Leader of the Pack

The Adventure Pack

Benny and Rucksack got a chance to go off leash today, but when I let them go I quickly realized that we needed to doa bit more work with the whole pack.  I had everyone sitting and took Benny and Rucksack's leashes off, then told them, "Okay!"  Benny, Rucksack, Toskey, and Coco all proceeded to leap out of sitting position and tried to bolt up the trail.  Toskey and Coco were still on leash so they didn't get far, but Benny and Rucksack went run...

The Adventure Pack

Rucksack decided to give stick-carrying another go on today's hike.  He grabbed one near the top of the First Flatiron and brought it all the way down to the car - however, it was much more reasonably sized than his usual finds.  Benny tried to steal it away from his packmate a couple times but to no avail; Wesley and Coco weren't interested.  Different pack members draw the most attention from passers-by on different days.  Today, someone t...

The Adventure Pack

The pack switched around positions a lot during today's hike and as a result I had to untangle leashes from each other and doggy legs frequently.  On one occasion as I bent down to get Rucksack's leash out from under his leg, Benny took the opportunity to lean forward and plant a big lick on the side of my face.  Oliver had the hardest time with all the moving around because sometimes another dog's leg would catch his leash and pull him around, so I k...

The Adventure Pack

We made it farther on the trails today than we have in some time.  Wesley, Coco, and Rucksack were all focused and moving as a pack with me for most of the hike as we went up the First Flatiron.  Everyone was eager for water breaks, though, and promptly looked at me and sat down whenever I asked, "Who's thirsty?"

The Play Pack

Milo, a park regular, joined us for his first pack outing today!  He was a little uncertai...

The Adventure Pack

In preparaion for letting the dogs off leash again in the near future, we did a test today.  I had Benny, Rucksack, Coco, and Oliver all sit at the side of the trail, facing me, backs to the trail, at a busy part of the Chautauqua Trail.  There were a lot of passers-by in both directions and on the whole the pack did very well.  The toughest times were after a long silence without anyone coming through.  The next time a jogger or someone wit...

The Adventure Pack

The pack has been getting very good at sticking together on leash and not trying to pull ahead lately.  If things continue to go this smoothly, we'll start trying off-leash priveleges out again next week.  Toskey, Coco, Benny, and Rucksack have started sniffing spots out as a pack, with everyone trying to nose in and see what's got their packmates interested.  In the past, they'd be much more scattered in their interests.

The...

The Adventure Pack

We met a lot of people on the trails today who wanted to stop and say hello to the pack.  Rucksack eagerly went up and leaned against every stranger who seemed remotely interested in petting him.  Wesley was also happy to get some attention, though he wasn't nearly as forward as his packmate.  He preferred to walk over and sit in front of prospectice petters.  Benny just stopped in place, stood still, and sniffed at the air in the direction ...

The Adventure Pack

During today's hike, I had Benny, Oliver, Rucksack, and Coco all sit at the side of the trail to let another hiker and her dog pass by.  I was very impressed when the whole pack sat patiently as the other dog passed by only inches behind them.  They all sniffed the air in the direction of the passing dog but none of them leapt up out of sitting position - well, Oliver stood up a couple times, but he didn't bark and he promptly sat back down when I tol...

The Adventure Pack

Wesley had a scab working its way out of his fur that I mistook for some dirt or dead leaves.  When I brushed it out with my fingers, it came along with a small clump of hair.  Coco also has a little spot on her head of thinner hair, but I think it's a permanent fixture for her from when she had some skin troubles as a puppy.  It's a pretty small spot, though.  Rucksack has so much fur it would be hard to tell if he had any hidden bald spots...

The Adventure Pack

At one point during today's hike, an off-leash dog walked right up to us as we were walking on-leash, and I was truly impressed when Rucksack, Benny, and Oliver all patiently waited for the dog to come to them instead of trying to pull me over.  It was a mark of great improvement over their usual greetings.  Benny is typically passive about meeting dogs he doesn't know, but Oliver and Rucksack are usually very anxious to say hello.  They were exc...