Energy overload, youth playtime.

As you know, Penny is here for a visit.  She will be here for a few days which means lots and lots of playtime.  Having two young dogs around is great; they can help to drain one another's excess energy.  But it can also mean that things get out of control and/or they get over tired and cranky.  When Penny first arrived in our family, playtime got out of control often.  Elsa was a year younger than she is now and did not listen as well as she does now.  During the day there were many times that we had to physically separate them so that the baby could sleep and Elsa wouldn't become over tired.  Penny was new and very exciting; so when she came to visit it was very hard for Elsa to control herself. 

Nowadays I still have to separate them, but only once in a while.  With Penny almost a year and a half and Elsa two and half years old, things have settled down.  Oh, don't get me wrong; there is lots of craziness that goes on but it's much more manageable.  First, Elsa listens very well and when I say "enough" she knows that I mean it.  It is still very exciting when Penny comes to visit but that over the top "newness" has gone.  Plus, they have both been together so much now that can just chill without feeling the need to be constantly brawling. 

When you have two young dogs around you have to be the referee.  The slightest thing can send Penny into a zoom with Elsa in hot pursuit.  At that point things can go very wrong.  A few extra growls from Luke can spark a fire under Penny that catapults her around the house like a torpedo.  This is not good for anyone, especially Luke.  So I nip it in the bud to try to avoid those out of control moments.  Crazy fun is one thing but out of control is something altogether different.  Once it gets to that point it can be very difficult to stop; so you must stop it before it starts. 

A special moment from yesterday morning.  Penny adores Luke and is learning to control her enthusiasm.  It seems just staring at him is enough sometimes.  Had to share.  

Right now all three are on the bed with me while I blog.  Penny is having a hard time settling into sleep mode with Elsa so close.  But it is still too early to get brawling and with Luke on the bed, it's not happening.  Each sniff and attempt to instigate a game is met with feedback from me.  She's getting it but it is hard at a year and a half.   Things will get going soon enough and then I will get my camera out for the fun.  :)