Have you ever known a child who is perfect one place (maybe school) and a proper little devil in another place (maybe home). I know a dog like that. His name is Blue. 
We call him Boo. Sit, Boo-Boo, sit. He is the opposite – perfect inside and a heathen outside. Boo and I have decided that he is better off on a chain for the first part of the chores. Boo is less than thrilled about this decision but his behaviour needs to be checked. Firstly, he feels he needs to nip at the heels of each of the animals as I am calling them in. Hard. He nips hard. These large slow moving animals do not need or appreciate the hurry along.
They have got it in for Boo. In fact the other day I watched Queenie watch Boo run along beside him, Queenie stopped, adjusted her huge weight forward ever so slighty and the moment Boo was perfectly placed she let fly with a sideways back hoof kick. Yes, cows can kick out to the side. Hard. I heard a thunk, hoof on brain, and Boo returned swiftly to MY heel. Chastised. Silent.
Secondly, he is also giving the Big and very Old Dog a hard time. I know it is the way of the young buck to oust the old one but I cannot allow it. He is bumping into him, and trying to herd him, nipping at him. He does the same to Ton, running like a shooting dolphin straight at him and hitting him with his nose, hard. Dolphins can kill sharks by doing that you know. Boo is especially naughty if Ton is working. Ton’s job has always been to find each animal for me and anticipate who I am feeding next, watching the buckets and working out where we are going, and Boo has decided that his job is to turn Ton, push him sideways, dominate him and Ton runs like an arrow the moment he has his task in hand, arrows, dolphins, torpedoes, sharks. Collisions. When my tottery old Big Dog gets in the middle of that – it is not good.
All of this happens in the first 15 minutes of chores. So I have decided that for the first 15 minutes of chores, Boo is on his chain. He sits very quietly. Pretending he is the inside Boo. The sweet Boo who loves his teensy weensy tiny bung-eyed kitten who lives in the lid of a shoe box because the whole shoe box is too big and the cat is so small it could sleep in a child’s wooly hat and disappear and does. But that is the Inside Boo.
The last thing I need is a Blue Heeler with bad manners. I know he loves his kitty. Inside he is a prince, outside he might become a horror.
And we don’t need any more horrors.
Do we. I know I sound terribly strict .. well.. that is because I am. No-one wants an unruly dog around other vulnerable animals.
The hoses have also had to succomb to my wishes, they are to be drained of the water and hung on a fence post each night, I do this every winter, all winter, so they are not frozen solid in the morning. You will remember I have only one outside tap (faucet) to provide water for the whole farmy and it is right beside the house. I cannot afford to have hoses that are frozen solid.
Winter is coming and Miss C is getting ready.
Have a lovely day.
Love your stern friend,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
73 responses to “Sit, Boo-Boo – Sit.”
Yes herding dogs can be like Boo for sure. JT only herds me when I have no toy in my hand and she is feeling frisky 🙂 thankfully. I guess I am blessed she is so well mannered . Then again I place my foot down like you 🙂
Well I would never have guessed that our Nanny Boo could turn into such a terror outside! Naughty Boo but Good Boo for being such a wonderful surrogate to our wee Marmalade.
Celi, I am sure you will have our Boo trained in no time at all.
Have a beautiful weekend.
🙂 Mandy xo
My uncle once had a young cutting horse that had much too much energy. He would work during the day fine, but early or late in the pasture he would cut and herd cattle on his own just for fun. Can’t have money on the hoof/cattle getting nervous and losing weight because a horse is bored.
