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jrhodo

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  • Gender
    Female
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    Lansing, MI

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  1. Thanks again for your replies. The pet sitter would be a good idea except my dog does not like people in the house, even ones she saw everyday at work. She probably wouldn't let them in.
  2. Thanks for your input! No matter what, I think this decision is only weeks away for us. I know how much she hates change and freaks when we board her. My fear is that she will pass while we are away. This is my husband's first dog. He is in denial. I hope our vet can examine her and give us a better idea of what we are looking at. So sad.
  3. In three weeks, my husband and I will be leaving for a week to attend our daughter's wedding. We will board our two border collies at a place they have stayed 3 other times in the last eight years. My oldest BC is 15-16 years old. She has trouble going up stairs and has stopped cleaning herself, especially after going out. She chases the frisbee 3-4 times before laying down. Yesterday she didn't eat, but today she did. She still is happy to see us. I think that boarding her will be way too stressful and that we should put her down before we leave. My husband doesn't agree. We have a vet appointment next week. What would you do?
  4. Do any of your BC's do this, and what could it mean? When I feed Reb, she lays down beside her bowl for a while. Then she pushes the food with her nose. Sometimes she spills the bowl, sometimes she just pushes the food down. Then she goes to the bag of food and pushes it with her nose. This ritual last about 5 minutes and she may or maynot eat right away.
  5. No matter what is on the ground, no matter what the weather, Reb rolls on the ground when I let her out. Then she goes to the bathroom. The only exception is when I have a frisbee in my hand. Then she rolls as soon as I tell her "that'll do" and stop throwing it.
  6. Dave, I'm near Lansing, MI. My golf courses are in a rural area with lots of ponds and grave pits. In the fall we get many flocks of geese passing through, so I wouldn't be surprised if we're on a fly-way. I'm going to get some decoys and work Reb with them as soon as I'm done planting, about three weeks. The only limiting factor in Reb's abilities is her trainer! I have so much to learn. She never fails to amaze me at what she can do. She does have a stubborn streak. When we were doing herding training, the instructor said Reb thinks she knows what to do better than us. "Lie down" took a very long time to learn. I'm trying to use her natural talents and thinking ability along with perfect obedience. Much easier said than done. I'll be very interested to hear what you learn about the chasing dog. It sounds like the geese all know it and what it will and won't do. A year ago March, my boss, the Super, asked me to research what kind of dog he should get to chase geese. I read all about border collies and shared the information with him. He said he didn't want one because they have long hair. I explained that there are short haired ones... He went to the animal shelter and got what was supposed to be a cattle dog mix, doesn't look or act like a cattle dog, i.e. no herding instincts. His dog doesn't chase geese, just his cart, LOL. I was so intrigued with border collies that I found Reb. She was three with a great pedigree but not much training. Her father is an excellent cattle dog with no formal training and her mom is a talented sheep dog. I spent a whole year working with her before I started her on geese. I mention this because I wouldn't be surprised if many of the Supers you deal with have the same attitude as my boss; just get a dog and it will chase the geese. My boss doesn't have the time or patience to train his dog. He also doesn't have the flexibility in his schedule to get out and chase geese when he should. I'm lucky because I work independently and can chase geese any time of the day. I sometimes go back at dusk to catch the geese coming in for the night. I'll have to try Reb on deer when I see them. I know she is delighted with herself when she chases them out of my yard. She does gets lots of exercise on the course. I mentioned before that we start our day by doing our goose rounds. It's not just to look for geese. It's also a time for Reb to run a few holes and shed some of her excess energy before she accompanies me on my gardening duties. She's also trained most of the grounds crew to throw her Frisbee for her. She sleeps well when we get home! How many dogs do you have? How many dogs do you work at a time? This goose dog stuff is so interesting and fun. I'm glad I'm trying to do it. Jean
