Baymule
Herd Master
Thanks for the update. Ben has grown into a wonderful dog. I saw that sentence about getting a few sheep. I am happy for you, I know how much you have wanted sheep.
The Education of Ben
- Thread starter
- #452
Beekissed
Herd Master
Ben's got sheep! 
He wants to be friends but they ain't havin' it. 
The dominant one is pretty aggressive towards him and will take a run at him and try to butt him while he is merely standing innocently by. I finally got a chance to rebuke her for it and showed him support, praised him, and let him know I had his back.
That seemed to be all he needed to finally take a stand and not put up with that behavior any longer. This morning he finally stood up for himself and gave the ol' biddy a verbal correction of his own. I'm hoping she won't need anything further to get the message, as he's naturally a pretty docile dog. He knows his place....she just needs to learn hers.
Hope to get him a working partner this weekend...a pup, another of the same breed mix that Jake was, Lab/Border Collie cross. Ben is no good on small predators...can find them, corner them, tree them and all but refuses to dispatch them. Jake was death on those and I really miss him...I've had possum stealing me blind on eggs this year.
He wants to be friends but they ain't havin' it. The dominant one is pretty aggressive towards him and will take a run at him and try to butt him while he is merely standing innocently by. I finally got a chance to rebuke her for it and showed him support, praised him, and let him know I had his back. That seemed to be all he needed to finally take a stand and not put up with that behavior any longer. This morning he finally stood up for himself and gave the ol' biddy a verbal correction of his own. I'm hoping she won't need anything further to get the message, as he's naturally a pretty docile dog. He knows his place....she just needs to learn hers.
Hope to get him a working partner this weekend...a pup, another of the same breed mix that Jake was, Lab/Border Collie cross. Ben is no good on small predators...can find them, corner them, tree them and all but refuses to dispatch them. Jake was death on those and I really miss him...I've had possum stealing me blind on eggs this year.
Baymule
Herd Master
Ben and sheep. Dreams really do come true! Ben has a good teacher, the sheep may not know it, but they do too.
RollingAcres
Herd Master
Ben is a handsome fella!
- Thread starter
- #455
Beekissed
Herd Master
Thank you! It's kind of funny and also comforting, though, that so many of this breed look almost identical...kind of tells you how strong their traits really are.
- Thread starter
- #456
Beekissed
Herd Master
- Thread starter
- #457
Beekissed
Herd Master
This morning we had a role reversal, wherein Ben kept coming into the sheep's pen as I was feeding them(hoping to snatch some of their food) and the Shine was trying to defend her food. Ben snarled at her and I gave him a reprimand and ordered him out of the pen, while Shine stomped her foot and chased after him as he left.
Just working out the personal space boundaries here.
Both parties now have the idea that each are allowed to have their own personal space without being attacked or pressured by anyone.
The sheep, being the intelligent and intuitive creatures they are, took that defense of their space as one more chink in the bond we are developing....and tried to follow Ben, Mom and I on our walk this morning and that was AFTER they had eaten already. They followed us until their comfort level of being away from their shelter and normal pasture started to scare them a little, then they ran on back to their safety zone.
That was the first time they have followed me that far AFTER they've had a good little tucker. I think they are starting to see that someone is in charge here and it's not them nor the dog. Sheep seem to naturally like to be with the one who can protect them the most and these ol' girls are starting to figure that out. I love seeing this in action!!!!
I had Mom feed them for the first time this morning, had her touch them while they were eating, put her hands in their feed as they were eating, etc. They need to see her as part of the system here if ever she should have to move them here or there, for any given reason that I'm not here and cannot do so.
Ain't sheepin' fun?
Just working out the personal space boundaries here.
Both parties now have the idea that each are allowed to have their own personal space without being attacked or pressured by anyone.
The sheep, being the intelligent and intuitive creatures they are, took that defense of their space as one more chink in the bond we are developing....and tried to follow Ben, Mom and I on our walk this morning and that was AFTER they had eaten already. They followed us until their comfort level of being away from their shelter and normal pasture started to scare them a little, then they ran on back to their safety zone.
That was the first time they have followed me that far AFTER they've had a good little tucker. I think they are starting to see that someone is in charge here and it's not them nor the dog. Sheep seem to naturally like to be with the one who can protect them the most and these ol' girls are starting to figure that out. I love seeing this in action!!!!
I had Mom feed them for the first time this morning, had her touch them while they were eating, put her hands in their feed as they were eating, etc. They need to see her as part of the system here if ever she should have to move them here or there, for any given reason that I'm not here and cannot do so.
Ain't sheepin' fun?
- Thread starter
- #458
Beekissed
Herd Master
@Baymule ,here's a pic of the sheep, on the day I got them and then 20 days later. I can see a little improvement in their conditioning in the after pics and that should improve more and more before breeding time. Both had just weaned off lambs, the older one(brown) had weaned off triplets and the black one, twins.
The day they arrived...
Twenty days after arrival....
I'll have time to put more conditioning in on them until I breed them in November, but for now they are coming along slowly and gaining more sleekness...and also are becoming less wild. I'm able to touch them more while they are eating and they are gaining familiarity with everything that goes on here.
They and Ben seem to have come to an uneasy understanding wherein they all give one another the appropriate space. I'm hoping that moves towards companionship down the road.
Getting Ben a work partner today, a breed mix the same as Jake was, and hope that this will be a good partnership. I doubt it will have any herding abilities, as the Lab/BC mix usually has the Lab traits as the dominant ones but it sure would be kind of neat if the BC traits came out a little when it comes to the sheep. Most of all I hope it has a high prey drive, like Labs do, when it comes to varmints that bother the chickens and coop.
Another pup to train, right in the middle of my busiest time....should be fun!
The day they arrived...
Twenty days after arrival....
I'll have time to put more conditioning in on them until I breed them in November, but for now they are coming along slowly and gaining more sleekness...and also are becoming less wild. I'm able to touch them more while they are eating and they are gaining familiarity with everything that goes on here.
They and Ben seem to have come to an uneasy understanding wherein they all give one another the appropriate space. I'm hoping that moves towards companionship down the road.
Getting Ben a work partner today, a breed mix the same as Jake was, and hope that this will be a good partnership. I doubt it will have any herding abilities, as the Lab/BC mix usually has the Lab traits as the dominant ones but it sure would be kind of neat if the BC traits came out a little when it comes to the sheep. Most of all I hope it has a high prey drive, like Labs do, when it comes to varmints that bother the chickens and coop.
Another pup to train, right in the middle of my busiest time....should be fun!
Mike CHS
Herd Master
That is a lot of progress for 20 days.
Baymule
Herd Master
They sure look a lot better! You have some good grass, my bet is that it is rich in minerals. They are getting the best of care, they may not know it, but they just hit easy street. They got the best Sheep Momma ever!
