Tuesday

This is what heeling looks like in the real world. I am so proud of him and us. We could never get Dexter or Dee Dee to walk on a loose leash, much less heel. Toby spends 75% of the walk heeling, 20% sniffing/peeing/pooping with the 4-foot leash, and 5% pulling to go after squirrels or golf carts. That 5% is easy to work on.

In fairness to Dexter and Dee Dee, we were both working when they came along. It makes a huge difference to have so much time to focus on Toby.

It was a beautiful day today, started off chilly before dawn at 55 degrees, but warmed up quickly, all the way to 77 degrees. The winds were calm so it actually felt warm. The skies were solid blue.

I’ll have to say this mulch lives up to the hype: it “stays where you put it.” We placed 6 bags in our driveway two months ago and they haven’t moved an inch. I’m about to use them to spruce up what we already put down this summer. Our intentions were to clean up the beds on the north side of the house, but we got distracted.

Morning snuggle time before our first pre-dawn walk.

We went to Petsmart training this afternoon. There was only one other dog present so we got lots of attention. We practiced “come” in the store using a 30-foot leash. We practiced heeling and being petted by strangers (store employees). We practiced settling while having conversations.

It’s stressful because you have to listen, think, react quickly, and stay focused, all while handling smoked chicken bits, freeze-dried duck liver, bacon-flavored jerky, etc. 

For example, the other dog, Gracie, and her owner were preparing Gracie to sit and greet the stranger, who was directed to just walk up and start petting without asking, a common situation. The stranger was named Delilah. She walked up to pet Gracie and Gracie jumped on Delilah before the owner could think what to do. Suddenly, the owner blurted out, “No, Delilah. Sit,” which really confused Delilah because for a minute she thought the dog had the same name as she had. We all laughed so hard. We have all made similar mistakes under pressure.

This hibiscus tree is just outdoing itself. We enjoyed it on our last long walk of the day.

Toby, John, and I are very tired, but satisfied that we’ve lived a full day and done our best.

Miles walked: 9.2

Miles biked: 0