More Training Runs

I have now gotten almost all the experienced leaders out on a run. For my second run, I used Amtrak and Comet in lead. They are both older, experienced dogs that I knew would be somewhat responsive to commands. They did a fairly creditable job, which was a good thing since I did not have Mike's help this time. Convincing them to run in the grass took a lot of patience, but once we got that settled, they were real good at taking commands for the rest of the run. There is one spot where the trail departs from the old road and runs right up to the main highway, going through what looks like a gravel pullout before veering back to the old road. That seems to be a trouble spot for all my leaders. They all think that they are supposed to go out on the highway there. However, it only takes one or two runs for the correct route to become a habit for them, and I do not expect to have any trouble after that.

On the third run I used Luna and Fresca again, and the rest of the team was rounded out by a group of experienced team dogs and up-and-coming leaders. The only leaders still left to learn the trail are the nine-year-old Siberians that I use for training puppies. I expect to get them out next week, and then I will start training all the young dogs along with my experienced race dogs.