"I'm a Big Dog, Really, I Am"

There are some universal behaviors in labs.  Food driven, that is for certain.  But one that is also a guaranteed behavior is "the rush" to prove they are big dogs.  "If you can do it, so can I."  Willa still sleeps in a crate, and when I am not at home, she also is in a crate unless I'm only gone for a few minutes. But she has taken to the idea of a dog bed, especially if it is Sage's.

Willa has a problematic relationship with Sage at this point.  Sage accepts her, tolerates her, but also lets Willa know, on a daily basis, who is the top dog in the family.  A snarl, a growl, a nudge.  Willa follows Annie like "a puppy," but she really is intrigued with Sage and wants to be just like her (in fact, I think she will be more like Sage than Annie, she doesn't, at this point, seem as "hunt" driven as Annie).  On Sunday, when we came back from a walk, she scampered into the house, beating Sage to her dog bed, camping out as Sage circled trying to figure out how cranky she should be over this "black dot" on her bed.

Guess who won that battle?

Sage de-camped to my bed.

Murphy's Day.