#it is still important to train recall even if your dogs are mostly leashed

[darkwood-sleddog]

Do you have any tips on how to reward recalls? Like urgent ''Holy Crap Come Here Right Now'' recall reward VS a more relaxed recall reward I guess would be the best wording? Also I love your dog sledding videos they give me serotonin

Do you mean how do I reward for that kind of recall? I’m not a dog trainer by any means, just a person that trains my own dogs but this is what I do for the Moots:

For a more relaxed recall (non-immediate, more of a “this way” or “follow me” type of behavior) I use vocal praise and attention, low value food reward occasionally and then the dog is immediately released to run again. It’s important that the dog understands that recalling does not = the end of fun time. And changing up the type of reward and value of the reward can keep them guessing and coming back to check in and see what you have to offer.

For a more immediate recall my tone is more firm. I start with a leash loose and call the dog’s name and then add my recall word when the dog is near me in a low distraction area. Dog is rewarded the second they pay attention. I like using “party” type rewards for this (give the dog several high value treats not just at the same time, but one after another and generous affection. They’ll be held either with collar or re attached to the leash for a short time and then released again. Eventually I’ll work to long line and increasing distractions, occasionally giving a tug to the dog to indicate the behavior and eventually they’ll wean off that. High value rewards are very dog dependent. Slash likes ham, Sigurd & Zombie like turkey. Peanut butter is a big favorite and so is cheese (getting squeeze tubes of cheese/baby food made for toddlers has been a game changer for winter time high value rewards, my behaviorist is genious). I think high value rewards (be it the treats you carry or the ability to keep running free, both of which are incredibly enticing to my dogs) in ADDITION with genuine praise is an important partnership. Sometimes you won’t have treats or the ability to let go to run again in an emergency situation and our dog associating our genuine praise with other good things like treats and rewarding behaviors is important for times like those, they’ll be more likely to respond in those emergency recall situations. But my dogs, as sled dogs, are VERY used to vocal only praise.

Overall I really enjoy the primitive dog friendly methods laid out in THIS article by Couch Wolves (although I start my recall work much earlier than maturity...however my dogs do tend to relapse during their adolescent phase so I don’t work or expect anything regarding to recall at that time. I find they build more bad habits like ignoring me and it is really easy for them to self enforce those bad behaviors. I pick recall back up when they have their brains again and it’s worked better for me this go around with Slash as he is much more engaged and responsible than Sigurd for example).

I am not an expect by any means and I feel more secure hiking in public spaces with my dog’s leashed. I hate the idea that my pack of 75, 86, and 104 pound dogs would barrel up the trail and come across a young child, small dog, reactive dog, or person who is afraid of dogs (especially in woodland areas like mine where the trails are very tight and winding).

[ren-c-leyn]

The Hero’s Guardian

 Hello, hello, another fusion story for you guys. I don’t think I’m actually making a whole lot of progress in cleaning out my drafts, as I add just as many new and amazing prompts as I use (sometimes more) but I’m having fun trying.

 This one is made up of this prompt by @p-r-o-m-p-t-s, this prompt by @write-it-motherfuckers, this prompt by @soprompt, these 1,2 by @humdrummoloch, these 1,2,3,4,5,6 by @thependragonwritersguild, this prompt by @scandy-inspo, these 1,2,3,4 by @givethispromptatry, and finally, this prompt by @promptslair.

 A similar premise to my other short story, Flowers for the Hero Maker, but I love the trapped, immortal guardian trope every since I played final fantasy 2, at least I think it was number two with the guy and the word labyrinth. *shrugs* 

 There is quite a bit more swearing than what is normally found in my short stories. Some mention of injuries, and one fight scene. Nothing gory, though.

~

 A boy with orange eyes crossed my path, and the world began to change. Not just mine, but the entire thing. It was so long ago, such a different time. I don’t even recall much of it, only the reassured smile on his face and the hard lesson that came after: Choices evaporate in the presence of fate. 

 It was a harsh one that came from my elder sisters. I remember they were all doing their own tasks, mixing medicines and making things. It was... so beautiful to watch. It seemed almost like magic. How silly, how naive, but it brought me happiness. I remember, the day after I told them about the boy with orange eyes, I just opened my mouth and said what had been on my mind for years.

 “I want to be like you when I grow up!”

 “… No, sweetheart.” My sisters glanced at each other before turning back to me. “What we do is not important. You will be important.”

 “You’re important to me.”

 “And thank the gods everyday for you. You will be better than us.”

 I didn’t understand, couldn’t understand. What was more important than them? Than the smiling faces they made? Than the people they mended? The priestess told me. The priestess told me many things, including my fate... a fate she used magic to bind me to.

 Before a statue of the orange-eyed boy, she made me swear an oath I couldn’t comprehend. She made a child swear away their life, and I did it because my sisters smiled and nodded. I swore to guard the Forest of Fate... for all of eternity. Oaths mean something around here, even for those who don’t understand what they mean.

  I was blinded by the white light. Everyone was blinded by the white light. The white light that gave and stole everything from me.... The light that bound me to this forest, for the rest of time.

 Several heroes later, and it was just another day, another chosen one. Only, this one was not particularly promising....

 I looked up and down his scrawny frame, the old sword in it’s tattered scabbard, the soft hands, and smirk, and all I felt was simmering annoyance.

 Fate was doing this on purpose, the ass.

 “So, guardian, what’s my trial? The grand fight before I get my legendary weapon to slay the wizard with as my destiny demands?”

 “Your destiny?” I threw my head back and laughed. “You don’t seem to know how Fate works. Should you fail, he’ll replace you. He always does.”

 The young man frowned, his dark brown brows furrowing as he straightened himself.

 “I won’t fail.”

 My laughter ceased. He said the words with such conviction I almost wanted to believe him. Almost. But I knew better.

 “We shall see,” I said, pulling my eldest sister’s jewelry box from my pouch, “for your first trial lies within this.”

