Leader of the Pack

The Adventure Pack

Benny and Rucksack were playful with one another again, right from the start of the hike.  Today, Rucksack ran around with a small chunk of a branch that stuck out from the side of his mouth just a few inches.  Benny followed him all around and nibbled at what he could get at whenever he got a chance.  We met several dogs who Coco was especially excited to meet.  She was already a little worked up from watching Benny and Rucksack run around ...

The Adventure Pack

Benny and Rucksack had a lot of fun together on today's hike.  They wrestled around with a lot of chest-butting and leg-nibbling and they each kept going back to the other for more play.  Coco was very well behaved today and proudly carried a big stick for about half of the hike.  Mogul was playful after taking a dip in the stream when a yellow Lab came by and said hello.  Mogul was very interested in the new acquaintance - a little too inte...

The Adventure Pack

I let Rucksack off leash today, after we got to the stream we cross over early in the hike, and after splashing around and enjoying himself in the water he was very good about staying within sight and coming when I called.  Wesley and Benny really enjoyed each other later in the hike when we crossed back further downstream.  Wesley hopped right into the stream while Benny sniffed at him from the bank and dipped his front paw in to test the water. ...

The Adventure Pack

Rucksack picked up a stick early on during today's hike and I used it as an incentive to keep him from pulling ahead on the leash.  When he started pulling, I took the stick from him; when he walked by my side he got it back.  It seemed to be effective for a while until he lost interest in the stick and left it behind.  Coco picked it up and then carried it for about half the hike.  She seemed very proud of herself whlie she carried it and s...

The Adventure Pack

Mogul and Toskey had fun with each other on today's hike.  Toskey kept running up to Mogul and then turning and darting away and Mogul would chase her up the trail.  They both stopped immediately when I called to them and then waited for the rest of us to catch up.  Rucksack carried a small branch stub for a while and then dropped it to sniff around in the brush.  Coco promptly grabbed it up and once she had it, it immediately regained Rucks...

The Adventure Pack

Benny conitnued his new habit of stubbornly stopping in place every few steps at the beginning of our hike.  At first, Wesley, Rucksack, and Coco all wanted to wander off in different directions to sniff around the trailhead but soon I got them all on the same page and we walked around Benny and came up behind him, herding him forward.  Once we got a little way up the trail and I let Benny off leash, he had no issues with keeping up.  He stopped ...

The Adventure Pack

Mogul had a spring in his step and led the pack for the entire hike today.  The one exception was when a Terrier came up the trail behind us and Mogul stopped and waited for him to come up so he could greet him.  When the Terrier's guardian walked by she slowed down to pet Coco and Rucksack, and Rucksack leaned against her.  Rucksack picked up a piece of dead wood that he carried briefly yesterday.  He carried it all the way up to the top of...

The Adventure Pack

Coco and Benny both tried stealing Rucksack's stick from him as we hiked today.  Coco got it away from him once but I had her drop it and I gave it back to Rucksack because he wasn't trying to tease his packmates with it.  Wesley ran up ahead on the trail and then went off the trail to greet another dog on another trail.  I could see him the whole time but he ignored me when I called him and followed with the other dog and guardian until they cam...

The Adventure Pack

Oliver led the way when he went off leash with his brother Benny and Benny followed behind him.  Benny lingered to get a good smell at each spot where Oliver just took a passing sniff, then trotted ahead to catch up.  Rucksack stayed on leash through the hike because of his straying yesterday.  He found a few different sticks along the way, each of which he only carried for a few minutes.  Coco and Benny had a lot of fun together in the stre...

The Adventure Pack

The packs have been walking on leash lately since we spent a while at some of the cooler, well-shaded, and predator-free paths along Bear Creek and Boulder Creek while both temperatures and wildlife activity were high in the summer.  We kept the leashes on last week when we started hiking the Anenome and Red Rocks trails as I hoped to transfer all of the great practice of walking on them without pulling and sticking close by.  Coco and Mogul were grea...