August 12th

Tonight is Yukon's turn for a little one on one training. I need the exercise, and he will do much better today since it is a lot cooler than yesterday. Yukon is a long-hair coat, and does not like being out in the sun (can't blame him there), but hopefully he will be fine with a chance to run (jog actually, I could never in my dreams keep up with him running... lol) outside the fence for a little while.

Samantha is a short-hair coated siberian, and being a bit lighter color she doesn't mind the sun so much, but does get warm fast like any of them in the summer time. Tomorrow, I'll try to work Freya on line-out. Will probably be pretty tough for her being a wiggly high-spirited puppy. So I will probably take her for a jog afterwards as a reward. She really really really loves to run!

Yukon did great as I expected, and he really enjoyed his new x-back harness. He was overjoyed to be pulling and nearly took me for a drag hehe. He is an incredibly fast dog, and my top speed just wasn't cutting it. His intelligence is profoundly un-dog-like. It is no wonder I call him "my philosopher". He is so very gentle and loving, yet loves to have his fun, but every once in a while I'll just catch him sitting and thinking, and it is quite obvious he is in deep contemplation about something. If only I knew what he was thinking about. He is always the first to master a new command, whether it be sit, lay down, stay, leave it, gee and haw. It is like child's play to him, but it is play and fun, so he does it because he loves to have fun with his people.

When I was trying to put him back in the yard, G'kar tried to sneak out behind me, and I backed up to trap him against the fence. This was the opportunity Samantha was looking for, and streaked past me like a bolt of lightning!

Fortunately, Samantha just wanted to run and was a bit frustrated that I had taken Yukon out and not her. She ran like a shot down to the bridge as if she were in harness, then turned at the bridge, ran along the treeline like she is used to doing. She ran back into the backyard, twice around the outside of the fenced yard before trotting over to see what was at the neighbor's house. James caught up with her before she found the chicken yard, thank goodness, and she happily came back with him, having already stretched her legs.