 He tilted his head, like a confused pup.

 “What monster fits in such a tiny box?”

 I undid the latch, allowing the slime to bounce out of the box. The young man’s confused expression turned to offence.

 “A slime? They’re weak enough children can beat them!”

 “We shall see.”

 I snapped my fingers and the deceptively quick blob of green ooze flew at him, hitting him squarely in the abdomen. No defensive skills, noted. He slashed at it with all of the grace of a drunken horse. No sword training, noted. He then attempted to chase it down as it rolled around the circle. Average speed, noted. By the time he succeeded in defeating my trusted friend, he was winded and displayed nothing remarkable aside from his tenacity. A bonus, I suppose.

 “You are not worthy.”

 “I am chosen! Of course I’m worthy!”

 “It simply means you have more potential to be worthy than the average citizen.” Fate only fucking knows why. “But as of this moment, you are incapable of wielding the weapons and magics I guard. You are far more likely to hurt yourself or innocents.”

 “How can you be so sure?” he pressed.

 “Do keep in mind that I was here before you, and will be here long after you’re gone. I have seen many come and many go. I know what happens when the unproven attempt to handle what I guard, and like it or not, you’re one of them. Become a man of consequence, and we’ll have this conversation again.”

 He huffed.

 “And how do I do that?”

 I gestured to the forest.

 “There’s plenty of monsters to train with. All as, if not more, ancient as myself and just as dedicated to fucking up chosen ones as I am to guarding the place.”

 He paused at that.

 “But... if it’s full of monsters, what are you guarding this place from?”

 “People, mostly, sometimes evil deitys, but that’s really none of your concern. Now either go train, or relinquish your title. I may have eternity, but I assume the normal people you’re tasked with saving do not.”

 He frowned as he scrubbed the slime off his face with a handkerchief. 

 “Where do you suggest I start?”

 “The clearing to the west. Stay away from the lake and the mountainous areas. Oh, and if you see a cave, avoid that too.”

 “Fine. I’ll be back.”

 And then he stormed off.

 About three days later, while I was going through my daily training, the bushes began to rattle. I prepared myself for battle, watching them closely. Only, instead of raiders or servants of the god of destruction, the skinny guy from earlier crawled out and collapsed onto the stones, breathing hard.

 There was a long moment of silence before I sighed and continued going through my stances and strikes.

 “Why are there so many scratches on your face?”

 “There was a weird cat with like... five tails, and they had spikes on them....”

 “So you decided to challenge it. Smart.”

 He sat up, glaring at me.

 “You don’t have to be so gods’ damned sarcastic about it! I didn’t know what the fuck it was! And you haven’t been a whole lot of help....”

 I couldn’t help but laugh.

 “You can thank Fate for that. He decided to deal the creatures here strange cards so adventurers wouldn’t, and I quote, ;get bored’. He also forbid me from teaching chosen ones about the monsters here.”

 He stared at me like a kicked puppy.

 “But... but why would...? That doesn’t make sense.”

 “Welcome to my world. Though, I suspect it may have more to do with training them to discern weaknesses and tactics of enemies for themselves, in case something unpredictable happens.”

 He mulled it over for a second before nodding.

 “That does make a lot more sense than the boredom thing.... But what’s the point of choosing people if they’re allowed to just die here in the middle of some forest?”

 I paused at that, movements and all. I couldn’t help but think back to that day, the day I was led to this place and made my oath.

 “I’m not sure there is much of a point.”

 He tilted his head at that, but I did not elaborate as I swung my blade with more force than what was needed.

 I’m not sure when he left, hours or minutes ago, but it mattered little. I spent the night, and the next few days alone again. He came back eventually, covered in scabs, bruises, dirt, various bloods, and leaves.

 “... There is a stream.”

 “I know, This is just what I collected between here and there....”

 I shook my head, laughing lightly.

 “The forest feels threatened. That is a good sign.”

 “It is?!” he asked, brown eyes lighting up in hope.

 “It is,” I said with a nod, “but you’re still not ready.”

 He sighed, shoulders drooping. 

 “Well... at least I’m making progress?”

 “You are,” I agreed, continuing my training.

 “So... I’ve been wondering something, since well, even before we met. How did you become the guardian of this place?”

 I didn’t answer, choosing to focus on my breathing and my movements.

 “I mean, everyone says you were a human once, and not a divine creature.... So, what happened?”

 I sighed, lowering the blade as I looked over at him.

 “Once upon a time, I was a plucky, young kid going about my day, then shit happened and now we’re here.” 

 “Touching story,” he replied with a flat sarcasm that probably matched what I gave him at news of his fight with the cat-creature.

 I shrugged before resuming my practice.

 “Not all tales are. Besides, mine isn’t the important one here.”

 He blinked at that.

 “And what makes you say that?”

 “Because I’m not the hero.”

 There was a long silence as he just sat there, staring at me with wide eyes and a disbelieving stare.

 “But... but you’ve fought monsters, and evil deities....”

 “Their minions, mostly, but yes.”

 “You’ve christened all of the mightiest heroes.”

 “After they passed their tests, yes.”

 “You’ve served Fate for...” he paused, as if he was searching his memory for the number, “a... a really long time.”

 “Doesn’t make me the hero, just makes me a guardian.”

 He gave me that kicked puppy stare.

 “How can you not be?”

 “No one praises a guard dog for doing it’s job, and that’s basically what I am. I’m just doing what the oath compels me to. Nothing more, nothing less. I save no one, I really don’t help anyone, either. I’m just here, running at the end of my leash, growling and snarling at all whom aren’t my master.”

 “Oh... is that why you were an ass when we met?”

 I glared at him.

 “No, that was because someone who couldn’t even beat Squishy thought he could just show up and have a legendary weapon of unfathomable power.”

 He winced and then tilted his head.

 “Wait... Squishy?”

