Tuesday 20 July 2010

Could It Be....

Could it be that behind this face....

beats the heart of a sled dog??

Bet has been doing a great job free running with the Brits. Things are much more civilized and orderly with her in the picture. She doesn't herd the pups (she honestly has ZERO herding instinct) but they happily follow her everywhere and since she responds well to my commands, I have some control over the puppies. Works just like I hoped it would when I got Bet last year! Actually better........
See, this morning I decided that the pups were ready to go a bit further on our run, so when we got to the first turn we normally take I called at Bet to stop her from heading down that trail. On a whim I called out "Bet, on by", not really expecting anything, more out of habit - but she corrected herself and went straight by the corner. I looked at Corrine and we both shrugged. Must have been a coincidence.
When we got to the new corner I wanted to take I called out 'Bet Haw' and she did. Without hesitation even. You could have knocked me over with a feather.

She also got the next corner we hit, but the last one was kind of a five way intersection that would have confused alot of my less experienced Siberian leaders and she had some trouble there - but she was working with me and trying to figure out what I wanted. She actually seems to know her commands!

Maybe .....

...yeah...no....just forget it!!!

Karen

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bet has the same motto as our newly turned 14-year old Kali, "Sofa . . . so GOOD!"

Annika said...

The professional hazard of getting employed by a musher :D.

When Bet signed the contract, there was definitely nothing about pulling sleds in the job description.