy, we're back on tomorrow night.