Boone-My Anatolian Unicorn

[peteyfoozer]

I've thought this before and continue to have the thought pop back in --- Boone is Heath come back.

And bigger so he can support her and keep her from falling.

If only he could travel.
I took him out to the truck to his solid gold crate and fef him dehydrated liver snackies. I tried to close the door for just a moment and he wasn’t having it. Gonna pull this one and put the soft crate in there. He loved being in that one when I had the suburban.,,when he was fine to travel…

Much as I love Boone, I don’t expect I’ll ever have what I had with Heath. He was a once in a lifetime partner. Look at the way he always looked at me…

 

[peteyfoozer]

All that aside, her 3 mo adjustment period is up so I am going to start training Gizmo. The only thing she has going for her is that she is extremely bonded to me. She pretty much has to be on my lap or touching me at all times, and shadows me all over the house. The only time she goes outside is to potty or if I go out. She’s extremely food motivated

What she had against her is that she’s 4 years old with no training, doesn’t like her feet touched and us protective of her lethal talons, demand barks and counter surfs. Clicky noises terrify her. If she’s caught doing something wrong she panics.

She’s about 80% on her sit and 60% on her down. She’s learning the scratch board (I bought cut proof gloves ) and she’s learned what “wait” means when I open her kennel door

We spent a few minutes at the front door, not running through it, then spent a little time on a leash learning not to pull. Spent more time on impulse control. I think she’s gonn get it. She’s a lot more confident than she was. We will keep on training and see where it takes us.

 

[fuzzi]

I was rereading the beginning of this thread, and like the idea of the pinto beans as an attention-getter.

 

[Baymule]

When you adopt a grown dog, you don’t know their history and they can’t tell you. So Gizmo has her quirks, if you can’t overcome all of them, then at least you can soften them. Smart as she is and as much as she loves and trusts you, she may just surprise us all.

 

[SageHill]

For never had any training, being four years old when you got her I'd say she's doing well. Since she never really had any training and only figured out bad stuff on her own as survival - you kinda have to think that while you are training her she is learning how to learn that is a huge thing. It's so hard for us to train a new dog without subconsciously thinking they are or should be further along in training because we're comparing or feeling they are one of the other dogs. Happens with me all the time working with my own dogs -- giving a tough correction to a dog that needs a soft correction, etc. Other people's dogs are no problem. My students with multiple dogs say the same thing.

 

[fuzzi]

For never had any training, being four years old when you got her I'd say she's doing well. Since she never really had any training and only figured out bad stuff on her own as survival - you kinda have to think that while you are training her she is learning how to learn that is a huge thing. It's so hard for us to train a new dog without subconsciously thinking they are or should be further along in training because we're comparing or feeling they are one of the other dogs. Happens with me all the time working with my own dogs -- giving a tough correction to a dog that needs a soft correction, etc. Other people's dogs are no problem. My students with multiple dogs say the same thing.

This

 

[peteyfoozer]

Boone is stellar with his searches. I thought I would throw him by hiding the object in another room as it’s usually somewhere in the living room, but nope. He found it quickly. I’ve been hiding it under blankets, among toys and other items, he finds it every time! I want to start him looking for people or things without showing it to him first but by trailing. Should be fun! I also want to start working him on the e collar so he can go out front safely without getting tangled up with the ranch dogs. Ultimately we want to take him shed hunting.

Gizmo is doing well. I’m neither structured nor formal with dog training because of my health, but she’s doing good when I can take opportunity to work on things. She heels naturally around the house like Heath did, because she’s very bonded to me, so I’m working her on auto sits. It’s so easy bot to pay attention, I need to be more aware of her and more consistent for her. She’s picking up socks, gloves, etc that I drop or toss. I need to get something to attach to my phone as she’s not as careful with her mouth as Boone. Her impulse control while being leashed and at the front doir has markedly improved She’s beginning to understand “place” and is improving slowly on her down stay. I started putting her under the table on a downstay today. She did a good job in spite of Boone competing with her. I think her biggest challenge is going to be her vocalizing. Some dogs demand bark. Giz demand growls…loudly! I can just see her snarling under the table at a restaurant or hospital while Randy’s holding her because I’m in x-ray

 

[peteyfoozer]

Boone is probably one of the most affectionate critters I ever had. He actually likes getting hugs and he demands kisses on his left cheek every time he comes in the back door or passes by me. He puts his head over the armrest of my chair and presses his cheek to my face. Four is the usual number but this morning he stayed for 18. Must have been a rough night or he’s still a little shook because I yelled at him for the first time for eating paper towels, which I had to actually reach in and pull out of his gullet. He was over his adolescent behaviors until Gizzy came along and started driving him back into bad habits. Or maybe it’s because he got his own squeaky ball (which Gizmo has stolen and hidden from us…)
At any rate, we had 18 kisses this morning.

 

[Mini Horses]

And he deserved every one of them!!!!

 

[Baymule]

Buford doesn't want kisses. And he was horrified when I had to condition him for "semen collection" for AI breeding. Finally was successful with that this week, third try. Plus he had a live female to mount and i used the plastic sleeve, not the vet.

Buford only wants my praise, approval and lots of petting. Sheba wants everything and I'm not adding kisses to my duties to her!