 “The slime, it’s name is Squishy. I gave it to it when it first decided to make it’s home in the box.”

 The color drained from his face.

 “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to kill your pet!”

 I nearly fell over laughing, which stopped the sputtered stream of apologies and something about a funeral.

 “No, no, no, you didn’t kill Squishy. Fate granted Squishy special... abilities, as a reward for my service. He does something... kinda nice once every hundred years or so for me.”

 He stared at me.

 “So... it wasn’t a normal slime?”

 “It is in all things except it’s immortality.”

 “Oh... Damn, I was hoping it was a super slime.”

 I laughed again.

 And so the routine continued. He’d survive in the wilds for a few days before coming to visit for a few hours, sometimes mimicking my movements when conversations and laughter were over. Then, he’d vanish again. That is, until I got a terrible feeling.

 A flock of birds scattered far to the south, the way towards the lake, and a pit formed in my stomach. That dumbass wouldn’t... would he? I thought about it for a minute before recalling his previous encounters and grimacing. He would. He most certainly would.

 For the first time in many years, I left the stoned area, rushing down a distantly familiar trail towards the lake. Screeches and deep roars pushed me to move faster and faster, until I stumbled into a clearing, just in time to see him fall. Behind him was a water dragon. Thankfully, a young one. It looked hurt, but not nearly as much as he did, and it looked much angrier than him as well.

 Before I could even put any thought into it, my body was in between the two, and the creature was bearing down on me.

 “No! Guardian!”

 The shouted barely registered in my mind as I ducked out of the way of raking claws and rolled to the underbelly. My blade sought out the grooves between the stomach plates and dug in as far as it could, biting at flesh and tearing at muscle. The dragon screeched loud enough to nearly deafen me. All I could hear was a ringing in my ears. It could have been disorienting had I not fought under such conditions a hundred or more times before.

 I cut again, my own fierce shouts a distant echo in my ears. Again and again I sliced, moving with the beast to keep myself from being trampled or squished. The deadly dance did not end until the creature was on the ground, breathing it’s last.

 With a dull click, I slid the sword into it’s sheath and moved towards him. He stared back at me through big, brown eyes. Without warning, I pulled him back up to his feet.

 “I told you.” I sighed as she shifted his arm around my shoulders to support him. “I told you.”

“Hey, can you not yell at me when I’m actively in pain?” He whimpered when the movement irritated his probably cracked ribs.

“No! You were a stupid shit and I’m going to tell that directly to your fucking face! Why do you do these things?!”

 “To impress you.”

 “You know what would impress me at this point?! You staying out of danger for twenty-four hours! No barbed-tail cats, no slimes, no DRAGONS, just a day without bruises.”

 He smirked at me.

 “Is that what it’d take to become a man of consequence?”

 I smacked him upside the head.

 “No, but it’ll help keep you alive long enough to become one. Seriously, recklessness won’t help anyone. Think of the people. They’re waiting on you to save them. You can’t do that if you’re dead.”

 “But... I can’t just hide and hope it goes away, either.”

 “No, you can’t, but you can learn to pick battles you can win.”

 He went silent for a while.

 “Do... do you think the fight with the wizard is a battle I can win?”

 I thought about it for the rest of the way back to the stones. He sighed just before we got there.

 “No, huh? I guess you’re right....”

 “You can.”

 His head snapped around to look at me.

 “And once you’re healed up, I’ll show you how.”

 “But I... I thought you weren’t allowed too....”

 “Teach about the animals of this forest, he didn’t say shit about teaching people how to kick evil wizards’ wrinkly asses.”

 I grinned at him, and he smiled back before laughing.

 Using my sisters’ medicines, I was able to get him back to training shape fairly quickly. Thankfully, his ribs weren’t broken, or I may have gotten a different hero. We spent the next few weeks training, with me imparting as much of my years of experience as I could in so little time. And before I knew it, the time had come for his final test.

 “Alright, and now you’re ready to try again.”

 He grinned at me.

 “I’m ready for it. What’s my final test? Squishy? A dragon?”

 “Me.”

 His face fell at that.

 “You? But... I don’t want to fight you.”

 I shrugged.

 “That’s the rule.”

 “But... you’re my friend. I won’t hurt you.”

 I snorted.

 “You can’t hurt me, I’m immortal.”

 He frowned.

 “But that doesn’t mean you can’t feel pain.”

 “Are you going to give up after I actually went to the trouble of saving and training you for the sake of accomplishing your goal?”

 “Well... no, but....”

 “Then fight. You don’t have to hurt me, just defeat me.”

 He glanced around before looking back at me. Eventually, he drew the old sword.

 “Okay... but only because I don’t want to waste your effort.”

 I grinned at him as I drew my own blade.

 “Good.”

 There was a pause, a moment of silence, and then we both burst into action. It was insane how fast he had improved. No other chosen one had learned so fast. Then again, I had never taken any effort to help any of them, nor had they shown an interest in mimicking my own training. Or maybe, maybe this was what Fate saw in him. 

 The clashing of steel rung out through the trees as our feet flew across the ancient stonework. Light flashed off the edges of our swords. Time and time again, the tips of sharpened blades teased at biting into flesh, but always stopped a little short. That is, until there was a horrible snapping sounds, and then the clattering of steel against stone.

 We both stared at the broken sword, laying on the stones, and then we looked at each other.

 “I... I guess I failed?” he said, voice on the verge of cracking.

 I grinned at him.

 “You’re kidding, right? Do you know how much it takes to break a sword? And what it takes not to be crushed beneath my heel like an ant?”

 There was a moment of silence before his eyes lit up with realization.

 “You mean...?”

 “Congratulations, hero.”

 He let out a shout before throwing his arms around me in the biggest hug I had ever gotten. I laughed.

 “Little early to be so excited, yeah? You haven’t even replaced your old sword yet.”

 “Who cares about the weapon! You called me a hero! The guardian thinks I’m a hero!”

