Chickens for bug control and food recycling.

[Beekissed]

I get the same thing when I tell folks my dogs rarely bark. They wonder how I get them to do that and I just tell them I don't let them bark all the time, only when they need to do so. That seems to mystify folks...for some reason people think dogs have to bark in order to speak maybe? Most of dogs' language is very silent, so need for the constant barking.

I've heard the BMDs are dream dogs for training and just wonderful family dogs...one of my favorite breeds and on my wish list. When my son was thinking about getting a dog, that's the breed I recommended, though he never got a chance to follow through.

I love this vid of a BMD....that long suffering expression says it all...

 

[thistlebloom]

Haaa! I love that!

Here's a story about Larka that illustrates how very sensitive they are....

A few mornings ago while I was getting my husbands breakfast made and lunch packed I was also keeping an eye on Larka cavorting around the yard.
She found one of her rawhide bones she had hidden from herself previously and was sort of bounding around looking for somewhere new to stash it. That part about her cracks me up, when she wants to hide a bone she keeps making furtive glances at the house like she wonders if she's being watched.

Well she headed into the garden which doesn't have the temporary fence around yet, and was preparing to bury it where the garlic is planted. (Of course!)
I went to the door and hollered No Digging at her. She whipped her head up, dropped the bone and came and lay on the lawn, muzzle on paws looking so forlorn.

I had to laugh at the sight. When I had a minute I called her up to the door and gave her ears a good rubbing and told her she was a fine obedient dog and I still loved her. That made her so joyous that she positively romped back to get her bone and find a new place to hide it.

She is just crushed with a stern word. I have read that they can be stubborn but so far I haven't seen it in her.

 

[Beekissed]

Awwwww!!! That is a sensitive, intuitive dog you've got. And she's still a baby, really...Makes it worlds easier to train them, doesn't it? I just can't bear a stubborn animal...it just makes life harder than it really has to be to have a stubborn beast on your hands, especially when it's important that they comply with the rules of the house.

Some people say they actually prefer stubborn dogs, which is very odd to me...why would someone LIKE having to struggle with another creature in order for life to be peaceful?

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Just catching up. Two notes: my McNab BC tripped me, I smashed my patella to bits, and many thousands of bucks later, was in a wheelchair for 3 months, and then a cripple. Two years later and several thousands of bucks later, had all but one piece of equipment taken out of knee. Still slightly a cripple until I'm ready for a knee replacement. Sigh.

One of my cattle dogs, a rescue, is an emotional mess. Fear biter (convicted felon with our Animal control), pees and poops in the house sometimes, etc. With much work and great amounts of love slathering on his being, he's very obedient and I can 95% of the time stop him with commands such as Leave It, Get Over Here, and more. Its takes a great amount of work and love to train any dog. I'm glad your pup is sooooo wonderful and responsive! He's a love!

 

[Smart Red]

So sorry, @murphysranch. Some days just getting out of bed is dangerous.

Staying in bed can be bad for your health as well.

 

[Beekissed]

One of Ben's duties here is to walk, off leash, with Mom out to the mailbox~about a third of a mile out to the hard road, sit patiently in the last bend of the road while she walks the last bit up to the mailbox and gathers the mail, then walk her back. Jake currently holds that position, but the pup needs to learn all aspects of dog life here.

He has not done that yet, as he doesn't yet see her as one of his leaders, so was working with him~and her...she's very submissive and needs to learn to be more confident and firm in her handling of dogs~on establishing her as his leader. Also, he needs to give more respect to my grandgirl, as he will just knock her down and get in her face whenever she visits, which puts her into a tizzy of trying to fend him off.

Pics of the girls doing leash training and "the walk" with the Ben...this was also the first day for puddle stomping in the spring, so someone got wet to her knees.

Aliza was doing a lot of teaching that day...here she is teaching Ben how to get a drink from a puddle and, as you can see in the pic above, he's a fast learner....

And she showed great grandma how to puddle splash....

Ben learned a few things, Mom learned a few things and Aliza learned that puddle water isn't chocolate milk.

And so on goes the education of Ben into his life of being a chicken dog here on the place. He was considerate during the training and took little, slow steps for the girls. He's working out to be a good dog for us here.

The chickens are hard at work foraging today, doing their bug removal duties here....can't imagine any bugs out in this cold of weather but they are finding something out there.... or doing a really good job of faking it.

 

[ninnymary]

Great family photos Bee! I just LOVE that property of yours. It looks so peaceful. I love places that make me feel calm and at peace, where I can just admire God's creation.

Did your granddaughter have rain boots on under her pant legs? If so, I would tuck the pant legs inside her boots next time.

Mary

 

[Nyboy]

Great photos !!! I think at this time of year, chickens, are looking for seeds and small nuts.

 

[thistlebloom]

Nice pictures Bee! But brrr...Aliza made my feet feel cold!

 

[Beekissed]

Great family photos Bee! I just LOVE that property of yours. It looks so peaceful. I love places that make me feel calm and at peace, where I can just admire God's creation.

Did your granddaughter have rain boots on under her pant legs? If so, I would tuck the pant legs inside her boots next time.

Mary

Yeah, she had boots on but those pants were very thick and her chubby little legs don't allow for the pants and her legs at the same time in those boots. Later on that day she had on entirely new pants that fit into the boots, but that one puddle is deeper than her boots, so she STILL got wet from the knees down! Cold and wet and she still fussed when she had to come in and take a bath, didn't want to stop "stomping" the puddles.

She's tough as an old corn cob...takes after her Granny.