But being out there was HEAVENLY, even though it was short. Hera held up very well considering that she didn't get to come out to Jasin's for our last 20 mile run since she doesn't like riding in anything but her dog truck. Spoiled? Maybe... but I wasn't up for cleaning poop out of the back of my Jeep. Shes gotten so used to the dog truck that anything else literally scares the crap out of her.
Gaea started coming into heat while we were at Jasin's place and is still well within her cycle. Shes just now at the stage that she would like to solicit the boys so Ive got to keep a sharp eye on her. The puppies have learned that shes mine and since I hold the alpha position we've established that I have full breeding rights (as with any pack), figuratively, not literally of course!
The boys know they are not supposed to sniff, linger or in any way show their interest in mating while I'm around. This goes over well for the most part but its not something that can be trusted 100%.
Gaea stays in the pen during free time and is watched closely while in the team. Still, Boreas was testing the limits of my rights and trying to turn back to catch a quick visit with her while he was running and while we were stopped. A few words from me set him straight and he knew he was overstepping his bounds.I know that if I were to loose concentration over her for a moment that a breeding could happen but when the boys know they are doing something that is against the pack law that offers me a few precious seconds to stop a breeding before it happens. Some of the boys are better at obeying than others... as it stands Chronos and Boreas are more driven to mate then Thani or Hermes. I still have to watch all the boys closely but this gives me a clue on who to watch more so during free time. If those two get too close to her heat pen I can enforce the right behavior and drive them away. Its all good training for them at this young age...
The weather conditions have been terrible. The wind was forecasted to be up to 30mph and it really bit out on the open areas of the field. The dogs traveled well through it but since the snowmachiners are out more with these warmer temperatures (+20 today) the trail has been torn up a bit and needed much more of my concentration. That and the flying snow biting at my face while the wind tried to rip the hat right off my head made this a challenging run.
And an interesting thing has happened since Gaea came here to stay with us, when she was a pup she would run with us or ride in the sled bag when she got tired. As she grew older she became faster and would run with or ahead of the team. When she grew faster still she would become a pest to the other dogs, playfully bumping into them and throwing them off balance.
I would shout to her to get out of the team or just yell her name in my deep voice to get her to straighten up. For some reason Remus had taken that to mean that he did something wrong and would promptly fall right off his tug line just enough to stop working but still keeping up with the team. I'm not sure where the connection was made for him but now, even when she is in the team and I have to correct her from playing with her partner, Remus still shuts down. Its so odd. I'm sure the two of them will grow out of this as our training progresses but it may take some time...
On the way back we had a nice run in with Robert and his team. I was feeling pretty confident with my guys and decided to see if we could do a head on pass. This was completely unexpected as nether one of us expected to see each other today.
The pass was okay but did get quite jumbled. From what I could tell my leaders and swing dogs passed his team before the dogs farther back decided to run full into his guys. It looked like his dogs might have had the same idea and I was expecting a major tangle but in a few moments both teams separated and seemed pretty well put together.Reba was tangled a little bit and Salty (in Robert's team) had a slight tangle but that was about it. It looked an awful mess for a moment there but considering that both teams came away clean at the end it wasn't too shabby!
I did notice Thani snapping at a few of Roberts dogs as we separated. We were all probably way too close for his comfort. Its not the best behavior I want to see from him so I will be watching him closer next time. So far Ive only seen Thani show teeth as a warning to stay away, which most dogs will gladly do, but this situation was hard to get away from. Even if he did want to leave he was tied completely in and both mine and Robert's teams were so close to each other.
But any practice is good practise so it was good to be out there today. I cant know what to fix if I don't know where the problems are and I wont know where the problems are unless we are out there trying new things! : )
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that Hermes was leading single for most of the run and even started us off that way! Hes doing beautifully and is a very reliable command leader already! I tested him a few times on his turns and he did great!! Juno is farther back in the team now and will be taking a break for a while. She has seemed to enjoy her new position and its nice to know I can use her in a pinch if I need to.
About a mile from our finish I put Ichabod back up with Hermes to help ease the stress of leading but Hermes seemed more confused than anything. He really is a star up there and does fantastic on his own! I am so blown away by this...
Total Miles: 8.35
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