Different dogs for different jobs, or

[Sue R]

Today was one of those few "big days" on the farm - or, one of those days when I need to put on my big girl pants (no jokes here, please) and get some work done even if it makes me anxious. No photos, though, as it was hard enough to stay on my feet and up where I needed to be without trying to record anything for posterity.

 

First item of the day was putting Molly up and penning the bull and heifer with her calf. Thankfully, we have been doing this much of the week and so the precedent was set. Do I use Celt (who has steering) or Dan (who has power, or at least has get up and go when he forgets he has power)? I almost opted for Celt but realized I'd need him later for another big job, and so took Dan.

 

A dog that bounces and flounces on the way out of the yard like Dan did does not seem business-like but, once the feed was in place in the pens and we were in the pasture, the silliness was gone and a serious attitude was in its place. We located the mare and the three cattle in a corner of the house pasture, thankfully not a field or two away.

 

I got Molly haltered and on the lead and Dan was doing just fine listening and helping shift the cattle along the fenceline in the direction we wanted to go. Well, until he decided that "down" meant "go faster" and "get around in front and bring them back", etc. I must apologize to the neighbors because I admit I certainly broke my "no screaming, no cussing" rule. More than once.

 

Thankfully, the bull and heifer headed in the right direction (yum, sweet feed!) and Dan trotted along behind - I'm hoping he realized how nicely things progress when he doesn't have the afterburners on. And they went to the pen and Dan got in the opening and held them there as I brought Molly on up and penned her. Fortunately, as all this was happening, Ed was on the tractor and didn't hear me.

 

Without Dan's help, I moved the bull into a separate pen from the heifer and her baby. Too tight quarters for Dan and a very protection and reactionary mother.

 

The next job was Ed taking Molly on her lead, and calling the bull as Dan and I got him out of the pen. But this is where things went south as the bull would go one way around the pens (I made a sarcastic comment or two about the facilities not being dog-handler-friendly). I'd send Dan but it just looked more and more like a handler/dog team trying to get a pen (or, actually, in this case, get away from the pen) and just playing ring-around-the-rosie.

 

Ed came back with Molly and the bull, who gets along well with his non-breeding-season companion mare, decided he'd had enough of Sue (who was occasionally shreaking and cussing now, to my shame) and headed off with Ed and Molly. At this point, Dan, with his tongue hanging a bit low but not too low, was content to walk along at a nice pace, doing little natural flanks to cover the bull.

 

On to the end of the pasture, through a gate into the south hayfield, sharp left and across the road - and, again, "What part of 'down' don't you understand?" as Dan flew after the bull ("He's escaping, Mom!") and tried to head him back from where he came. At this point, Ed and I were both yelling for Dan (no cussing from Ed, and I don't think any more from me - cussing done for the day), and he did return.

 

Easy move to flank the bull and get him through the next gate, and then Ed, Molly, and bull got a bit ahead of us and out of sight over the hill as I told Dan that "That'll do." We came over the hill to find the bull need just a wee bit of persuading to move on into the next pasture, and Dan did a nice walk up.

 

A nice soak in a cool tub for Dan, and a rest in the crate while I got Celt out and Ed gave us a ride down the road to the further pasture where the cowherd (minus just that one heifer and calf) were grazing. Only now, most were resting in the shade and cool spots, and none were eager to move on out. So Celt and I worked a bit to gather them up (I was very grateful for a dog that has a lovely outrun and listens most of the time to what I ask) and convince all 29 mothers, and babies, that they wanted to take a hike.

 

Some needed more convincing than others but we got it done (working with Celt does require me to walk around a bit to give backup and support, but there was no shouting, no cussing, and no counterproductive work). We moved them through two more pastures, across a driveway between fences (this is where the calves balked but Celt got them through), turn right and across the corner of the field and across the road.

 

This is always the hardest part - some of these babies have never crossed the road and while the mothers went readily (spying the south hayfield right across and the chance for a few moments of primo grazing on the sly) and most calves went readily (the ones that had crossed over before went easily, and most of their buddies did, too), there were five that were wienies about the drop to the road and that scary surface.

