Fall! Live it up!

It's been a crazy week, but I finally had the chance to take the dogs on our Fall Photo Hike!  I met with 3 new training clients, all with puppies.  Oh puppies... such adorable little spitfires.  It's actually been interesting to see the differences in these little guys.  All are around 6 months old, but are all completely different.  One, a Tibetan Spaniel, is almost too mellow.  I can't keep him motivated for too long before he tries to take a nap.  The second is a Maltese from a pet shop (aka puppy mill) who is wild and unfocused, and whose owners had no idea what they were getting themselves into.  The third is a lab with a great role model of an older sister-dog, who practically falls over herself trying to do what I ask, and will work for anything.  Ah the joys of dog training.  It definitely makes me think about the influences of genetics and the environment.  By now nature and nurture are no longer a debate, it's become clear that the interaction of the two is what's important, and it is so true with these little guys.  Sure their breed (and the quality of their breeding) play a part, but the home they are raised in is equally important.  Most days I wish I'd had Skye and Parker from 8 week old puppies, just because there are some things in their behavioral repertoire that I think could have easily been avoided.  Parker's hatred and intolerance for grooming, and Skye's complete lack of bite inhibition for starters.  At the same time, I'm too lazy to put that much work into puppy rearing.  Maybe I'll get a puppy next time...  or not.  I'm dreaming of a big, beefy 5 year old pit that is dopey and endlessly patient.  But it'll stay a dream for a while yet, I'm not sure I can handle 3 dogs.  Any thoughts?  Is 3 that much harder than 2?

Anyway, here are some seasonal photos from our hike, plus a few from a local farm we visited as well.  Enjoy!