Stuff's going good.  Chinche and T have found some equilibrium.  Tazmeena Cat meets T nose to nose and gives her a sharp blow to that nose and a hiss.  I don't think she has ever needed to do that before.  Well,  when she was just a kitten.  But that's a long story i don't think i'll ever tell.  But maybe she has  PTSD?  Anyway,   sort of an improvement,  she spend the day under the house instead of on a shelf in the bedroom.   I put her food and water under there.  She's still there.  Soon as it's night crate time for T,  i'll go bring her in.    

The Noteworthy for the day,  which undaunted by almost 100 degrees,  T found self at loose ends towards late afternoon.

 

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for the second time,  taking the  drill battery,  phone charger and curling iron from the bathroom sink counter.  Unhappy with the NO!

 

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Likewise the NO! because of chewing the edge of the rug.

This eve, Dorothy called to see how Day 2 was going and to give me a list of T's vocabulary.  Interestingly enough,  NO was not on it.  What happened to NO?   Jan the trainer makes a kind of growling sound to signify No because she says that the word no is used often in just ordinary communication and so is not a Trigger word.  Well,  i might disagree.  No is a very clear word and obviously,  T is not all that responsive to it.   So that aside,  we went out to Give Water.  which went well for about a minute at which point T wanted to eat the nozzle thing.  She likes biting the hose water when i fill the buck's water tub and i've let her.  Mistake.  Note that, grace:  Everything Matters and relates to Everything Else.   So there was some disagreement about nozzle attacking and i ended up bring her in to the Breathing Star Crate by her collar.  Gave more water.  Let her out and on giving to the squash,  there she was again,  head stuck in squash plants.  Back to Breath.  Not so easy this time.

So half way through watering,  i stop to find her ball to burn off some energy.   The rules are that she must bring the ball to the extended hand.  This the rule she grew up with.  not mine,  and she knows this rule.   If she drops it in front of you,  that's not good…can become a competition then for who picks it back up first.  No.  she puts it in your hand and releases.  and well….you might guess,  this is not at all 100%.  So when she doesn't bring it and give it,  i go back to watering where she commenses to try to chew the nozzle and be told NO!  and not listen and need to be physically moved out of the way etc.  etc. etc.   There is a clear shift in energy tonight.  Already, she has educated herself about everything here.   So,  it's a Now What? moment.  and Now What is……

Alpha

having read about the breed and having known things about dogs for a long time,  why does this surprise me?  But it does.  and it goes back to that thought about Do Not Add.  Why did i think that things would be Easy?  She's actually a Big dog.  OR ,  the high end of Medium Dog.  Which equals the low end of Big.  She has never been mistreated or afraid, really,  like Chinche was.  So how she finds out things is by Trying.   In this case,  when you don't know what to do,  you could chew electrical cords or the carpet or the hose nozzel and if someone say NO,  so what?  Who cares.  Well, they do,  but still, so what.

so we are at the So What Moment.  Didn't take long.   And i like to imagine a world where Everyone and Everything innately understands Fair.  but ….. Fair means many different things to many different Entities.   So,  here we go.   Alpha.   Been a LOOOOOONG time since i needed this.   But just this morning,  before the rug chewing,  the electrical cord chewing,  the refusal to give the ball,  i had been thinking she is a dog that i could take into,  INTO the Goats.  I still believe that.  But i will need to find my Alpha.  First.  Clear.  First.  so…thinking of how Stuff just Is.  We can imagine a lot of things.  But what Is,  IS.

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how she spends a day.  Moving.  non stop.

 

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except when she heard a truck outside the fence.

 

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and i tried to warp a loom on the fence.  But she kept sticking her head through it,  smelling it.

 

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stitching down the jute string and adding this clay brown back…the clay brown back somehow Holds it,  more than i had anticipated.  Do I like this?  or Not?

and late,  at their Call,  i spent time with the Goats.  Sitting.  waiting for each to come.  Saying their names into them,  scratching,  caressing,  talking,  humming.   They were glad.  it's been 3 days since that and they were missing it.  I was too.

 ADDENDUM:  so…it's dark now.  but T  has gone back out.  Door is still open.  She's cruising.  Learning her world of Dark Time.  and i watch as the blur of her passes by and disappears again into the Night like weaving, Jude says.  appearing and disappearing.  so it is and i watch.  Waiting till whatever it is that says Enough and will call  Dog to her Crate, close it and retrieve Cat from under house.   

But…Not.  Cat comes of her own accord…fast…through the door and to the ledge in the ROOM where her food bowls are.   New Dog rushes in and there are long low warning cat sounds and New Dog Rushing around sounds and i am tired.   So i just leave it to them.  Finally,  New Dog leaves to explore more of the Darkness.  Cat jumps down and heads for the shelf in the bedroom.  Crickets are unimpressed and simply continue their June Mantra.  

End of Day.  or close.  Dog still Out….doing her final cruise.  Now..as i type that, in.  looking around…no cat.  Ok.  into her crate.  I'll close the door.

