Sam continues to mold his behavior to fit into out household. He has always been good on the leash, but when I walk Zeke and Sam together, he shows true pack behavior.
He doesn’t always walk that close. Sometimes he finds something of interest and peels off, but he’s right beside Zeke for most of the walk. Sometimes he’s even closer.
Zeke is a very good dog. He is so used to having to stop on the rug at the front door to have his feet dried if it’s wet outside that he often does it even in dry weather. He steps through the front door and immediately sits until I unleash him and tell him to go on. Now Sam is doing the same thing.
I’m holding the leash here, but I didn’t have to use it to stop them. I think Sam is learning appropriate behavior from Zeke. Lucy, on the other hand, scampers into the living room, wet feet and all, unless I step on her leash.
The two dogs get along extremely well. If you saw the way they roughhouse, you might think there was a serious dispute. But there’s not. (Click the link)
This is fairly mild compared to some of their antics. I was holding my phone with one hand and trying to keep them under control with the other. I would have liked to get a shot of Sam chewing on Zeke’s ear, cheek or neck, but it’s too hard to manage them and the camera when they really go at it.
Sam was off the leash in this case. I have been walking him on the leash lately, mainly because he has developed a limp that seems to be worse after exercise. When he’s off the leash, he doesn’t stay by Zeke’s side; he’s too busy scrambling up and down the mountain. Except when he comes back to chew on Zeke’s ear, cheek or neck.
Zeke and Sam have had two serious disputes, both involving food. Sam is still learning about pack hierarchies when it comes to food. Zeke was trying to teach him about it. It sounded like someone was going to get killed, but even though Sam had slobber on his neck, Zeke never actually bit. And he stopped immediately when I shouted “No!”
The rest of the time, they get along better than I could have expected.
They are so cute together! I love how Sam is fitting in like this. He really has found a home. Yay!! The video is very funny, especially how often Sam puts his foot in Zeke’s mouth. Those two are a perfect match.
Robin — As I said, they get along really well. It was a surprise, because on some occasions Zeke hasn’t taken all that well to another dog in the house. I guess Sam has an agreeable personality, at least for Zeke, despite all the chewing Sam does on various parts of Zeke’s anatomy.