  7. DTrain, First let me tell you how much I appreciate your reply. You've giving me a lot to think about. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, I'm very busy at work. It's finally warm enough to plant my 10,000 annuals and I've been working until I'm too tired to dig another hole. I guess I didn't make myself clear, none of the geese that we've chased as soon as they arrive have stayed on the course. I think that's the advantage that I have being there all of the time. I know if they are new geese or ones that have been chased before by their reaction to my workman. Of course, I don't know what's in store for us once the molt is over and the fall migration begins. Just this last week I've had about 10 new geese show up. They are a bigger subspecies then the ones that stay all year. I can't find much information on migration during this time of year. I'm wondering if they did migrate in from the south, or if they were around and just decided to check out my courses? They arrived in pairs. The only permanent geese on the courses are the two pairs that were already nesting when we started working them. The good thing about the nesting pairs is that they are predictable and it gives me a good way to train Reb. When you say you set up decoys, do you mean geese decoys? That sounds like a great idea. Do your dogs associate the decoys with real geese? We have many coyotes around the course. In fact, I think they may have been the animal that ate all of the eggs in one nest. I suspect that they make my job easier. They go after the geese at night and Reb stalks them during the day. I'd like to see your dog work Elk! That must be something. We don't have any Elk this far south in Michigan. Deer are a huge problem, but not too much on the course. Reb has chased them out of my yard. Jean
  8. I like the idea of a surprise attack! I'll have to think about that. I have one hugh advantage (and disadvantage), I work at the three golf courses as the horticulturalist (gardener). First thing every morning we make our goose rounds. The rest of the day I'm outside, usually by the clubhouse, and can hear geese fly onto the course. I give them time to get onto land and then we go out and meet them. Since they haven't settled in, chasing them once usually does the trick. Sometimes they land on three different ponds. By the third pond they just fly away when they see us coming. If I don't see the geese, the grounds crew and rangers (starters) have my cell number. They usually hang around to watch us work, which is fun especially when Reb has an impressive run. My disadvantage is that I try not to spend too much time chasing geese, so lying in wait might not be possible. My boss has been great about the dog, but I don't want him to start questioning how much time I'm not doing my 'real' job. Reb started chasing geese the first week in April and has caught on very fast. She does great when she can see the geese, but when I send her on geese she can't see she only runs about 200 yards and then turns back. I repeat my command but the geese have usually entered the water by then. I immediately take her to the water's edge and show her the geese. Any suggestions? We had a coyote on a hole last week. It was just under a year old. Reb wanted to chase it in the worst way, but I didn't let her. Are my instincts correct? On a light note: I was talking to one of the rangers (starters) and when I was ready to go I told Reb "up" which is her command to get into the cart. She leisurely strolled to the cart and got my disapproving look because she didn't move quicker. The ranger called her obedience "quite impressive". It put things into perspective for me. Compared to most dog owners, I expect so much more from her. Because she's a border collie she delivers. Jean
  9. Thanks so much for your response! I started working about a week too late this year, these pairs had already started nesting. I'll know better next year. I can't believe how much fun goose chasing is, and I get paid. Any tips on getting close to geese? Whether I pull up in my Workman, a golf cart or my car the geese start moving before my dog can get to them. I'm thinking of dressing my dog up as a golfer, LOL. Jean
  10. Just a thought. My BC has no interest in balls, but throw a stick or a frisbee and the obsession begins.
  11. Hi, I work at three golf courses. My border collie has been chasing geese since March, and doing quite well. She had some herding training on sheep. We managed to move all of the geese off of the courses except two pairs that hatched their babies and moved to our biggest pond. It is a winding pond with lots of shore line. The fairway and green only amount to about an 1/10 of the shore line. I think the geese feel safe, because there's always another place for them to go. My question is, should I just chase them off of the fairway/green or should I keep harassing them around the entire perimeter? More info: Reb goes in the water after the geese, but doesn't swim after them. She has stood her ground against attacking parents and made them retreat. She's even herded a lost gosling to me. Thanks for your help, Jean
  12. My rescue didn't like toys either. Turned out she had an abscessed tooth. I hope that's not your problem. Jean
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