Mud Season Reminders
After months of unreliable weather and trails made impassable (or at least un-fun) by sheets of ice, mud season finally arrived, and along with it the first chance in months to really wander the trails for a couple of hours with no goal, no schedule, and no endpoint other than our own whims.
It’s such a joy that Killian and Finn are so well matched in playstyle. It really feels like we got a puppy for Killian and he’s as in love with Finn as we are.
Murphy, for his part, seems quite happy for the arrival of Finn in our lives because it means Killian isn’t always relying on him for entertainment. Murphy is 8, and though he moves and zooms like a much younger dog, he seems happy for the opportunity to trot around at his own pace without quite so much biting of his ears.
And yes, I trimmed him and groomed him out once I got home and looked at these pictures.
Finn has turned out to be quite the stylish and adventurous guy, happy to try his best to keep up with Killian, and happy to make his own fun as well.
And, since I’ve been training his recall skills by calling him back to me periodically over the course of these walks and rewarding him heavily, he’s taken to returning on his own when not called in the hopes of mooching an extra cookie (which works, of course).
Having a puppy again means a fresh reminder that all walks are training walks, and that good behavior by older dogs should never be taken for granted. Dogs are always learning. So I’m grateful to Finn for the nudge to take the opportunity here or there to treat the older guys for a nice recall, and, of course, to practice the daily stay.