AWQH

Thanks everyone. I think Hondo is just playing, but we are trying to nip it in the bud immediately. Yesterday I caught him chasing and gave him a firm scolding. He's really sensitive ( like a lot of BC) and dropped on the spot and put his head on his feet, looking miserable. I hate the trick of the chicken around the neck. It just makes no sense to me either. Then they still get what they wanted. Besides..eeeew I'm not letting such a smelly dog into the house lol. When Hondo is out, we supervise all free time, except when the Grandparents are doggie sitting them. He never did this with chickens until he say another dog do it. He's still young, and hasn't been worked lately, so he may just be bored, despite having 3 other dogs to play with at Grandma's. We moved my chickens up to Grandma's yesterday, so now, since they are with hers, mine are free ranging. So we'll see how it works. All we can do is keep and eye out and snag him if he misbehaves. I do like the idea of taking him with me to feed, check eggs etc. I wonder if Grandma would mind lol. Thanks all for the tips. Dianne

Morning all. I've got a big problem. Hondo is a working cattle dog. He hasn't been out much because it was too hot to expect him to run 10 miles a day after a herd of cattle in 98 degree weather. He has been staying just up the hill at my husband's grandparents. Grandma allows her chickens to roam the yard days, and puts them in nights. Whereas my chickens have an outdoor run and never run outside their fencing. 2 days ago Hondo was up at Grandma's and was seen to be "attacking" a chicken" by Grandpa. He was yelled at and left off and wandered away, but may have bitten a leg making the hen limp a bit It isn't like him to attack anything but I can't doubt him, as I saw him chasing one 2 days before and called him off with a severe scolding. This Guinie hen has turned up dead. They think my BC did it. I don't , but he WAS chasing this Guinie hen. To boot there is a fox family living not far from the house. I think that Hondo might have sored it up and the fox got it. BUT either way, I can't have him chasing chickens , especially since we are moving up there within a month. Can anyone help us by giving me some advice on how to get him to stop? Grandma says hang the dead chicken around his neck for a few days..but I don't think this will work. Dianne

ACK my older sons are from Michigan. I don't think they come into Ca. but still just seeing Michigan was a shock. Glad you are ok and that things worked out the way they did. Dianne

Actually I think your dog may have snapped because of the boy. People living in the same house tend to smell very close to the same. It was the smell he was recognizing would be my guess. I would be very careful not to allow anyone from that household near him. JMHO Dianne

My husband's best friend has 2 BCs. The male is very protective! They do not have children, but he protects the friend and his fiance. Strangers are best advised to avoid their place. Tim ( BC ) is ok with my husband and I , but most other people better not show up when the owners are not home. Dianne

LOL thanks for posting this. It was hilarious. Since I wasn't here months ago, I never saw it before, so don't worry about it being a repost Dianne

This may sound strange but it actually works. We give our dogs the trimmings from our horse's hooves. When we trim the horses hooves we trim off a half moon shaped piece. These pieces are stiff, but not super hard. Not hard enough to break teeth( with the exception of 1 of our Standardbred gelding's feet) Also the substance that hooves are made from is actually good for the dog. The pieces are small enough that if/when the dog bites some off, they won't cause digestive, or choking problems. Ok it's much easier for us to get them, with a herd of 14 horses lol. However get in contact with a ferrier and sometimes they will save these for dog owners. We do our own trimming, but not shoeing. My husband is qualified to do the trimming. As they are scrap, I cannot see a ferrier asking much if anything for them. They are not whole hooves, just slices. Dianne

Nicki..Exactly Any horse needs a friend. I have seen the rare horse who is antisocial and a danger to others, but baring that rarity, the horse herd mentality is just like a dog's pack society. I've also seen what odd companions a horse can have. ei a goat, cat, dog, llama, etc. lol Dianne Alberta Winds Quarter Horses & Paints.

Often those unwanted horses end up at the slaughter houses, which is not a pretty site!. I have heard too many sad stories about "impulse" bought horses. It does happen, but not as often, thankfully. When we sell either horses or puppies, we make sure that the animal is not an impulse buy, and that the owners have some sense at least. With dogs I've heard "well they are just not right" only to find out later those people redecorated and the long haired dog they liked, well the hair did not match the new look. Believe it or not, something similiar happens with horses. People will breed horses, and suddenly dump most of their herd, because the owners decided that they wanted to breed something else! Others?... "oooooh it was a race horse, Herbie, we MUST have it". Only 3 months later to sell the animal because they had no clue a race horse could be a handful. Or that Christmas puppy or pony, Who later is gotten rid of. God save us all from Holiday pet buyers. I can say as a horse rescuer, that people do NOT consider horses as pets. Otherwise the law would forbid horse slaughter! Some of these unlucky horses have ended up with me. For that matter, many of these unlucky dogs have ended up with me. Often a horse or a show dog will end up in someone's hands as a "trophy". "Oh Joan, I just bought the best bred (horse or puppy)" In some areas these animals are a status symbol and not a friend as they were meant to be. On another note..anyone who thinks a horse does not need companionship needs to rethink things. A herd is the same as a pack. I have seen horses who have been kept to themselves, and believe me, in a lot of cases they have issues. Every one of our 14 horses, is always with another horse. Do you know there is even an Alpha male and alpha female in horses? If not come see our herd! Bottom line..horses and dogs are not disposable commodities. They are friends. Yes sometimes an animal does not work out. When that happens the dog or the horse SHOULD be rehomed. Not only for the owners sake but for that of the animal's. All I ever ask is that people make sure that the animal goes somewhere suitable. Ok jumping off my soapbox Dianne & Collin Alberta Winds Quarter Horses & Paints

Good morning. Where we live, our BC's usually run loose most of the time. Granted we live on a ranch. When we can't find the dogs when it is hot, we go look in 1 of the 4 waterholes. They all adore swimming. What is bad though is when they go swimming in a slough. EEEEW stinky lol. But in our case it is so much easier because if the dogs get hot..they just go for a swim. Dianne

I'm near Medicine Hat, but sadly we can't help. We've got an alpha ourselves and she hates other alphas. Otherwise we'd help you out. Our 3 are mostly outside dogs, but we can be gone for large chunks of the day or even all day sometimes. Dianne

LOL I was trying to picture a town where the cats and squirrels ride bikes as well. Don't you love typoese. Hey sometimes typos can be very humorous . Thanks for the chuckle. Dianne

Hi and welcome to the boards ! Dianne Hondo(BC) Tango (BC) Riata (Catahoula)

Hondo and Tango do the same thing. Tango is the more annoying of the 2 as she likes to get in front of the vehicle and bark at it. Hondo has a hissy fit if someone is on the quad. In Hondo's case... he wants to go to work. In Tango's case, she just likes to harrass vehicles. She never leaves the property to do so, but still it can get annoying and I'm worried she may get hit someday. I wish I could help you, but I'm at a loss as well. Dianne

Wow, quite the story. Tango would have made sure that deer left the house and in a hurry. Hondo.. he would just look at me as if to ask.. "Uh mom, this doesn't look like a cow, what do I do?" lol . I'm not sure what 4 month old Riata would do, probably think it is a new playmate. Dianne