The Education of Ben

Thank you for your kind words, but I'm not near as patient as I would like to be!

We got around 18 in. only. They are a bit higher elevation than I am here. Will be traveling through there tomorrow, in fact. Go through there twice a month.

Ben is really making good progress and I'm well pleased with my bargain basement LGD. I'm not as patient as I would like to be at times, especially when he's goofy rowdy and hurts me accidentally or knocks down little Aliza...he's such a big goof ball. He can't really help it but it's still a pain in the patoot.

He had his very first training in the car since arriving here as a 2 mo. old pup~he was car sick that whole trip, so the vehicle is not his favorite place at all. I put his food dish in the back~hatch back CRV~and invited him up. He put up his paws and I slowly lifted up the back end and he ate his breakfast in the car. Then I let him sit there awhile for some loving, then had him lie down for some more lovey time. Then I invited him down and he seemed mighty glad to get out of that car! He did very well and didn't try to get down from the car before I released him from it. Next time I'll give the voice commands for loading up and unloading as we go up and down.

Next time we'll spend more time in the car until he relaxes into it and realizes we are just spending time together in a new place. We'll see how he goes with that. When he's comfortable, I'll invite Jake up there too...Jake needs a lot of work in vehicles as he has never liked to ride. He's done it many times but not as many as I'd like.

the car isn't one of katies favorite places either. as a 3 year old she is much better than she was at 1 1/2 or 2 years of age. and i forgot to tell you that Katie does the hug you with her foot thing too. I've never had an Anatolian do that but miss Maremma does it all the time. if we are sitting out in the goat yard she sits beside me and wraps her big foot around my leg if i let her. I'm a mean mama and don't always let her and i would never tell her that i think its kind of cute because of the dominance thing but i do. i'll be interested to see how ben does with the chickens as he reaches those special teenage years. kate had a couple of mishaps with poultry in her youth but now just ignores them. I'm not sure she 'protects' them as much as she just keeps all critters out of her goat yard whereas the 'toil's actively watched for big birds around the place.
as you go thru Buckhannon wave down route 20 to my friends in French creek.

Oh Beekissed- I feel the same way. BLESSED! I am always amazed at how each dog really does have their unique personality. Some want to please because they may be more needy for approval, some want to please to show off how smart they are, some just always do the right thing and don't care if you are pleased, some are in perpetual happiness mode, some are obstinate but do it out of playfulness not dominance...

I hear you on your grandbaby! This IMO is one of the most interesting aspects of a dog. Why do some just simply "know" and walk gingerly and gently with a 2 year old, while others are still oafish and bump? Chunk will always help us up off the ground, he stands so I can pull up on him to get up... Not Leo is the protector of the 2 year old that comes to visit, blue will stand there when I need support.... yet some are just aloof.... yet if a goat walks out in front of them they can just leap over them.

My Dh married into dogs- he didn't have any growing up... funny how all these years later and lots of dogs the ones he loves the most... the LGD's... he is pretty partial to the pyrs but loves the toli/pyr pups.

He doesn't do the care for the animals and so it is funny to watch him try to bring a bucket of feed in for the dogs. Poor guy.
Those dogs know who is and who is not their master lol. I end up taking the bucket and tell them get back and feed. If not me one of the 3 people that feed here can do it and they will respect their caregivers but it is a whole other thing with anyone else. I accept this because personally I don't want them thinking "anyone" can just feed them.

Our GSD is hilarious. She will not TOUCH her food unless her master is in the room. If he leaves, she steps back and waits.
Kind of a pain really. She will eat if I tell her but same thing I must be present in the room.

I know with each dog the L-rd shows me something He wants me to see.... of course it is far less about dogs and much more about the "ways" of things... I always feel that when we worship the Creator and NOT the creation the Lord gives us wisdom in what we must do, allows us to learn and see. I know many of us here feel that way and it is nice to be in the company of others that have a similar faith /belief.

Southern by choice said:

I know with each dog the L-rd shows me something He wants me to see.... of course it is far less about dogs and much more about the "ways" of things... I always feel that when we worship the Creator and NOT the creation the Lord gives us wisdom in what we must do, allows us to learn and see. I know many of us here feel that way and it is nice to be in the company of others that have a similar faith /belief.

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I couldn't have said it better, Southern! That's exactly what I've found over the years with all the animals. I refer everything to the Lord and let Him guide me on it. I only get into trouble when I don't do that and try to push ahead of the Lord on things and get impatient.

I see MUCH, MUCH worshiping of the creation in the world nowadays and very little deference given to the Creator....and the Bible said it would be so during these times. I think that's why folks and their animals are all so messed up and unruly. I've got family with animals, mostly dogs, and their dogs are not enjoyable to be around, which is pretty sad.