 

 

 

 

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30 responses to “Lookin for my Alpha”

  1. kathy dorfer Avatar
    kathy dorfer

    alpha is so important .. sometimes it has been me with our dog but mostly my husband dan. try nah with a low sound , it works better than no . they hear that sound better . another good command is ” leave it ”
    this can used for almost anything you want them to stop doing .
    these dogs are working dogs . they like to work … keep them busy .
    every vet i know will tell you they are one of the smartest dogs they know but will not recommend them unless they know you . they are intense but totally rewarding .

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  2. Nanette Avatar

    I do an ‘ah ah’ sound with Mirrhi, and ‘leave’ as well, lots of tongue clicking sounds that she understands and responds to. She also knows ‘stop’ very well now, good for when she’s walking off lead, plus the hand signal for that and down, ‘wait’…all of which she knows. She can be stubborn…a cattle dog/kelpie/border collie cross, and so still we work on the alpha….I do 5×5. Five minutes, 5 times a day….just little reminders. And when she’s not listened, we go back to puppy work…..sit, stay, down, turn…..she soon remembers mumma is boss 🙂 Kathy is right, they are working dogs and need to be busy…even hiding a couple of small treats or her toys and getting her to find them gets her focused, and before she has a walk in the morning she has to find her collar, which I hide the night before, but the minute it’s found and on, we go. She knows. T is beautiful, those intelligent and knowing, curious, full of curiosity eyes….you have a good one there.

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  3. patricia Avatar

    this is all so fascinating–and i say that not just with the luxury of reading about it with you–but faced with my own challenges here. have you tried the growl? unusual but makes sense. you are alpha dog now and that’s what she’s used to hearing. and it makes so much sense that a smart dog will try anything/everything. so for a few days you’re going to have to be vigilant–which you are–to avoid bad habits beginning. i feel i know you so well and i think patience is part of your dna. and i suspect it will be called upon in spades for a time. then we’ll see pics of T with the goats–watching, tending, doing her innate protective thing–and we’ll look back on these road bumps with a satisfied smile. that’s what i’m envisioning. much love.

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  4. Marti Avatar
    Marti

    We don’t have a dog but next door, Heather and Danny, our neighbors have 3, don’t know what type but all shapes and sizes. When we first moved in, they barked, especially the older big dog, all of the time, at every noise. All we had to do was open the sliding glass door that leads to our backyard, not even set foot outside and the barking would commence.
    After a while, Rich decided that he could help them stop barking by going up to the fence that separates our homes, he is tall so they can see them and he would simply growl at them. He did this repeatedly and I have to say that now the only time they bark, for the most part, is when they hear their owners car so growling does work. Still it never fails to crack me up to see my big burly man go to the fence and become a growling creature!

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  5. Marti Avatar
    Marti

    Yes for the clay brown cloth, grounds the whole thing in both a literal and figurative sense…

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  6. grace Avatar

    thanks for saying. i was just looking at it…it really
    is a “component” in its self…a really beautiful red clay brown, was a thrift shop blouse. it changes everything
    from without it…but i think it’s good too….

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  7. KAMFreeman Avatar

    Grace, If T is Australian Shepard, or any herding breed, it has been my experience in raising herding dogs that they require, and that is not a word that can be ignored, that every day they have a good run or very long walk…it is in their genetic make-up…also if a herding dog it could well be why she is not aggressive toward the goats, just interested…she could be wanting to gather them and lead them around the space in which they reside…just my two cents on this.
    Ah, teaching the word NO…it is a word that I find myself resisting, so I understand T’s reluctance to quickly learn what you want when you say it…Your Alpha energy does, for sure, need to be expressed and honored…and I truly think that she will know that in time…she seems a smart and kind animal – large, but a gentle heart and spirit…Marti’s growling story makes me smile!
    Sending lots of positive training energy your way, my friend.

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  8. Mo Crow Avatar

    wow, Tea is a great dog & as everyone has already said working dogs love doing a good job & just has to learn to guard your back while you are doing the watering rather than trying to eat the hose!
    Bitter aloes painted on the cords is a good deterrent.
    She’s smart and will learn quick, had a German Shepherd years ago that I could just point up the hill and say in plain English, “see that cow hiding behind the tree go and get her” and she would!
    One year I was training a green broke quarter horse for a friend and had the chance to work with an old cow cockie bringing his herd down from the high country in Victoria. He had a good horse, a whip & 6 dogs, all he did was crack the whip as a signal & whistle soft, those dogs did it all, a brilliant team to work with!

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  9. Mary Avatar

    I sense that you are questioning your decision to “add.” If so, now is the time to make corrections. The right dog for me is a Tasha Tudor kind of dog (corgi)that knows only one master. I love a dog that takes each step I take, lies at my feet when I sit, and looks at me with adoring eyes.

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  10. julie Avatar
    julie

    Curling iron???