 He laughed before finally releasing me, a huge smile on his face.

 I shook my head before leading him back to the lake.

 “Uh... guardian?”

 “Don’t worry, they won’t come.”

 “But...”

 “Just take this.”

 I held out a sword hilt to him.

 He titled his head, but accepted it.

 “So... what do I do with this?”

 “You place the handle in the water. When you withdraw it, picture the weapon you want to hold in your hand. The lake will forge it for you.”

 He paused before doing so. The familiar magic caused the water to glow and bubble, and before long, he was pulling out the most beautiful blade I had ever seen in my life.

 “Good luck breaking that one,’ I teased.

 He snorted.

 “Tell that to the wizard.”

 He paused before shuffling a bit. “Um... thank you, for everything....”

 “You can thank me by kicking that wizard’s ass using the techniques I showed you.”

 He grinned at me.

 “Will do.” There was another pause before he gave me a nod and started walking back up the path. He paused by the trees and looked back at me. “I’ll visit again. Wouldn’t want the guardian to get bored.”

 I laughed.

 “It’s the heroes who aren’t supposed to get bored here.”

 He smiled at me and then disappeared.

 For several years, it was just me and the forest, as it usually was. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a bit hollow. The same as it ever was, but I found myself wanting more again. Laughter and joy. It had been so long since I had them, I didn’t know I missed them until he was gone. My first friend in gods only know how many years, and he was gone. Stupid Fate, fucking destinies. 

 I was grumbling to myself, violently going through my daily routine when a voice called out to me.

 “Uh-oh, don’t tell me that another chosen one is giving you trouble.”

 I spun around so fast I nearly feel over.

 “You’re back! ... And you have flowers?”

 “For you! It’s the fifth year anniversary of when I met you and was attacked by Squishy, so, I thought I’d bring you a present.”

 He held the bouquet out to me, that grin on his face.

 “No ones ever brought me flowers before….”

 “Do you not like them?”

 “….I love them, thank you.” I accepted the flowers from him. “But, I don’t have a present for you....”

 “That’s fine,” he said with an easy smile and a shrug. “Actually, I was hoping to see the super slime again.”

 I grinned mischeviously.

 “Sure.”

 I undid the latch on the box and watched Squishy fly out and onto his face, knocking him to the ground. He swore and floundered around on the stones, shouting about the worst hug ever. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing if I wanted to. Even after he got my dear friend off, I was still giggling.

 He grinned up at me, hair a mess and armor well-slimed.

 “I missed hearing your laugh.”

 “Yeah, well, I missed having something to laugh about.’

[benzilla80]

Waterous Trail on Foot 50 Miler – The Resurrection

The Backstory

The lead up to this race had been a pretty solid one by my standards. WTF 100 miler in 2015 was a qualifier race for another 100 miler on the Australian east coast. After nearly a year of waiting, I was accepted to race in the Great Southern Endurance Run (GSER) A 181km 10,000m vertical gain alpine race. Fast forward almost another year and the race is fast approaching this coming November.

I will try not to wander to far from this race, but it was all part of my preparation. My GSER training program involved nearly a year’s worth of ‘racing diet’ Both for financial and racing effort reasons. Since Australia Day Ultra in January until GSER in November, there was to be only one race, and that was a ‘test and tune’ event. WTF50 was perfect. Local, I knew the course and it was a chance to test out some things under race conditions.

Training involved a good base of 100km weeks before training even started. Bread and butter weeks including one interval session, one tempo session and one long run as the foundation. The first few weeks were 6 days a week with easy volume runs filling in between the harder workouts, then I swapped to 7 days a week and targeted at least 2,00m elevation gain. The training week of WTF was a 130k week with an extremely short 3-day taper.

What The Actual Race Day

I got as early a night as I could, and rose on the first alarm, quietly got ready and drove myself to the start line with an instant packet of porridge warming my belly. The drive was dark, wet and not exactly inspiring for what lay ahead.

I arrived at the meet point a bit early and was not sure of the new parking area, eventually, I found the toilets and parking area and Sergio was also wandering about in the rain looking for the start. A few moments later a stream of cars rolled in and it was on. I parked and walked behind my car to get my gear out and stood in a large puddle…. great.

Race director Dave Kennedy (DK) arrived in the big orange bus and we get through the drop bag process quick and easy then take the short walk through the early daw sunlight to the start line proper. It’s raining lightly and I am in two minds about keeping my hooded jacket on or not, I hate running in that thing, yet didn’t want to spend all day wet either, so it stayed on.

Race line brief, I hit my watch to get the location and it has an update waiting for me…. c’mon really? You need to do this now?! (I ended up starting the race without it tracking and got it sorted on the go, but that explains the minute difference between my watch time and gun time)

We set off and I’m about mid-pack and 50 meters into the race the lead guys run right by the first turn and take half the pack with them. I call out and everyone gets back on track among a few laughs. I find myself running with a person I didn’t recognise, Thomas with another lady I didn’t recognise Martina. Both looked springy and ready to go and as Chris and Andrew joined me they pulled ahead. The boys and I had agreed to run together for as long as it worked as a Runningworks Team, which I was happy for. The company was nice and I offered a few tips and laughs along the way. Both those guys had potential to win, and now there were two other factors I had not considered opening a gap ahead. I told the guys to be patient, 80k is a long way.

The first 5km is mostly downhill, so I tried to keep the pace comfortable but not silly. I said to Andrew “forget the split times and think of the split effort, consistent effort is more important than maintaining a specific number, some will be fast, some will be slow so think of the overall effort” I had planned my effort to be above training but stay below racing pace.

Things were going well, Martine came back to the group on one of the last big downhills before the river and Thomas opened the gap more and more. Our group of three crossed the river and began the next long 1.6km climb. I was happy to use my poles and run walk this, Chris seemed eager to run more and Andrew was happier to listen to his wife’s advice “winners walk the hills” Either way, we stayed pretty much together and were on the more runnable stuff into Kingsbury Drive Aid Station holding a nice pace and chatting away. Our average was pretty much 8 hours flat and Thomas was out of sight, a quick glance behind saw a few runners not far back, also in good spirits.