And, yes...it's VERY nice to meet other people who interweave their faith in God throughout all they do, even with raising their animals. I love this verse...a person has to read it very carefully to get the gist of it, but it's in there.

A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10

I love that verse!
I know it is a whole other subject but it is the 2nd part of that verse that I see all the time-grieves me to see so many duped and giving to animal sanctuaries, rescues etc but the shelter for women and children are not even a thought... literally I have heard well- it was there own dumb fault for making bad choices... the poor animals didn't do anything.... it makes me sad to see so many give for an animal but don't consider how many families are in need from medical crisis... etc... I am sure you know what I mean.

I love my animals and it was the L-rd that put me in the field I'm in.
I believe we are stewards of all of His creation.

Thanks for the reminder of that verse!

And you are so right- sometimes I just have to shake my head and say OK- is this Your will for my life? (sometimes= more times than I can remember )

Exactly!!! I've heard some horrible, horrible things said from people who compare their animals to their children or to human babies and say they'd rather a child be killed than an animal. I can't help but think there will be a HUGE reckoning one day when they face the Lord and loved animals more than their fellow man.

My boys and I worked with Ben this afternoon about loading up in the back of a truck and he did wonderfully! Jake was a huge part of the training and showed Ben the way, the boys encouraged Ben to load up and he likes them very much so that was a huge help. Fifteen minutes of working on it and Ben was loading up easily~with the aid of a step up~and unloading easily without the step down. He also managed to lie down calmly and wait before being released to get down.

Jake acted as a great example for this training and Ben likes to copy his example, so it all went more easily than I imagined. My boys made it fun for him and he seemed to be very calm once he managed to do it on his own...he just needed the confidence to do it.

We'll keep working on it until it gets to be old hat for him. Then I'll take him for a drive around the yard while he's in the truck and in the CRV so he can get used to that motion for short trips. Then we'll progress to longer trips.

He's had a good day!

What a good dog he is!

Yes, he is certainly trying his best to be and I appreciate that in him. Yesterday he got training on what MOVE means. Also on LEAVE IT. I'm tweaking the spare pen wherein he's been lounging and sleeping since he arrived, tearing out the walls and removing all the contents...and Ben wanted to help with all of that. He's very helpful that way. Underfoot with my every step, every trip to carry heavy things out, he's right in front of me to supervise...finally, after yelling MOVE several times, I remembered....just walk through. No more loud, frustrated words, just say "move" and walk right through him. That worked, as it always does. We'll see if he retained that today, as I'll be working there again.

Jake knows MOVE and stays out of the way, so I expect Ben will learn it after being walked through a couple of times. He's very smart.

He also wanted to chew on my tools and various items of junk being thrown away during the project, so he learned "leave it" and responded very well while I was present....don't think that will carry over when I'm not present, so all tools are stored out of pup reach. I remember Jake's puppy days and a very nice hammer that got the handle chewed off it when left out and unattended over night.

My youngest son found out that fact the other day. He had taken great pains to bleach and clean a nice deer skull antler mount for the buck he got this past season. The other day he left it up in Ben's territory on a lawn chair....over night. When I found out where he had left it, I told him "You won't have that nice skull in the morning...you'll be lucky to even have antlers left." He immediately slipped on his boots and went to retrieve his deer skull....or what was left of it.

Ben left him the antlers and just enough skull for fastening that set of antlers for a display, the rest of the deer's skull was sheered off as neatly as if it had been done by a surgeon. Teeth and facial bones gone.

Oh, those puppy years!

Stacked some pallets for Ben to have a lookout post and he used it briefly, seemed to like it, but hasn't used it since. I may move it to one of his usual spots in the yard and see if he utilizes it more.

Just watching the dogs out my window at their morning play. Fascinating to watch! Mom and I were noticing just how fit and well muscled Jake is looking now that he has a companion with which to play and wrestle. He was losing that fit look these last few years and now it's back, with a high gloss in the coat and muscles rippling. Getting this working partner has turned back the clock for Jake, just as getting Jake turned back the clock for my old Lucy when he was a pup.

Ben benefits from the partnership also...his muscles ripple as well, his speed is improving and he's growing more athletic by the day. I think it really helps to have another dog with which to practice fight strategies, for proper social/pack skills, for exercise.

Both dogs' coats just glisten in the sun...I don't know that I've ever seen a white dog shine in the sun unless they had very short hair, but Ben's guard hairs are shiny, so they reflect the sun. This new food I am feeding seems to have been a great switch also...combine that with the good exercise, the good companionship and just outdoor living and these dogs are the picture of good health and vigor. Jake hasn't looked this good since he had Lucy as his packmate. Ben is such a blessing in so many ways!

Side note: Ben is no longer breaking up the chicken matings, even when done within feet of him. He notices, but does not act any longer. Only took one correction on that. I'm loving this good, smart dog.