The One With the Running

If I were honest, this post would be called The One With All the Walking. But I've been in politics too long, so I'm calling it running. My New Years resolution was to get up and run with my dogs every morning at 5:30. It sucks. I hate it. But I actually did it on Monday and Tuesday. It's funny how different my neighborhood is between 5:30 and 6. I take Muggsy at 5:30 when no one else is out. It's deserted and there are strange people lurking on corners that run when they see me coming with my 80-pound Akita. At 6, when I take Chubbs and Fenway, everyone is out. I run into joggers and tons of people walking their dogs.

I also took Muggsy running at his typical Yorba Linda spot yesterday and I have some successes and failures to report.

Failure: I let Muggsy off-leash and he ran away. It's my own fault. I need to better train the recall. I know how to do it and I just skipped some steps, apparently some crucial ones. I have to look at it as just another training opportunity. I was really upset though and ignored him for several hours after catching him. This is the best punishment ever for Muggsy. He hates it when I won't talk to or look at him.

Success: After my class that follows the running, a girl about my age came up to me to talk about her fearful Rottie. It was a long story that I won't relay, but he reminded me of Muggsy. She was in tears and ask me if I honestly thought she could keep this dog. So I told her to hold on while I went and got my reactive dog out of the car. I talked to her about management and showed her what she could realistically expect in public. Because he was just excited that I was talking to him again, Muggsy was on his best behavior. I wouldn't let anyone pet him or come close to him, but she tossed him treats and he just stood beside me, focused on me. I told her how he used to lunge and bark at everyone who came near him, and she couldn't believe it. So it was nice to see how far he's come. Sometimes I need to be reminded.