We round the last bend and I ask the guys if they were stopping and both said yes. I mentioned I needed to get my jacket off and have a pee so they might catch me then, but I avoid stopping at stations if I don’t have to. I had packed enough gear to not stop and ran right thought “307 in…307 out”

I would not see the boys again until Goldmine Hill’s out and back leg.

Running solo, I expected to slow down a bit, but managed to hold some pretty good pace on the hard-packed trail between the Kingsbury rd. crossing, around the plantation and into the ‘lil bitch’ (a term I use for my second most disliked part of the course, not an official name haha) the first of two rolling technical hills sections that can be tough in both directions, at least this year was a one way trip for me. A few hiking breaks and 6-7minute km’s saw me through to the Boyd Road section in pretty good shape. It was here my heart rate was elevated when I saw two rather large off leash Rottweilers running towards me with a small third dog in chase…. ALARM! The owner was close by and called the dogs and thankfully they had a great recall and decided against chewing on the skinny runner passing by! Just before leaving the road section I saw Chris’s wife Sandy and the rest of the support team at the junction. I appreciate the cheers guys. This was followed by a right turn and ‘big bitch’.

Part two of the rolling hill sections. It’s really not that bad, and many a runner would take it in their stride, but it’s enough to break your rhythm and technical enough to make you consider your footing and conserving the quad strength, it’s too soon to be burning them up. A few slower km’s and I took the chance to cram in some calories, after all the more you eat the less you have to carry! A couple of great single-track kilometres saw me popping out at the North Dandalup Dam Aid Station. 30km into the race and my first official stop. “307 in” and I was greeted by the lovely Kel, Harms and Jez at the table. “4 minutes behind the leader Ben” They took my rubbish and passed me my drop bag containing a kids sized packet of plain chips, a mini can of ginger ale and one Winners bar. I can’t remember if I had my bottles filled, I don’t think so?! I ate the chips, drank the drink and pocketed the bar “307 out” and was on my way. 30th kilometre was 7:15, so probably puts the total aid stop somewhere between 90 seconds and two minutes before setting out over the picturesque dam wall. 6 minutes behind Thomas.

As I crossed the wall in clear blue skies and tried to take in the views I reflected on two things, one was immediate and one was more philosophical. Firstly, was race related, Thomas was 6 minutes ahead, that’s a pretty solid kilometre gap and I figured I would see him in the next hour, or I would never see him again and the dark house effect had taken place once again like a Survivor blind side. Only time would tell. Secondly was a conversation I had with a hiker one day during training “runners see twice as much but only half as good” SO I made the effort to take in the views on the go, to really see twice as much

From the dam wall to the Out and Back Aid Station is my favourite part of the course. Even though it’s hilly it is still my favourite. Rolling single tracks, perfect for mountain bikers. Bermed banks and bush right up to the trail edge. I didn’t even mind the puddles or diversion around large fallen trees, plus I was almost halfway and the average pace was still sub 8-hour finish.

35.5km and I pop out at the Out and Back Aid Station, this year a full aid station and I cruise right through to complete the out and back leg before stopping. The volunteers cheer and I start the climb over Goldmine Hill, now officially on the local favourite 6 Inch Trail Marathon course heading towards it’s start. I break out the poles and run walk my way over the top and part way down to the 50 mile turn around. All the while wondering “Has Thomas opened the gap and run away, or will I see him any second?” Passing the Dodd’s sign, I see him on the return trip and we both look at our watches. As we crossed I gave him a cheer but I don’t think he heard me as he had headphones in, he was also climbing and probably doing the maths, as was I.

I hit the run and take two steps more, just to be sure and start my way back with that number locked in my mind, I pass the sign and #margiemaths has the gap back to 4 minutes, so I had clawed back the two-minute aid stop but at what cost? Hiking over the top with my poles clicking away I see SJ, it actually took at least 30 seconds for me to place the face and name but I got there in the end and smiled my way over the hill, stowed my poles and ran down the backside of Goldmine Hill towards resupply.

“307 in” and I find a bin to drop my rubbish and grab my drop bag. I pass on the chips and just drink the ginger ale. Helped by Elise and another lady I recognised but could not place a name, I’m bad with names until I hang out with them, sorry for not being able to thank you by name! I donate my ration of snake lollies to the aid station kitty as I still had a few left from the start of the race and stow my re-filled soft flask bottles. DK mentions I am looking in good shape and I feel pretty good at the halfway mark. In the parting seconds of the stop I cross paths with the leader of the 100 mile race, Nate. He is looking fresh as a daisy! With the roar of four people clapping it’s “307 out” and I’m starting the longest leg, 25km to the fabled Treasure Island at Oakley Dam.

The first half of this leg goes smoothly, I see the 100 pack coming past on their journey to Jarradale where I started and they all seem in good spirits and fairly spread out. I wish them all luck and they all cheer back, some saying “he’s right there” or similar but I was yet to see Thomas through he tree’s so I dismissed it as well meaning motivation but maybe not entirely accurate, #margiemaths really was a thing after all! It took until the sharp left turn across the rickety old wood bridge before I caught a glimpse of first place. I didn’t push or try to close the gap. I just maintained the same effort and let the cards fall where they may. At almost 48km we were should to should at the base of a long climb. We hiked for quite a long time (about 9 minutes!) and chatted about all sorts of things while we worked the hill. I took the chance to get some calories in knowing there was some runnable km’s coming up before the Del Park Road crossing. We crested the main climb and started running together, Thomas stayed with me for a while but seemed to drop off the back. Not sure if he stopped on purpose for a toilet break or just slowly slipped behind but the last I saw him at that stage was a cheer as we passed 50.1km, I called over my should “happy distance PB” we laughed and I turned my attention to my own effort and now had to make some decisions.

