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Description
Created using soft pastels on velour paper, "The Challenge" shows a playful young alpha protecting his 'trophy tree stump'.

With this picture, I wanted to capture the playful "I dare you to to take it!" expression I see in my dogs eyes when we play the "S'mine!" game. Taz will fetch one of his favourite toys, drop it really close to my feet and look up at me, keeping his head low over the toy, with an expression I can only describe as "Go on - I dare you to try and get it off me!". When I reach for the toy, he grabs it, turns 180°, and looks over his shoulder at me, toy in mouth, again with that same playful challenging look. As I move towards him he takes a couple of steps, staying close enough to tease me into trying again but far enough to always be just out of reach, lol! He loves this game and I can never get enough of the wonderful facial expressions playing it always seems to evoke.

It is a form of play seen in young wolves, too, which helps to determine their future position within their pack. Although most dogs tend to be less assertive within their domestic pack than wolves, it is still an important part of daily life for them. Unlike wolves, dogs prefer not to assume the role of alpha, but will do so if no-one else asserts their authority. This can, potentially, be a dangerous situation, particularly with large breed dogs. Games can be a powerful aid when reinforcing the hierarchy of a domestic environment but it is important they end with you being the ultimate winner. I never play 'Tug'o'war' with Taz because he is far stronger than me and would probably win. If I don't think I can win, I won't play - he's way too big to even think he could be alpha, lol!

This picture is also another entry for the local exhibition being held this summer.

Description
Created using soft pastels on velour paper, "The Challenge" shows a playful young alpha protecting his 'trophy tree stump'.

With this picture, I wanted to capture the playful "I dare you to to take it!" expression I see in my dogs eyes when we play the "S'mine!" game. Taz will fetch one of his favourite toys, drop it really close to my feet and look up at me, keeping his head low over the toy, with an expression I can only describe as "Go on - I dare you to try and get it off me!". When I reach for the toy, he grabs it, turns 180°, and looks over his shoulder at me, toy in mouth, again with that same playful challenging look. As I move towards him he takes a couple of steps, staying close enough to tease me into trying again but far enough to always be just out of reach, lol! He loves this game and I can never get enough of the wonderful facial expressions playing it always seems to evoke.

It is a form of play seen in young wolves, too, which helps to determine their future position within their pack. Although most dogs tend to be less assertive within their domestic pack than wolves, it is still an important part of daily life for them. Unlike wolves, dogs prefer not to assume the role of alpha, but will do so if no-one else asserts their authority. This can, potentially, be a dangerous situation, particularly with large breed dogs. Games can be a powerful aid when reinforcing the hierarchy of a domestic environment but it is important they end with you being the ultimate winner. I never play 'Tug'o'war' with Taz because he is far stronger than me and would probably win. If I don't think I can win, I won't play - he's way too big to even think he could be alpha, lol!

This picture is also another entry for the local exhibition being held this summer.