So it is with the pack now. Even at 10 months, Evee has learnt that she can play her little heart out outside, at daycare, for hours a day if she so chooses, but inside is not run around like a nutter place. With the help of nylabones, good exercise, and lots of play, she's content to be lazy inside. That, and no one else plays with her inside, so she's a little S.O.L. :P
Enjoying quiet time inside:
Evee is an ideal catch for anyone who wants a dog young enjoy you can really train to do anything, with huge treat motivation, slender frame, and happy-go-lucky disposition, but without the messy 'puppy' stage. She's a great combination of playful and cuddly, and is good with everyone from tiny chi X to Great Dane. Actually, Jersey, who is boarding with me for the week, is her #1 friend. To the point where at daycare, she gets to play with both big and small dogs, or else she feels put out -the little dogs are too boring for her sometimes anyway and she knows how to tell the big guys off.
See Evee play with Jersey the Dane here:
Evee has such great dog-dog social skills, and is SO playful, the afternoon staff stole her on Thursday from me to use her for new dog evaluations at the daycare. She showed the newbies how to have a good time, how to relax, and how to play properly. For ten months, she knows very well what's good play behaviour, and what's just obnoxious. Her only downfall is that she LOVES to start the chase game, but when she starts it with the big dog group, suddenly she has 10 dogs quite a bit bigger than her wanting to play that game too! That's when she barrels on over to a staff member with the look like 'save me please!'. She just can't resist a good game of chase me. Although, just like Beckett used to do, she gets a little grumpy when someone is faster than her and catches her quickly!
As for Gio, he's also doing great. Without Buster around, both he and Beckett don't really know how to act around each other sometimes. They play, but its not the same kind of play they did when Buster was being the police force. They're the same size, both submissive boys, and without 'the bitch' around, they don't know where they stand in regards to each other. After all, Evee is a puppy, and Jersey is a bigger wimp than both of them. So they've been a little 'off' with each other now that one of them has to be the new 'dog leader'. (I'm still 'the top dog' and no one messes with me, but dogs still have an order amongst each other. Every dog in a 'pack' can -and should- be submissive/non-threatening to their human leader, but they don't show that same respect to every other dog. It's kind of like you listen to you mom, but that doesn't mean you listen to your siblings. There is an order amongst siblings when shit its the fan -it can shift depending on situation-, but there is always some sort of order. Both people and dogs need order to know what to do in a given situation.)
Either way, Gio and Becket show nothing that would ever be considered an issue -most people wouldn't catch it anyway-, but its very interesting to see how a female dog, no matter how submissive they are, is still higher than the boys :P I think they're trying to figure out who gets to give Evee shit if she needs it, and who runs the show between them (neither of them wants the position!) They kind of remind me of a father (Beckett) and a somewhat inept son (Gio) starting out on his own. IE: Beckett wants Gio just to take the damn position and be 'the man', but Gio won't man up, so Beckett's stuck in that annoying position of having an adult son at home who take the responsibility!
Boy bums: walking away from the 'top dog' position.
Gio's desired pack position is the lovebug:
Attention Hog
Looking smug after giving the camera a kiss!
Very handsome indeed!
Beckett's desired pack position is: Grand-daddy. He's the babysitter, the 'I'll teach you manners nicely', the play with the youngings, go out and be social, and all in all, be that kind of personality you expect from a sturdy older man that's still active and loving life. The one that knows he's not as strong as the young men anymore, but doesn't mind. He's also the one who deals very nicely and gently with dogs who don't have the greatest body language/manners. If there's a dog that'll play with the socially handicapped, it'll be Beckett.
In other news, Gio is PENDING! He will head to his new home in Van on the 5th and hang out with a pug, and a cat -and of course his new people! Gio is EXCELLENT with small dogs, so as long as his new house mate doesn't mind sharing all the attention, its going to be a great match.
Unfortunately, Gio will most likely be heading over to Van earlier to finish off his fostering with Benita. This is through absolutely 0 fault of his own. Unfortunately, Beckett has been quite a bit 'off' for the last week(ish). He's become stiffer than usual, is getting moody, and is losing weight. We've put him back on his usual food (we've been mixing his in with the foster food, so that we don't need two seperate bins -they're big! We have a small place!), and I've been bringing him with me to daycare and he's been getting a bit better (or at least happier), but we need to make sure he's okay and gets some extra loving, medical help if necessary. Gio's big head is everywhere your hand is, so not the best situation to get our boy back up to 100% so I won't feel guilty about continuing to foster 2-3 dogs at a time. So, for Beckett's sake, and for the sake of future fostering, its the best on all counts. Besides, Gio is one of the most easy-going dogs around. New places, no problem. New people, love it. Give him a floor to sleep on, two square meals a day, and a lot of affection and he's a very happy Rotti.
Good luck Gio-dude! Even though I'll manage to write these blogs in under half an hour again, we'll miss you.
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