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  11. grace Avatar

    i’m working on my repertoire so i can be consistent. Kind of training myself too. a lot of training going on.

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  12. grace Avatar

    it’s more than i’d remembered. I haven’t had a young
    dog for so long…right now, it feels sometimes like
    too much. But we’ll see.

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  13. grace Avatar

    looking forward to looking back…..really. really hoping
    i’m up to it all

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  14. grace Avatar

    it’s a wonder FULL visual….i’d be quiet too….he IS
    a Big guy…

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  15. grace Avatar

    it’s a Big space here and she is making use of it all. There is the Oasis in the center so it gives her a sense of
    Going and Coming Back which she will do a LOT of all day,
    off and on. Am hoping that will be enough….all that
    running…and then the Ball thing….
    Which all in all adds up to a lot more than a long walk.
    Thanks for sending…i am going to need it

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  16. grace Avatar

    oh…i’d like to know the Whistle Soft…

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  17. grace Avatar

    i’d like a dog that is more independent…hoping we get
    to some middle ground. and i have to remember that she’s
    young. And yes, i AM questioning that decision. No
    answer yet….
    it’s really interesting, how we all have preferences
    specific to our own sensitivities…

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  18. grace Avatar

    yup. When i go off into the world i use it for my
    “bangs”…isn’t that a crazy term?…for my front hairs.
    Otherwise they are stick straight. I wish i could grow
    them long enough so i could pull them back, but they
    never do…just dangle there, year after year.
    Thats why i always love YOUR hair…..

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  19. Mo Crow Avatar

    out in the bush in summer in Australia you don’t open your mouth much or the flies jump right in so you speak as little as possible & whistling works! Tay’s only one year old, most dogs are very silly ’til 18 months! I dream of having a dingo one day…

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  20. grace Avatar

    it’s hard to keep this in mind. She’s only 10 months…
    she doesn’t LOOK like a puppy at all. I don’t know if
    i’ll make it to 18 months….
    i had a very dingoish dog once. Chongo. Spanish for
    Monkey. He was the absolute Best. Lived to become a
    fine old man.

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  21. Mo Crow Avatar

    (((Grace))) see how you go she looks like she could be another Good One but will take a lot of work to guide her there. In Australia there is a rescue service for working dogs there may be something like that there? A, artist friend had to re-home her son’s red cattle dog when he went to jail earlier this year as he was too much for her, he needed to work and she’s a painter who s;ends 10-14 hours a day in the studio!

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  22. Mo Crow Avatar

    spends… sheesh it’s nearly 3am I need another coffee!

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  23. grace Avatar

    it’s a week’s evaluation. they’ll take her back.

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  24. Mo Crow Avatar

    No, was thinking if Tay has to go back & you are still looking for a good working dog for the goats an older dog is harder to find a new home for and would know the ropes so to speak

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  25. grace Avatar

    Mo..am NOT looking for a dog to work with the Goats.
    Just want a dog that won’t HURT the Goats. Working them
    isn’t necessary in out situation.
    What i wanted a new dog for is that since the 3 little
    ones died overy the last year, it’s been on Chinche
    to be resident Gate Keeper and she can’t hear a lot anymore.
    Had gas siphoned from the truck just outside the gate twice
    in a couple months and tho in the past she’d have been ON IT
    in a flash, this time, nothing. When i come home from
    being gone, she would be lying on her little bed and
    be startled when i opened the door…there is a dog door so she can come/go in and out. This is all within the
    last months, the hearing thing. and she’s 13/14 years.
    But knowing what i’ve learned with people and dogs in the last couple years, finally dying can take a really long
    time. I am not much for getting animals put down.
    So…oh, long winded
    I want a dog that can take her place when she goes, or
    really, even Now, when she can’t hold her place. Remember, i live in a tough little barrio, a Dog is
    the Best Partner for that kind of living.
    AND as a HUGE PLUS, i would like a dog that i can
    take with me down to the Bosque along the river, up
    on the mesas, looking.
    Am looking for a PARTNER. Not a Goat herding dog. Not a pet. It’s a lot to look for.

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  26. Cornelia Avatar
    Cornelia

    Just read this one and have to own my agreement with MoCrow. Getting an older dog is a great idea, even if the dog is 5 or 6. They are grateful for a home, and are over all the puppy challenges, and would be easier on Chinche.

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  27. Mo Crow Avatar

    takes a whole lot of love & time

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  28. Mo Crow Avatar

    which you do beautifully, the dog who ends up at your place is very lucky, Tay would be a good one I can see it in her eyes but she needs to work!

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  29. Julie Avatar
    Julie

    Ah, but you didnt spend your tender teen years sleeping with your hair on top of your head, dippity-dooed around giant V8 cans trying to achieve the elusive nirvana of Perfectly Straight Hair. My dad used to come in and ask if I had picked up any satellite transmissions from Russia.

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  30. Julie Avatar
    Julie

    and ps, thank you.

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