Leader of the Pack

The Adventure Pack

Today was a beautiful day and the pack was great on the hike.  Benny and Mogul have very similar demeanors when hiking.  They both tend to stay behind me and often get caught up in a smell alongside the trail until we're a ways up ahead.  Then I call to them and they come running back up to join the pack.  They trot along in front briefly, then start haging behind again for a while until another scent catches their interest and we do it all again.  They're very relaxed and easy to handle.  Rucksack is almost always carrying a stick of some sort, and he is sometimes harassed by his younger packmates who want in on his prize.  Coco's attention is all over the place - from wandering off the side of the trail for a sniff, to grabbing up sticks and flaunting them in front of her packmates, to darting up to other dogs we pass on the trail.  Nobody pulled much at all on the leashes today.  I don't know if it was the warm weather or the particular mix of dogs or something else, but everyone was particularly easy-going and attentive today.

The Play Pack

Coco and Daisy had a lot of fun with one another today.  Several times throughout the visit, when I looked over to them, they were lying down face-to-face, rolling around, kicking their legs, and gnawing at one another.  It's great to see them so comfortable with one another that they can play like that lying down - it shows how much they trust each other.  Benny and Mogul both made friends with a very forward Australian Shepherd.  The Aussie tried moutning Benny several times within the first couple minutes of our park visit and then turned his attention to Mogul shrtly thereafter.  Benny and Mogul both slipped him off without much difficulty but they also both became very interested in him afterward.  They spent a while nosing, dodging, and hopping around with him playfully.  It was great to see them handle the initial unwanted attention so well.