Cuddling Sharks

Terri wanted to know if Connor has learned any tricks.  I haven't tried to teach him any tricks yet, I've been too busy trying to teach him not to make up too many of his own.  He is a devil child.  His vocabulary is growing though - he knows the difference between Jolly Ball, Frisbee and squeak toy.  Recently, he has learned some of the finer arts of Frisbee.

Connor is proving to be one of the more interesting dogs I have ever known, he has a very complex personality that is not easily explained or encapsulated, he is a study in contradictions.  Connor is extremely smart, very trainable, but not very biddable.  He is all about being involved with everything and loves being part of a pack.  At the same time, he is very independent and spends a lot of time doing his own thing, perfectly happy and busy in his own little world.  Praise and food are the best ways to motivate him because you have to convince him that he wants to do what is asked.  He is very eager to please himself, but needs a reason to bother with pleasing anyone else. If he decides he doesn't want to do something, there is no changing his mind about it. 

I tell Connor all the time that he is the boldest coward that I've ever met.  He is timid around anything new, but if he decides that it is safe, than it must be wholly safe and will rush in with all his being.  If he gets frightened, then it is not safe and there is no convincing him otherwise.  I very much don't want to frighten this puppy because it is very clear that he will never let it go if I do.  On the other hand, it can be very hard to get through to him without being pretty forceful about it.  Telling him "no" is like a red flag to a bull.  And yet, he responds best to subtle, non-verbal cues.  For example, when trying to teach him not to jump on me and everyone else, a stern "no" is useless, a hand in front of his face is taken as in invitation to play bite-the-hand while jumping on you.  However, a hard, silent stare will back him off every time.  

After much work, Connor will lie quietly next to me as long as I don't touch him.  The only time I can get away with it, is when he is really, truly sleepy and then he loves a good belly rub - just as long as it doesn't go on so long that it wakes him, and the shark teeth, up.   At night, he snuggles in behind my knees and sleeps like the dead - he is a great sleeping companion.  He is also a perfect car dog - he sits in the co-pilots seat and goes instantly to sleep or watches quietly out the window.  I can reach over and rub his ears, stroke his fur and he is quiet and happy.  However, if you focus your attention on him in any other situation, he wiggles, squirms and bites, bites, bites.  Giving him a hug is is like trying to cuddle with a baby shark.  He is the absolute mouthiest puppy I've ever encountered, and I have worked with a lot of puppies.  If you try to sit with him, pet him, engage with him hands-on at all, you WILL get chewed on.

At this point, we all just hope that he will grow out of the squirming, wriggling, mouthiness because nothing either FB or I has tried has had any real impact on it.  We've scolded him, ignored him, growled at him, bit him back, rewarded quiet...None of it works.  If you touch him, he just can't not touch back.  There is no meanness or aggression in it.  He is not trying to dominate, he does not guard resources or ever go on the offensive.  It is all just playful puppy nonsense taken to the nth degree because he becomes seriously overstimulated by even the smallest amount of attention.  

Connor has no real off switch and engaging with him at all gets him wound up, even if he is exhausted.  This is a puppy who has to have a quiet place to retreat to.  Here at home, he will take himself off to bed and go to sleep.  It needs to be dark, quiet and away from all activity or he just won't stop.  Over at FB's, he retreats to his crate and it is not until the door is closed behind him, locking out the cats and other dogs, that he can rest.  This is not a dog who will ever snuggle on the couch with you. When he is sleeping so adorably on his chair, it is only because I am sitting quietly next to him, pretending that he does not exist.

While he is an awful, squirmy, bitey shark if you try to hug or pet him, he is a real joy to be with outside.  He is alert, always at my side or sitting quietly, watching over me.  He is always ready to go and as soon as he has some activity to engage in, all that crazy mouthiness tones down into something that can be focused and directed.  If you give him something to be responsible for, that powerful, overactive brain calms down and turns into a very useful super-computer.

He is an outstanding hiking dog.  He never wanders, comes when called and has learned that most essential rule of a good hiking dog - that he is responsible for keeping track of me, I am not responsible for chasing after him.  Accompanying me in the woods is his job, and we all know how seriously Border Collies take their jobs.

Connor's personality is about as different from Tanner's as it is possible to get, which is a good thing.  I really wasn't sure I wanted another Border Collie and sometimes, I question my sanity in caving in and getting this little monster.

For all his quirks and complexities though, he is a lot of fun and I am glad to have him. Although, he is a perfect example of why Border Collie puppies are not for everyone.  Make sure that this kind of craziness is something that you really want and are prepared for before bringing one of these creatures into your life.

Connor is not an easy puppy, but I like to think he may grow into remarkable dog. 

I hope so, he sure has some awfully big paw-prints to fill after all.

Tanner Speaks Out Against the Unfairness of it All

You humans really have to rethink this whole 4th of July concept.  It's bad enough already, what with the hot, hot, hot and the bugs, bugs, bugs AND I had to take refuge in the bathtub three times already this weekend. I keep trying to explain to Mom that it is the only safe place to be during storms. She just doesn't get it, even after all these years.  Mom is a good human and I can't imagine life without her, but she can be awfully dense at times. I do try hard to look after her, but it isn't easy.