 

Back came the best old "auntie" cow ever - she does this every time we make the move when the little ones are anxious and some don't make it across. She stood in the road and called to them. She came up to the edge of the field and called to them. She came into the field, sniffed everyone's butt to see who was who, and tried to "herd" them into the road (I kid you not, she tried to round them up and move them, like a dog or horse working stock).

 

She got several across and Celt, Ed, and I got the last two out of the field, where they then readily followed "auntie". One more job for Celt was to gather the happily munching mothers and babies, and convince them to go into the pasture, and he was easily successful. No power in Celt but a desire to get the job done and he just gives his all - but he did seem to enjoy giving the laggard cow a bit of "encouragement" when she shook her head at him. Job done, and off to the tub for a good soaking cooldown.

 

The dogs are exhausted and sleeping it off - meanwhile, I have almost all my housework yet to do, laundry in the washer and drying, no plans for dinner, and my camper packing to finish. Thank goodness for good dogs - neither is perfect, there have been major flaws in handling and training - but the job would not have gone so well (it might not have gone at all) without their willing and eager help.

 

Thanks, Celt and Dan, for giving me everything you had to give today, as always. Let's hope we all can keep progressing, learning, and growing together.

[Tea]

Iliked reading this very much.

 

 

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

I have had a few reluctant calf situations....

 

And one loose bull, not my own!

[Lana]

 

 

I must apologize to the neighbors because I admit I certainly broke my "no screaming, no cussing" rule. More than once.

 

 

 

I have the same trouble Sue

 

Nice story, i like to use different dogs for different jobs too.

[Sue R]

Today was one of the big works of the year - it started with bringing all thirty cows and thirty calves in from several pastures and putting them in the working pens. I chose to use Celt, just to keep everyone calm and quiet prior to the jobs we had to do. Not that Dan couldn't do the job but that Celt's approach would keep everyone in a more calm and relaxed frame of mind.

 

And Celt did a super job helping me to get everyone gathered and to the pens, and in the pens. It sounds easy but it wasn't - the cows were pretty laid back but still not enthused about being penned, and this was the calves first trip into the pens and they were skeptical.

 

Next we had to go across the road and up the hill to fetch the bull and my mare, Molly. Celt did a fine job gathering up the bull and getting him going - at which point, Charger (the bull) took off down the hill, across the road, through the corner of the hayfield, across the home pasture, and penned himself, right next to the ladies. Easy to move a bull when it's where he wants to go.

 

Celt got a good cooling-off and went to his crate to relax. Meanwhile, Ed and I did the work - we separated the cows from the calves in groups of five, and gave them their two vaccinations, and sprayed for flies. They know the drill and were not hard to work.

 

Then we did the calves, three vaccinations each, an eartag each, and castrations for the bull calves. They were easy after the cows, thin-skinned and simple to vaccinate and easy to move around.

 

But, wait, why is the bull out with a cow? Unbeknownst to us, somehow, Charger managed to jump out of his pen - a six-foot tall pen. I wish I'd seen that happen. Fortunately, just Ed and I were able to pen him back up as he was courting a cow and it just happened that her calf was one of the two remaining in the pen, awaiting his vaccinations. And we put Molly back in with the bull, and there were no more shenanigans. Maybe we've just got a puissance bull or something. Here's hoping he didn't hurt anything vital, or involved with his love life (which will resume in a couple of weeks).

 

And so we finished, and I got Dan out. The Rocket Man surprised me. He did a doggone good job rounding up the cows and calves, moving them across the corner of the hayfield, gathering up the calves that got confused and were in the long grass of the hayfield (it was so deep you couldn't see Dan, just the calves' heads and ears above the grass). But one calf got anxious and ran back to the pasture, so I just sent Dan to get him. He was doing pretty well trying to balance and bring him back, but the calf in his panic kept breaking away, and finally went through the wire gate by the house. Good young Dan brought him up the road and into the driveway across the way, and popped him through the fence, back to his grateful mother.

 

So, I had my second hot, tired, happy dog of the day - to cool off, praise, and put up. Both dogs pleased me by doing a very fine job, and doing everything we needed them to do. We wouldn't be able to do it without them. Thanks, Celt and Dan!