Baymule
Herd Master
Dogs are so special. Then there are those that are heart to heart, that love us so much, and we love them madly. Boone is your heart dog. 
Boone-My Anatolian Unicorn
- Thread starter peteyfoozer
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #122
peteyfoozer
Herd Master
Instinct has been keeping Boone up at night. Oddly, the ranch dogs can all be barking and he will ignore them, and just sigh, or maybe he will open the back door for a better listen. Then other times, he squirts out of the house like a rocket and soon there will be a mighty roar.
It makes him sleep more soundly during the day, but doesn’t stop him from being my shadow.
In the craft room while I cut out a dress pattern for Caroline…
Out in the 3 sided shed while I sprayed Mister for flies and put conditioner on his brittle tail
Keeping me company while I read
Enjoying his 3 oversized seat spaces while Fen enjoys 1/2, as we ate dinner…
Just can’t say enough about this gud boi…
It makes him sleep more soundly during the day, but doesn’t stop him from being my shadow.
In the craft room while I cut out a dress pattern for Caroline…
Out in the 3 sided shed while I sprayed Mister for flies and put conditioner on his brittle tail
Keeping me company while I read
Enjoying his 3 oversized seat spaces while Fen enjoys 1/2, as we ate dinner…
Just can’t say enough about this gud boi…
- Thread starter
- #123
peteyfoozer
Herd Master
They had a small (really, really small) Farmers market on the lakebed today. One of the ladies there said she had Anatolians most of her life. Turns out she is a professional dog trainer and specializes in Service Dogs. She had many nice things to say about Boone and his behavior. It really felt good.
- Thread starter
- #124
peteyfoozer
Herd Master
Went to Burns yesterday. Spent several miles trying to adjust Boone’s safety vest and finally tethered it to the car seat thing behind the back seat. Made the trip much better for all of us.
We stopped by the vets office on the way in to weigh him and he’s 123 lb right now @ 11 mo old. I don’t expect him to get a whole lot bigger.
Then we went to the ranch store first this time, so Boone got to walk a lot and visit all his friends while he decompressed from the drive. He loves going there, for obvious reasons as he loves being the center of attention.
He was much, much better when we stopped for lunch. He slept through most of it, was in a much more acceptable position and even put his front end under the table for a bit, which had all the waitresses laughing and they dragged the cook out to see him
Most importantly though, we went for a sniffy walk around the building in case he had to pee, while Randy went in and got us a booth. There were two dogs in the back of the restaurant, one chained, one leaning out of a car window, barking and snarling at him. We walked a few feet out of their reach. I had approached slowly with Boone, having him sit several times to make sure he wasn’t reactive. He handled it all beautifully. I was quite frankly, amazed at him.
Once we went to grocery store he was getting a bit tired. All day people were pointing out that he is a big dog (as if I was unaware) He kept rubbing the halti off his nose so I had to keep bending over to put it on, so my glasses kept falling and I dropped my phone a few times. He was great about picking them up and handing them to me, unfortunately, once he managed to pick it up and while readjusting it in his mouth, a tooth got under the case and punched through the only spot that wasn’t covered by the protective glass so my screen has a hole in it.
When he’s done. He’s done. Here is proof he is an Anatolian behaving more like a typical LGD breed
We stopped by the vets office on the way in to weigh him and he’s 123 lb right now @ 11 mo old. I don’t expect him to get a whole lot bigger.
Then we went to the ranch store first this time, so Boone got to walk a lot and visit all his friends while he decompressed from the drive. He loves going there, for obvious reasons as he loves being the center of attention.He was much, much better when we stopped for lunch. He slept through most of it, was in a much more acceptable position and even put his front end under the table for a bit, which had all the waitresses laughing and they dragged the cook out to see him
Most importantly though, we went for a sniffy walk around the building in case he had to pee, while Randy went in and got us a booth. There were two dogs in the back of the restaurant, one chained, one leaning out of a car window, barking and snarling at him. We walked a few feet out of their reach. I had approached slowly with Boone, having him sit several times to make sure he wasn’t reactive. He handled it all beautifully. I was quite frankly, amazed at him.
Once we went to grocery store he was getting a bit tired. All day people were pointing out that he is a big dog (as if I was unaware) He kept rubbing the halti off his nose so I had to keep bending over to put it on, so my glasses kept falling and I dropped my phone a few times. He was great about picking them up and handing them to me, unfortunately, once he managed to pick it up and while readjusting it in his mouth, a tooth got under the case and punched through the only spot that wasn’t covered by the protective glass so my screen has a hole in it.
