Nicki was full of doggergy today, probably pent up from a week of rain diminished outings. But today was sunny and brisk causing Nicki to be the same.
On parking down by docks, Nicki bounded out of the Jeep and gave me spin around, bounce around hurry up looks. I chucked his ball down the empty road leading away from the Bay. It bounced forever on the pavement as Nicki enthusiastically chased after it and then came hurtling back.
In fact he kept on hurtling toward a beachlette on the Bay where, needless to say, we played Oshin-Ball forever. He was tireless and impatiently insistent that i chuck the ball again and again and again.
After a while, i put the ball back into the Jeep and we headed over the tracks and up a closed road to the interurban trial to Ferndale. It's a more or less straight trail cut into a bluff under the overhead road and over the railroad tracks by the shore. Trees and brush line the trail.
I think Nicki likes the tunnel effect. At any rate he charged down the trail for about 150 yards before turning around and barrelling back at me. He did this consistently throughout the walk, at varying distances, and between charging up or down ways into the brush. He was simply tireless and happy to be bounding.
I was pleased to note how he seems to have got over his flight-fight Indian circle dance with strangers. From time to time he came around back some walkers on the trail but only close enough to get a scent and move on. Sometimes he didn't even bother and was undisturbed as well by bicyclists and children.
I was also happy to see how responsive he was to my few commands. I called him back a couple of times when some oncoming pedestrian looked like a "not dog" person. He returned immediately and went on ahead when i told him "G'won." I'm pretty sure Nicki has figured out the trade-off: if he obeys he gets to be off leash and, from time to time, maybe can get a chew chip to boot. ( I know he's figured out the second part.)
By the time we got home, my fall cold had hit and i was feeling woozy. So after a quick chow for us both, we took a nap and i awoke to find paw over arm over paw.
I think Nicki likes the tunnel effect. At any rate he charged down the trail for about 150 yards before turning around and barrelling back at me. He did this consistently throughout the walk, at varying distances, and between charging up or down ways into the brush. He was simply tireless and happy to be bounding.
I was pleased to note how he seems to have got over his flight-fight Indian circle dance with strangers. From time to time he came around back some walkers on the trail but only close enough to get a scent and move on. Sometimes he didn't even bother and was undisturbed as well by bicyclists and children.
I was also happy to see how responsive he was to my few commands. I called him back a couple of times when some oncoming pedestrian looked like a "not dog" person. He returned immediately and went on ahead when i told him "G'won." I'm pretty sure Nicki has figured out the trade-off: if he obeys he gets to be off leash and, from time to time, maybe can get a chew chip to boot. ( I know he's figured out the second part.)
By the time we got home, my fall cold had hit and i was feeling woozy. So after a quick chow for us both, we took a nap and i awoke to find paw over arm over paw.
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