Womwotai
Ridin' The Range
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2014
- Messages
- 140
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- 92
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Thanks bcnewe2! We've had the sheep going on a year so Sammie has been exposed to them for quite awhile, but apparently although she is supposedly half BC, she got NONE of the BC tendency to work animals. She is all retriever - ball obsessed but will fetch a stick if that's all that is available. When it comes to the sheep (and goats), she had never shown much interest. She would follow me into the pasture when I went to do chores, but mostly go off and do her own thing, completely ignoring the movement of the sheep. It wasn't until the first lamb was born that we saw any interest, and then she was beside herself to get closer to it. I don't know what her thought process is - I never considered "love" since I don't think most animals "love" in the way that humans experience the emotion. So far she has only met them through the livestock panel but while she is generally an energetic dog, her energy changes when she gets close to the lambs and she gets very still and quiet and gentle. She sniffs them all over (quite sure she'd lick their butts if they offered the opportunity) but doesn't make any sudden moves that might scare them.
The first few days the mother ewes were very suspicious and would charge the panel at the dog unless they were eating their grain. But yesterday, the ewe whose lamb is now 10 days old, seems to have relaxed and stuck her head through the panel to sniff noses with Sammie. The lamb, copying everything her mother does, stuck her head through the panel as well. Having both sniffed noses with Sammie, they moved off. Then the ewe whose lamb is only 2 days old saw the dog and charged the panel.
I'm guessing she will relax in a few more days too.
But you're right - I don't know the first thing about how to train a guardian so I gave up that notion almost as soon as I written it down. Sammie does serve an inadvertent purpose keeping predators away by her presence at night in the chicken yard (along with our other dog) but other than that, a ball-obsessed pet she will remain.
The first few days the mother ewes were very suspicious and would charge the panel at the dog unless they were eating their grain. But yesterday, the ewe whose lamb is now 10 days old, seems to have relaxed and stuck her head through the panel to sniff noses with Sammie. The lamb, copying everything her mother does, stuck her head through the panel as well. Having both sniffed noses with Sammie, they moved off. Then the ewe whose lamb is only 2 days old saw the dog and charged the panel.
I'm guessing she will relax in a few more days too.But you're right - I don't know the first thing about how to train a guardian so I gave up that notion almost as soon as I written it down. Sammie does serve an inadvertent purpose keeping predators away by her presence at night in the chicken yard (along with our other dog) but other than that, a ball-obsessed pet she will remain.
Females are always first on the line to defend and protect. LOL I know Badger and "D" both let the girls do all the real work... they get up if "needed".
