Solo time with Lance

Since I took Jackson to Gambrill on Tuesday, it was time to give Lance a shot at hiking solo. So, after work yesterday I quickly came home and got Lance together to head out to Gambrill. I was a little nervous about how he'd be in the car. When we first brought the boys home (and didn't have a car crate) Lance would be all over the place and whine and bark- just acting like a total nervous mess. Having the crate helped, and he's definitely gotten better with time. I decided to put him in the front seat next to me so that I could pet him for reassurance if he needed it. We left the house and set out for Gambrill and he was a little antsy at first- I think he really just didn't know what was going on. As we drove further though, he relaxed and ended up laying down and relaxing (you can see the progression through the photos I shot from my Blackberry).

We got out the trail and decided to start on the black (which begins with a steep incline) and merge with the green trail a little further in. Going this direction is a little more strenuous, but since Lance seems to have a little more energy than Jackson, I figured he would be just fine. When we first started, Lance sat right down and looked backward, as if he was waiting for Jackson. I asked him to get up and keep going, but he kept looking back. I think he just didn't get that Jackson wasn't there with him and wondered where he was. Luckily he got over this really quickly and we were on our way.

Lance did very well, and we ended up jogging through much of the trail. We finished in record time and little Lance was pooped by the time we finished the green trail. He was great on the ride home as well- just laid on the seat, happily panting away.

It's great to know that both of the pups can handle riding in my car. Now I just have to take them out together in my car to see how they do with that. Not that I'm in any big rush to find out...