MELS. NEW ADVENTURES

[Mike CHS]

There is one that doesn't make a baa sound at all but rather an ugly guttural scratchy kind of sound that is hard to describe.

 

[Baymule]

LGD Sheep! LOL LOL

 

[Mike CHS]

I sent Barb a PM earlier with a quick update on Mel. I'm attaching a picture of Mel and Maisy doing something (resting together ) that I had not seen for a couple of days. Maisy decided Monday morning that she would prefer being an ONLY dog and started bullying Mel around. He isn't confrontational so it was sad to see him go off by himself rather than chance Maisy tearing into him. He isn't passive with other animals but he is submissive to Maisy. One of the neighbors dogs got too close to our fence one day and I thought he was going to go over the fence and probably would have but he had first hand experience with the hot wire over the fence. Fortunately, I was with them when this started and it only lasted for a couple of days. I had a couple of options but the first thing I tried was to bring Mel to the house. He had been inside for short periods of time but he sat down and just stared out the window where he could see Maisy. So much for being a house dog, so I filled my pockets with animal crackers and Mel and I headed back down to Maisy. We spent the next several hours just walking the paddock and we spent quite a bit of time with the main herd with both of them being aware of where the ram was all of the time. I made sure that Maisy got most of the attention and I did short grooming sessions on her and not Mel. I'll never know for certain but I'm pretty sure the brush is what tripped her trigger. The two of them almost seemed joined at the hip and were always together until the afternoon before she started with the attitude. I groomed Maisy and then started on Mel which got a growl from Maisy. She hadn't been aggressive toward Mel from the first day here but the grooming of Mel changed that. They seemed to have settled down by feeding time and I let Maisy inside the shop to eat and kept Mel outside while I sat on the door step. Things are back to normal now and they both get to come inside to eat with no issues except now when I let them out and give them a treat, she expects to go back into the shop by herself before I leave. I sit with her a bit and she turns toward the door when she is satisfied she is still the Queen.

 

[thistlebloom]

I like the way you handled that. Animals can be so complex. Glad things have evened out between them now.

 

[Baymule]

Blindfold Maisy when you brush Mel— in the house—in a closet? Be vewy vewy quiet....

 

[Bruce]

Yep, seems like Mel's grooming time needs to be surreptitious. Glad you got it worked out!

 

[farmerjan]

It is amazing that something like that would set her off and make her feel that "HER TIME, HER SPECIALNESS" was being threatened. Glad that you figured it out and that you have figured out a way to get them back on tract. I know that you will be able to work around this so that she doesn't see you "giving him special attention" as she thinks that brushing her is only for the "queen" and not for the "peons" !!!!! It is actually kind of funny, but I am sure for a little bit there it wasn't funny for you to deal with. I give you alot of credit for figuring it out and coming up with a way to get them back to being friends again.

 

[Mike CHS]

Dogs usually work things out but Mel was avoiding confrontation to the point of going off by himself to avoid her stares but fortunately we were able to redirect everything the same day we first saw it. That big boy literally seems like he can see into your soul as those sad looking eyes look into you.

Maisy is a thinker. Not long after we first got her, we had a long tarp on a north facing fence for a wind break. She figured out that she could pull that tarp off of the fence and wad it up in an outside corner which made a perfect climbing aid.

When Mel first got here, I would sit on the door step to the shop and feed them on opposite sides of where I was sitting. Maisy knew that if she could get close enough to Mel's food, she could growl and he would leave the food bowl. I had my head turned in Mel's direction but was watching Maisy as she held her head down over her bowl, she would slowly nudge the bowl an inch or two and look up at me to make sure I wasn't watching. She did this several times until I turned my head and said her name. She lay down by her bowl and finished eating since she knew she was caught.

 

[Baymule]

Maisy knew that if she could get close enough to Mel's food, she could growl and he would leave the food bowl. I had my head turned in Mel's direction but was watching Maisy as she held her head down over her bowl, she would slowly nudge the bowl an inch or two and look up at me to make sure I wasn't watching. She did this several times until I turned my head and said her name. She lay down by her bowl and finished eating since she knew she was caught.

 

[Mike CHS]

They are still getting along but I can tell that Maisy is waiting for me to screw up so I make sure she gets extra time.

Mel still hasn't done any digging but he has a couple of spots on the ledge rock that he has pulled the dirt away from the edges. His coat is so thick that he had pulled the grass off of a couple of spots so he can lay in the damp dirt.