When Savage was younger I bought him the Dog Training Kit from ClickerTraining.com because I had heard so many good things about this method. Initially it worked well for us, but somewhere along the way we stopped practicing with the clicker. The other day I decided it was time for some training, refreshers for the basics: sit, stay, etc., and decided to use the old clicker. Well, this time around Savvy was so scared of the clicking sound that he refused to even come near me, even when I was offering him treats. Obviously I was perplexed and frustrated, and with the dog becoming increasingly nervous and confused, I ended the failed "training session", and put the clicker away.
I intended to give the clicker kit to a friend and her dachshund, but shortly after that I began pondering another use for it. You may recall our first exhausting experiences with "The Evil Bicycle" from October '06, wherein Savvy kept barking, circling, and biting at the bike and generally wearing himself out. This kept happening every time we biked, and eventually got so out of control that I planned on not even using the bicycle for exercise this summer. (You can probably figure out where this story is going.) Yesterday I got the bike out of the garage and took it and Savvy out to test my new theory. As soon as I started pedalling my puppy started barking and biting the front tire. But when I clicked the clicker he backed off and moved away, allowing me to pedal without fear of him knocking me down or me running into him. We spent about 15 minutes biking in this way, and he each time he got in front of the bike or started whining, I clicked. Success!
Of course, with Savage I never know if this is just a one-time thing or if he truly "gets it", but I'm pretty confident that this method will help us both enjoy biking more this summer, without all the barking and anxiety. Ironically, how I'm using the clicker is the opposite of the way it's supposed to be used, that is to say: positive reinforcement. But this is the "training" that worked for us the other day, and really the only thing I've found that has stopped him from freaking out about the bike. Now I'm looking forward to biking with him, instead of dreading it.

I don't ride a bicycle much (at all) but I thought biking with Savi would be an excellent way for both of us to get more exercise than our normal walks. A couple of problems presented themselves right away. To my surprise, Savage was quite a bit startled by the whole concept, having never seen his mama on wheels. I think he was worried I was going to take off and leave him alone. I was envisioning a leisurely ride with my dog trotting contentedly by my side. But it was not to be. He spends the entire time bouncing back and forth directly in the path of the tires, growling occassionally and pretty much wearing himself out. I'm worried he's a little obsessed, and I stopped riding and walked witht the bike when I started thinking he might overheat. (I'm not completely paranoid. It was really warm, even though it's October!) Once I got off the bike he stopped freaking out and allowed himself to sniff around off the gravel road and run ahead a ways.
Well, he did get a lot of exercise, so in that respect the biking episode was successful. My hope is that he will calm down a bit after we do a few more rides together.
Having my puppy to exercise and entertain does cause me to find new activities for us to do. Living and working in a tourist area, I find I don't do many of the things that the tourists come here specifically to do. Savage actually gives me a great excuse to explore the area. Yesterday we went on a hike through the forest, one that I've never done before. The trail leads to a huge magnetite rock sticking up out of the earth. It was really cool to be able to take time out of my day to just go hiking, because I would never have if I didn't have my puppy. In his own little way, he really opens me up to new experiences.

This time of year gives me a whole new reason to worry about my dog. As the weather gets warmer and the snow melts, the ice over the lakes gets thin and begins breaking up. My Savage, who doesn't think twice about wandering out on the winter ice, has to be watched extra carefully in late March and April when we are near the lake. Thankfully, the ice on Poplar Lake has disappeared completely as of yesterday, and we enjoyed splashing around on the shoreline today, though the water is much too cold for Savvy to attempt to wade in further than his knees. I'm hoping that this is the year that my boy finally decides he likes to swim.
We're now walking on the Old Gunflint Trail again, every morning. Sav starts whining and moaning in the truck, every single time I turn onto the road. His arch-nemesis, The Evil Bicycle, is back, and he's determined to bark it into submission again. Lately we've been taking a friend of Savvy's, Bubba the black lab, along with us. We're seeing more wildlife on the trails. A few days ago we saw a woodchuck while driving. When I hopped out of the truck to get a closer look at it, the miserable little 'chuck stood his ground and hissed at me, and Savage went crazy barking. What a brave boy.
We're both looking forward to this, Savvy's second summer; hiking, swimming, boating, biking, exploring, and just laying on the deck soaking up sun.