Colorado: In your face!

I find competition and dominance between canines to be most fascinating.

Our first dog, Chester, was a very relaxed male. That is, he was relaxed until we adopted Iggins. Iggins was a very playful and competitive little puppy. Chester quickly realized that his days of leisure and relaxation were over. It was all out, head to head, competition between the boys.

Then our dear Chester died. And it was just Iggins. He quickly became very mellow and relaxed. . . that is, until we adopted Peri. Peri was a very strong, gentle and relaxed female. Iggins quickly understood that his role was now the protector and defender of the household, including Peri. And he became competitive again, in spite of the fact that Peri wasn't overly competitive - except when it came to treats.

Then, we adopted little Voila! (or Wally, for short). Wally is a feisty, energetic little female that, as a puppy, was everywhere at once. And she was very competitive. But, she was also very small compared to the other other two dogs, and was quickly shown her place in the canine hierarchy.

Since we lost Iggins two months ago, the canine hierarchy between the girls is static. In most things, since Peri is the biggest and seems the bossiest, she rules. But, when it comes to outside playtime and walks, Wally is the dominant female. For instance, today J and I were playing ball with the girls. Peri doesn't always want to fetch but Wally always wants to play. But today, Peri decided to join the game. J threw the ball and they both went after it. Peri got to the ball first, but Wally kept running in circles around her, closer and closer, barking all the while until Peri dropped the ball. Wally quickly picked it up then swished her tail in Peri's face as a sign of victory. Thankfully, that is what I was able to catch in this photo.

Also, Wally wanted me to thank you for all of your lovely comments and stars for her blip yesterday!