Getting some exercise

My dogs speak enough human to get by.  They know and respond to 

• outside - which means go into the laundry because we're going out
• tea - as in would you like some dinner (tea)
• bedtime - only Indi responds positively to this one, Sam lies perfectly still wherever he is, trying to meld into the background
• park - as in "do you want to go to the park" They know this means off leash time

and of course

• walk - which means Sam goes and cowers by the front door waiting for me to put his harness on.  Poor thing. And Indi sits patiently on the mat inside the front door. Thank goodness one of them is normal!

When I'm getting ready (putting on my walking shoes) Indi often goes into paroxysms of excitement - prancing around with a toy in her mouth, tail madly wagging. Sam just looks anxious - no doubt waiting to see if we're going to the park (all good in his world), or for a walk (not so good in his mind).

Once we get out the door there can be quite a bit of hesitation (which could be interpreted as reluctance) on Sam's part depending which direction we head (I can choose from three different directions - lucky me!).  One direction leads to a nearby oval (which can mean a bit of off leash time) and the dogs will often strain oval-wards when we get to the corner where we would cross if we were going that way.  The other two are just normal walks.

I have a short walk, which is mainly on the flat and goes around approximately 4 blocks.  Then there is a medium walk, which usually means heading downhill (I live at the top of a hill) and walking along the valley and then back up the hill. And finally the long walk, which is a combination of the above with extensions further into the suburb I live in. I would love to be able to take longer walks but Sam has issues with traffic which preclude this, so we make do with what we have.

I'm not a big fan of exercise - unfortunately due to my physiology I don't have much stamina (never have) and so it's just not enjoyable. However since we've had Sam (and Indi, too) I've had a reason to get out and about and I can see and feel the results.  I now walk up the hill to my house without stopping and minimal puffing - which can only be a good thing!