Max and Maya, indoors and out

The setting sun really glows on these dogs' coats.

They are an unlikely couple, Maya is the smartest dog I've ever known and Max is, well, he's not.  They are thrown together much of the time because they are both indoors all the time, except when we go out on hikes.  Both dogs enjoy the outdoors, but I don't take Maya to the dog yard or the pasture any more because she climbs the fence and goes off on her own.  I rarely take Max to the dog yard because he gets over stimulated there and it is nearly impossible to get him back in when you want him.

When the weather is decent (prior to the last few days), I keep Trooper, Theo, and Commando outdoors in the dog yard when I'm home during the day.  They play together very well and tire themselves out.  Indoors, meanwhile, Max and Maya have taken to playing with each other fairly often because they both want and need that outlet.

Max is actually a pretty normal dog indoors.  He plays with other dogs normally.  He even plays fetch.  He is forever bringing me a ball or Kong and dropping it at my feet under my desk.  I toss it out into the hall, sometimes causing it to bounce down the stairs and he retrieves it and brings it back again.  When Max is outdoors and other dogs are playing, he usually goes into his spinning and barking behavior rather than joining in the fun.  Max will go after a ball outdoors, but he has never brought it back.

That's not enough physical activity for Max or Maya, however, so I try to hike with those two almost every day.  If I only do one walk, it's with those two, sometimes with a third dog, either Trooper or Sparky.  With the current cold weather, all 10 dogs are indoors much of the time and all are in at night.  Cabin fever is inevitable and I'm not looking forward to a big snowfall.

I wish they weren't quite so interested in deer, but Max and
Maya have developed into the best pair of trail dogs I've
had since Molly and Emmylou.