Leader of the Pack

During today's hike, Coco and I came across a nice woman and her new 2 year old dog named Gracie.  We hiked together for most of the time and Coco and Gracie had a blast chasing one another.  We came across a few other dogs and their owners and hung out by the creek at the Gregory Canyon trailhead for a little while as Coco and the other dogs all ran around through the brush and in the water.

At the park, Coco stuck by me a lot of the time.  She played with an...

Coco met and ran with a young dog named Naskey on the hike this morning.  She carried a small stick around for a lot of the hike.  She tried carrying a pinecone, but she had trouble keeping it gently in her mouth while running and bouncing around, and after she dropped it about a dozen times she gave up on it.

At the park, Coco played with Oona alot and Rucksack joined in to chase Coco around, too.  Then a Burmese Mountain Dog puppy joined in as well.  La...

Rucksack always gets comments from other hikers on the sticks he carries, and today was no exception.  From "aww, that's the cutest thing I've ever seen!" to "wow, that stick is bigger than him!", Rucksack was a highlight for many hikers.  It's a beautiful day today - enjoy it!

I played hide-and-seek again with Coco during the hike this morning.  She didn't run past me at all, but I also didn't find very good hiding places - usually just behind a tree.  A few times she didn't even come running; she just took a few steps to the side so she could get a better angle to see behind the tree at a distance.  It's so amazing how young ones gradually figure out more and more things about their environment and how it works - things that we human adults take for...

I've been working on helping Rucksack learn to walk politely on leash during the brief trips between the house and the packmobile, and by the trailhead.  At first, heading down the front steps was a bit of a challenge as he wanted to bolt down them instead of sticking by me.  In the past week, though, I've noticed some improvement.  He still rushes down the steps a bit, but he pauses when he gets to the bottom of a flight instead of continuing to pull ahead.  He's started ...

Coco and Toskey hiked together again this morning.  They make a good pair.  Coco likes to stand and wait while Toskey comes trotting back to me from up ahead, and then "ambush" her just when she gets close enough.  Toskey dodges Coco's attack and a joyful chase ensues.

Coco is getting to be very good with the "sit" command, which we practiced throughout the day.  She had a lot of fun wrestling at the park with a bushy black puppy who was about her si...

Toskey and Coco had a great time chasing each other around during today's hike.  Toskey has gotten used to being part of my pack and doesn't wander too far off anymore; she's also very excited to greet me at the door now that she knows that me showing up = off-leash hike.  She especially had fun teasing Coco with a stick.  She'd come right up to Coco with it then turn and run, with Coco close behind.  After a minute she would drop the stick and wait for Coco to catch up, t...

Rucksack found a branch to carry during our hike this morning (of course).  He's usually good about avoiding obstacles, including people, when toting a stick; but he bumped into me a lot today.  When he did, I would take hold of the stick and not let him go forward with it, and after a little while he seemed to get the idea and either stayed behind me or waited until there was more room to pass; he did a pretty good job of stepping aside and making room for other hikers that we pass...

Coco is starting to take after her pal Rucksack; she tried carrying a stick that was bigger than her during our hike this morning!  She managed to drag it about 10 yards before she decided it was too much of a hassle.  I just posted a picture of her with it in the Pack Photos.

Coco followed Rucksack around the dog park again today, nipping at his heels all the way.  Rucksack did a good job fetching as usual.  He seems to have some trouble locating the bal...

Mogul and Rucksack explored some new terrain during today's hike as we ventured up through Chautauqua's Amphitheatre Trail and onto the Saddle Rock Trail headed South.  It was a pretty steep hike but they handled it with ease, which is better than I can say for myself.  While we were headed down, Mogul went off the trail and disappeared for a minute.  I called to him but he didn't come, and I didn't hear his tags jangling.  As I rounded the bend I realized he had just take...