An introduction to walking



Day 1

Catching his breath

Buddy and I did about 10 miles today. After introducing him to my local Barista, I took him down to the Greenway trail. You could tell after a few miles that he was feeling a bit uncertain about the duration of the trip. When it started snowing, he began to look back repeatedly as if to say, "That's enough for one day. Let's head back." Sorry Buddy. No such luck. We've got to get you in shape for the long haul.

We arrived in Selah to meet my little nephew who adores dogs. Buddy was either especially well behaved, or just too exhausted to make a fuss. He spent most of the visit just resting on the floor.

Back on the Greenway, we worked on his response to verbal command. Buddy sits on cue which is a great start. Now the challenge will be getting him to walk properly by my side. Being a pup, he's all wound up. Every bird and squirrel sends him into an elated frenzy. But I intend to temper that energy so that he will exercise more restraint.
When we arrived back at Dawn's home in the evening, I got him situated in the carriage house and he laid down as if to sleep. But as I got up to leave, there were a few whines of protest. So he's obviously still feeling a little sad and maybe a bit lonely.

Taking a rest while Elias has some breakfast.

I think he'll be alright, since he's pretty tired. All in all, it was a cold, but pretty good day. Buddy's full of potential. I look forward to seeing how he'll do tomorrow.