What a difference a day makes.

All our paths this fine 5am morning hour were starting to get mushy.

Poor Abs and Miss Fiona climbed the piles to do their business out of the way and sunk into the wet snow. You could almost see their face saying - what was THAT! But they persisted, trudged on through and one wonders how they will react when all the snow disappears as this will be their first experience with grass.

The duo was at it again in the birdbath. They seem to really like this spot. It lends them that bit of height on more solid ground than melting snow.

Last month, Miss Abs had the start of little mats and I had to use a brush with long tines and follow up with a cat comb (movable teeth) as her hair had some undercoat growth. This month I can brush her once a day and hardly anything where Fiona is 7 weeks behind and I am now dealing what I went through with Abs and she's not crazy about it.

Now, Miss Abs has always been easy to wash and to brush. Even when she's not so crazy about it all she will do is try to wriggle away. But Miss Fiona will try to bite the comb, the brush, you - whatever to get you not to do it. It's easy when dealing with a pup that is dominant to allow them to get their way but mats are a serious thing. They downright hurt the dog. Pull your hair tight close to the skin and leave it that way and see how it feels. So, I hold her firmly. I growl -yes, I growl like her canine mom would do. I even stare at her pretending to be all upset and she stops. When she behaves calmly and you will hear that release of breath as if to say - okay - 'I get it' then this is when you say "good girl - way to go" and give a massage or snuggle and continue on.

If she was my first dominant want-to-be-alpha dog, I would probably not persist but I know I must, knowing what I do about mats. I do know that after you do it daily for a certain period of time, even the dog that hates the brush will eventually just allow it. They may not run to you saying 'my turn' but they will put up with it and with some snuggles - not all growls in between and a treat at the end and perhaps a massage where those mats were - well they will finally get the idea that you are the alpha and good alphas take care of the pack by keeping them healthy - body and mind, groomed and fed. You will have achieved their adoration not by brute force but by a positive but firm correction. Would you allow your human child to go to school with unbrushed, matted hair?

Okay - enough about mats. It's a new day - and have you played retrieve today? What are you waiting for? :-)