You want me to come inside? I think I'll just taunt you instead.

 August 30, 2010

On Thursday, I took my dogs for a walk for the first time in a month. But it's not what you think. I haven't been intentionally torturing them. Hip surgery in late July has kept me from engaging in any sort of physical activity.
When I think of physical activity, it's usually more along the lines of a men's league hockey game or a ten-mile run. But let me assure you, walking these two little monsters is a physical chore of its own. Remy and Barrett prefer a quick pace, pulling to the limit of their leashes, only to dart in opposite directions when sights and scents move them.
Our normal morning routine is a mile of this tug-of-war, often combined with a baby stroller. I had barely been able to walk, let alone wrangle those two for 15 minutes. Since Labrador retrievers need exercise, my only alternative was an early morning game of fetch in the back yard. Running up and down the hill behind our house gets the dogs panting more than a one-mile walk; the only problem is only one dog likes to fetch, and even her patience with me is wearing thin.
Every morning when I limp down to the basement, Barrett makes a beeline for the leashes. When I go to the back door without them, she reluctantly follows along, and usually spends her time outside sniffing the grass and perhaps rolling around when she finds a decent spot. She has no interest in fetching anything unless it's edible.
Remy on the other hand, will usually fetch until she can no longer stand up. Recently though, my early physical therapy appointments have required that I cut short these morning fetch sessions.
Remy, ever the perceptive one, has caught on to this new schedule, as well as my physical limitations. After two or three tosses down the hill, she sits down at the bottom of the yard in anticipation of our return to the house. Instead of coming when I call her, she stares back at me as if to say "what are you going to do about it, gimpy?" I've been late to work at least once after waiting for her to decide to be obedient.
I'm back on two feet again, so hopefully soon our walks will become daily events. But in the meantime I'm not sure what to do with this obstinate monster that somehow grew out of my obedient little puppy. I've learned that chasing her, even with two healthy legs, is an exercise in futility. She just taunts me and ducks away when I try to grab her. Punishing her for not coming won't do any good, because she needs to come to me before any scolding could take place. Besides, positive reinforcement is the way to train a dog. Maybe I just need to start back at the basics of canine obedience. Either that, or get a dog door.

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Multimedia director Peter Huoppi blogs about dogs.

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