And then there's the bombs in the air thing.  WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE THINKING?  Mom says they are just fireworks and I don't need to worry.   See what I mean about her being a bit dense sometimes?

Tonight was the WORST.  The neighbors had a big party with huge, HUGE bombs.  Even Mom was muttering about fools and idiots setting off giant bombs directly over the top of their 1970's trailer house; being glad that everything is so wet that not even a moron with a rocket could make the field burn and that this is why her driveway is 300 feet long.

All you people out there are probably wondering how the prey animals took the massive explosions going off 50 feet over their heads.  The horse got a little nervous the first time, but the donkeys didn't care.   Huge, HUGE BOMBS going off over their heads and they didn't CARE! It just goes to show that those donkeys aren't as smart as everyone thinks.

Do you know what the absolute worst thing was though?  As if heat, humidity, bugs, thunder and BOMBS wasn't enough; Mom took me to the VET today.  Can you blame me if I told that horrible, evil vet that I would bite her if she touched me? So what if I broke a tooth and I'm having episodes of bad lameness.  I'm fine, FINE.  There is no reason to subject a good dog like me to such torture. 

At least they did listen to me.  Finally.   Mom says my tooth is OK as is, she got some medicine for me and, best of all, she says that she and the vet agreed that I am not going to have to go back there.  The humans will try to work things out over the phone as any aid the vet can offer is nullified by the trauma that visiting the terrible, evil place causes me.

I think the vet is just afraid I'll bite her.  That's OK with me and I guess that is why a good dog should never give up on his person. She may be dense at times, but she does try.

Now that I've got all this off my chest, I guess I might make it through this awfullest of holidays.   Mom says the worst of the bombings should be over with (although I am not at all sure that I believe her), she has stuff to make me feel better when I need it, I get to keep all of my teeth, there was no thunder tonight and I have my very own fan.  I suppose things could be worse.  Maybe. 

Now, if everyone would just learn to play Frisbee or chase sticks instead of setting off bombs, the world would be a much better place.

A Border Collie Birthday

Farm Buddy has been sure to tell me, remind me, nag me, suggest and demand, for at least two weeks, that Kelsey get her day of blog fame seeing as how it's Kelsey's fourth birthday today, June 11th.  And no, I am not late with this post because I work nights and my life runs on DancingDonkey time, not eastern standard time.  It is still Kelsey's birthday according to DancingDonkey time.

Kelsey (aka, Kelsey-Bird, The bird, Squirrelly-girl) is not an easy dog to photograph, at least not for my very slow, battered old camera that has taken all the photos on this blog.  If I had a fancy camera that thinks quick enough to get good action shots, Kelsey would be a great subject.  She is the true epitome of Border Collie and is the living example of nearly every Border Collie stereotype ever uttered.  A quirky, intense, driven, hyper, sensitive and sweet little creature who, as long as she is awake, is always moving.  Even when she appears to be still, she is in fact a bundle of live wire ready to take on any job, be it chasing frisbees, corralling cattle or moving sheep.

Kelsey has been on the farm just over a year now and she loves it.  She wasn't cut out for the stress of herding competitions and life in a big, busy kennel with little personal one-on-one time.  She has thrived with the responsibilities of  farm work and frisbee combined with having her very own person and a place on the couch.

She has also been good for the boys, who both adore her.  Tanner, especially, likes Kelsey and the two of them play all the time, in their no-touching-or-wrestling-allowed BC way.  Tanner loves to play, but he doesn't like playing with most dogs because they want to touch him and that is not allowed in the BC Book of Rules and Regulations.

I think this is still my favorite picture of the Border Collie Brigade, it just sums them up so well.  That is Tanner on the right and Scout on the left and Kelsey, of course, always looking for a job.

Happy Birthday Kelsey-Bird

Kelsey

My farm buddy got a new dog last week.  She has been agonizing over whether or not to get a new puppy for months now.  She really needs a good stock dog on the farm and Scout (Tanner's brother) is getting up there in age.  They will be 10 this Fall and while I can hardly bear to admit it, they are slowing down a lot.  Farm Buddy has been worried about how Scout would handle having competition from a young puppy and for months, I have been hearing about the pros and cons of getting a puppy.  I think she has probably changed her mind at least a hundred times.  Both of our dogs are used to being the center of the universe and a new puppy can be very hard for an older dog to deal with.  Who can possibly resist a new puppy after all.  I know Tanner would have a very hard time if I decided to get a puppy, he is already terribly jealous of Emma.  A puppy would ruin his world.

