Your Driveway's Showing...

Yes its true, the gravel in our driveway is peeking through. James plows every year so that area is usually the first to show through the snow pack. The dog yard has a ways to go but puddles are forming now. Probably will be close to 50 today... Mush for Kids is tomorrow... I know the trails are going to be horrible but we will attend and do what we can. The people who organize the event are always so nice to us that we just cant say no. : )

Had the dogs run around in the yard last night, Hera, Gemini and Remus with them. All had a sense of peace... it was so nice! Maybe it was the evening in the pen that righted Hera's brain. I will continue to watch her though... shes a sneaky one. For now shes behaving well and that is what we will focus on, her good behavior.

Remus continues to show the multiple facets of his personality especially as he grows older and we have our chance to bond. Its very clear that hes hardcore in harness, a really solid working dog, who Ive only seen slack once and that was due to the heat of the day. Being dark like he is attracts the suns rays and with his new improved undercoat (compared to the ragged one he came with when we got him) hes a little sensitive to the higher temperatures.

Hes learned a little more each day about the boundaries of the dog yard, who to be next to, who to leave alone and when I approve to be jumped on. I allow all my dogs to jump up on me for attention but they have to do it in a calm, civil and polite manner. When Remus came he loved that idea but the finer details of how to approach me had to be learned and at his age and his height I got a few 'slaps' through misplaced paws before he got it figured out.

Now he is very gentle, knows just where to place his paws and if he misses its always to my side or shoulders and never at my face. When he does miss hes like a little gorilla, climbing up to my shoulders for some well placed kisses.

Since he came to us at such a late stage in his puppy hood he had to learn his lessons very fast. I have been very impressed watching him take everything in stride with little resistance towards human and dog authority. He is naturally very well behaved...

When Remus arrived in our dog yard it was into an already established pack. It was a transition for all, myself included. There are dogs who I have been with for so very long and my bond with them will not be challenged or changed by any new dog. So when Remus came and wanted that bond from me, essentially taking more time away from the other dogs, I had to shut down and turn him away many times.

Fortunately Hera really needed a playmate and a worthy mate she could literally look up to. Remus was that dog and the extra attention he needed he picked up from Hera. Still, there was a human bond he needed to fill and he never stopped trying.

He knows that when Mercury, the head male, is around me no one else is allowed around. Merk is too territorial of my attention and its best to keep that rule to keep the peace. Merk doesn't get exclusive rights all the time but when he asks I allow him one on one for a time. Even though the rest of the yard is running around loose they respect his position.

When Merk is away from me Remus sneaks in for attention but sometimes I have to watch the others in the yard and cant be forced to focus on his devoted kisses. He knows the sign I give when I don't want to be jumped on and usually accepts that and runs off to find the twins (Hera and Gemini) to play with. But the last two nights hes done something entirely different. When I give the sign for no jumping he lays down, belly all the way to the ground, and waits for me to accept his position.

The first night he did this he rolled all the way over, Griffin took that as a sign of weakness and attacked without warning. I was dumbfounded but after Griffin was banished to his house, loosing his free time privileges, Remus and I had a nice time fawning over each other while Remus learned he was not the aggressor, nor deserving of an attack. As a reward he gained my extra attention and love. Its in those moments that our true bonds of trust are formed...

So when he lay down last night I gave him an attention reward before he had a chance to roll over and gain negative attention from the other dogs. Its clear this submission is just for me and a direct attempt to make a good honest impression on the 'human in charge'. Its very touching and very nice to see that this is part of his personality. This is a great trait, among may in his personality, that is solidifying my desire to add his blood to my dogs gene pool.