Wednesday morning was the most fun part of our trip. We were staying someplace where the dogs could run off leash. They love this part. It was especially fun because we can just get out of the car off leash. At home we have to go on leash until we are in a pasture or further away from roads.
Freeing Blaze from the swamp
Griffin and Blaze got to go for a longer walk with springer friend Gabby. Blaze had been slowing down – but he was very motivated while there – the smells and sights apparently kept him going much further and longer than usual. We stopped him while he was still eager – knowing we didn’t want him to be sore later. Blaze is the least reliable of my dogs and he had to be on a long-line… and I had to use it to drag/pull him out of a swamp when got stuck in the water/plants. As soon as I took him out he dove back in. With a younger dog, we would treat this as a training opportunity. At 15+, I have to just be happy he feels so well!
Viktor went out on his own – his running is still limited. We especially wanted to get pictures/video to evaluate his motion.
Griffin has been hesitant about getting in the car at times – I have a few thoughts on why this may be, but the underlying theme is that the reinforcement history is not great enough. We were able to practice going in the car and rewarding him with food but also permission to get right back out again. By the time we left that day he was getting in so much better and even now is still happier than he was before the trip.
Tonks stayed home – my first nights away from her! She did well with her puppy sitters and didn’t even greet me when I got back!