July 5 thru July 11
We had an outstanding week. Started walking regularly and Ellie took to it right away. By weeks end she is barking at me during the first cup of coffee demanding to go on the walk. She pulls but I keep a short leash and will not let her get ahead of me. It is work but by weeks end I believe she is really getting it. The first twenty minutes of the walk is a little excited. She jumps and does the typical lab move where they grab the lead in their mouth and carry part of it while they walk. I have seen Golden retrievers do the same thing, must be a sporting dog trick. By the second half of the walk enough of the puppy energy is gone and she is more cooperative and easier to handle.
We took a big adventure over the weekend and went to the river where the city has built a walk that goes for miles. Saturday I bet we walked 3.5 to 4 miles. She was pooped at the end. Sunday more of the same except not quite as far. We tried a park on the other side of the river that was not as long. We then went and walked part of the one from Saturday to make up some distance. Ellie just cannot understand why everyone that passes does not want to say hello. She is quite the social butterfly.
I feel the exercise is helping with some discipline issues. She is more responsive to commands and does not bite as much. The walks are not doing me any harm either. I just cannot seem to do repetitive exercise like a treadmill but I love hiking and being outside.