Cowboy - It Doesn't Get Better Than This!

[frustratedearthmother]

Time to brag on my boy again. Yesterday morning I got up and was looking out of an upstairs window when I noticed Maddie stand up from her vantage point on the lowboy trailer and start barking.

I notice that Cowboy is over there with her - but not on the trailer - don't think she allows that, lol! As soon as Maddie started barking Cowboy jumped up and is 'on alert' looking where she's looking. But, he didn't start barking - he turned around and high-tailed it out of that pen - and right up to the front of the barn where the goats are. As soon as they see him come running, they duck into the barn and he's standing right in front - focused on whatever Maddie is barking at. He never barked - but he placed himself between whatever it was that Maddie was barking at and his herd, and it was obvious he was on guard!

Now - the only threat I saw was the neighbor taking out the garbage - but I was soooo proud of Cowboy's reaction. Maddie gave the alert and he went straight to the goats. What a good boy!

Grabbed a pic at feeding time last night. One of these things is not like the other, lol:

 

[Latestarter]

Good Cowboy! That's awesome! Not so sure about him trying to eat like a goat But with his coat, he blends right in with them. Gonna be a bad day for any coyote or other predator that approaches and doesn't recognize him for what he is.

 

[Southern by choice]

Love hearing this! This is what dogs are suppose to do and be.

I had a vet one time see this and the vet said- oh that dog is fearful-

I tried to explain WHAT the dog was doing... fell on deaf ears.

On occasion the vet has been out since then.... let's just say it is CLEARLY evident the dog is NOT fearful

We will leave it at that

@Latestarter this is common for guardian dogs. Many eat like goats... everything from leaves off trees to hay to pine cones etc.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Ah, thanks SBC. Means a lot coming from you! He really is starting to 'get it'.

Right before I got that pic he had his head through the fence and was chowing down. I usually bring him into another area and feed him while the goats are eating - but it just didn't work that way on Sunday.

 

[Baymule]

I love Cowboy! He is such a good boy. He sure is growing up to be a big, handsome, smart dog!

 

[Southern by choice]

Curious as how you like the Toli compared to the Pyr?

I LOVE both! They are so very different though.
The cross of the two IMO can give you the best of both worlds... or the worst I usually see most that are just great though.

I have found, from a broad perspective based on consults and trouble calls, that Pyrs tend to be more "hit or miss" and require a bit more working with in many areas. The Toli's seem to not have as many issues. Toli's are usually a bit more controlling with their livestock but are really good at setting boundaries.

I have been going through my files and wow it is like going down memory lane. I am coming across so many great photos of when I had a real camera.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I love them both too!

Cowboy hasn't been full-time in the pasture for very long, so I'm sure there will be more things that I notice as time goes on. But, the biggest difference I see is that Maddie is more of a 'stand back and watch' kinda dog UNLESS there's an issue. She likes to hang back and see the big picture. However, if she knows an animal is in distress she's right there being concerned, loving and tender. If she thinks there's a threat - she definitely handles it.

When she was MUCH younger she did think chickens were nice squeaky toys for awhile, but she went through that phase pretty quickly. And, of course she didn't mean to kill them - she would just hold them down and lick them to death...

Cowboy on the other hand - even at this age is always right with the goats. He has his favorites already. He sleeps curled up with them, follows them everywhere and as the pic shows, tries to eat with them too. He's looked sideways at the chickens a couple of times, but sheesh, I have one rooster who shares his feed bowl every time and he doesn't even care.

He is still very submissive to Maddie, but it's just a matter of time. I think he's going to end up quite a bit larger than her. He goes to the vet this week - so I'll get a new weight on him then.

 

[Baymule]

Now you need a nice Toli girlfriend for Cowboy. Brindle preferred.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Thought about it, lol. But, I'm not sure Maddie would be happy with that. She's always been so tolerant of Gracie, (the English Shepherd) but she 'knew' Gracie was more of a yard dog and not a pasture dog.

She's taking her sweet time to warm up to Cowboy. She absolutely terrified him when he was a little guy. She's getting better now though, but she still insists on threatening him just to let him know he's still the little guy and she's still the boss.

It might not be pretty when he matures a little more and starts to assert himself. It will be interesting to see if he ends up the alpha. I think I expected them to bond a little faster. It is getting better since he's in the pasture pretty much full-time now.

 

[Baymule]

My Trip will be 2 in November and I think it is finally time to put him and Paris together. But then she is a little psycho. She won't tolerate a female dog at all.

Your Maddie probably wouldn't appreciate a female rival and the new female would have to be kept separate from her. So I guess no brindle girlfriend for Cowboy!