Sunday, April 17, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
How to Teach a Dog to Herd
I HIGHLY recommend teaching the command "leave it" and reinforcing it with treats such as bits of hot dog (I use the low fat turkey-dog variety) or some other meat.
But for the most part, it goes something like this...
Step One: Make sure they're all together.
Step Two: Chase them so you can round them back up again!
But for the most part, it goes something like this...
Step One: Make sure they're all together.
Step Two: Chase them so you can round them back up again!
Jane: Just where do you think you're going?
A Brief History
How did I get where I am, you might ask. It may have been in the DNA, or inspired by looking deep into a deep, galvanized, oval watering trough containing dozens of tiny, adorable web-footed creatures.
My estranged mother and father had geese (and bantham chickens, pigs, and goats), long before I was being read mother goose stories. The seven Toulouse geese in their flock were robust gray birds foraging between the pine and the cedar in the Pacific Northwest. After two wonderful years, they all befell a terrible fate during an ice storm, with no survivors. (Granny Goose says, "It felt like the Titanic." I said, "No it didn't," and she said, "Yes it did, you weren't there. Ask your father.")
Papa Pato (pato = duck, in Spanish) recalls nostalgically, "I came home one eve to witness all 7 of my geese mad as hell honking, flapping their wings and chasing the meter man down our hillside lawn. Another time the gander stood out in the road and stared down cars blocking the road - they have more balls than brains - as they are totally defenseless. And they are born pissed and hissing at everyone - except their mamas."
Additionally, I think it had something to do with the book, Farm City, by Novella Carpenter. As her forays into animal husbandry in Oakland, left me yearning for my own farm.
I am still on the hunt for newspaper article of my great-great grandmother Arabella, who lived in Galesburg, IL, and raised prized buff Orpingtons. My mother found a photo of her standing in front of the hundred or so chickens she had with an article attached about the eggs she sold.
Jane with two of the Amercaucanas at 2 weeks old.
My estranged mother and father had geese (and bantham chickens, pigs, and goats), long before I was being read mother goose stories. The seven Toulouse geese in their flock were robust gray birds foraging between the pine and the cedar in the Pacific Northwest. After two wonderful years, they all befell a terrible fate during an ice storm, with no survivors. (Granny Goose says, "It felt like the Titanic." I said, "No it didn't," and she said, "Yes it did, you weren't there. Ask your father.")
Papa Pato (pato = duck, in Spanish) recalls nostalgically, "I came home one eve to witness all 7 of my geese mad as hell honking, flapping their wings and chasing the meter man down our hillside lawn. Another time the gander stood out in the road and stared down cars blocking the road - they have more balls than brains - as they are totally defenseless. And they are born pissed and hissing at everyone - except their mamas."
Additionally, I think it had something to do with the book, Farm City, by Novella Carpenter. As her forays into animal husbandry in Oakland, left me yearning for my own farm.
I am still on the hunt for newspaper article of my great-great grandmother Arabella, who lived in Galesburg, IL, and raised prized buff Orpingtons. My mother found a photo of her standing in front of the hundred or so chickens she had with an article attached about the eggs she sold.
Intro Post
Welcome to Goose Excuse!
In this blog I will be posting about my sucesses and failures with my birds, interactions between my birds and humans and dogs, (including my African geese imprinting), and of course, posting lots of pictures.
I am new to chicken and goose raising, and also new to training border collies to herd.
The List of Characters:
Jane (Eyre): 1 1/2 year old tri-colored border collie, rescued from a shelter in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
River: 1 year old pit bull (American Staffordshire Terrier mix), rescued by my mother when he was dumped as a puppy.
Tina: A Rhode Island Red, who is the leader of the flock.
Bette: My fat Rhode Island Red.
Helena: The smallest of the Rhode Island Reds.
Jenny: My loud, unfriendly Plymouth Barred Rock. Though recently she has become friendlier.
Shane: An Ameraucana, who survived a recent attack while foraging in broad daylight.
Carmen: An Ameraucana, my prettiest bird.
Alice: An Ameraucana.
2 additional Ameraucanas who haven't been named yet. Clearly, they will be named after one of the L Word characters, and follow suit. (Follow power suit?)
And 3 week-old African geese.
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