Berna Update

I finally figured out that I could back the quad up to my (huge) van, and roll Berna into the van. I managed to get a vet appointment for Saturday, so Bear got to snooze on a bed of straw in the back of the van overnight.

She checked out pretty well at the vets; her blood levels are all good, but she has a urinary infection. She was able to get out of the van on her own, and back in with just a little help from the vet tech and me. Oh, and it turns out she weighs 90 lbs. Good thing I didn't know that yesterday, or I might not have been able to get her out of the creek. I consider 80 lbs as my lifting limit (and that doesn't include lifting out of muddy creeks!).

When I got back from the vets I got a couple nice beds set up for her, but she refuses to get out of the van. She is now being served meals in her very own mobile home.

Berna's Adventure

Interesting morning. I woke up to unusual dog sounds - they'd escaped the yard. I wasn't too worried, the BC comes instantly when called, and Berna, the elderly Anatolian, wouldn't go far.

Berna wasn't back by the time I got dressed and out, but I still wasn't worried. I drove to the upper house, and around her favorite areas - no Berna. I drove out to the road, my biggest fear. No Berna. Then I went up the old railroad bed. A few years back Charlie the Pyr got himself stuck there.

As I drove in I saw a light blob in the ditch ahead. Berna had gone in, obviously not realizing how deep and cold the spring-fed ditch is. At least she chose a wider and less steep spot than Charlie had, but her old-dog hips were frozen up, and she was shaking with cold. 

It took some time to haul this 80 lb dog out of that muddy ditch, and then more time and ingenuity to get her up on the quad. She did realize I was helping her and didn't fight me, although she couldn't do much to help.

We made it back to the house, where we are still sitting in the sunshine, waiting for her to warm up and for me to figure out how I'm now going to get her off the quad.

I'm not good at selfies - I was trying to show my totally black, soaked lower legs, but you get the idea. After drying Berna the best I could I went in and changed clothes.

I think she's beginning to like her bed with a view. I'm so grateful it's a somewhat sunny, warm day.

Now, how does one get a big dog with bad hips off the back of a quad?

More Dogs...

Patrolling

Berna and Zander enjoying their morning patrol, keeping the world safe from predators.

Snow Regeneration

There is a strange snow regeneration project going on here. It snows, it warms up, the snow melts down some. Then overnight it renews, and by morning doubles in depth. The dogs didn't quite know what to do with themselves this morning when confronted with a bank of snow to wade through.

Taking a Break

Berna joins Zander patrolling the property. The two of them take a break to romp and play, until Zander hears something, something in the distance...

And yes, Zander is shedding profusely in the middle of winter. I think he's finally losing his baby coat.

What's That?

My inside/back yard dogs made a break for the outside world this morning, in a canine celebration of summer. As a reward for letting me snag them, I put them in the "out front" yard for awhile.

They had a great time exploring this new space, and before long asked to come back into the cool house. 

Zander was in this yard yesterday (and now), and the alpaca ignore him. But new dogs! Worthy of alert behavior.

Snowy Morning

Puppy Training

Zander adores Berna (Anatolian) and Charlie (Pyr). He imitates their body language, and tries to be friends and play with them. They are both uncertain about befriending an annoying puppy. And both are a bit too serious to play.

Berna is beginning to think that maybe the puppy is OK. Here they are both eating breakfast peacefully.

 But something changes - I think Zander moved a bit closer - and she instantly admonishes him. Notice his alert and wary posture. There is not a doubt in his mind that Berna is the alpha in this relationship.

Not so with Hannah (Border Collie). These two play together frequently. Hanna snarls and complains, and Zander ignores her. It's great that he has someone to play with, but also good that there is someone to lay down the law.

Berna!

Berna's been feeling left out. Charlie and Jesse get their pictures in here regularly, but she doesn't.

Waiting for Breakfast

"You AREN'T using THAT picture!

And WHEN will you feed me?"

After eating, a different attitude

My beautiful girl

Winter Dogs

Frosty Dog

Toasty Dog

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

There's been discussion about dog beds on the Livestock Guardian Dog list (LGD-L). Berna loves her Cosco round bed, but I'm not sure the exact size matters...

Hanna loves the round beds too, but thinks that any place close to me is a good place, especially if there is paper to chew up nearby.

Jesse is wooing (can't you just hear him?) to go out, to his favorite bed...

the snow. He may look like he's laying guard over the poultry, but really he's waiting for me to throw the peafowl some cat food.

