Monday, June 21, 2010

Day 1: Teaching Tucker how to run.

Day 1 was a failure. However, neither of us came home with a broken bone, so it turned out better than I expected. (On a side note: one of us did come home with a neck full of dog poop. I'll give you hint...it wasn't me).

The run was actually better than I hoped. The last time I ran with him I ended up unconscious. True story! Last year I took him to the tennis courts to tire him out. One minute I was running around with him and the next minute I was flying up into the air. I woke up to him licking my face. I'd like to think that was his way of apologizing for plowing me over.

You would think running with a dog wouldn't be so hard, but we looked like such fools this morning. I want to teach him how to actually run at MY pace. Unfortunately Tucker only has a walk mode and a sprint mode, with NOTHING in between. Back when we thought he was a whippet, I would blame it on genetics. So every time he would lunge into a sprint I would make him sit. Finally he figured out if he jogged nicely next to me, I'd fill him with treats. It's going to take some more work, but I saw a little glimpse of hope.

Now that Tucker is bathed (nasty dog), I am off for a real run. .25 miles is just not going to cut it.

4 comments:

  1. While Tucker's genetics seem to be dubious, do I detect some coaching genes? Have you tried fruit roll-ups? Usually worked with the cross country team. :~)

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete