Taking Stock of the Pack
We just did some figuring: Emma is 5 years 4 mos. old; Jackson is 3 yrs. 6 mos. old; and Zoe is 1 yr 2 mos. old. How time flies!
They are great dogs in their way but with many quirks that Molly and Bosco did not have, including pack behavior. When a dog walks by on the sidewalk they all go boiling out to the fence to bark at it, and claw the fence to the point that we occasionally have to replace boards. They have gotten loose on occasion when the yard crew left a door unlatched and simply run around the neighborhood for a while, then come back looking happy and guilty. We have had no reports of aggressive behavior, although neighbors have ratted them out.
They have also killed several rats and possums in the back yard and gotten into battles with raccoons. On one hand, they are keeping the varmints out, but I've never had a dog that killed anything before and find it a little unsettling.
All of them bark at people who come into the house, but soon warm up, even Jack, who's a tiny bit less shy these days, or at least gets over it more quickly. He remembers people he's claimed as friends, even if he hasn't seen them for a year, and warms up that much more quickly.
Zoe is the only one who has really learned "heel". Emma continues to be like a kite on a string in a high wind for much of any walk, until she tires out. Jack pulls for a while, then heels, but is exhausting for me to hang onto. Zoe's a pretty good girl, and by far the most trainable of the pack. She's learned to greet me in the morning with a sit and handshake. Jackson leans on me and "talks", Emma stays with Doug until the rumpus has settled down.
Overall, they're a handful. I can't believe we have three of them, would never do that again, but I don't think I could part with any of them.
They are great dogs in their way but with many quirks that Molly and Bosco did not have, including pack behavior. When a dog walks by on the sidewalk they all go boiling out to the fence to bark at it, and claw the fence to the point that we occasionally have to replace boards. They have gotten loose on occasion when the yard crew left a door unlatched and simply run around the neighborhood for a while, then come back looking happy and guilty. We have had no reports of aggressive behavior, although neighbors have ratted them out.
They have also killed several rats and possums in the back yard and gotten into battles with raccoons. On one hand, they are keeping the varmints out, but I've never had a dog that killed anything before and find it a little unsettling.
All of them bark at people who come into the house, but soon warm up, even Jack, who's a tiny bit less shy these days, or at least gets over it more quickly. He remembers people he's claimed as friends, even if he hasn't seen them for a year, and warms up that much more quickly.
Zoe is the only one who has really learned "heel". Emma continues to be like a kite on a string in a high wind for much of any walk, until she tires out. Jack pulls for a while, then heels, but is exhausting for me to hang onto. Zoe's a pretty good girl, and by far the most trainable of the pack. She's learned to greet me in the morning with a sit and handshake. Jackson leans on me and "talks", Emma stays with Doug until the rumpus has settled down.
Overall, they're a handful. I can't believe we have three of them, would never do that again, but I don't think I could part with any of them.