When he’s done. He’s done. Here is proof he is an Anatolian behaving more like a typical LGD breed
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- Thread starter
- #125
peteyfoozer
Herd Master
Boone has done such a great job combining his Service Dog bond with his Livestock Guardian heritage. He’s always at my side, but he does do short perimeter checks when he goes to relieve himself. At night, he wakes up from a seemingly sound sleep (but I know he sleeps lightly at night because he snores during the day ) and goes quickly and quietly to the backdoor. He opens it and observes for a moment, unless he’s certain he heard something that’s wrong, in which case he rushes outside. He does surprisingly little barking.
The only downside of this, is that he sleeps next to me, ON the bed and it’s not possible to sleep through his getting up or down.
Good thing we have a king size, since he’s 30” tall now at the shoulders and is at 125 lb. I’m not sure of his nose to tail length, but the position he sleeps in, he’s taller than Randy , with his hind feet all the way at the end and his head on the pillow. That = 3 full grown people in one bed
When he first began to sleep with us, I thought Randy would object, but instead he reached over and skritched his shoulders. I think he has missed having Heathen with us as much as I do, even if Boone filling his spot is a little extreme. (Heath was only 46 lb. Fen doesn’t like to be petted or be that close)
) and goes quickly and quietly to the backdoor. He opens it and observes for a moment, unless he’s certain he heard something that’s wrong, in which case he rushes outside. He does surprisingly little barking. The only downside of this, is that he sleeps next to me, ON the bed and it’s not possible to sleep through his getting up or down.
Good thing we have a king size, since he’s 30” tall now at the shoulders and is at 125 lb. I’m not sure of his nose to tail length, but the position he sleeps in, he’s taller than Randy , with his hind feet all the way at the end and his head on the pillow. That = 3 full grown people in one bed
When he first began to sleep with us, I thought Randy would object, but instead he reached over and skritched his shoulders. I think he has missed having Heathen with us as much as I do, even if Boone filling his spot is a little extreme. (Heath was only 46 lb. Fen doesn’t like to be petted or be that close)
- Thread starter
- #126
peteyfoozer
Herd Master
Had to go in for chest xrays and labs. Boone was a really gud boi in the hospital. Usually I am waiting with him but I had to put him in a down and told him to stay with Randy while I was gone. Everyone in the waiting room let me know he was a good boy while I was gone. He was clearly happy to see me though
- Thread starter
- #127
peteyfoozer
Herd Master
Just to give you some perspective on how huge this dog really is.
I hope you appreciate the bluejeans I drew on Randy who was still in his skivvies
- Thread starter
- #128
peteyfoozer
Herd Master
Boone- “Ah dunno hoo wuz nozin’ thru da bushes. Wazn’t me”
Mini Horses
Herd Master
And he isn't even DONE growing!! 
- Thread starter
- #130
peteyfoozer
Herd Master
It’s been an interesting trip so far, but also very challenging for Boone. I knew the long drives were going to be hard for him, but I didn’t foresee what some of our challenges would be.
It was a long, tough day for us both, getting to my cousin’s on the first leg of our journey, what with my vehicle issues, traffic, accidents around us and Boone’s dislike of car travel.
I hoped that once we arrived, he could run around the yard and play with their dog to decompress. However, their dog was extremely aggressive and even wearing a muzzle attacked Boone (who shook it off like it was “cute”) The entire stay, day and night, I had to have Boone attached to me. The yard wasn’t adequate to contain him, and he was curious about their dog who was locked in a room. I had to sleep on the floor (on our nifty combo dog bed) with him tied to my leg and of course we had to follow one another to bathroom etc. There was zero opportunity for him to play, or exercize, other than our nightly walk to the town center which was still stressful for him, because of the overwhelming flood of new smells (beavers, dogs, geese and more) greater number of people crowding us than he has ever experienced, and dogs everywhere, of all sizes and dispositions.
The first incident was having a large Lab looking X of some kind whose body language as they passed was a very obvious challenge.
Boone let it go but had a hard stare and I had to drag him after me to break his eye contact.
The second was my fault. I allow him to greet people sometimes and this grown man wanted to meet him and know all about him right after some children who had been petting him were leaving. I did NOT expect him to grab Boone by the head and start roughing him up, dropping to his knees and putting his face in Boone’s!! My GOD the guy must have a death wish!!!
My cousin and I were stunned and Boone did NOT appreciate it. Boone stepped back, and when the guy tried to crowd him and reached for him again, he let out what sounded like a combination of bark and yelp.
At that point I decided no more city folk were going to be allowed to pet him.
The last night we were there, we went out for Thai food and ate on patio next to a short wrought iron fence. As I was eating, some big dip**** walked up from the parking lot, and WITHOUT A WORD, reached over the fence and bent at the waist to reach Boone who was quietly laying next to me, just like he was supposed to. Of course it startled my dog, who immediately jumped up. I slapped the guys hand and said “Please DO NOT touch my dog”. Boone was in his Service Gear. The guy reached for him again and I grabbed his hand and said “ DON’T TOUCH MY DOG!”
