I thought last weekend was bad...

but this Thanksgiving has been the worse.


Last weekend that dogs just never jelled. They never seemed to get it together and really has some fun. I kept thinking that the right dog would pull the group together. Sophie showed up and my hopes were all riding on her. No luck, they mostly just wandered around and ignored each other. I am getting a crash course in the psychology of group dynamics. The right dog can make a playtime, removing a dog can improve play time, but sometimes you just can't get them to play at all.


This weekend is is less worrying about them not having fun and more of keeping them from killing each other. Every single dog I have this LONG weekend is a regular. Every single one of them has lost their minds.

I have Tessie and with Tessie you never get a quiet weekend. She is quite the barker, in the kennel she is bad, but out to play she is worse. She barks non stop at all the dogs to get them to play with her. I keep trying to point out that this is not working for her, but she hasn't changed her approach.

I have Sunny, a collie, who is herding all the dogs. Sunny also barks in the kennel and even more when out to play. Sunny needs an authority figure. I work on him every time he comes. I pull out everything I have learned from the Dog Whisperer's show and his books. I can usually get Sunny to tone it down but this time he is just not stopping at the nipping at other dogs. He has actually managed to piss BB off so bad that she has snapped at him more than once. He has not gotten the message.

I will try again to talk to his Dad about how he walks his dog and how the humans need to be the pack leader and not Sunny. Sunny is a severe dog bite waiting to happen. He is going to happily chomp on the wrong tail or flank and he is going to catch hell for it.

As for the rest of them, they all left their manners at home. Chaser and Bella were teasing Jake far too much last weekend and now they are doing it to Smokey Bill. Patches likes to play with everyone, but as soon as it gets to rough on her, her teeth come out and the growling starts. I just never let her play with anyone for too long. Sweetie is just a nervous wreck and she is fully capable of avoiding all the other dogs, normally. This group just can't leave her alone.

Which brings me to Kodi and Bella, two of the biggest dogs and yet the frightenest. These guys bark a big fight inside their run, but then just spend playtime avoiding all the other dogs. They have been coming for years, this is their routine. Bark like killers until let out and then tuck tail and go hang out by the rose bush.

Not this weekend, I don't know what changed but it changed for the worse. They still bark like killers in their run, but now when I let them out Kodi growls at whatever dog he comes to first and Bella puts her whole mouth on the neck of whatever dog she comes to first. As you might guess, Kodi and Bella now have one side of the play yard all to themselves.

One more weekend like this and I quit!

Tessie and Sunny Could Be Twins...

...if only they looked alike.

Under those very different outfits they are the same dog. They are a perfect match for speed and maneuverability. They have the same playing, running, and wrestling styles. Unforunately, they also have the same bark, same pitch, same duration, same reasons for barking.


They are having a great time, I am getting a headache from the barking.

Tessie and Sunny

That is how they really look.

Ruger is getting the hang of the place

When he first arrived, I was a bit worried. I had never seen a bigger German Shepard. This dog is huge, the owners were right to wonder if he could get through my dog doors. He can but, it is a tight fit.

When he first came out, I was watching him pretty closely to see if he would be aggressive to any of the other dogs. No worries, instead of aggression in him, I had to worry about the other dogs intimidating Ruger. He was pretty skittish that first playtime, so I ran interference. I would call off Sunny, or Flip whenever they approached Ruger.

By the end of the second playtime, Ruger had untucked his tail and was playing with Yanni. Yes, he picked the smallest dog of the lot to start out with. I wish I had a picture of them playing together.

I tried to get that photo this morning, but instead of playing, Ruger has decided that he can dominate Yanni and Yanni is not interested in that particular game. I guess Ruger has gotten his confidence back because he has moved on from Yanni to Sunny and Flip.

There are just not enough tennis balls on the PLANET to satisfy this group!

I actually have a dog that will bring the ball back, and we all know how rare that is. Gunner loves to play fetch and he brings the ball back and kinda rolls it at me. If I am not fast enough, and face it, I am NOT fast enough, one of the other dogs will grab the ball and keep it.

I have to have enough balls for Roxy to have one in her mouth, and BB needs one, and Cassy needs one and Sunny likes to have one , too. I bought the doggies 9 new tennis balls for Christmas and all was good for a few days.

Now it is not even New Year's and almost all of the tennis balls have been destroyed.

Gee, I guess dogs aren't that different from kids.