The section to the road crossing seemed to take a while and I tried my best to just run by feel and not try to run away from Thomas. I felt he had gone too hard too early and would now slip back in the pack as Chris and Andrew would be not far back, they were about 10-12 minutes back at Goldmine when I saw them there. From here I tried to dial the effort back a bit, this was a training run after all so I fell into the habit of looking back (which I always try not to do) and let myself hike more than I would if I was racing super hard. This had a weird effect on me and I hit my first low point of the race. My right wrist was getting sore when using the poles and I had to stop using them after the technical section from Del Park Rd and just ran the gentle climbs like Deadpool with my sticks strapped across my back. Hiking more than I wanted but I was also in a bit of a funk. Running past Tuner’s Hill (Aid 1 at 6 Inch) I berated myself for so many little hikes and committed to run to the Scrap Road crossing, “all the way, no walking, this is all runnable” I wanted to cruise slowly and consistently, but found I would run fast and get tired and the urge to walk was overwhelming. Weirdly, I felt exactly the same here at last year’s 100, and was passed in the exact same spot to slip from 2nd the 3rd (hat tip to Rob) I found the urge and saw a car coming which I think had a relay runner in it, he said “are you coming first?” and I replied “yes mate” trying to smile on the outside and “ gave me a cheer “that’s awesome, looking great” “thanks mate” as I passed by desperately trying to stay running. I knew the road was close now and was confident I was going to hold up my end of the deal and run all the way, before I hit a small rise and without permission my legs stopped running and I turned into a real life Jekyll and Hyde, right there out loud arguing with myself like a crazed lunatic “You f#$%ing P#$%y” “it is a training run, I don’t need to race that hard” “a deals a deal and you folded” Seriously, the weirdest conversation I have ever had and I was all alone. The rise was over and I was back running, chin up chest out in a bit of disbelief regards the last 30 seconds of my life.

I pass the start of the 3 Inch Trail Half Marathon course and begin the climb to the radio tower. I run the flatter stuff and hike the steeper parts, but walked almost a km solid to the top, eating what I can and drinking what I need to. Looking back, doing (now silent) deals with myself. As I pass the tower with the rumble of the conveyor belts to my left I feel the pull of Treasure Island and running down the other side I feel the funk passing. I see the relay guys again at the turn and they tell me I look fantastic and I confess “I’m not exactly feeling it” “I don’t think you are supposed to at 60km!” I cross the conveyor belt overpass thinking that he is right, I’m on target for a 8:30 finish and I had let my nutrition slip a bit that last long leg so of course I was feeling it. I ate another gel to be sure as I passed the ‘scarecrow’ and made the climb up towards Treasure Island.

I roll down the hill and can see signs posted for the runners, all pirate themed as the fabulous Treasure family embrace their name sake Aid Station. The road is lined with cars and there are people moving about. I hear a lady say to her daughters “her comes first place” and I smile. I don’t normally run this end of the field, only ever come first once before so it was a special feeling. I roll into Treasure Island to claps and cheers from a swarm of pirates. “307 in.”

I hand off one bottle to get me to the finish and leave one half full bottle in my vest. Blue is there with my drop bag, Frank fill my bottle and tried to give me a shot of rum, Ben and Shirley are right there packing my vest with my ‘to go’ bag and my other secret weapon, a small bottle of kids red fruit juice. That stuff sends kids crazy at parties, perfect for ultra-runners! I donate another small serve of chips and snakes to the aid station and finish my ginger ale. I mention that I really wanted to hit a sub 8:30 but I’m not so sure now and Blue does the maths for me “two hours to do 16 and a half kays’, no worries” (or to that effect) Going to be close but doable if I keep my head in the game. As I finish my drink Blue says, “don’t let us keep you” and two to three minutes later “307 out.”

Oakley Dam is a short 2km out and back that means you need to leave the marked Munda Biddi Trail. It also means you can once again see some of the field. I was expecting to see Chris or Andrew next, but was surprised it was Thomas, still holding on and still running. Kudo’s to him! Back to the scarecrow that is one of two danger points for navigation and has a history of runners missing the turn. As I was making the final turn back onto the trail I crossed paths with Aaron, but he was coming out of the trail and asked if he was going in the right direction. I confirmed the way to Oakley Dam and thought that was a good catch on his part in correcting the navigation mistake.

From here I was on the last leg, the final pull of the finish was there and the earlier pity party was wrapped up. The food was working and the mission was 16km in under 2 hours but to not destroy myself, maintain the faster than training, slower than race but should someone close the gap be prepared to run hard. The kilometres ticked by and I was happy with the effort. I drank my kids juice, tried to eat a bar but was over the dense food and only ate half of it. Not long later I ate two snakes, no point carrying them all the way and I continued to feel good.

Then it happened and for a moment I thought my race was done. As I neared the turn taken in the 6 Inch race that heads up to Aid 2, I began to cough. I had one almighty cough that was so violent my balls hurt and I doubled over and staggered to the side of the trail. Out of nowhere. I clutch my crotch and suppress the urge to cough again, I didn’t want the pain and I didn’t want to vomit. The urge passed and I got moving again, hesitant but moving. I had no idea where that came from and it worried me for a few seconds, but everything stayed down and the cough was a once off. I had a drink and decided to back off the eating for a little while. Pace came back and I was on my merry way, praying that didn’t happen again!

From here I hit a left turn onto the last of the notable climbs, mixed walk and run to get it done then steady pace, now alert for on coming mountain bikers heading out from Dwellingup. The effort is perfect, I do feel the miles but I’m not ‘running for my life’ Down the first powerline section and I have my final gel of the day and a drink. This section is open gravel road and I left the downhill flow, not even worried about looking back anymore. I feel if anyone catches me from here I can push it home. I just take in the trail, even saw a train! That’s a weird feeling seeing a steam train moving through the scrub where you had no idea there was train tracks! Now enjoying myself I sipped my water and did my best to avoid the run off puddles, one section of single track was impossible to avoid, it usually is so I just ploughed on through. Less than 10km with wet socks was fine, they had been wet most of the day anyway.

