Leader of the Pack

The Adventure Pack

We took an easy pace along the Boulder Creek Path today because I didn't want to exert ourselves too much with the smoke from the High Park fire causing the air quality to be less than great.  Benny kept stopping in place as he sometimes tends to do, but when I changed positions so that Rucksack, Chelsea, and Toskey were all on one side of me and Benny was on the other, he kept up just fine.  He seems to be very sensitive to giving other dogs the righ...

The Adventure Pack

It was a hot one today, but Chelsea, Benny, Wesley, and Rucksack all made the most of the stream that runs by Settler Park.  The water has reached chest-high for the dogs and they all waded around in it.  Rucksack was the most enthusiastic and catapulted himself into the water from the bank with reckless abandon.  Everyone else also got thoroughly soaked!

The Play Pack

We walked around the perimeter of the park at ...

The Adventure Pack

Benny seemed like he was going to hang behind and pull back for the hike again today until the clouds came in and it got windy.  At that point, he started bounding around in circles with energy he didn't know how else to use.  When it started sprinkling, he got even more animated and Oliver had to keep dodging him as he ran by with his legs flailing.  Later on, Sage showed me that pinecones make good substitutes for tennis balls when she picked o...

The Adventure Pack

The stream that was dried up yesterday was running ankle-deep today and Rucksack, Wesley, and Benny all got their feet wet.  Later on, Wesley almost took off after a squirrel or chipmunk (I didn't even get a look at it) but he was on leash and I had him sit and leave it.  Rucksack and Benny either didn't notice or didn't care.

The Play Pack

The whole pack hung out under the same tree again today.  Oscar had a branc...

The Adventure Pack

The pack stayed on leash again today and practiced walking together and paying attention to their pack leader (me).  Chelsea and Rucksack again started out pulling ahead, but came around to walking at my side more quickly than yesterday - after about 20 minutes.  Benny was again lagging behind throughout the hike.  Oliver was in great position, to my side and just a little bit behind, for the entire time.  We passed over a creek where Rucksa...

The Adventure Pack

Chelsea, a former pack member, is back with us for a couple weeks.  She met Benny, Toskey, and Rucksack as we gathered everyone up for the hike.  She grumbled a bit at Benny when he started to relentlessly nose at her face the way he does when he's excited but then they got along just fine, as did Chelsea with both Toskey and Rucksack.  We worked a lot on sticking together and having everyone pay attnetion and follow me today, by stopping and cha...

The Adventure Pack

Benny and Wesley got their paws wet in the stream by Gregory Canyon at the beginning of our hike.  They both wanted to drink the water, but it's somewhat stagnant so I got their attention and let them drink from the Camelbak instead.  On the way back down the Amphitheatre Trail, the two of them kept stopping at a step together and watching me descend, then catching up when I paused and looked back at them.

The Play Pack

The Adventure Pack

Sage was great off the leash again on today's hike.  She stays close and comes when I call her - perfect!  She got a bit nervous about other hikers, though, and took a wide route beside the trail when we passed them.  She's getting more used to drinking water from the Camelbak spout.  Benny and Oliver have both become pros at that.  It took Oliver a little more getting used to, but Benny has been a Camelbak drinker from day one.  O...

The Adventure Pack

Lincoln joined the pack today - he's a park regular who Benny and Coco know very well.  When Coco and Lincoln were in the packmobile together, they wiggled around and rubbed their heads and shoulders all over each other.  Wesley and Benny both trotted along behind me for the entire hike.  The pack has had a bit of an issue with trying to drag me over to greet passing dogs lately, but today everyone stayed right by me and they greeted passers...

The Adventure Pack

Oliver was very calm on today's hike.  There were a couple other dogs we passed and I had him and Benny both sit and ignore them.  Oliver would normally go running straight up to the dog, but when I let them both up, he went over calmly to give the other dog a sniff.  Benny is always calm when greeting other dogs, and today was just the same.

The Play Pack

Coco had a great time seeing her friends, both dog and huma...