Football ! - by Dad

Cooper's favorite after dinner game is football. Here is how it works. After dinner I am usually in the den talking to the family. Cooper sees that I am relaxed and basically doing nothing. He runs and finds his old deflated and chewed up Wilson NFL football. He brings it to me and starts growling. I say in a deep voice "COOPER THAT IS MY FOOTBALL!" Then the fun begins. Coop starts wagging his tail and growling; I get on my knees and basically play tug-of-war with the football, but better. He starts growling, we pull each other into other rooms; yanking on the football. Sometimes Coop gets the ball and runs around the house. But he always brings it back to me, and the game/fun fight begins again. Ultimately, the ball rests between us and someone must 'give up'. We debate whether I should ever let Cooper 'win' the game/fight as he knows me as the 'dominant male' of the family or pack. Should I ever let him win? Answer: I do. It's just fun, and when Cooper wins it doesn't go to his beagle head.