Took the dogs on a short jog this morning. I have been trying to teach the two of them to jog with me and as a team.
We do a little jog — a little walk so that we can all get into better shape at a comfortable pace and so I can adjust leashes periodically. I need to be particularly careful with Quigley due to his breed limitations... short legs, flat nose, and a tendency to overheat easily. On the other hand, I need to be careful with Pamela because we are still getting to know each other and I'm just not sure how she will react in every situation. She tends to get a little excited when we first start to jog like we are going to run and play. She wants to run fast and hop a little. I used to run with Kosmo all the time. He got pretty good at matching my pace, staying focused and understanding that he couldn't cross my path. We always started out with a brisk walk that included stops for Kosmo to "take care of business" so we could get down to business without distractions. I don't think Quigley will be able to run much, but I do expect Pamela to get to the point where she will have more stamina than I do. How is it dogs can do that?
Anyway, this morning's jog was interesting as we were trotting along at a nice pace about three blocks from home when the archenemy appeared! A neighborhood cat, minding her own business on the sidewalk when she suddenly noticed two dogs and a human charging toward her. As any smart cat would do, she high-tailed it out of there, but not before she was spotted! I think Quigley's mind went to the dark side and he lost all concentration. Pamela was worried she might get in trouble for her playful thoughts and decided she had better "heal" closer. I think then Quigley started to drift into my path, and before I could correct, I had given him a pretty swift kick in what felt like his legs. Thank goodness he decided to focus and get out of my way so that I had room to recover. We managed to escape with just an awkward looking couple of strides (observed by my neighbor), and a bit of my scolding, followed by some immediate praise to everyone for keeping it together. Not a collision for the record books, but still a good learning lesson for all.