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| Lusi in her new puffa jacket! |
The temperature outside has plummeted this week so that yesterday the daytime high was mid minus twenties together with the windchill factor. Lusi did not get her walk! Of course, this meant that she was pretty much bouncing off the walls like a small child on Halloween candy. To counter this hyperactivity I ramped up the frequency of our short indoor training sessions during the day and we practiced our marker training with varied "sit-stand-down" routines and then "heel" and "come". We were not as rusty as I thought we might be given our days off over the holidays. Perhaps I should correct that to, I was not as rusty in giving the "yes" and "good".
During the holidays I'd noticed that my husband and I had fallen into our separate roles as disciplinarian and fun guy. Lusi was definitely seeking my husband out to play with or to get tummy rubs. As far as Lusi was concerned, my husband was the good guy and I was the bad guy. I needed to lighten up and play with her more, I thought.
Out came the toy Kong, a freebie from the vet at our last visit but it had at least survived Lusi's tenacious chewing of late and was more or less still in one piece. I got Lusi to sit and then tossed the Kong into the air gently just close enough so that she could catch it without too much leaping around. It wasn't long before she was doing it quite ergonomically and apparently without her noticing, we were incorporating a routine of "sit" and "down" in between the throws and she was bringing the Kong to me and trying, at least a little bit, to place it in my lap. These sofa games are quite good I thought!
Today the weather was quite a bit warmer than yesterday so off we went for our walk. I was worried that Lusi might try to get down the river banks and slip onto the ice so we avoided going down the trails next to the water. Our walks usually incorporate some short training routines, but it didn't seem fair to ask too much of her. I was just happy that we could finally get outdoors and that Lusi could have a run around. The pathways were quite slippery in most places, a sprinkling of snow over sheet ice, so I found it was best to walk on either side of the track where the long grass was poking through.
We passed by several other dog owners. A young woman walking two small booted furballs; actually only one was walking the other had given up and was being carried. A man with a black lab cross, tail wagging, pleased to see Lusi but not allowed to greet her until her master had released her from his side, (nicely done I thought). Then there was another large black dog arriving on the scene without any owner as yet in view. I called Lusi to follow with me, she followed, dipped back, then followed on again with me. I just kept the same steady march onwards. When I did check behind us after a few minutes, after I noticed Lusi jumping upwards in the air for a better view, I saw a man and a black dog following on our heels. I wasn't sure if it was the same black dog as before but now reunited with its owner; it looked smaller than the one peviously. Anyway, it wasn't long before the gap between us made it acceptable for Lusi to double back and investigate the newcomer. Mmmhh, she's not coming back to me, I thought, a little cross at her lack of attention. I did not waver in my speed. I kept on. Still no Lusi and now she was out of sight; that simply never happens! I would not give in to her. Suddenly there's her white tail and her big warm black puffa jacket careens towards me as I take one fork to the right, hoping the black dog would take the left. It did and I heard the sound of his master's whistle as he took the left turn. It had a nice tone to it that whistle, not a tinny sound. We met up again a short while later; a nice friendly black retriever that passed me by as I patted it on the side. I greet all the dogs..."hi there, buddy," I'll say as they head towards me.
We headed back to the truck. Only one wipe out on the ice and that had been Lusi's!
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