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Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Barn Dogs, Round One


I've been working long days at the barn. Every day, I feel guilty about leaving my little dogs at home for so long. I wish I had time (and ambition) to take them running with me again.

Cuna sniffs the tiny pet
And then Monday, I decided it was time for a change.

That's right. Lewis the corgi and Chaucer the beagle are now barn dogs in training. It's finally warm (ish) enough and dry enough that it's not completely disgusting.

Lewis (herding group, not a surprise), took to it like... well, like a herding dog to a ranch. He monitored everything, did as he was told, and learned to watch out for the horses without causing trouble. He was friendly when clients showed up and generally got along well.

And then there's the beagle... Beagles are hounds, and I describe mine as a low functioning autistic. He's absolutely brilliant at what he was bred to do--I've never seen a better, more intuitive hunting dog. At everything else, he's socially awkward and very, very unaware. I was pleased with his barn performance. He only wandered off once and managed to stay out of the way. When he got really tired at the end of the day, he was actually very good.

And then they came home and slept for two days.

Today we try again. Wish us luck!

13 comments:

  1. Good luck! My dog is a wanderer, and absolutely terrified of all things large and new, so the barn was always a scary place for him.

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  2. Good luck, my dog could never do that she hates other dogs and doesn't like people so tends to wander off.

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  3. My dog was a terrible barn dog. He goes out to visit but Always on a leash since he's oblivious and way too curious.

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  4. That sounds fun! My dog is a bad barn dog as she doesn't play well with others, and she has "selective hearing." Thankfully we live on 5 acres so she gets to be a barn dog at home. :)

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  5. I have seen great barn dogs over the years come out with their owners...and really naughty ones. Sounds like yours are on the great side!

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  6. They sound like they are gonna be great barn dogs. My dog runs along side me when I ride my horse. She tried to run under my horses feet one time. Got a hard kick to her ribs. Luckily she was ok but ahe never went near my horses legs again.

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  7. My two cocker spaniels are wonderful at my barn with my horses. The older one wasn't so great around horses when he was a pup but he's really matured into a great barn buddy. They even love to come with on trail rides. I really appreciate the company and "protection" they offer when I head out there every night.
    The Boston "Terrorist" *ahem* Terrier, lost all barn prigledges. Especially since he trys to attack the horses, as well as the barn cats.

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  8. good puppies... mine would be long gone (Aussie and Healer) chasing things and saying hi to EVERYONE lol!

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  9. There's nothing like being able to bring the dogs to the barn - so much stimulation! There's nothing like hacking out with your dog and pony, I love how it kills two birds with one stone exercise wise. Good luck tomorrow!

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  10. That's great! Keep a whistle part of a squeaker in you pocket. If they wander off, blow the squeekie, they will always come running back!

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  11. Yay!! I'm so happy they are enjoying it. :D And kudos for trying it with both at once LOL! I have a half Beagle so I can sympathize with you on that part. It sounds like it went really well though so that's awesome!

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  12. That's great that your dogs get to be barn dogs! Mine can only be a barn dog at home - he has no recall and an unfortunate tendency to chase unknown cats. He also somehow missed the message on respecting horse feets. Oh well, my guys put up with him.

    The funniest barn dog thing I've ever seen was a Labrador puppy meeting a horse. They touched noses, and the puppy was SO EXCITED to meet the horse. Then she found... A LEG! She sniffed it up and down, thrilled at her discovery. Then she found... ANOTHER LEG! By the third leg, the poor horse was rather annoyed at being snorfed by the puppy ('cause you know how exuberant Lab puppies can be) but put up with it stoically. I don't think the puppy ever figured out that the nose and legs were actually all connected somewhere over her head!

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  13. Yay! I take Guinness to the barn with me and while it's taken him some time to really learn the ropes (or my idea of the ropes as the trainer's dogs get to do whatever they want) but he LOVES it.

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