Day 2 - Miso's First Walk

Well, her first night went smoothly. Slept in her crate without a peep! I sure do love having crate-trained dogs.

We didn't quite make it outside for pottying though! We got to the living room, and somebody had to poop (not me, I swear). I have to laugh though. With all my mental preparation, I completely forgot about Miso not being potty trained! But it makes sense - she has lived and pooped and peed in the same small area for months now, how would she know to go outdoors? I'm confident she'll get the hang of things quickly.

One of the reasons I wanted a bigger dog was so that I could have a canine companion for vigorous physical activities. I have a large doggie stroller for Chubby and Harley that I use for jogs and long walks. Eventually I'd like to work Miso into jogging alongside my bike (with the lil guys in the bike trailer, of course), hiking, and maybe even swimming in the summer if she's up for it.

Our first walk was a DREAM. All I kept thinking was, "Thank You BadRap!" She walked beautifully on her prong collar with minimal pulling. Anytime she got too far ahead I would say "Uh oh!" and stop, and she would promptly sit and turn to look at me. No joke. After several minutes of walking politely, I'd let her have some loose lead time where she could sniff the bushes, trees, etc. We went back and forth like this for almost an hour. Eventually, we got to the paved trail that runs near my house, and we tried a short jog. She did great, but I'm out of shape! I can't believe how easy she is to walk. We do a Sit-Look at every curb before crossing the street or going through the door back inside. She's such a pro!

At this point, I have had great success with short sessions (15-20 mins) of Miso loose in the kitchen with Harley and Chubby. Chubby has, in a short period of time, given up most of his amorous ways, and no longer postures around Miso as if he's prepared to mount her. Harley is wiggly and lick-y around Miso in her good-natured Pug way. We shall see! Maybe I won't have to do tie downs at all...