Leader of the Pack

The Adventure Pack

The trails were pretty empty today due to the wet snow, but the pack definitely didn't mind it - they love the snow!  Benny had his nose buried in it every chance he got; Rucksack and Coco grabbed up mouthfuls here and there; Mogul had an extra kick in his step and got a little playful with Coco.  Coco's collar popped open during the hike when she was on leash and wanted to run to Mogul up ahead.  She came back to me when I called her and I got i...

The Adventure Pack

We came across a family with a little boy who wanted to pet the pack members today.  Benny licked the boy's face, Wesley sat in front of him, and Rucksack walked by for a pat and then went to sniffing around.  Coco was feeling wary (I could hear a faint rumble from her) so I kept her by my side.  We worked more on walking with a loose leash today by using the method of stopping and taking several steps backwards every so often or whenever one of ...

The Adventure Pack

Benny was very intent on having Wesley's attention throughout today's hike.  If Wesley wasn't wreslting around with him, he would gnaw on Wes' thick coat around his neck and shoulder until Wesley turned to him and played back.  Meanwhile, Coco and Rucksack spent some time sharing a stick.  They trotted along side-by-side, each with one end in their mouth, until Coco decided she wanted it all and started a tug-of-war.  Rucksack still wanted h...

The Adventure Pack

Mogul was lying down in the back of the packmobile when we picked up Coco and I was Impressed by how polite Coco was in greeting him.  She usually has some trouble containing herself when she first hops in and says hello to her packmates, but today she lied down in front of Mogul and just sniffed gently around his mouth.  I'm sure Mogul appreciated the restraint because he often grumbles when his packmates are too nosey and pushy when they say hello.&...

The Adventure Pack

Everyone followed along on leash today very well.  Benny stayed a few steps behind me and sometimes lagged a bit more, but he didn't try to pull off the side of the trail as he sometimes does.  We stopped a few times along the way to let other hikers pass us on the trails, and Coco, Wesley, Benny, and Rucksack were all very good about keeping their attention on me and moving to the side of the trail to make room.

The P...

The Adventure Pack

"Ruff!" Oliver barked at me, standing with his front paws against my calf while I passed treats out to the pack during a break in our hike.

"No," I said, shaking my head.

"Ruff!" he barked again, this time in a higher pitch.

"No," I repeated.

"Yip!" The third time his voice was an even higher pitch.

"No."

"Yip?" His voice had reached a quiet, questioning squeak.

"Sit."

He sat and waited for his treat...

The Adventure Pack

Wesley and Oliver enjoyed their time off leash during today's hike, sniffing and exploring but staying close by.  Neither of them ran around very much, but the wet trails left both of their long coats pretty muddy on their undersides nonetheless.  I worked with Coco and Benny a bit on walking on-leash without pulling - Coco tends to pull ahead sometimes and Benny tends to pull off to the side of the trail.  It says interesting things about their ...

The Adventure Pack

Since some of the pups haven't been totally trustworthy off leash lately, I've been mostly keeping them on leash for the hikes the last few weeks to hopefully get them back into the habit of sticking closer together and being more attentive.  Wesley is generally very good about that, so he spent the hike off leash to serve as an example for his packmates.  Coco, Rucksack, and Benny stayed on leash while we hiked and they got to sniff out plenty of int...

The Adventure Pack

Toskey's nose was glued to the ground even more than Benny's today.  She wanted to stop about every five feet to check something out.  We kept moving a lot of the time, but every once in a while we stopped and she, Benny, Mogul, and Coco all had a good sniff to see what's up.

The Play Pack

Coco had a lot of fun with a frisbee today.  She mostly teased Benny with it and also just danced around hoping to catch an...

The Adventure Pack

Wesley, Coco, Benny, and Rucksack hiked up the Third Flatiron at Chautauqua today.  We took a scenic route up to that trail and made a few stops for everyone to sniff around.  We played a group-oriented patience/attention game during a couple of our pit stops.  I get everyone's attention and have them sit, and then they each get a small treat.  Then I wait for 30 seconds or so and whoever is still sitting gets another round of treats.  ...