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Friday, October 26, 2012

Winter Fun!

Winter time fun and games! More snow fell last night, and we played in it this morning.
Shyla adores playing in the snow. She bounds around at a million miles per hour, making me laugh out loud.
She's gained so much muscle in the time she's been with us that she is a rippling Labrador now!
Magically, the clouds lifted during our time in the forest.
I've been spending time teaching Shyla about my bike but we haven't really gone for a ride because she's a little too young for faster riding. However, snowbiking is another story. When the snow isn't packed, I average about 3 mph on the level. That's not any faster than normal hiking so I let Shyla do a short ride with me today.

Of course, from the photos, you can't tell the difference. I just happened to be on a crazy looking bike with 4" wide tires rolling along next to her instead of hiking. She seemed pretty stoked about it!
When she first arrived in our family, she was not comfortable even standing next to a bike. So, like everything else, I took it slow and steady. First, I gave her treats for standing next to the stationary bike. Then, I had her touch the bike with her nose. Later, she and I "took my bike for a walk" while I fed Shyla treats. After that, I started straddling the bike and feeding Shyla treats. In the past week, we made a huge breakthrough when she was willing to accept treats from me as I rode the bike. That's key in training a dog to run next to your mountain bike. If she'll take treats as you ride, you can start training behaviors like "heeling" next to the bike.

I didn't ask much from Shyla today in terms of training. We just mosied along, and she played in the snow. I wanted her to see how much fun the crazy 2-wheeled contraption could be. I stopped to take lots of photos of her zooming in circles around me.
And, when she stopped running, she was covered in snow!
Happy, happy, happy!
This girl and I are going to have so many adventures together. She's an amazing athlete, and she's incredibly trainable. I can visualize us riding high in the Rocky Mountains together next summer. The snow will be replaced by wildflowers, and we'll feel the soft kiss of the sun on our shoulders. She'll swim in high mountain lakes, and we'll hug on top of mountain passes. Ah, the life that we have ahead of us...

27 comments:

  1. Nice to be looking toward the future! Your photos today made me laugh out loud!

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  2. Nothing but pure joy on her face and in your words.

    Cindy

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  3. Gorgeous pictures! I defy anyone to look at those pictures and not smile at the joy on Shyla's face.

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  4. Oh yes the life you are having now and it is only going to get better and better and better. Loved all the photos, but her snow covered face is my favorite for today. I think you have another calendar girl on your hands.
    Blessings,
    Goose
    Oh and MOM says thanks for the camera info

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  5. It is so nice to "hear" the joy back in your voice:) Have a great weekend.

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  6. A happy girl and happy words, we can all smile with you this day. Shyla so loves the snow, wonderful days ahead. Fond greetings, Jean.

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  7. You both are so full of joy! I envy your snow
    Nola

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  8. Ann...from.... Outer Banks of NC....said.....this is just magical...and Shyla is so happy in the snow ...what does R think about the snow ?....and the Runner.... are they having fun too?.....its like a winter wonderland there.....Shyla's happy face is really beautiful to look at.....HUGS

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  9. Yes, I want to know where R is too.
    I miss that wild and wacky boy and can only imagine the two of them doing zoomies in the snow together.

    Shyla is wonderful as a snow girl and I love seeing these pics of her.

    I keep expecting snow, its cold enough, but so far zip for snow.

    Cheers and hugs,

    Jo, Stella and Zkhat

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  10. THe OP Pack said it for us. Oh, it is nice having such joy back in your written words.

    Loved all the photos today, love her enthusiasm for each and every season.

    Love experiencing them with you both.

    Bert and My Vickie

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  11. Woooooooohooo, I can almost hear her saying that as shes running. It is amazing a fun to see.

    Anne and Sasha

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  12. What fun! You've got snow. So far it's still warm enough for humans to wear shorts here.

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  13. What fun you're having, Shyla! We love your snow-covered face!

    Love ya lots,
    Mitch and Molly

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  14. Totally LOVE hearing the joy back in your voice as you talk about your new girl!! Shyla looks SO incredibly happy...and she sure does have muscles!! She appears to love the snow! So glad to hear you are feeling better!! xo Jeanne, Chloe and LadyBug

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  15. such beautiful snow pictures!! amazing how far she has come in such a short time! loved the pictures of the bobcats! (i see all your blogs, just don't have time to comment all the time...:)
    have a great weekend playing in that snow!
    xoxo

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  16. Absolutely beautiful scenery! And of course the pic's of Shyla are amazing too. She has come a long way.

    We love that you two are having the BEST time together!

    Hugs,
    Lily Belle & Muffin

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  17. She looks so happy all the time! She must think she has the most amazing life!

    Sam

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  18. Lovely picture of Shyla, she is really enjoying the snow, it shows in the pictures....does the snow now stay? Its your beginning of winter with snow?

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  19. KB, I just love it-living life with you here. Shyla looks like she has as much fun in the snow as Hunter; Hunter would stay out in it a lot more than I let him, right now-due to having to wash his feet off when he comes in. Oh what glorious fun you are both in for this year, both in snow and sun. You are so much ahead of me with the training-great job. It is probably good that I'm not a neighbor because I'd be over constantly picking your brain about training etc. Love your photos-great job with Shyla.
    Hugs, Noreen

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  20. She is coming along so well! Kudos to you both.

    Gosh, you make me think longingly of my years in the CO Rockies!

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  21. Nothing more fun than a Lab's first winter.

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  22. Oh my gosh! She's really growing up, and she may end up rivaling R as an athlete. She's losing that puppy look she had when you first got her, and it is pretty obvious that the snow agrees with her. I wish I could see video of you giving her treats while you ride a bike to learn bike heeling. That must be pretty darned cool!

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  23. I want to play in the snow soooooo bad!! I just love Shyla's snow covered face!

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  24. We just can't look at Shyla without smiling! Such exuberance!

    Susan and Wrigs in AZ

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