Second powerline section and into the Marrinup Maze. Five kilometres to home. One parkrun. Passing through the campground I have one last look back and can only see campers. I enjoy running the winding single track, taking in the berms and not caring about the puddles. Running well I think that this is what today was about. Not winning or leading or any of that stuff, but running well on tired legs. The training part of today. Manage the effort, be running well at the end and somewhere between 8 and 8.5 hours. A win was cream on the cake, or more accurately new shoes on my feet.

I pass the familiar farm with the hole in the shed and pigs, the dog barks at me as I run past, as Alexis predicted and now only 3km to go.

I pass some hikers and their border collie out for a casual walk, must be close now. I hear the noise of a country town and know in my bones it’s close and then I see a yellow trail marker. The original last turn to the finish. Now a four-way junction, and DK’s races have used all four in the past. There is no tape, I stand still in the junction and process my options and decide to follow the trail markers to the train tracks and see some tape at the upcoming road junction. I made the right choice and pop out once again on Del Park Road to a sign 50M to FINISH with an arrow.

I make the final turn and scan around looking for a finish line. The pub is busy, there are people in the park and I look both ways as I cross the train lines then ahead I see my youngest son running towards me, then comes my oldest into view and I choke back a sob. They had other plans that day and I didn’t expect to see them or my wife at the finish. I gathered them around my arms and jogged over the road to the group outside a small building. “where’s the finish line?” “you’re standing on it” and a wave of relief sweeps me as I pause my watch and look down.

It says 8:19.49, which was corrected to 8:20 and change considering my watch took a minute to sort itself out on the start line. Almost an hour faster than my 2014 race. I was pumped with the result, and stoked to have my family there to share it.

A word of warning to runners in DK’s events, if you have an issue with the course marking, be prepared to do something about it! Dave grabbed some tape and joked about sending me back out, but I also know he was recovering from a 200 mile race himself. So, I gathered the kids and Alicia and we took a slow stroll back to the four-way junction to put some tape down for the next runners. Thomas ended up holding second for the last 30km running sub 9 hours on his 50 mile debut.

 A special thanks to DK and his wife Belle for putting on a great event, even getting us some sunshine during the day. To the aid station teams who put so much work, time, money and effort into helping us runners. Many are friends already and I can’t thank you enough.

 Fast and Dirty Stats

Distance – 81.8km, 8 hours 20minutes, average pace 6:06/km

Calories consumed – Approx. 1,000 – 1,100, (7,000 burnt)

Water consumed – 2.5 litres, Kids Juices – 3, Mini Ginger ales – 3

Shoes – Altra Superior 3.0’s, Innov-8 mud sock with Stone Free Running Gaiters (also recommend Treasure Gaiters if you are in the market)

Shirt – TEAM RUNNINGWORKS tech shirt, Innov-8 Race shell when it was wet.

Poles - Carbon Fibre Z Poles

Vest, Salomon S/Lab 12 set

[blueeyeswandering]

Off-Leash Adventures

I want to start this blog post off by saying first and foremost - I am not a dog trainer. I have read countless articles, been in training classes, and worked one on one with trainers before....but that doesn’t make me qualified to say my method of training is the best & only way. All dogs are going have their own set of challenges (or lack thereof) when it comes to training, and therefore not all methods will work the same for each dog. I am writing this because I want to share my experiences leading up to comfortably letting my dogs roam off leash and what it took to get us where we are today. I’d also love to share tips for being responsible owners of off leash dogs. So...we begin.

I assume most of you are here because you either know me personally or follow my dogs on Instagram; but for those who may have somehow stumbled upon this somewhere else, I’ll quickly introduce myself & my pups. I’m Julie, I’m 25, I live in Denver with my boyfriend Jake, our 2 year old Siberian Husky Tucker, and our (probably) 2 year old muttbutt Leo, who DNA testing claims is half Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and other half mostly Siberian Husky with a pinch of Staffordshire Terrier (for the record, I believe this 100%). We spend a lot of our time out hiking, which is why training our dogs to be reliable off leash has been a big priority since having them. I feel it’s also important to add that we have had Tucker since he was a puppy, and adopted Leo at around a year old, which has made each of their training a little bit different.

Start Early

Something I tell people who reach out to me on instagram about off leash training is that it starts the minute your new puppy (or dog) comes home. I personally believe a solid recall is the most important thing you can teach your dog - it is for the safety of both of you; whether you want your dog off leash while you are out hiking, or just to call your dog back to you when it is time to leave the dog park. That being said, I’ll start with how I began Tucker’s foundation of a reliable recall at a very young age. We would work on basic obedience at home along with puppy classes - “sit, stay, come,” learning his name, and learning to come over to me when I called him. This happens by having a massive puppy party with toys and treats whenever he would come when called. If you have a puppy at home, I recommend always having treats on hand - you never know when there might be a positive behavior you want to reward. For Tucker, his motivation for training has always been food, and still is. But being a husky, he is picky about what he defines as a good reward. Those bags of small “training treats” just didn’t cut it for him. If your dog is food motivated, find that treat that really gets them excited. That treat that smells so bad you can’t even believe your dog likes it. Find that treat, and set it aside as your high value reward, and use it ONLY for recall training.

When Tucker was getting close to a year old (might be important to note Leo was not in the picture yet), I bought a long 20 ft lead and started bringing him out to parks in Chicago where we lived at the time, and we would just work on his recall. Not for long periods of time; I would keep training short & interesting, using the high value treats I knew he loved, and worked every couple of days to get him to REALLY understand what I was asking of him by saying, “Tucker, come.” They say practice makes perfect and I am here to tell you that yeah....it does. But practice takes patience, and patience is sooo important in training a dog. And sometimes just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, you decide that another dog is just what you need. 