The jackass ignored me and I had to move Boone out of his reach before he would leave us alone.
Later that evening, we took our walk again and this time sat out of the light at a secluded table in a turnout by the pond. Boone crawled under my chair and I was all happy because he had gotten to where he wouldn’t come close to a chair or table. Suddenly, he nearly dumped me over, barking furiously and as I hung onto him for dear life, I could see a large pitty type being dragged away by its owner, also barking. I have no idea what triggered it, or which dog started it. Boone was super upset and the anxiety of losing him as a Service Dog had me sick all night.
We left for Arroyo Grande the next day where our “honorary kids” and three grandkids live now. She said they had a back yard he could play in and the kids (19, 17, 16)would keep him entertained. After a truly stressful drive, Boone trying to climb on top of me in heavy traffic @ 70 mph, I pulled over, let him sniff around and pee, then tied him in the back seat. Partway through the horrible, awful freeway exchange in Sacramento, he chewed the tether in half and forced his way back up front. Every time he tried to push into me, I had to roar loudly and bark at him, which made him back off but then he’d start to grovel and I had to reassure him. We pulled over at a rest stop. Again. LOTS of dogs ( if there are so dang many dogs in California, why does everyone have to single out mine?
)
He didn’t bark or act aggressive, but he was overly focused on all of them and I had to drag him along as he wasn’t going to give me his attention.
We arrived at our destination, gratefully, then discovered the neighbor was having their fence replaced so the whole S side of the yard is wide open.
No playing or getting loose until it’s back up. Hopefully in the next couple of days.
I went to step outside to grab stuff out of our car and there was a couple with 2 German Shepherd types, walking past it He ROARED when he saw them. I told him”NO” and slammed the door shut.
Another strange place, full of strange people. It was all good, but it’s my grandson’s 16th birthday so he had lots of friends over. When the wrestling began around us, and the girls began squealing, Boone went to defense mode, certain that they posed a threat. Unable to get his attention by cajoling and holding him back trying to turn his head towards me, I finally had to pop him on top of the head with my phone case.
Once he came “out of the zone” I talked him down, reassured him and handed out treats to feed him and I touched everyone to let him know they were ok. Surprisingly, the rest of the evening as chaos reigned all around us, Boone laid on the couch next to me or at my feet just quietly observing, but no longer concerned.
We slept in my grandson’s room and he took the couch. It was a relief for us both not to be handcuffed to each other. And we both slept like a rock, Boone laying on the bed with me a good part of the night.
He was happy to see all of them this morning, playing with them on a slippery wood floor which scares me a little. My grandson adopted the “I’m gonna get you” pose and Boone roared at him and was chastised by me. He quickly forgave him and made it as difficult as possible for him to tie his shoes.
He’s been puppyish and playful, and seems to really like all of them, in spite of last night’s devilish behavior (his perception, not mine)
After 2 days of absolute angst over our future, I HAD to get stuff out if the car today. I made sure no one was walking a dog by and we went out to the ‘burb. A couple houses down and across the street a large dog began barking at us from inside their short chain linked fence. Boone returned fire. I stepped in front of him, told him “leave it, it’s okay” got him back a few steps out of sight. Made him sit and rewarded him for calm, stepped forward where he could see it, sat, rewarded for calm, and continued this a couple steps at a time until the dog’s owner came out and retrieved him. Boone woo’ed a little at me because he was unhappy about it, but had relaxed again. I hope and pray I can train him out of his reactivity.
I hope this behavior is from trigger stacking and being flooded with more stimulation than he can process, and not the beginning of the end for our working relationship. We have a week to rest and recover before leaving again. It’s not the ideal situation, but it’s not all bad.
It was a long, tough day for us both, getting to my cousin’s on the first leg of our journey, what with my vehicle issues, traffic, accidents around us and Boone’s dislike of car travel.
I hoped that once we arrived, he could run around the yard and play with their dog to decompress. However, their dog was extremely aggressive and even wearing a muzzle attacked Boone (who shook it off like it was “cute”) The entire stay, day and night, I had to have Boone attached to me. The yard wasn’t adequate to contain him, and he was curious about their dog who was locked in a room. I had to sleep on the floor (on our nifty combo dog bed) with him tied to my leg and of course we had to follow one another to bathroom etc. There was zero opportunity for him to play, or exercize, other than our nightly walk to the town center which was still stressful for him, because of the overwhelming flood of new smells (beavers, dogs, geese and more) greater number of people crowding us than he has ever experienced, and dogs everywhere, of all sizes and dispositions.
The first incident was having a large Lab looking X of some kind whose body language as they passed was a very obvious challenge.
