Do Guardian Dogs Become Bored?

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”The flock is nearer to the yard this winter. And when the weather is windy and cold they stay on the hay feed rather then stretching their legs on a walkabout. When the flock is stationery it is a much simple matter for them to be protected then when they are well dispersed during summer grazing or have wee lambs at foot. The season and what the flock is up to determines the workload for the guardian dogs. Hence, flocks reared intensively and not ever straying far from a building have little need for several guardian dogs.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:16|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”2775″ img_size=”large”][vc_custom_heading text=”I do think guardian dogs experience stretches of boredom, particularly in the winter months when the flock is moving far less than they normally would. More often than not when the kelpies and I are out and about in the yard one of both of the two younger guardian dogs will appear. On this particular morning Birdie trots through, picks a lookout ridge at the edge of the yard, and settles in for a spell. The sheep flock is a short jaunt to the right, completely out of sight from the yard, and kelpies, but within quick reach for her if need arises. And there are a couple other dogs with the flock; these two older dogs seldom leave their charges. This dog is Birdie, she’s the one who joins me for winter walks but ceases ones the weather warms and increased activity on the pasture requires her attention once more. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:16|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_custom_heading text=”There isn’t much that can be done for seasonally bored guardian dogs. I used to not allow guardian dogs to walk with me and the kelpies but I realize that it probably helps them be less bored. And if the flock were at risk I trust the two youngsters wouldn’t be joining me because I have a good sense that they understand their role as guardian dogs. There is a subtle but important distinction to make between a dog who understands their role of guardian for the flock, and a dog who does not and is instead preferring to be a yard dog. The ultimate sign that whether or not whatever is going on with guardian dogs is working is if the flock is safe and unbothered. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:16|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Kelpies at Work, Rest and Play

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Exuberant with a touch of wild. I do wish I were brave enough to let it all hang out and live like this dog does, consequences be damned. But I am a quiet, contemplative soul, a look before you leap type. I balance well with Kelpies who are enthusiastic keeners for any type of work or play. [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”2761″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]On the northern prairie the snow lasts for five months. I spend the first few weeks of winter adjusting to it, the middle part of winter relishing the quiet of it, and the latter part of winter wishing it away. I’m still relishing the quiet of it, active Kelpies notwithstanding. The Kelpies, actually, are the reason I stay so active.

I’ve spent a lot of walking time with the dogs, mulling over training difficulties and shaping my mountains back down to mole hills. My approach to stock dogs has certainly shifted with age and experience. I let a lot of little things slip by now; things that felt critical to me in the early days with dogs are no longer so. For example, I used to be much more stringent about the dogs following with me or behind me on a walk and then letting them run free only when I said so. When you don’t know your own way of being you follow the way of others who are doing it and that’s what I did with dogs.
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”2765″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]But now I’ve carved out my own way to be with dogs. I’m not aiming for the Kelpies to be sheep trialing dogs and I’ve been highly influenced by the philosophical smarts of guardian dogs. So now we all just head out the door and go and so long as everyone is minding their manners, it’s all good. When they don’t I’ll act according to the infraction. I’m sure I’ve lost a bit of my trainer edge when it comes to the Kelpies and they might not take me as a leader in all manner of things important to dogs, but it doesn’t seem so life and death critical to me as it did in the past. I think there is unseen pressure on farmers who want to use to stock dogs, pressure to be proficient and expert at it or don’t bother getting a dog. Me and my current Kelpies would never make it around a trial course, and have no desire to anymore, but there are a lot of trial dogs who’d never handle 500+ head of livestock with as much comfort and control as we can either.
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Maybe it’s just a life stage thing and I’ll revert back to training, training, training but nowadays I talk to the dogs as much or more as I command them to do one thing or another. The Kelpies are here to help me get the work with the sheep done, and we’ve managed that for enough years now that I’ve figured out I don’t have be such a hard case about how the work happens or what we do or don’t do when we’re not doing sheep work. I like a dog who minds me but equally as important is our enjoyment of each other’s company regardless of who is leading in any moment. 

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Felted Flock Heading into Year Two

Quiet watchfulness at the feed line with the Felted Flock.

The Felted Flock is still here and still growing. During my recent hiatus from social media I managed to do a fair bit of work on the Felted Flock – mainly making more sheep, which is what needs to happen if the project is to finish. This is the second year into the Felted Flock project and I aim to finish up with it this year and let it go where it may.

I’ve been at this project for over a year and lately the urge to just get it done constantly interjects the desire I have to work deliberately in order to create a unified body of work with a story line. The project mimics farming in a slightly eerie way.

Big projects, like big flocks, take patience and a willingness to slow down, think your way through the hiccups and enjoy all the nuances. There is no need to push so hard; I’ll get there, I know I will.

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