Firsts

I'm not absolutely sure that the trio of Max, Maya, and Trooper is a first, but Maya is wearing a new harness and everyone had matching leads and I know that's a first.

Trooper always wants to go, so I took him today, but once he gets out there he's not the most enthusiastic hiker.  He stuck it out with us for three miles but he was happy when we made it back to the van.

I did the three miles with the trio late in the morning on Monday because I had an early afternoon dental appointment. I hated to keep it on such a nice day but I had already rescheduled once, so I went. When I got home, I did a little more work and then loaded up Max and Sparky for another five mile hike.

The Max/Sparky combo was definitely a first. I've been wanting to try it but was a little nervous. Clay was home so I could leave Maya at home since she had already walked, so I thought that today was the day to give it a try. They were fine. Max is totally focused on hiking and hunting, and Sparky is mostly focused on me and he knows Max is crazy. I do think Sparky has mellowed over the years anyway.  He's been hiking the Maya many times and he's been coming inside at night this winter. His days of "kick butt first and ask questions later" may be over. He will be fully integrated with the pack one of these days and today brought us one step closer.