Took the team out early sunday morning while it was still 52 degrees. In lead were Yukon and Demon, and I had two of the pups, Cat and Moon. Cat wow'd me! He's a natural! This big boy has great work ethic and natural speed, and at 5 months, he's as big and almost as fast as Yukon. He is one amazing pup! He definitely needs a mushing home, and I might just end up keeping him. So what if he is too large to show? He's an awesome runner, and will more than likely make my dryland team. He's incredibly smart, loving and playfully silly. He also has incredible good looks. This boy is ideal for racing, so I've made the decision to keep him intact to pass on his awesome running genes.
Moon, did ok, but she kept turning to look at me and trying to come back to me for reassurance. I kept the pace slow enough for her to keep up, and once she figured out that I praised her when she looked forward, she stopped looking back. By the end of the ~1 mile run, she had the idea to keep up with her running partner Cat, though she was still unsure about keeping her tug tight. For her first time out, she did ok.
Demon, though, was too used to being in wheel and following instead of leading. He was unsure and hesitated a few times which in a way was ok to keep the pace slow enough for Moon and not overwhelm her. He did try to go off-road once, but got back on quickly enough not to cause too much of a tangle.
Yukon did great. He kept the team moving, and for the most part kept his brother forward oriented. He did great with his commands and not once tried to chase anything until Demon dragged him off the road. He pulled against Demon, but his brother is heavier and had the advantage. He was quick to help me get Demon back on the road though, and did really well up the final hill.
All four got their frozen meat patty snack, and lounged around in the AC as the temps began to climb. I started mowing the lawn, but the heat finally drove me back inside. When I cooled off, Ace and I did some clicker training. She too is a very smart girl! It only took fifteen minutes for her to master sit, down, and stay! Plus, she learned the clicker sound is the signal she is doing great and going to get a reward. Positive reinforcement training works so great with huskies!
Moon, Cat and Ace stuck to me like glue the rest of the day, flustering Princess who normally is at my side.
A note on why we call him Cat Burgler. He has this funny quirk that he never wants to chew on the toys we give him. He will always try to steal someone else's first. He won't chew their toys either, but will set them aside, then go try to steal another toy. He will do this four or five times before he will finally settle down and chew on his original toy. He also has a funny sense of humor. He has an exceptionally long tail, consequently my husband sometimes call him "monkey butt", and Cat loves that name! He'll smile broadly and romp around for three or four minutes whenever he hears it. Silly silly boy!
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