A Starry Black Dog Sunday

On our last night in the desert, the clouds cleared out for an hour, and I captured the stars above K's Rock, spinning around the North Star. The moon hadn't risen yet so the rock was black.

It was very lucky that we had that one hour of clear sky. After that, the snow started again. The next morning, R enjoyed the new snow as much as Shyla did. Just before we departed to come home, he turned his face to the sun, and I thought the blurry red rock, snow, and juniper tree set off his black fur beautifully.

Since arriving home, I've been doing lots of training with both dogs. I have more time for it in the winter so we are taking a couple of "Fenzi" courses - one on "nosework" and another on shaping new behaviors using a clicker and treats. So far, both dogs are learning to alert on a certain scent (birch), and they've learned how to walk backwards by clicks/treats when they take the tiniest backward step. It's amazing how fast a tiny step turns into walking across the room backwards.

Of course, we never stop working on recalls. The moose have returned to our neck of the woods. They've been running around in a very nervous way this weekend, so recalls are critical! I practice them with Shyla in the mornings and with the Duo in the evenings.

I'm not sure why Shyla has returned to her habit of hanging back and letting R win the recall races.  Here's the victorious R at the end of one recall!

He looks bit like the flying nun, with his ears flapping!