Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

[Bruce]

Before Peep disappeared (presumed to be coon food based on timing) she would come up toward the house to let me know she and the rest of the girls were ready to roost, where is our scratch!?!?!

Maisy looks like she is working hard, as she should be!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

YAY Maisy! She's going to be just fine!

 

[Mike CHS]

We are hoping that it heads toward Nashville and stays west of us.

I spoke too soon about Maisy. I'm not sure of her thinking but she is keeping the flock split up. She won't let half get to their bedding area and won't let the other half go from the bedding area to join the others. It looks like when the sheep were out of sight and we thought they were eating grass, she was keeping them out of the shelter. She is getting closer to becoming a pet (which may be her desire anyway). I'm almost inclined to trust the hot wire and forget an LGD.

 

[Bruce]

Maybe @Southern by choice would have an idea as to why Maisy is separating the flock.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Hmmmmm... maybe she has a reason? My dogs do some things that make me shake my head sometimes... And, sometimes they do keep goats away from other goats, especially if there has been some fussing between any of the goats. I hope she gets it all straightened out in her head!

 

[Mike CHS]

I'll post some questions in the LGD forum later on.

 

[Mike CHS]

We got some more of the last section of pasture fence done today and are up to where we only have a small section to do where the chicken pen joins the pasture catch pen. I pulled and reset a bunch of posts trying to get rid of some zones that would need hand trimming. I need to go back and read some of Bruce's posts about how he handled a rocky area since I need to do that to finish this paddock.

We continue to spend time with her to figure out how she is thinking.

I'm not sure what exactly is in Maisy's mind but she isn't mean to the sheep. Teresa and I both started alternating time in the pens with them and just watched. The sheep look to us obviously for food but we still aren't sure where Maisy falls in the order. We let her loose with them last night and I was concerned because she kept them all in a small corner where they couldn't get to their hay. Since I know that they had eaten enough grass during the day we let it ride.

She has been loose all day today and they are all in the same area of the pen bedded down. The only issue is that Maisy has claimed the spot where all of the spent hay is and that is where the sheep usually bed down. The sheep have bedded down in a wet area. We don't know if she pushed them there or not but we went out with them and they don't seem stressed so we will trust her and leave her with them. We are leaving them alone tonight to see what kind of truce they might have called. We need to work it out before they get out into the bigger pasture so we will watch and see how they do. Even our Wild Thing seems to be trusting of her now that the lambs actually look like sheep and not toys.

I have had some frustrating tasks in my life but training an LGD has to be at the top of that list.

 

[NH homesteader]

How old is she? Was she with other dogs before? She's almost acting like she's taking cues from your herding dogs and moving the sheep. I don't have a LGD, but it's interesting. I do know dog behavior, typically, I've studied it a lot, but I know LGD's are different.

 

[CntryBoy777]

It has been my understanding that the maturity of the LGD hits its stride at about 2 yrs of age, so ya may have a little more to go with her, but she has come a long way in a short period of time, which speaks to your time invested. I know the trials of patience can wear a little thin, but ya have kept the "Plates" spinning on quite a few poles, too. Not to mention the redoing of work to improve the ability to make upkeep easier can add to that frustration, too.

 

[Baymule]

I have had some frustrating tasks in my life but training an LGD has to be at the top of that list.

Makes going to work every day for the past 40 years a cakewalk doesn't it?