Leader of the Pack

The Adventure Pack

Sage and Coco ran and ran through the snow together on today's hike.  Rucksack was on edge watching his packmates play and we worked on leaving them be and keeping focus on me.  Wesley was mellow throughout the hike today.

The Play Pack

Oscar found a big piece of tree bark with which to parade around in front of his packmates.  When he set it down, Benny dove in and grabbed it away and then Milo joined in.  Be...

The Adventure Pack

Coco and Sputnik had a blast running in the snow together today.  They had a lot of energy to expend when they first went off leash together and they just ran and ran in the snowy field alongside the trail.  When Rucksack and Benny had their turn later on, they romped a bit in the snow but were more interested in sniffing and eating it than in chasing each other through it.

The Play Pack

Oscar was pretty playful at the p...

The Adventure Pack

Today, I paid more attention to keeping Coco in check by tapping her side when she started to pull ahead on the leash, which has proven far more effective than a tug on the leash.  She spent almost the entire hike walking just behind me or at my side but not trying to get ahead.  With Coco behaving herself so nicely, Rucksack followed the example and was also easier to handle in turn.  Benny always takes up the rear and today was no exception.
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The Adventure Pack

Coco slipped her collar and played catch-me-if you-can at the beginning of today's hike.  We kept changing directions to make her follow us until she stopped trying to play and came over calmly.  She spent the rest of the hike on the leash practicing better behavior.  Rucksack also practiced walking calmly on the leash today since he often tends to pull ahead.  By the end of the hike, they were both doing magnificently.  Wesley and Benn...

The Adventure Pack

We started off the hike practicing on-leash behavior.  The pups get especially excited when there's snow on the ground so it was a good opportunity to practice consistency.  After a while, Benny and Isaac had some off-leash time to romp in the snow together.  Rucksack and Sputnik had their turn after - although Sputnik got a bit too pushy with his packmate so he went back on the leash for the last leg of the hike.  It took him a while to cal...

The Adventure Pack

We practiced on leash walking on the trail today and everyone did exceptionally well.  Sage and Wesley were right in line from the beginning of the hike throughout.  Coco and Rucksack started off with a bit of pulling, but they eased off as I kept reminding them to stay by my side by occasionally giving a whislte and then stopping and taking several steps back so they had to turn around and follow me.  It took some time and repititions, but after...

The Adventure Pack

Sputnik's energy was a little much for Benny today, who has become Sputnik's go-to playmate.  The two of them ran around together for a bit but then Benny had enough and started dodging his packmate with obvious irritation.  Once Sputnik got the hint, he came over and tried to steal the stick Rucksack had been carrying.  I had Sputnik leave it since he was being overly pushy, and then he settled down and walked alongside me for a while.  Oli...

The Adventure Pack

Everyone stuck close together on the trial today.  Rucksack found one small chunk of wood to carry for a bit.  Osito, Sage, and Benny left him to it and he lost interest before very long and left it behind.  Osito whined when we passed by other dogs, but generally stayed at my side nontheless - though there were a couple occasions when his excitement got the best of him and he tried to rush over despite the leash.  Sage, Rucksack, and Benny ...

The Adventure Pack

Oso had his first Adventure Pack outing and he did very well.  He and Rucksack walked alongside one another to my right as Benny and Wesley walked to my left, and everyone did a good job of keeping with me and not pulling at their leashes.  We met several friendly dogs including a very sweet pair of yellow Labs who lingered for a minute to get acquainted with the pack.

The Play Pack

Mia mixed things up with a little, bla...

The Adventure Pack

The snow started just as we got onto the trails this morning.  By the end of the hike, Benny, Oliver, Sputnik, Rucksack, and I were all well-dusted.  Benny chomped on a lot of the white stuff while Sputnik ran around.  Rucksack found a stick to haul and Oliver followed in line right behind me today.  I guess he wasn't feeling very adventurous in the weather conditions.

The Play Pack

The park was nearly empty, t...