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A sunny day, if not a particularly warm one, and some training thanks to Zak George. 

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Another day, another park. Actually, we're not introducing new places every single day, that would be an overload of learning and exploration for such a young pup. Gimli is 11 weeks old today (give or take), and while he's apropriately curious, he's also understandably nervous about this big, new world. Think about it—he's been alive for all of eleven weeks. That's not even three months, and there are so many things yet to discover, and some of those things move quickly, or are loud, or are very, very big compared to an eleven-week old puppy.

So we're taking it slowly by revisiting each new place several times before moving on to another new place. We're also treating heavily with each new experience, especially the ones that seem initially disconcerting, like rustling brush, bikes going by, or close birds. And things are coming along. Each successive foray into the great wild world has required less coaxing and engendered more eagerness. 

Getting him a little coat also helped a lot. 

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Gimli's first hike—a very short jaunt along a trail at the front of our favorite birding spot. I've had four dogs in my lifetime, none of whom were well behaved or outdoor loving enough to accompany us on hikes. In my defense my first three dogs were all special needs in some way, and Iris came to us at the age of three and already as prissy as could be (she'd be a good glamping candidate as long as there was absolutely no rain involved). This is the first puppy of my true adult life, and my goal is to "do it right", so we're introducing him to all kind of things early—parks, puppies, people, training—with the hope that he'll be everything we hope he can be. That being said, we understand that he's an individual, and that, as young as he is, we won't really get to know that individual well for some time to come. Right now, though, we can count our successes in small doses, including tentative potty training (no accidents in three whole days!), and general willingness to try new things. 

If his ears are any indication, he should be a really good listener. Hah!

(NOTE: we have loved all of our dogs and all of their individual quirks along the way and wouldn't trade our experiences or their lifetimes with us for anything!)