The May long weekend here marks the unofficial start to summer, and normally I tend to stay home at this time as the traffic and borders are horrendous. But this weekend I decided to brave the roads and go camping with all the dogs. It was a weekend of firsts for the pups Pete and Raven. As they will be 6 months this week I decided to put them in harness and take them out for their first run. I was pleased that they both harnessed like old pros. One never knows what to expect the first time they put a harness on a baby sled dog. Neither puppy has been exposed to harnessing as I have left them at home when running the big team. But both pups stuck their heads in the neck opening when shown the harness and both also popped their legs through the webbing with no fuss what so ever. 'Good start', I was thinking!
Both puppies seemed a little overwhelmed by the initial excitement and noise of the hook-up, but they stood in their places, with no chewing of lines or harnesses, and when we took off slowly and easily they fell into place, with great enthusiasm.
As always, Mom KitKat is always a fabulous example with a youngster. Here she is with Raven.
It was also nice to see how Ellie has matured, as she easilly slipped into the role of teacher with Pete.
The pups handled a couple of passes with a larger team on the trail, and even stood quietly, minding manners with no visiting.
The youngsters show great promise, and I have to confess that the big 10 dog string of dogs was exciting and terrifying at the same time!
Great time for all!
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