A Rapturous Walk

I'd heard the world might end today, but everything seemed fine when I woke up this morning so Maisie and I prepared to head out as usual.  When we got outside, Maisie took a look towards the sky...sensing no imminent danger, she determined it was safe for us to continue on.

So we started our walk around the block.  Maisie sniffed and snuffed like she always does, and showed off her new collar!

In the past few months, Maisie has started lifting her leg to pee about half the time.  Have any of you with female dogs noticed the the same thing?  Or conversely, do you have a male dog who prefers to squat?

I confess I have slacked with Maisie's training over the winter, but since it was a pretty nice morning we worked on a few commands once she finished her business.  Last summer, we took a class with a trainer who recommended incorporating some obstacle course type tasks into walks whenever possible, to work on maintaining focus around distractions.  There is a big rock towards the end of the block, and sometimes I have Maisie jump over it as we pass.  Other times, we use it as a perch on which to practice her "sit."

We also worked on "down/stay" today.

Finally, she jumped a fire hydrant without hesitation...go Maisie!