Leader of the Pack

The Adventure Pack

The trails were packed today.  Wesley and Benny romped around together a bit when we came by some open space without people around.  Rucksack found a thick stick that he carried briefly before dropping it.  Coco snatched up the stick afterward and carried it for a long while.  She was very content with her prize and seemed completely unconcerned with anything else around.  Once Coco got the stick, Rucksack became interested in it again but I told him to leave it since Coco was enjoying herself so much.  Benny also tried nibbling on the ends but after being told to leave it a few times he let her alone.

The Play Pack

With a little more work, I think Benny will become a very good retriever.  He's very good about coming when called, he doesn't drop the ball on the way back, and he doesn't protest or play keep-away when I tell him to drop it.  We just need to work on his speed and coordination.  Right now, he only gets the ball when I distract the other dogs with one or two other tennis balls thrown long, and then I toss a shorter one to him.  He has gotten a bit better at it, though, and sometimes even scoops the ball up mid-stride.  Meanwhile, Coco hurdles over dogs to snatch tennis balls out of the air.  She and Charlie played together a lot again today.  They spent a while lying down face-to-face under a picnic table, whining and gnawing on each other's faces.  I've been noticing lately how much Coco uses hip-checks when she plays with other dogs.  Today she kept walking up to Charlie with a ball in her mouth, turning sideways in front of him, giving him a look to draw him forward, and then spinning around to hip-check him when he got close.  They then proceeded to run and wreslte with each other.