Boone let it go but had a hard stare and I had to drag him after me to break his eye contact.
The second was my fault. I allow him to greet people sometimes and this grown man wanted to meet him and know all about him right after some children who had been petting him were leaving. I did NOT expect him to grab Boone by the head and start roughing him up, dropping to his knees and putting his face in Boone’s!! My GOD the guy must have a death wish!!!
My cousin and I were stunned and Boone did NOT appreciate it. Boone stepped back, and when the guy tried to crowd him and reached for him again, he let out what sounded like a combination of bark and yelp.
At that point I decided no more city folk were going to be allowed to pet him.
The last night we were there, we went out for Thai food and ate on patio next to a short wrought iron fence. As I was eating, some big dip**** walked up from the parking lot, and WITHOUT A WORD, reached over the fence and bent at the waist to reach Boone who was quietly laying next to me, just like he was supposed to. Of course it startled my dog, who immediately jumped up. I slapped the guys hand and said “Please DO NOT touch my dog”. Boone was in his Service Gear. The guy reached for him again and I grabbed his hand and said “ DON’T TOUCH MY DOG!”
The jackass ignored me and I had to move Boone out of his reach before he would leave us alone.
Later that evening, we took our walk again and this time sat out of the light at a secluded table in a turnout by the pond. Boone crawled under my chair and I was all happy because he had gotten to where he wouldn’t come close to a chair or table. Suddenly, he nearly dumped me over, barking furiously and as I hung onto him for dear life, I could see a large pitty type being dragged away by its owner, also barking. I have no idea what triggered it, or which dog started it. Boone was super upset and the anxiety of losing him as a Service Dog had me sick all night.
We left for Arroyo Grande the next day where our “honorary kids” and three grandkids live now. She said they had a back yard he could play in and the kids (19, 17, 16)would keep him entertained. After a truly stressful drive, Boone trying to climb on top of me in heavy traffic @ 70 mph, I pulled over, let him sniff around and pee, then tied him in the back seat. Partway through the horrible, awful freeway exchange in Sacramento, he chewed the tether in half and forced his way back up front. Every time he tried to push into me, I had to roar loudly and bark at him, which made him back off but then he’d start to grovel and I had to reassure him. We pulled over at a rest stop. Again. LOTS of dogs ( if there are so dang many dogs in California, why does everyone have to single out mine?
)He didn’t bark or act aggressive, but he was overly focused on all of them and I had to drag him along as he wasn’t going to give me his attention.
We arrived at our destination, gratefully, then discovered the neighbor was having their fence replaced so the whole S side of the yard is wide open.
No playing or getting loose until it’s back up. Hopefully in the next couple of days.
I went to step outside to grab stuff out of our car and there was a couple with 2 German Shepherd types, walking past it He ROARED when he saw them. I told him”NO” and slammed the door shut.
Another strange place, full of strange people. It was all good, but it’s my grandson’s 16th birthday so he had lots of friends over. When the wrestling began around us, and the girls began squealing, Boone went to defense mode, certain that they posed a threat. Unable to get his attention by cajoling and holding him back trying to turn his head towards me, I finally had to pop him on top of the head with my phone case.
Once he came “out of the zone” I talked him down, reassured him and handed out treats to feed him and I touched everyone to let him know they were ok. Surprisingly, the rest of the evening as chaos reigned all around us, Boone laid on the couch next to me or at my feet just quietly observing, but no longer concerned.
We slept in my grandson’s room and he took the couch. It was a relief for us both not to be handcuffed to each other. And we both slept like a rock, Boone laying on the bed with me a good part of the night.
He was happy to see all of them this morning, playing with them on a slippery wood floor which scares me a little. My grandson adopted the “I’m gonna get you” pose and Boone roared at him and was chastised by me. He quickly forgave him and made it as difficult as possible for him to tie his shoes.
He’s been puppyish and playful, and seems to really like all of them, in spite of last night’s devilish behavior (his perception, not mine)
After 2 days of absolute angst over our future, I HAD to get stuff out if the car today. I made sure no one was walking a dog by and we went out to the ‘burb. A couple houses down and across the street a large dog began barking at us from inside their short chain linked fence. Boone returned fire. I stepped in front of him, told him “leave it, it’s okay” got him back a few steps out of sight. Made him sit and rewarded him for calm, stepped forward where he could see it, sat, rewarded for calm, and continued this a couple steps at a time until the dog’s owner came out and retrieved him. Boone woo’ed a little at me because he was unhappy about it, but had relaxed again. I hope and pray I can train him out of his reactivity.
I hope this behavior is from trigger stacking and being flooded with more stimulation than he can process, and not the beginning of the end for our working relationship. We have a week to rest and recover before leaving again. It’s not the ideal situation, but it’s not all bad.
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