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Little Lost Loki


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A little background on Loki first... Loki is a 3 yr old neutered male merle who was born deaf. He is a puppy mill dog who spent all but 6 weeks of the first 7 months of his life in a kennel/shelter. He briefly lived with a family with 3 young boys and another dog but he was returned to the shelter because he was too much. He was popped by an Aussie rescue in Quebec and he came to BCRO and finally was adopted by me.

 

He has issues with lights and shadows but he is very responsive and knows quite a few signs. He has matured into a lovely dog and I'm very happy with him. I work as a behaviourist with autistic persons and I'm a big believer in letting Loki be who he is, even if that means he is a bit off the wall. He was always fenced or tied up, since he had isssues with his recall. Obviously, in his past, he's been punished for running away and it has been a lot of work to get a solid recall on him.

 

Last year, I moved to a 400 acre farm and adopted Nell, an old working dog who needed a retirement home. Nell and Loki developed a very close bond and with Nell's help, Loki learned his boundaries and was able to run free on this farm. He and Nell just cruised the farm all day long, and he came to me when I signed him in. He and Nell are both guardy and would have great curly lip fights over anything, leaves, feathers,toys, food. I could see that it was all in play and Nell and Loki would share a blanket in the evening and sleep with their rumps touching. I knew that when Nell was gone, Loki would miss her terribly.

 

Now he wont stay home. He runs straight down our long driveway and down the sideroad. He'll turn in at another farms gate and then run their 900 acres. He was gone one night in -20* for 5 hours. I was frantic but he came finally came home, bleeding with frostbite. We have had heavy snowfall this winter so he cant romp the fields. His OCD is back with a vengence and he just heads for the plowed driveway and follows it to the roads. He lost his privildge of being loose right away, since he's mostly white and will get killed on the road. There have been a few times where he's gotten loose and took off. Ignores my recall sign until he's shivering with cold. Thats dangerous at this time of year.

 

I have been doing more with him, just him and me. I've been working on retrieves and long downs and just playing tug and going over some jumps in the yard. I also have sheep and ducks and we round them up with Loki on a long line. We've also been doing road aversion therapy by walking to the end of my driveway and learning not to cross the cornstalks that I've laid down as a gate before the road.

 

I'd like to find another solid old dog to be a pal for Loki. The Ontario rescue has some lovely young dogs but they are mostly in need of a bit more training themselves. There is a very young 3 month old purebred looking pup in a nearby shelter. Someone suggested that I get a LGD type dog since they are supposed to be good at staying home. Until I find a replacement as steady as my Nellie, Loki is going to have to stay tied up and thats a shame since he was so successful before.

 

Why he wants to leave my 400 acres to go run on their 900 acres is beyond me.

 

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It sounds like you're doing all the right things. How long ago did Nell pass? Perhaps he's looking for her? Poor little guy. I'm sure he misses her as I'm sure you do.

 

This rescue seems to have 3 senior dogs available on their website.

 

http://www.bordercollie.ca/home1.htm

 

Good Mojo going your way. :rolleyes:

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I am very much an amateur here but it seems Loki is missing Nell a lot. I do hope you get a suitable companion for him. Sending good vibes across the Atlantic to you.

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It seems to me that you're doing all you can for Loki. Wild idea here, (I'm famous for them). Does Loki like cats and kittens? The reason I ask is that it's pretty close to kitten season here, and there's always a need for foster families for the little mites. If Loki likes felines, he might do well with the 'job' of mothering orphan kittens.

 

The other thing that comes to my always busy brain is scent training, maybe google scent training + deaf dog and see what comes up.

 

Good luck to both of you.

 

Ruth

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Hi Jo,

 

I never thought about scent training for Loki...that's a great idea! There's an article in one of my dog magazines about a blind dog who was wonderful at tracking...why not a deaf dog!

I have a bunch of 'starter' information on how to do this. We should get together...Jazz LOVES tracking and doing it in the winter shouldn't be too difficult.

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Jo,

 

I'm sorry to hear that Loki is having such a tough adjustment - especially since I'm certain you're still grieving Nell's loss. It sounds like you are taking all of the actions you can to protect Loki and get him through this - it's a shame he has lost some freedom but as a responsible owner, you just can't take the chance. I'm sure you're getting plenty of suggestions but given his age, have you thought of adopting a "calm" middle age bc to act as Loki's "service dog" - adopting retirement age dogs is generous, commendable and a very loving thing to do (bless you for giving Nell a home for her golden years) but with another older dog, Loki is likely to be facing the same scenario in just a few years. Anyway, only you know what is best for you and Loki, and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that you find the right adoptee.

 

Shirley

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I'm not sure why you expect him to understand that he can run loose all over your 400 acres but not over the neighbors' 900. He's a dog, not a human, and not an autistic human either. He needs boundaries and supervision. It's not a matter of "he can either be loose all the time or he can be tied up." He can be loose when he is supervised, and contained (like in the house or a kennel) when you can't supervise him. It's what we all do. How hard is that?

 

I think it is a good idea to get him a companion but not if you intend that companion to play the role in his life that you should be playing. It sounds like you're doing more one on one with him and that's a good thing. Keep doing that and give up on the idea of letting him run free. Seriously, isn't this a discussion we have over and over again here? Just because you've moved out to "the country" doesn't mean that the dogs should run loose and unsupervised.

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Sounds to me like you're on track. I have very little knowledge compared to most on this board, but it seems like a good idea to get Loki a companion. If I had a choice Murphy would have a furry playmate. Some days just don't have enough hours in them to give him the workout he needs. I think having a companion could provide great physical and mental stimulation. I wish you well on teaching him boundries, I am going through this right now with a one yr. old. He have decided that he won't stay in "our yard" anymore, so back on the line he goes!

I'm sure this has been discussed here many times, but every situation is different, so don't feel bad about asking. :rolleyes:

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No where in my post does it say that Loki was running loose unsupervised. Loki and Nell were out when I was home and inside when I was at work. Since I work evenings, my dogs are well played out and ready for naptime by the time I left for work. There are (were) 6 dogs on this farm last summer and everyone knew their boundaries. Tex is a special case due to his blindness...there are many hazards to a blindy and he is always tied or dragging a line for a walk. The 3 neighbour dogs aren't over to play because of the cold and deep snow. Loki is happy to stay and play when the neighbours kelpie is here.

 

Since Nell died, Loki has blown off commands that he formerly respected. Twice my neighbours have accidently let him out while coming by to put wood in my stove. My farm is a working farm with lots of livestock and chores to be done. The neighbours 900 acres is empty woodlot and maple sugar bush.

 

I dont doubt my handling of my dogs and my concern for their well-being. I would like to put some structure back into Loki's life by adding a stable companion dog.

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