Is this my dog hiking off leash?

Today was truly one of those perfect days in New England.  The weather was just perfect.  It seems our new Sunday tradition is to take the dogs to a local state park so Maggie can swim and Etta can be lazy in the sun!  Last week was our first trip out for the season and we took the dogs for a hike afterwards to let Maggie dry off.  It was Maggie's first off leash hike ever.

Today was the same and I spent even more time than last week recalling her and treating her.  I had bologna and she was not missing her opportunities to get that!  We have been focusing on calling her every time she gets a certain distance ahead, it was maybe 50-75 feet.  Depending on my mood and hers, I will either call her to come back or simply to wait there.  If she came back on a recall, jackpot!  If she waited in place until I got to her, jackpot!

The dogs had a blast racing ahead, sniffing the smells and racing back to me for treats!  The really neat part was watching Maggie begin to check in by herself.  She has never done this before and I think for one, she is finally growing up!  For two, I have finally devoted the same amount of time to my own dog's training as I ask my students to do!  You know the saying about the cobbler's kids have no shoes?  Well, my kids have really nice shoes now!  It was also really neat to watch Maggie actually go into heel position a few times.

I wish I had known more about clicker training and good principles when I got her as a puppy.  Well, better late than never and it is so fun to watch her love life and just get to be a dog in the woods sniffing stuff and running.  Watching her passed out on the couch exhausted now is pretty cool, too!