Hello, Leo!

So, in comes Leo. By this time, Tucker was about a year old, and my crazy self was ready to introduce a rescue dog of the same age into our little family who had little to no training himself. Tucker’s basic manners and obedience were pretty solid by this time, but my confidence in his off leash skills were not quite there. While focusing on getting Leo comfortable in his new life, I’ll admit my once laser focused training with Tucker started to slack. Once Leo had mastered basic obedience, it was time for me to take on recall training for both boys so they could enjoy off leash freedom. After some research, I discovered the training tool that would solidify both Tucker & Leo’s recall: the e-collar.

E-Collars - the good, the bad, the ugly 

If you’ve read this far knowing that I am now going to talk about e-collar training, then hopefully you are either in the group that believes e-collars are an amazing training tool when used properly, or you have an open mind on the matter. If you are anti e-collar, then hopefully I can at least help you understand why they can be so beneficial to others. I found this quote that pretty much sums up my opinion on the matter:

“A shock collar is a training tool which applies a negative stimulus to the dog. It can be used in the correct fashion to train a dog. It can be used improperly to cause a dog extreme pain. A leash can also be used properly as a training tool and improperly to cause extreme pain. The important word is "improperly". Used properly, a shock collar is no different than a leash as a training tool.”

I don’t exactly like that they used the term “shock” collar, because in itself that sounds abusive, but I can move past that because the point is simple. I’ll also admit e-collar training is not going to work for every dog, especially those who may have a rocky or abusive past. But as I mentioned at the beginning of this, I am only sharing my experiences and what has worked for me and my dogs.

That being said, here is where I want to share my mistakes in hopes that those of you reading will not make the same ones. Yes, I did my research on e-collars and made the decision that this would be a great way to solidify my dog’s recall training when distractions were present. What I did not research was e-collar brands - I simply did what any person this day in age would do: got on Amazon, found something affordable, skimmed a few reviews, decided they look good, and pressed order. Well, I am thankful for the “vibrate” mode these sh*tty, $75 Petrainer brand e-collars had, because after feeling the shock mode on myself there was no way I would be using that on my dogs. After training them on these collars using the different levels of vibrate (I’ll get into the training method I used soon), I made the mistake of leaving the remote out in the rain while camping one night. This broke the remote, leaving me in need of a new set of collars. Thankfully by this time I had heard of brands that yes, were a little more expensive, but it is because they are the real deal. My advice when selecting an e-collar? If it is under $100....it is too good to be true, even for one collar. Do not make the same mistake as I did and buy something because it is cheap; spend the money for a quality product that will last (oh yeah, and one that won’t harm your dog).

For those interested, the collars I currently use are here, and you can check out my full review on the Mini Educator collars here.

Training

My plan was to take this on myself, using resources I had found on the internet (great idea, Julie). Thankfully this worked out well for me; one google search, picked the top article, read it three times, and off to the park I went with the boys that afternoon. By then, both Tucker & Leo had a solid “come;” just needed reinforcing when we were out and distractions were present, which was why I made the decision to e-collar train.

I don’t feel there is a need for me to go into great detail about e-collar training for recall when it is all in this lovely article that I will link below. Maybe this entire blog post just needed to be a link to this article, so here is what you’ve been waiting for!

This is not an article for skimming - if you are serious about e-collar training yourself, please read it through and through again. And if you feel this isn’t something you want to take on yourself, I highly recommend hiring a professional trainer to help with e-collar training.

Link:  Lou Castle - Training the Recall

Keep in mind this isn’t something that will be picked up overnight. It takes practice and patience to perfect (say that 3 times fast) and some dogs may catch on faster than others.

I am lucky that Tucker and Leo both responded well to e-collar training, and most of the time now I can trust them without using the e-collar at all. But, when we are out and I have them off leash, their e-collars are on for that extra safety net. When it comes to recall, and ALL training in general, training never ends.

After practicing recall with the e-collar in safe places like large dog parks, we slowly started bringing Tucker and Leo out on hikes and letting them off leash. Honestly I couldn’t believe how well they responded to the training - all of the time spent and smelly treats given were finally worth it. 

Don’t be that person

So maybe you’ve reached the point you believe your dog is ready to be off leash and will come back whenever you call them, wherever you are. YAS!!! This is one of the best and most freeing feelings for both you and your dog! But of course, being with a dog off leash brings it’s own set of new responsibilities.

This mostly applies to hiking with your dog, but these tips can be beneficial in any situation where your dog might be off leash.

Do not let your off leash dog approach any person OR dog without permission. Sure, your dog may be the social butterfly who can play well with any person or dog, but that may not be the case for all. The last thing you want is for your dog to approach a reactive dog and a fight to begin. It is YOUR responsibility to keep your dog under control at all times, and if you don’t think they can pass another group without having to say hello, leash them up as you pass. Most of the time when I am out hiking and see a group ahead, I will holler, “are your dogs friendly?” or “do you guys mind dogs?” which can keep potentially bad situations from happening.

Be aware of wildlife and how your dog may react. This is kind of self explanatory. If you are in an area where wildlife may be present, stay on alert and have a leash handy at all times. If your dog has a high prey drive, working on “leave it” alongside training recall will create a solid combination to keep your dog from chasing those damn squirrels.

Batteries can die - have treats along just in case. We all know batteries like to die at the worst time. I have never had a problem with my e-collars battery lasting, but in the event it does, or some kind of malfunction (like, idk, leaving the remote in the rain), bring along those high reward treats in case.

So...

For those who are STILL reading (hey hey!!!) I really hope you found this informative. I love being able to let my dogs enjoy life off leash and I would love if it could be that way for everyone! If there is anything you believe I missed, would like me to go into more detail about, or if you have a questions please feel free to shoot me an email - tuckerleohuskies@gmail.com

xx Julie