Last night we bought the boys a Chuckit (Chuck-It?). It is the most amazing toy ever. I can throw at least twice as far and I don’t have to touch the slimy ball when it gets back. When the toy first came out I remember thinking “I am not paying $10 just so I don’t have to touch some drool”. I normally get drool on me even if I’m not touching the toy…somehow. But, it is so nice. I still probably would have dealt with the drool but being able to throw way farther without hurting myself is pretty great too. We took the boys to the park and Midas was whipped after about 10 minutes, he only kept going because Mason did. After 15 minutes Mason was lagging on the way back so we called it quits. Mason is getting pretty fast, he can almost keep up with Midas now, he doesn’t lose distance consistently like before. His stamina isn’t quite the same (he is still a baby), but his drive is at least double Midas’s. I have to watch him closely because he doesn’t know when to stop, he would just keep going until his poor little legs couldn’t keep up any more. It was kind of dark at the park because we went later, so when I would throw far, Mason couldn’t run fast enough to actually see where the ball would land. It is so fun to watch him track it down. I LOVE it. His drive and determination to find that ball before coming back makes me so proud. He doesn’t give up, no matter how long it takes him, he eventually finds the toy every single time. It’s great !

Midas needs to get in better shape. I’ve gotten some tips from other dock jumping trainers but most of them just don’t work very well in our situation. I’m hoping at least running a lot will strengthen his legs and increase his stamina, even if it’s not the exact same exercise/muscle groups he uses when dock jumping. If anyone has any suggestions, I am all ears!

Also, if anyone knows where I can get a really firm (but reasonably priced) dog bed and one of those dog cot-type beds, please let me know! I’ve been looking. When I find a decent price, the shipping pushes it right over the edge into “too expensive” land.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 18th, 2007 at 8:16 am and is filed under Training Story. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.