Leader of the Pack

The Adventure Pack

Since Coco's been unsure of hikers and joggers that we come across on the trails sometimes, I took a couple opportunities to have passers-by give her a treat today.  When we passed by a couple who slowed down to pet the pups as the passed by, I asked if they would do me a favor by feeding Coco one of the treats I had with me.  They were more than happy to oblige and Coco was happy to take the treat from them.  Afterwards, I gave Rucksack and Benny treats as well.  Oliver got so worked up about the treats that he kept barking and wouldn't sit so he missed out on that round.  We did the same when another dog-friendly couple passed by later on and Coco was even less wary.  That time, Rucksack went up to the man with the treat and leaned against him, looking to be pet.  They commented, "I guess he's not shy!"  Oliver was more settled that time and got to enjoy a treat with his packmates.  Later on, when a jogger went by us, Coco withheld her usual quiet grumble and instead stood with her tail wagging gently, staring at me with an expectant look.  I gave her a treat myself that time (I didn't want to interrupt the jogger), as well as one each for Rucksack, Benny, and Oliver, and we continued on pleasantly.

The Play Pack

I substituted snowballs for tennis balls and threw them for Benny and Maverick at the park today.  Benny just watched them fall without any attempt to catch them.  Maverick, on the other hand, got really into it and pawed, bit, and shook each snowball into pieces.  The snowballs kept Maverick's interest for most of our time at the park.  He also had fun running around with a Rottweiler pup for a little while.  Benny found a playmate named Mana who, in spite of only being a year old, was bigger than him.  It was funny to see Mana mouthing at Benny's head and seeing how much he could fit, much the way Benny tends to do when he plays with other, smaller dogs.