We’ve been going for a run every day since I was cleared by the doctor, on Monday.  While we take Freddie with us, she’s been totally babied on all of our adventures.  Understandably- I mean, she is still just 13 weeks old!   In my books, that’s a baby!  So as we’ve been running and walking here, there, around this or that, we’ve picked her up to carry her, allowed her to meander across the trail, let he jump up and, essentially, just have bad leash/walk manners.  Again, it’s understandable.  She’s just a puppy!  We’ve just been happy that she doesn’t chew on the leash or try to run away.  Our philosophy is kindness, always, with a dose of dominance when challenged, and we’ve always had pets that’s we love and who love us in return.  We train them, respect them, reward them and love them deeply so they don’t run away and when they do run, upon their return we cover them with attention and love, making them question why they would ever run to begin with!  


It’s worked, so far, but Freddie is different.  She’s willful, protective, has a self-perception of being tough and she’s overly attracted to gross stuff (meaning she will make a deaf beeline to rotten stuff, scarfing it up as fast as possible before I can get there).  Martha was so engaged with BALL or STICK that she stayed right with us, unless she had a fetch mission, but then she was right back with us.  The one thing that we’ve realized works is me.  If I stay in front of her, she is relentless.  When she’s on leash, Gigi has to stay far enough behind me that the dog doesn’t get tangled in my feet but close enough that she doesn’t get scared and freak out.  After running like that for three days or so she’s gotten into kind of a ‘heel’ practice that allowed me to trust her to try out off-leash running today AND SHE WAS AWESOME!  She was able to run with me for three times around the track off leash.  She stayed right behind me, never jumped up, never wove herself between my legs!  When she saw another runner whiz by me she got really excited, but otherwise she stayed right on heel.  I’m so proud of my little runner pupper!  We are going to be great partners!!!


(I took three minutes off my time for the extensive selfie taking.  Taking selfies with a dog is not easy!)

Otherwise, it was a lazy day.  I folded laundry, Gigi learned to play and sing a song on her guitar, Freddie slept and the boys invented a new game.  Perfecto summer day!!  I’m feeling very happy about my exercise and nutrition progress this week.  ðŸ™‚


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