The Guardian

Berna has always loved and revered Ursa, but hasn't been so thrilled to have her inside most of the time. Today, however, Ursa had a difficult morning, and Berna took a protective position, watching over her aging friend.

Berna Meets Scooba!

Berna isn't as thrilled as I am with my new helper - iRobot's Scooba, the floor washing robot. This thing's great. My dogs walk in and out of the kitchen with muddy feet, and my floor stays muddy all winter. Now I fill Scooba up and set him to work while I go do other tasks. Presto! A clean floor! Helps with keeping the floor picked up, too.

Now I need to get Dirt Dog, iRobot's equivalent to a shop vac. Normal people use Roomba, the vacuum bot, but I have too much dirt and hair for that. 

Raw Feeding At It's Best

At least from a dog's point of view. I recently got a great deal on beef cuts and bones. Imagine my surprise when the bones turned out to be things like entire shoulder blades, well covered in meat. Fortunately I have large dogs, who are up to the task of eating them.

Berna was given her shoulder blade outside. She felt the living room was a safer place to eat such a treat. Since my back door has a faulty catch, she was able to make that choice.

The next day there was a polished shoulder blade on the floor. I moved it outside. It's back in, about 1/3 the original size. My dogs are very, very happy with the buying co-op I belong to.

Berna the Protector

Berna was 5 months old when I got her. From the moment of her arrival she adored Ursa, the now 13 year old Caucasian Ovtcharka. I worried that as Berna grew up this would change, as Ursa is and always shall be top dog. Berna is now 3, and still thinks Ursa is the coolest thing ever. Here she has placed herself between Ursa and the other dogs, so Ursa can gnaw her bone in peace. Instead of challenging the old girl Berna protects her.

Berna in the morning

Berna is my house guardian. She has this job because her prey drive is too strong for guarding poultry. Ursa, who spent the summer as an outside dog, has decided that 13-year-old bones do better in the warm, dry house. She still needs to patrol the front yard and upper bird pasture regularly, however.

I was headed out to do the morning feeding, and Ursa wanted to come along. Unfortunately she takes much longer to get up and moving than Berna. Bear took one look at the open front door and went from flat on her side snoozing to loping down the stairs in about half a second. First she chased all the bantams back into what was once a dog yard, and then dashed down the hill to see who else was chaseable.

For the next 10 minutes she ran after chickens and I ran after her. Then she ran down a rooster, grabbed him by the wing right at the shoulder, and took off. She pranced all around the woods, the buildings, up and down the hill, holding a bird bigger than her head. Finally her hearing returned, and she heard me suggesting we go back in the house. She looked at me - dazed bird in mouth - suspecting a trap, but thought her house was the perfect place to further examine this full-grown rooster prize. She trotted up the stairs and waited for me at the door.

I grabbed her collar, gave the "drop it" command, and with a little prompting she released the rooster. He took that opportunity to disappear, and appeared to be uninjured. Berna got lots of praise and some really good treats in trade. I got 20 minutes of serious aerobic exercise.

While the "come" command obviously needs a lot of work, I was pleased that "inside" and "drop it" were both (eventually) recognized and obeyed. I am also pleased that Berna, while loving the chase, doesn't seem inclined to actually hurt the birds she runs down. But I don't think she's in danger of a job description change any time soon.

Even Brown Dogs Get Muddy

Berna, 2 yrs old, lays down next to Ursa, 13 yrs old. Ursa has finally decided to come in out of the rain and mud, and Berna is ensuring she can rest and dry unmolested by the rowdy herder dogs.

House Guardian

Berna was feeling left out, and I had to agree she hasn't been getting a lot of camera time. I decided to take a couple of pictures of her doing what she does best - actively guarding the house and all of its contents, including me and the herders.

A working dog needs to conserve energy for the moment she is needed. Berna can make it from this position in the middle of the house to any threatened area in a nano second, and in full roar.

Sometimes it makes more sense to guard from the living room, on the cushion.

Chickie Update

Berna the ASD showed what might have been protective interest in our new resident.

But I wanted the chick to have a well-rounded family upbringing. I rounded up the hen with the youngest chicks and put them all in a cage. I then introduced the still-uncoordinated chick. Everyone showed interest again, and soon the chick was warmly ensconced under the hen with the other chicks.
The family is now out in the world and doing well. It looks like my valiant chick will get her way and thrive.