Dogs will do the same is not managed – I was often told to keep the dog with me and under control – or else. It is hard. Tying Boo up is kind (may keep him from getting injured – some don’t learn fast enough) and hopefully he’ll grow up and catch on. He’s a smart dog. (and so cute…that face – that kitty nanny…oh, sorry…it’s for his own good)
I am so curious about what drives Boo to be aggressive so early in the morning rounds and then create a shift to such the sweet nurturer we’ve seen with the kittens. Queenie took care of herself, though, didn’t she! What a gal. I can sit for a very long time and watch a tortoise, Celi. I see his personality and can watch his brain work! So I’d be in literal “hog heaven” watching your fascinating animals. They have such complex behaviors and I can see how important it is for you to know each of them so well. I hope you’re getting your winter jackets all lined up…seeing those hoses on the fence makes me shiver thinking of you in the early mornings. I hope you have a good, safe weekend. ox
Teenagers! You can’t live with them and you can’t shoot them. 🙂
Laugh!! Morning Veronica! I thought of you this morning when I was smashing ice in the cows trough. Wondering how deep ice has to be before you can skate on it. c
I think it’s safe to skate on ice at 4 inches thickness. but it’s rarely the same thickness all over. But the pond is so small that it does freeze to the “thick and blue, tried and true” rule.
Poor Boo. It’s hard, being an adolescent. I wonder if he senses the loss of the two kittens and that has upset the balance of things. I expect he’ll come around. You’re right to check the bad behavior now! Tough love, Miss Celi; tough love.
When we first came here one of the farmers had a huge dog, with a face not unlike Boo but a body the size of a Shetland, that would spend a great deal of time on a long chain. He had a house outside and had duties of looking after the livestock in the pens. He was also very frightening if you ran across him when he was in his unchained moments. He was completely silent so, you could be kneeling and looking down as you concentrated on tying a shoe lace, and as you went to get up a huge head with teeth was very close to your face. I learnt that smiling was a very bad thing to do in that situation.
Goodness! I’ll bet you did! Not an experience I would have liked to have either.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
Miss C, you rule and there is no doubt about that! I would step right in line too and follow along if I was there! As I have trust in you to know exactly the right things to do!
I love that shot of the cows waiting and watching…are they saying ‘where is Boo”?
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
Poor Boo — sometimes it is so hard to be good…
….ah, yes.
[loved reading boo’s chronicles.]
Ah yes,,,the Blue Heeler. Rounding up stock, nipping at their heels is what they are bred to do. They can’t help it…it is in the genes. However, they must be trained to restrain themselves and not hurt or spook the stock. A fine line, for sure. We always had Australian Shepherds for our sheep. They would round up everything and pen them in a corner of the barn, pasture, corral. Even my neighbor’s sheep were rounded up and put in their barn if he managed to sneak out. Soon, Boo will try to herd his Marmalade cat. Yep, they herd cats; or try to. Please don’t be too hard on him…guide him, not punish. He probably does not understand yet, but as he matures, he will.
So, had my CUTENESS fix for today, and now I can continue with my day. Thanks, I needed that
Yep! I have read that Blue Heelers do nip at the heels of those they round up. He do what he do! It is instinctual. They push, not herd. He is taking his job seriously! He got a good clout too! He has loads of energy and wants to do a good job! You checked it straight away and this tells me that you know just what you are doing Celi! Spot on Emily! Teaching him to sit and drop then stay on command is the best way to modify behaviors. This way you get to the behavior before it happens.
I never had one of these dogs, but I trained a service dog and this was one of the most important commands besides “leave it”. It can save your dogs life.
They sure are fast dogs though!!! LOL
Boo is very good with Sit, Down, Gimme, and go round, etc, he really is getting it, but he is still very young and can easily get the wrong end of the stick and trying to herd TonTon when Ton is trying to herd stock is the Wrong End of the stick. We are regrouping. c
He’ll be fine! He’s in good hands!!! 😀
totally agree; if I were there, I’d say, “Boo, I’m mightily disappointed in you.” smile
Poor Boo…what would happen if you left him in the house with Marmelade while you were out doing the mornings chores? Never mind…maybe we don’t want to know the answer to that…the house might not be in one piece when you came back in Ha! He’ll learn…he has the perfect boss to train him! I’m suprised Ton lets him get away with any shenanigans…but he is probably too busy with his own chores to worry about the comings and goings of Boo! 🙂
you are right in that chris, Ton is very focused and will continue to walk a cow up with Boo literally hanging off his leg. And when I call Ton, Boo immediately tries to head him off. We will work it out.. c
May be a silly question – but just how DO you get the water out of your hoses?
I pull them all straight then loop them up onto the fence, as they move upwards, the water drains out the end.. they are so much lighter to carry when they are empty. c