A few weeks ago, out of the blue, Farm Buddy announced that she was thinking about getting an adult dog that she had seen at the breeders home and had been offered to her.  I was really surprised by this as Farm Buddy initially rejected this idea out of hand and only wanted a puppy.  I didn't think it was a bad idea, but I am still surprised by it.  The plan was for the dog to come and stay for a two week trial period.  Yeah right.  As if she'd ever leave after coming to this farm:)  This little dog would have had to cause massive upheaval to get sent back.  She has instead  slipped into farm life with ease and exuberance.  Kelsey is a well trained working dog who is sweet, extremely responsive and well mannered.  She was raised as a trial dog and she is finding farm life to be wonderful fun.  She is getting along well with both Scout and Tanner (as long as I don't spend too much time with her). 

Kelsey is a small dog, only very lightly tethered to the Earth by gravity.  The epitome of Border Collie, she is lively, high strung, intelligent, quick and obsessive.  She was initially rather confused by the concept of walking in the woods.   She has spent most of her life in open fields, working sheep or playing fetch.   The boys are trying to show her the ropes, but it may take her a while to catch onto the idea that sometimes we go out just or fun.  It's a new concept for her...

"Where are the sheep?"

"I don't think there are any sheep out here in the woods..."

"Are you sure we're supposed to be out here, I don't think I can make those trees move.  I'll be happy to try though...

"Fields are good, sheep live in fields...

 
"but I still don't see any sheep...

"Are you sure you have sheep somewhere?...

Welcome to the farm Kelsey!

Tanner's Wintertime Toy

Tanner loves ice.  When he was a puppy and started teething, ice cubes just about saved my sanity.  He would wake, crying in the middle of the night and nothing I did would make him happier until he could go out and eat snow.  This got old very quickly and in a fit of sleep deprived inspiration, I gave him some ice cubes.  After that, every time his teeth started bothering him, I would go down and get him a bowl of ice cubes.  He would happily crunch them up and when he was finished, we could both go back to sleep.  He outgrew the teething but not the love of ice cubes.  Now that the cold weather is here, Tanner is having fun with one of his favorite winter toys - frozen puddles.   

Treasures

Tanner is a big believer in putting things by for future use.  He collects, hoards and hides "treasures" better than any dragon ever imagined.  He spends a significant amount of time nearly every day finding treasures and hiding them.  And when I say hiding, I don't mean that he just sticks them under a bush or buries them in just any old hole.  He first has to, very stealthily, carry the treasure around with him while he goes about laying false trails.  I have often seen him pretend to hide something only to immediately pick it back up and very carefully and slowly, walk backward in his own tracks and then leap off in another direction.  Finding the right hiding spot often takes 45 minutes to an hour.  Sometimes, when I see him finally find the perfect spot and truly start hiding his latest marvel, the devil takes hold and I just can't help but yell out, "I seeeee youuuu".  Tanner gives me a dirty look, picks up his treasure, trots off and has to start over again from scratch.  I know, I know, I shouldn't do it.

You may be wondering what sort of treasures we're talking about here.  Well, the occasional marrow bone of course and sometimes, for reasons known only to him, he hides his toys.  I try to stop this when I see him doing it because then he expects me to magically produce new toys for him to play with (this is why he has three identical frisbees, for a while they kept disappearing).  Mostly though, he hides scraps of lumber from whatever project I am working on.  Why one particular cut-off deserves to be buried while the other 500 lay where they are until I pick them up, I have no idea.  You'll have to ask him.  I just know that he keeps himself happily occupied while I am busy working.

At one point, when tanner was just a couple of years old, I accidently messed with some of his hidden  marrow bones.  He spent all day sneakily moving them.  It wasn't until that night when we went to bed that I saw that he had brought every one of them into my bedroom and built a perfect cairn out of them.  I was curious to see what he would do with them so I left them completely alone.  They stayed that way, untouched for months.  I just treated them like a piece of furniture and vacuumed around them.  Then one day, some friends stopped by with a new puppy.  They needed some chew toys for him and I offered some of Tanner's old bones.  I sneaked up to my room while Tanner was distracted and stole a few bones thinking that he would never notice.   The next day, while I was busy and not paying attention, he moved every one of those bones.  Quite a feat considering that he never goes more than a few hundred feet from me and I never noticed him moving them. 


All this week I have been working on my garden beds and apparently, the beds and the manure pile are favorite hiding places.  I unearthed at least three treasures from each bed and more than TWENTY marvels from the manure pile.  Keep in mind that I have only been here a couple of years and the manure pile is not that big. The interesting thing (at least to me) was that I could have charted the progress of my house and barn building by the scraps of lumber I found.  The locally produced, rough-cut hemlock that built the barn are distinctly different from the dimensional lumber and synthetic siding that the house is made of.  Since the manure pile kept expanding along with the buildings, I could have charted my construction progress with the bits hidden by my dog. 

Just think, all these years I've dismissed Tanner's treasure management as the obsessive-compulsive behavior of a Border Collie staving off boredom.  But really, he's an archivist!  He's been keeping track of important events for me and I wasn't paying attention.

Poor tanner sure has his work cut out for him.  Now that I have messed with his stash, he is going to have to find new hiding places for every bit of history I unearthed this week.