We're a team!

Henri and I, we're a team. We're a package deal. Most people that know me, know this. It's a good team. We work our best at understanding each other, knowing what the other wants and needs. This is pretty important while running.

This morning I wondered if Henri even wanted to go on the run. My alarm went off and Henri jumped up and curled up on the bed. My husband had already been up a half an hour so Henri had already had an early breakfast. When we got downstairs, my husband was eating his breakfast. Henri was definitely interested in that, but breakfast doesn't last forever. When that was over, Henri would be ready to play, or he'd go to bed and need something to do later. So, we went.

Henri was poking around, sniffing and pulling. When we started running, he was just pacing along with me, instead of his normal right in front. He was on high alert for rabbits and not listened as well as he usually does when I told him to leave it. 

Finally, I had had enough. We were not very far at all and I hated the idea of getting up that early for nothing. I didn't want to turn back, but ultimately, I'm not running for me. The exercise for me is just a perk. I'm running for Henri, to give him exercise and something to do. If Henri doesn't want to run, I'm not going to force him, no matter how driven I am to workout.   

I stopped. I got down to Henri's level and had him come to me. I pet him and basically had a conversation with him, to see if he wanted to go on. We decided that we would go halfway and if he was still distracted, we could go home.

He must have just needed a pep talk because he was good after that. There's a house that has a dog tied up outside. This is something that would have distracted him minutes earlier, but Henri ran right by, giving a sideways glance, kind of a nod to the dog and kept going. He did it on the way back too so I knew we were good. The rest of the run went without a hitch.

It's important to listen to your dog, especially when you're running together. If Henri had continued to pull and be distracted, we would have stopped running and walked the rest of the way, or only halfway if that was all the distance he wanted to go. There may be days that he doesn't feel well or maybe he's in pain. Dogs can't tell us these things with words, so we have to pay attention and listen to what they're trying to tell us through their actions and behaviors.

Henri even sat outside with me for a cool down, possibly just because it was fifty something degrees out and felt awesome to him.

Check out Henri's sweat print! I knew dogs sweat, but I had never really seen any evidence of it. It's so cute! The pad didn't sweat so it's an inverted paw print!

My sweat print was not as cute.