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.
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.
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.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment