Meco, and the collar of shame

Our  8 month old Sarplaninac pup Meco is very bonded to his rams.
So, much so,
 when we try to put him in another pasture,
he will crawl under the fence to get back in with the rams.

Although cute and endearing,
fence crawling is a big no no on our place.

Where we put a dog, that is where we need him to be.
No discussions, no tolerance, the dogs need to stay where we need them.

So,  not curb his enthusiasm too much,
we gave him his very own, super light weight yoke, aka the collar of shame.



After a day or so of trying to get his head through the gate and under the fence he now realizes that that is not a possibility any more,
his head is just too darn wide.



I believe very strongly that fence  training and respect for fences is essential with LGD.

Most LGD like to roam and gather more and more territory to patrol.

However, this roaming is really a very bad habit and can cause a multitude of problems.
The biggest being; that when the dog is out gallivanting,
no-one is home to protect the livestock.
Roaming dogs can cause neighbor problems.
They could breed and be bred while out and about.
They can cause motor accidents.

They can be shot.

A roaming livestock guardian dog is a liability.

So, to nip this little bad habit in the bud,
Meco, gets to wear this collar for a number of weeks,
he is totally cool about the collar,

 and goes about his daily business as though it is not even there.
He can still play with his old piece of cow hide,



he can survey his kingdom,



he can patrol,



he can bark, he can eat and drink.



the only thing he cannot do, is get his head under the wire,
which is all we really need.

All this is in preparation for one day,
when he will be out protecting the sheep and cows in some distant pasture.

"El Chapo" cows

The news yesterday,
 was full of how the notorious Mexican drug king "El Chapo" escaped from jail.
Some of our young cows and one bull (10 in total),
must have heard about this and decided to do their own version of a jail break.

After carefully rubbing up against the gate, they managed to unlatch the gate, the gate fell down and the road to freedom was wide open.

At 7pm we got a call that our cows were on a walkabout.
They were in the garden of the people who called, then at the dugout and then..
gone.

We grabbed Lad out of semi retirement,
hopped into the car and headed the 40 km up north to go and find the wayward bovines.
We searched and searched but to no avail.
They were either hiding out or on the move.

A while later, we got a phone call that some cows were spotted a few miles down the road, in a field.
Eric raced off to see if he could find them.
After a few more miles, he finally found them and headed them off.
I came  later with Lad after searching in some bush for them.

We debated the options and decided the best way back, was just to walk them back from where they came.
No cushy rides in a trailer, or night in a corral somewhere,
nope, we would just  marched their  bovine butts back from where they came!

So, we gently turned them around and  started to walk them back,
through grasshopper infested hay fields, through the blooming canola, along the bush edge, past the dugout, over a downed fence, through an oat field, cut across another canola field, along the road and then back into the pasture.

The cows had a few moments of hesitation, and some did  consider high tailing it away,
but our low stress cattle handling clinic we did a few years back, paid off.
The cattle were calm, the wife ( me) was not yelled at and the dog was pretty calm too.

After a good long walk, with a lovely backdrop of the setting sun ,
the cows arrived safe and sound back at their pasture at about 11pm.

A few extra latches on the gate, and a few beers later,
 we arrived back home knowing we " got our man",
 let's see how quick the Mexicans can get theirs!

Meet Bob

I need a herding dog every day here on the ranch to help me move stock, sort, lamb, handle, treat and bring back and fourth to pasture.
I will not even go and check the sheep without having a collie at my side.
I hate to call them a "tool" as they are way more than just a tool.
 They are my work partners and companions.

Here is Lad doing some of the work on the ranch:

Over the years I have had a lot of collies, some stayed a while for training before being sold, others I have had just to train for people.
I used to be fanatical about training them and going to sheepdog trials, and have achieved a reasonably high level in trials while living in both South Africa and the Netherlands.
I have been Dutch Champion ( practical course), Best Lady handler in both SA and the Netherlands and have twice been 4th at the Continental Sheepdog Championships.

I know a good dog when I see one.
As time is a big limiting factor, my interest in trialing has waned and I am now more focused on having great work dogs here on the farm.

When we moved to Canada we brought a number of collies with us, some of which, are still with us today. One of those dogs was Lad, he has been by my side ever since Eric bought him in Wales many years ago.

We bought Lad with the intention of sending him to Italy, I started working him and told Eric that there was no way I would let that dog go.
So, I just dog  napped him and he has been my go to dog ever since.
He truly is my soul mate and I have found it harder and harder to see him grow older.
He still worked hard but I have noticed, that it is time to (semi) retire him.
He more than deserves to have a break and not have to do all the hard jobs anymore.
He got rolled by a cow and the realization hit home that he is just not as agile as he used to be.

I have had a few young dogs, but in all honesty I have failed them,
due to not having enough time to bring them on.

So, although they work, they are not "go to dogs" or ready for the work I need them to do.
One of the young dogs is a little soft and needs time.
My other dog, Roxy spent  most of this spring recovering from a very serious injury, so she can now be eased into work again.

So, after the loss of Sheila last spring, Lad ageing, Roxy's injury and a young dog, I realized I needed to find a new work buddy, one who can step up into Lad's place and do the chores for me directly.

I had posted on various FB sites and put the word out that I was in the market for another dog. I have been offered some good dogs, but were way out of my price range,
I have been offered some young dogs, but I do not need another young dog,
and I have been offered some dogs that are,
 just not good enough to do what needs doing.

I was starting to wonder if I would find the dog I need,
and, asked some friends in Europe to keep an eye out for me.

Last week I got a call from Pam, she had a 5 year old male that may make a great chore dog for me.
After chatting  few days and seeing a video,
I decided that this was the dog for me.
I took the plunge and bought him sight unseen,
I had enough confidence to  know that I would be able to work with this dog.

So, this is Bob, my new chore buddy!



The night I collected him, I brought him home and took him to the sheep.
He cooked his ears when I said in my South African accent "Away to me",
he looked at me and off he went.
He took all his commands and we had fun together.
The next day, I did a demo with him at a Canada Day celebration and all went great.
 He has since moved the flock too and from the bush, and gathered some wayward sheep from the bull pen.

 

I am so excited to have him and I feel I can now let Lad have the break he deserves,
I am sure Bob and I will become BFF.

Thank you so much Pam for allowing me to buy this dog from you.
You have trained him very well and he is exactly what I have wanted in a dog.
I look forward to the next few years with him and will start looking for another dog in a year or two  so that I do not get into the same predicament as I did this spring.

So, meet BOB: