Further glimpses at Decibel's summer

Off topic I guess...

Well, naturally I cannot not write about the little girl, she is growing so fast.  I made an appointment with Dr. Ann when she is back in business (about 2 weeks from now), to discuss the proper spay time for Decibel (Ralph needs to see her anyhow).  

During the spay Decibel will get chipped and have her stomach 'stabilized' at the same time.  Poor thing.  

I tried to educate myself about scary things like osteosarcoma, and after reading up on the subject, I talked with Dr. Ann about it (while making the appointment to talk to her about it... good thing she is a friend).  Her input helped me put things a bit in perspective, she said she has only had one confirmed osteosarcoma case in her practice (a rat terrier at that!) but she sees mammary tumors about once a week.  And she has a mixed clinic, large and small animals, so dogs are not the majority of her clients.  Still, I know she will check up on the topic, and then we can decide in a couple of weeks.  Right now admittedly I am still leaning toward spaying Decibel at around seven months, because of the mammary tumors and because I am not so sure I want to have her go through a heat, but I don't want to be selfish about it either.  It is difficult to decide what is right.      

But the reason this email was off topic, is because I have to brag to somebody about a Briard, only Ralph this time.  

Today I took the dogs along since I had to open a gate at the far end of a pasture.  In my infinite befuddlement (what the heck was I thinking?) I let the horses and sheep out on my way up to the gate, not on the way back.  That meant that all dogs would get their chance at the free-roaming sheep.  

Oh well.  I figured I can control Maggie by voice, and besides she won't EAT the sheep.  Skeeter is no problem, he is a bit afraid of the woolies.  Decibel, well she has been around them enough, and is more likely to play than to bite.  But Ralph, the Canadian (no offense, we just think it is hilarious that his ears perk up when he hears the words 'hockey', 'eh', or the Canadian anthem), he might be a problem.  

So I get back from my chore, the dogs all off lead, and after a dip in the pond Ralph sees the sheep.  He runs to them, but not at full tilt, so all I did was tell him to work slow.  

He did.  Both the work and the slow!  

It is only the second time that he has shown any herding type ability, and the other time Barley was with him.  Ralph gathered the sheep and drove them nicely along the path.  When they ran to me (they know who feeds them) he stayed ready.  He did scatter them once, but not with aggression, more playful enthusiasm, then worked the rest of the way, and best of all, came when I called him to me, to go out the gate.  

Wow!  Maybe he is just a late bloomer?

Maggie played with the sheep a bit, she likes to tease them, Skeeter avoided the flock of three, and Decibel came when I called her, straight to me, without any detours for livestock, poop or other fun distractions, so they were all GOOD DOGS!  

Now I have to get the sticky seeds out of Decibel's coat, luckily she actually seems to like being groomed.

The little herder

Today Decibel helped me with the sheep, and I mean, she actually helped!

My style of teaching how to herd is pretty asinine and haphazard, mostly I rely on the dog's innate ability and good sense.  I had turned the horses out on the big pasture and wanted the sheep to join them.  Decibel came, so I sent her ahead with the command "Bring the sheep", into the paddock where they were lounging.  The problem was donkey (who at times likes to chase dogs, and he was giving Decibel the eye, which she knows nothing about, because so far all her experiences have been pleasant with those beasts) and my old (ancient) horse, who had a mind of going into the paddock where the sheep were, because the gate was closed and I did not want her to.  

So I was still fiddling with the gate and Decibel gamely went up to the sheep, roused them, and got the big ewe to her feet.  The little ones were already bouncing around.  Decibel did a pretty good job driving the sheep to me, and getting them through the gate, without letting horse or donkey in!  She even stopped on "hold!" my command for that, and I could grab her, tell her 'that'll do' and praise her to high heaven.

What a good dog!  

Then she walked with me back to the barn, without running to chase the sheep.

She definitely has her teenage moments now and then, but they are interspersed with such signs of brilliance, that it is always worth it.

Oh, I am currently farm-sitting for neighbors, and they have three border collies that are awesomely well trained.  Wow.  Those dogs actually listen, even to me!  

I guess we still have a way to go to get such nicely behaved dogs, but at least we have goals in mind.  Still, I came home from taking care of them and had such a good moment with Decibel, what a great way to start the day.

Decibel’s secret identity

you will be much surprised that Decibel has a secret identity, just like a superhero.  

Mild mannered and silly blonde by day that is only a disguise!

In fact she can change into Eco-Defender-Dog without donning a cape in a phone booth.  Her mission is clear; protect the planet's resources!

When water is 'wasted' by her definition, whether to wash a dog or to give the pigs a shower, Decibel turns into Eco-Defender-Dog!  Capable of leaping into the spray from a faucet or hose and biting the water stream in mid air (at least three separate times)!

A strong proponent of 'shower together, save the planet'!

Always ready to take a bath in the pond.

Eco-Defender-Dog is always willing to recycle kitchen scraps, and believes in the restorative powers of compost and manure!

But water saving measures and composting are not her only talents, far from it.

No, Eco-Defender-Dog is also a recycling fiend!

Any scrap piece of paper not in the recycling bin must be placed there.  For this Eco-Defender-Dog has developed a clever method; find and shred any errant piece of paper!  Place it on the floor, where humans will see it, pick it up and put it in the recycling bin.  Paper products that are fair game include (but are not limited to) napkins, paper towels, dryer sheets, toilet paper rolls, newspapers, bills, and post-its.  Voila!

Or rather Hola!

Because, possibly most surprising of all, Eco-Defender-Dog speaks with the voice of Dora the Explorer!  Hola!

She keeps her utility collar at the ready and is always ready for action.

Just thought you would want to know.

Eco-Defender-Dog ready to shred!  Eco-Defender-Dog is gathering composting materials.

Decibel the glue-less

after hail, deluge and the occasional tornado warning we are now living in mudland, next door to swampville.  While we got an appreciable amount of rain, it was not measured in feet, but much managed to skim off the super-dry ground and puddle in any depression it could find.

Did I mention that Decibel thinks highly of puddles?

She splashes in them like a duck after it has been deprived of water for a month.  It all was a perfect storm.  No real damage done, except that dear Decibel was a mess.  Mud from eyebrow to toe, with the occasional prickly seed stuck in the coat.

She doesn't mind baths, but it became necessary to remove the pad that was glued between her ears so I could comb out the prickles, and get the mud washed off.

She loves having her ears mobile.  They seem to stand up pretty nicely so I am not sure I need to re-glue them (We have plenty of the Tear mender).  Decibel likes to swivel those pretty ears around and locate sounds and the things that made them independently.  Most of the time you cannot tell that the ears are not glued anymore, other times it is clear, since you can actually see the top of her head.  Once in a while I tell her to put her ears up, when they are turned back.

I am sending you pictures to see what you think.  If they must be glued some more, I will do that.  I hope it is okay to do so without the pad.  That fabric was too rank after her romp, so it had to go.

Note that eco-defender dog was in a shredding mood once more.  It is tough to keep a straight face with that one.  Most of the time her ears are forward and close together, but now and then they are like in the middle shot.  I know this is weird to worry about, but remember I have only had natural-eared Briards before, so this ear thing is new to me.

Terry, thanks for that advice.  

I will watch her when she is tired.  

(I hope she won't develop some sort of prosecution complex.  'why is this woman following me?  Staring at me when I am trying to get a few hours of shut-eye?  Is there something wrong with my head?  Cookie?  Did someone say cookie?')  

I'd rather re-glue than have a droopy Decibel.  Good luck at the National.

I am glad you like hearing about Decibel.  I would explode if I couldn't tell someone about her... we can never pay you properly for the joy she brings us.  She is too precious!

  WOA!  LOOK AT THAT FLAT BLACK PERSON!

Back to Decibel's summer

Amazing that those pups inherit so much of their parents' behavior!  

Yes, Decibel is definitely a drama queen at times.  

She isn't doing it all the time, mind you, and that was what threw me about it at first, and we thought it was serious, but in retrospect, yup, that is what it is.  She makes a few of those low monkey hooting noises when you hug her and reassure her (whoo-hooo-hooo) before she is ready to be 'out there' again.  Sounds like a kid that is just coming off a tantrum or crying fit.

I am so glad that her brother has the same needle aversion.  It is funny, because she isn't a whiner or cry baby about running around outside, where she has certainly had her share of being run over by a faster dog, running into a fence or post, or tripping over something or stumbling.  Not that she is clumsy, not her, but as I told you, she loves throwing herself at top speed into tall grass or the pond.  

It is good to know that she might pretend I regularly saw her leg off with a rusty knife or the like, and that she might pull that on me in public... always interesting then.  

If I know she is just acting, I won't feel so bad.  

Decibel rarely needed correction at first, she loved showing off how clever she was, but now she tries to get away with stuff.  

Nothing bad, mind you, just she is sloppier on recalls, (Huh?  Me?  Oh, you want me to come?  Right now?) and she tries to find ways around the rules without breaking them.  In fact it is interesting to try and follow her thought processes.  She is not allowed to take paper out of the recycling bin.  She has learned this rule.  But I didn't say she is not allowed to take paper from the porch and rip it up, right?  (It was on the floor, so it is our fault.  I don't say anything about that).  

Okay.  So I collect, and put it in the bin.  

Now you can just see her cruising around for another source of paper products to entertain her, can't you?  

She won't take it out of the bin, cause I said that's a no, but other paper, that is still okay.... peek up on the coffee table where the bills are piled up.  

DECIBEL!  

Oh, yeah, right ma, no taking stuff off the table.  I was just looking!

She likes paper products.  She is NOT smoking.  It is a almost empty paper towel roll.

All the best, 

Dog days

here we are in the dog days of summer and Decibel takes frequent dips in the pond, which is quite cool.

She still finds things that are new.  At times she watches TV now.

She seems to see quite well up close, but at times stuff that is distant puzzles her (a low flying hawk, a strange object in the distance like a garbage can or ladder).  Harold likes to play hunchback and move oddly and when he pops out of the bushes or from behind a barn, you should hear Decibel go off!  

No danger that any strange hunchbacks can sneak up on me.  

Naturally I don't discourage that sort of protective stuff, but I do tell her to go check it out, and then she is all silly and wiggly because it was someone she knows.

She loves playing with the cat in the morning.  Quincy likes the attention, and is rather unconcerned, even when it looks like Decibel is eating his ears.  He rubs against her and even rolls over, and he could be running off or hiding, so it is mauling with his consent.

I have been letting her in the pen with the sheep and she is rather good about them.  When they are just eating, she is ignoring them or trying to steal a little feed, and will go out the door on my verbal command, which I think is pretty good.  She can do the same in the chicken coop, although there I have to insist she go out the door, before I can turn my back... those chickens are fun to catch.

Once or twice she has helped move the sheep, not in a completely concerted effort, but without pulling one down or getting too wild, or chasing them and I think she did help.  I mostly let her do what she wants (and not freak when the sheep go the wrong way for a bit), as long as she tries to keep the sheep together and only correct her when she gets too riled up, or the lead sheep is putting her head down to ram her.  Decibel needs to know that she can get hurt by the critters, and the sheep is mellow for one of the woolly kind, and does not butt hard.

Decibel likes it when animals move, not that overt talent that Barley had, yet it isn't just wild chasing either.  With Barley I learned that if I told him where to go, it would be chaos.  If I told him what I wanted for an end result, we would get it done.  With Decibel, right now I am just watching her; she moves so fast and well, and seems to like the game of boss sheep around.

Decibel does have the same spatial smarts; she knows the layout of paddocks and corrals, where the gates are, where you can get in or out.  I always thought it was so cool that Barley would see a rabbit through the fence and then book the opposite direction, to get to the gate, to get in there with the rabbit.  Most dogs just yap at the fence.

Naturally she loves sneaking up to the cows to get a reaction out of them, but again, they are mellow representatives of their kind, and mostly ignore her or chase her for a few steps, which the wild child thinks is just fantastic.  These are isolated incidences; for the most part she sticks close to me when we are around livestock.

She is getting plenty of roughage these days, from the apple tree in the backyard.

Because we had gotten a bit sloppy (it happens), we have reinstated the humans rule law, and spent the last week or so making sure that we walked through doors first, and that dogs only followed when called.  Long down stays are back.  They might never be obedience titled, but even such a little thing shows almost right away.  No more demand barking while we make their dinner.  Now there are downs and sits and such, and it is best to be quiet, or we think of more assignments, and the food just sits there... out of reach.  Decibel is smart, so it did not take her long to figure it out.  Half the stuff she knows I cannot remember teaching her.  Like giving a toy or treat when I tell her 'aus' (German for 'out').  She just does it.

To date Decibel is the only dog who likes showers.  She has no fear of the doggie shower in the laundry room, nor the one upstairs.  She makes fun of her 'siblings' when they get a bath, and is in the shower with them.  And she loves it when I cool down the pigs with the spray from the hose.  Whhooosh, that's Decibel flying through the spray, biting at it and getting all of us wet in the process.  She should be wearing a cape for those fly bys!  Biting into water spray is one of her favorite things to do.

Please, sir, may I have some more?

Hugs,

Another intermission ...about herbivores.

While most of this is simply a blog about my dogs, with Decibel surely hogging the limelight, neither she nor them exist in a vacuum.  They live the life of spoiled farm dogs.
None of the outside life for them, they come in through a doggie door, and sleep on the couch.  The couch is, as I barely recall a rich tomato red, but that is rarely visible, for I keep it covered in throws, quilts and old blankets.  Why I bother escapes me at the moment... It might make more sense to cover up the dog traces when people come, rather than hoping that I can uncover a pristine couch.

But this is a farm, with chickens, pigs, sheep, cattle, horses and a donkey in residence.  The horses and donkey are pets, just like the cats.  The rest are expected to produce... something... in exchange for the feed and care that keeps them alive.

While it is a hobby farm, surrounded by real farms and ranches, I had to learn a lot about raising livestock.  One of the most important discoveries here is that they are NOT like dogs.  I am fairly good with dogs.  I have raised them, trained them, gotten them to get along and adapt to new situations, and there are few dogs that intimidate me or defy me for long.  I still have things to learn, but knowing that keeps me searching for new techniques and evaluating my methods, and I think that is a good thing.
Now if you live far from the farm or ranch setting and see the place only while zipping by going 65 miles per hour, you don't get the full effect.

Keeping animals is work.
(Sure a labor of love, but you don't feel or smell so lovely most of the time.)

I feed morning and night, (which is the norm), and milk then as well.  I milk by hand, which is a fading art.  I learned that from a book, mind you, so it is not something that is very difficult, as long as you have a cow that is well mannered about the procedure, but it is something that for 10 months of the year must be done at 12 hour intervals, come sleet, heat, flies, or cramps.
Even the best cow has an off day, and I tend to have more of them.  Even the nicest cow lies in her own manure and requires that you wash the udder off, which results in a lot of waste and laundry.
Let me tell you a little about milking a cow:
First, why?
There is nothing like the taste of real fresh warm milk to make me smile.  Just smelling it puts me in a happy mood.  Then there is the butter, cream (whipped or ice or cheese), and the cheese, and of course when you are milking, there is a calf.
They are cute, those little bull or heifer calves.
Especially when they are Jersey calves, and since I have a registered Jersey cow, they are especially cute.  They are also tasty, later on.

If you have not quite put the whole calf-milk thing together, don't feel bad.  I don't know how many people think that cows give milk so we have milk to drink.  It simply doesn't occur to them that lactation follows gestation, and before the milk flows, you have a calf born.  The first two days or so the cow has a huge udder, and produces colostrum, and rather little of it, compared to the capacity of the udder, but then it changes over to milk, and rivers of it.
Buckets full.

My cow Ruby is a well bred production cow.  One quarter of her udder is 'dry', due to scar tissue after bad mastitis.  That happened at the dairy she was working at before I had time to bring her onto our place, but it could have happened here as well.  Mastitis can be caused by many bacteria, and can be mild or severe, just depending on circumstances.  Although she works on only three quarters, Ruby produced up to 6 gallons of milk a day, and to prevent another mastitis infection, that milk must be removed completely at least twice a day.  That is a lot of squeezing teats.
You either develop a firm grip quickly, or go the mechanical route.

We actually have a milker, along with the vacuum pump to run it.  But the thing is heavy, even when empty I can barely carry it up and down the stairs, and it requires a thorough cleaning twice a day, which means lugging it from the barn to the house, and that is simply too much work.  So I milk into stainless steel buckets, which are easier to carry, disinfect and handle.

Milking starts with a cleaning step, and disinfecting the teats in a special solution that looks like betadine, and is called teat dip, or specifically pre-dip, since it is used before milking.  After letting the stuff work for a bit the teats are wiped off, and dried.  Then a few squirts from each quarter are put into a cup, examined (visually and by smell) and discarded.  This is called stripping.  By removing the milk that is already in the teat, bacteria are flushed out, and possibly contaminated milk is removed.  Often the cats get the stripped milk, they eat mice full of bacteria, so they don't complain.  Now the cow is ready to milk.  To keep her standing still, I feed her her grain ration during the milking.  It has to be timed, I give her a third of the grain at a time, so she doesn't finish eating before I am done milking.  She gets restless, and trying to milk a cow that is rummaging around is nearly impossible.

Ruby is very calm and has not stepped into the bucket or kicked (which is good considering where my head is and the fact that cows kick forward as well as backward with precision and force).
I milk into a smaller bucket (about 1.5 gallon capacity), and dump that milk into the larger bucket that is left out of the way and covered.  That way, should we have an accident (which can be a kicked over bucket or a chunk of manure ending up in the bucket, or flies, or you name it) I should still have some useable milk.
The first milk about 3/4 of a gallon is for the calf, Ozzy.  He is a big bull calf that needs to be dehorned and castrated, and I really need to get to it.  I can't dehorn (don't have the tools, practice), so I wait with the castrating and vaccinating as well, until help arrives.  Ozzy drinks out of the bucket now, but he started out with a huge calf bottle, and it is usually Harold's job to feed the calf.

When it becomes difficult to get a squirt of milk out anymore, another stripping step (this time to remove all the milk) is done.  The milk contains more water initially, and more fat at the end, so a calf is first re-hydrated, then gets a nice calorie rich dessert to keep it full until the next nursing time, that is how nature planned it.  So I want the last milk, it has more cream.
Then the teats are dipped into post-dip.  This is ticker stuff, coats the teats and seals the milk canal.
Now we are all done but the clean up.

Ruby gets returned to her pen.  She usually drinks water right away.  I often brush her and pet her for a bit.  The brushing is not simply because I like her, although I do.  A clean cow is much easier to milk.
Her pen is mucked out, and fresh straw is spread.  I climb into the hayloft and throw down some hay for Ruby, then I give some grain to the calf.
The milking area is hosed down (not fun in the winter).  The feed bucket is refilled.
The milk gets carried through the gauntlet of dogs to the house where it is filtered and chilled.  The stripped milk is given to the various waiting cats and dogs, which is how we can escape them.
The buckets/strip cup/calf bottles are scrubbed, cold rinsed, hot rinsed and disinfected.  The teat wipes go into the bleach-sanitary cycle (almost boiling water) laundry.  The buckets etc are returned to the cupboard in the barn and stored upside down.
Milking itself doesn't take all that long, but all the prep and cleanup make it a 20 to 30 minute job, for two people.  It takes me about 40 minutes by myself, since the calf is not fed until after I have all the milking done, and the pens are cleaned up not while but after the buckets were washed, and so forth.  Milk letdown is for only 10 to 15 minutes, so all the milking has to be done in that time, or else you have a very uncomfortable cow at risk for mastitis.
A cow is milked for 10 months of the year.  The last two months before she calves you 'dry her up'.  You gradually reduce milking, then stop.  You have to be careful and watch for indication of infection.  The drying up allows the energy and calcium stores that used to go into the milk to go toward the calf that is growing in the cow.  This insures a healthy well grown calf.
Cows estrus cycle is 21 days, and their gestation is nine months, very similar to humans.  I can use my 'due date' calendar for woman or cow, but it tends to insult the former when I do that.

After the milking, I feed and water the sheep and pigs, who also live in the same barn, and then we (dogs and I) trot out the quarter mile to the horses.  The chicken coop is on the way.  Feed and water them and back to the house, because the dogs now want their food.  While they eat I clean the eggs and put them away.  Then I have my coffee in the morning or dinner at night.  In the morning there is another trek out to the horses to put them to the hay feeder or the pasture they are to spend their day on.  I have to feed one horse and donkey separate from the other two, since two are young and fat and donkey and Chigger are very very old and can't keep weight on.  Although lately donkey is fat and my old horse is getting thinner...

All this is not work, but fun when the skies are dry, the sun is up, the wind is still.
But come fall or winter or spring, well there are days when I get snow or ice blown into my ears, can't see a thing because my eyes froze shut, slug through ankle deep mud and mire and usually hurt my pride during a slip and fall.  Or I get knocked down by a horse, or stepped on by donkey or a cow, or butted by a sheep.  Or the pigs need their trough cleaned, and they knock me over.  There are times when I curse an awful lot.  Good gloves, coat, boots are a necessity, and yet not terribly conducive to movement and agility.

Ozzy - this year's calf, just 'landed'.  He is still wet, thus dark.  Proud mama is rapidly licking him dry, but she is already haltered up, since I do not allow the calf to nurse, when I can prevent it.  I prefer to bottle feed from the very start, it prevents mastitis, and lets me know just how much the calf ate.  Ruby is a very good mama, and often sings to her calf.

Glimpses of Decibel’s puppyhood: August continued.

The pretty Decibel

Decibel went on another outing, this time it was just me and her, but she did fine, so it wasn't my driving after all.  After having a buddy along, and going with Harold and me, she went without puking, and we even got stuck in traffic (in Kansas, are you kidding me?  It was construction, and we had to wait for the 'pilot car').  She did fart urgently but before we got into town, so I stopped at a park and walked her there.  It is a motorcross/ATV place, and usually deserted, but this time there was a family there getting ready to ride, and Decibel had to visit with them before going to the bathroom, but at least we were at a new place and met strangers, so all was well.  

Then we went to campus and Decibel seemed to remember the place, and I let her 'find Daddy'.  The Plant Sciences building is four floors of identical blandness, but once near Harold's office and seeing his door open, I let the girl 'track' and she went straight to him and climbed on his lap.  Well, she was sooo happy, I didn't correct her.  Harold can take care of himself.

Good thing nobody else was in his office.

Then we went upstairs to meet all the secretaries.  This time the office manager/department chair's head honcho Anita was there.  Anita helped me with Barley's socialization, and she has a soft spot for Decibel (she calls her Jezebel).  This woman is a bit of a germophobe, but when Decibel visits, there she is rolling around the floor with the dog, and doesn't mind kisses or giving belly rubs.  At no point did her hand itch toward the can of Lysol.  Seriously, I once pretended to cough, and Anita just about sprayed me into the ground; getting maced can't be much worse.  But with Decibel... well dogs are good for you.  

Decibel did settle down and snooze on the floor.  There was a steady parade of admirers, and 'she's so pretty' was the chant.  I am not exaggerating.  Everyone agrees.  The thing is of course, she is so pretty.  I mean, they are right.

She let Anita handle her paws and feel her dewclaws.  I was glad that people are fascinated by those big paws, because it is good for Decibel to have people touch them and examine them.  (Earlier that day I managed to trim them without a straightjacket on Decibel, so we are getting really good at such grooming standards.)

Decibel gave kisses, did not jump on anyone, and was a pleasure to show off.  We went back downstairs, found Daddy again, then I visited with a former colleague, Dehlia, who is in dog classes with us, (she handles two Heelers, who put our gang to shame, they are so good), and she is also the person who teaches Sweetpea the horse and me how to get along together.  We had a bit of horse talk, because I had a good ride on Sweetpea, and Decibel just stretched out and slept for a bit.  You could not ask for a better dog.  

Going home we were stuck again in traffic, but I think Decibel knew we were headed back home, so she didn't even drool.  

In class we are still seeing glimpses of Decibel as a teenager.  I will have to think about scheduling her spay, as well as the operation to stabilize her stomach and prevent torsion.  Our vet recommends it and has done so on other large breed dogs with bloat trouble.  It freaks me out to think about these things, even though I trust Dr. Ann, and know they are for the best.  Also during that time I want her micro-chipped, as Decibel is a bit 'sensitive' when it comes to handling shots.  I will let you know when it gets closer.  I want to have her registration and your contact information on the ready by then, to make sure that the girl will never be 'lost'.  

What do you think is the best time to do a spay?  Any words of advice or wisdom?  

Keeping her quiet and letting her heal up will be a challenge.  She is so extremely active, agile and busy when she is out there.  Naturally, she sleeps in between to keep her energy at peak levels when we do chores or go swimming.  She is something to see when she runs at full tilt.  You can see how useful that tail is for balance.  Mostly she prefers to travel in that nice trot, except when she has to chase Skeeter or run after Maggie or mimic Ralph.   

Well, that is all from Kansas.  Decibel is getting hungry now.  We are working on 'speak' since she likes to bark to make me hurry up during that time.  Might as well use it.

Love,

She’s so pretty

Thank you for the information.  I will talk to our vet (Dr. Ann just had a human baby, but since this is no emergency, it can wait until she is back in business) about the proper time to spay. 

About Decibel's vaccination issues:  DO NOT WORRY

The girl cried!  

I mean she acted like the needle really, really hurt, each time, each visit.  Honestly it was just being wimpy.

She didn't like Dr. Ann anymore.  (Not normal for Decibel.  She really loves people, and has no bias.  And Dr Ann gave her treats and it was still a subdued Decibel.  You know that she loves food.  That has not changed).

It wasn't just a little yodel or yelp.  It wasn't just once.  I know that every vet can have a 'heavy hand' once in a while with the needle, but none of my other dogs have ever reacted to any injections, so I believe that Dr. Ann is rather good at her craft.  Even the chipping did not bother our other dogs.  Dr. Ann does not put them on the table, unless necessary.  She plays with them.  She gave Decibel the shots with me holding her and we were playing on the floor.  I have worked for and assisted a number of vets before and can hold a dog without getting them scared or wiggles so the vet can pick their spot.  Dr. Ann is quick.

When Ann comes for their annual vaccines, our dogs all line up to get their shots, as if she were handing out cookies.  When Barley got his knees injected with steroids at her office and marched in joyfully each time to get jabbed with six shots, of which the sedative kept him off kilter for three days.  It did hurt him one time, but he never made a fuss and we continued without him acting fearful or anything.  I had a previous vet say that Barley had rather 'thin' skin, and bruised easily and such, which seemed true, but he never felt that the vet (any of them) was a bad experience for him.

Otherwise Decibel was completely fine.  She slept it off once home, but not unusually long; she always is tired after a trip in the car - so are they all.  She had no reaction at the injection site, and no other adverse effects.  No sensitivity, no pain when petted, no swelling; right as rain and back to roughhousing with Skeeter as soon as she could.

But as you might have gathered, Dr. Ann is our friend, neighbor, as well as our vet.  She takes care of our critters when the need arises and is our dog sitter as well.  She likes our dogs to like her.  Since the microchip needle is such a large gauge, she suggested we wait until Decibel is out under anesthesia before jabbing her with that.  Since the chip is not medical necessity but rather peace of mind for us, it was easy to agree to that.

When combing Decibel she does not seem unusually sensitive, and I have not noticed any problems with her such as bruises or the like.  She plays rough with Skeeter, and has no complaints.  When she gets grouched at by any one else, she will pull the same thing, bawl, and come to me for support.  She has never been physically hurt by the dogs in the sense that skin was scraped, much less punctured.  Even Ralph, who wasn't thrilled with her, has never done more than scare her.  

(We are working on this with him, and he is getting much better.  His stupid humans had to remember about the pack they were building, and that Ralph needs his position in the hierarchy acknowledged.  Now we make less fuss over Decibel - after all the 'baby' is almost his size now - and make sure that we don't undermine him.  Ralph seems very intent on keeping his position.  Decibel is very submissive, but then she does push the 'I am the submissive pup' until it annoys the other dogs.  Maggie deals with her rather quickly, and Decibel does no longer bawl or anything, but I think it is because we trust Maggie to do the right thing, that we stayed out of it and we have always been a bit less sure of Ralph, who we adopted as a two-year old.  

Now I have to admit that this was wrong.  Ralph might never be comfortable with random other dogs, but he is a decent dog in our group.  He only told Decibel that he was above her when he grouched.  It looked unprovoked to us, because we were not really watching.  (Sometimes I feel like this is 'Wild Kingdom' at our house.  I need slow motion and instant replay...) I let him have his status, and he must (MUST) obey my NO FIGHT NO BITE rule, along with all our other rules.  He has never challenged a human about that.)  

Here I have to admit we had to sharpen up a bit.  

With good dogs, well, it is easy to get sloppy, and let them shove their way out of the door ahead of you and such.  But we got a handle on that again, mostly because Decibel is becoming an adolescent, and we know we will have our hands full.  Anything she knows now, she will challenge, that is predictable.  The better our other dogs are, the better she will turn out.  It is just awful hard not to spoil the girl.  She is so very pretty, can be sweet, clever, CUTE, absolutely adorable.  

Well, this was a boring email, so let me sweeten it a bit:

Office dog.

Decibel and Ralph, almost bookends 

You show me yours, I'll show you mine!  Her new teeth are coming in!

                                                                      

Intermission, a word about Ralph

Ralph is our other Briard, although legally I guess he is a mutt, since he is not registered with a kennel club, and has no proper pedigree.  We got Ralph when his family could no longer keep him, because of changes in their job situation.  Because he was presented as a not yet 2 year old Briard, who gets along with cats and kids, and allows them to dress him up, we asked to become his new owners.  His home was in Canada, so believe me, it took some doing to get an international adoption to work.
 
Ralph could not fly anywhere close to us, since his kennel was simply enormous, and could only fit in planes that landed in a major international airport, with the customs available 24 hours, and believe me, the nearest airport to us is Kansas City, and it closes at night.  So Ralph flew to Chicago, and Harold drove there to pick him up.  Ten hours one way.  I was expecting another visitor at the same time, so I could not go with him, besides, there are all the other critters to take care of.

I wish I could say that Ralph settled in right away, but he was not at ease with our other dogs.  He would do this preemptive nipping at them, and it was always unprovoked.  If they reacted, he would scream and whimper as if he was viciously attacked, when he had caused the whole thing.  It was only once I realized that he was truly afraid during that performance that we began to get a handle on it.  A friend of mine said to send him to a time out.  That worked like a charm.  Ralph would go into his crate, and he was safe, the other dogs were able to settle down, and all was well.  He would have to stay in there for 5 or 10 minutes, depending on the severity of his misdeed.
Ralph always loved his crate, so he did not dislike being in there, but he would ask to be let out ONLY when he was in there as punishment.  If I forgot to open the crate right after feeding him, for example, he would not make a sound, just patiently wait.  But if it was a 'time out', well then he would make this high pitched woof, asking to get out.
We took him to obedience classes, and the good news was that the instructor did not rate him as dog aggressive.  He learned fast, and is a very obedient dog in class.  It spilled over, as it does into his 'private' life.
Ralph learned to get along on the farm, stick around, when we did chores and had him off leash, and became a decent enough dog.  Still, he seemed 'bottled up'.  He hardly ever played.  He wanted to play, but seemed afraid of it at the same time.  So we let him play a very controlled game, of tug and bite into a bite sleeve.
Let me stress that control was the main theme.  He only grabbed the sleeve after the command was given, otherwise no play.  He had to release immediately on the command.  He had to wait in a sit or down, before he could grab the sleeve, no anticipation, no early moves.
Ralph loved it!
He loved the order and rules and regulation of the game, and he loved the tugging and roughhousing, and releasing on cue.  He still loves playing the game.  He can now wait and let another dog play, and come when called, play, then release and wait again for his turn.

It was not until early this year that we realized that Ralph had grown up in a puppy mill.  He had spent his first seven months in a barn with up to 300 other dogs, (20 to 30 different breeds), and for a Briard who was not properly socialized, he is really a very good dog.

When Decibel came, Ralph was rather against the pup.  She was submissive, tiny, and a female, and still he saw her as a threat or an annoyance, at best.  But Decibel never doubted that Ralph loves her.
Every morning she would smooch him in spite of his growl, in spite of his raised lip.  She risked the occasional nip or two from him.  She would cry and need a hug, although to be just to Ralph, he is all growl and very little actual bite.  He grabs hair, occasionally.  Never more.  He never bites, nips, or threatens to do so with people, and has good bite inhibition, even when hurt.

Well, the reason for the intermission is that this very morning Ralph and Decibel were playing tug of war with a toy.  Ralph let go.  His tail kept wagging.  He was playing!  With a dog almost his size now.
He was relaxed and happy.  He still growls at Decibel now and then, but she always surrenders.  I think he is beginning to like her!
I could cry, because he is now finally being the dog he could be.  He has been with us 3 plus years, he is almost five and a half years old.  It just goes to show, you don't give up on a dog.  Love finds a way.

Ralph on his second birthday, just a few weeks after arriving at our place:

Bed dogs, with Ralph gradually fitting in:

Ralph with Decibel:

 Ralph's coat has been allowed to grow, he came clipped, so that is the same dog...


Decibel smooching him, until he loves her back:

Glimpses of Decibel’s puppyhood: August.

Decibel the great

Today Decibel came to town with us, and not only did the girl ride in the car without puking, but she was a remarkably wonderful dog.

We first went by work (on campus), and visited the secretaries, and then Harold's lab.  This meant walking up and down stairs, riding the elevator, and going down hallways and such, and she did it all without balking.

One of his students was leaving the lab, so we all went for ice cream.  K-State has a dairy herd, and its own ice cream store.  There are tables and seats outside, where I waited with Decibel.  She snacked on a few cicadas while we waited.

She did get to lick some of my ice cream.  (Lick not bite... I suppose it isn't the best for dogs, but a few licks won't ruin her either).

Then a swarm of little kids descended upon us.  They were all very polite and each asked to pet Decibel, and Decibel I am proud to report was phenomenal with those mini-humans.  She licked a few hands, but otherwise held still and let the kids pet and hug her.  I am very proud of her, because personally children are not on my list of favorite things, but dogs need to be able to get along with them, and not be biased by my opinions.

Decibel was very good walking on the leash, greeting people, and lying down when we were chatting or busy, and waiting for us to do something again.  After a water break, it was back in the car and ride to another place.  We went to Home Depot, but no pets allowed there, dumb store, so we waited outside, where Decibel drew a small crowd of admirers, while Harold bought the lawnmower belt he needed.  Load up again, another drive, then Harold dropped us off at Petco, and Decibel met two new dogs and scores of new people, and after that we finally went back home.  Decibel not only loaded up in the car very well, but she walked without pulling on the leash, although I only kept her in a heel when we were at the register at Petco, otherwise she only needed to walk at a reasonable pace with me.  She was really checking things out and acting far more comfortable with everything.

And best of all, no puking!

She was glad to be back home of course, and is sleeping now in the kitchen, on the cool tiles.

I was really happy with how much more confident she acted, and taking her 'brother' along to the fair yesterday seemed to actually help her, even today.

That's all the excitement from here,

Julie and the very beautiful (independent opinion's of total strangers can't be wrong in this case) Decibel

Decibel once more

well the days have gotten hotter (which is fine by me) and now the nights are that way too, which even I don't find necessary, so unless we are swimming, we stay in the AC.  Decibel now gets to come upstairs with me and run around on her own while I shower or put laundry away.  While I am there she won't do anything uncouth on the carpet, other than try and drill Skeeter into it.  Those two have too much energy and play all the time.

Decibel loves to run upstairs and jump on the bed, scratch the blankets into a pile and flop on top of them.  At night she pretends to be sleeping, so maybe we won't put her in the box?  Well, no, she still goes in her crate, but I guess we know where that girl will sleep when she is all grown up.  She doesn't seem to mind going in the crate, just getting up and off the bed that is soooo much work.

Some mornings we do an early pee run, and go back to bed, and wait for the sun to get up.  Then she is allowed to hang out with us, and snuggle (we don't actually get to sleep again, because all dogs want their loving then), and she is very good about it then.

Decibel loves to visit me in the shower (it is a walk in shower, with glass block, no curtain, so she really can't do any harm).  She finds water spray entertaining, and soapy people amusing.  I make sure she gets to check out closets and rarely used rooms, bit by bit.

It is so amazing to us how different Decibel is from Barley at that age.  Decibel is nimble, energetic, agile, and while not the most courageous, her curiosity gets the better of her.  Barley was so busy growing, he rarely was away from me (teaching him 'come' was entirely unnecessary) and when we went into a 'new' room, he would get these huge eyes, and check it out only after I encouraged him, very carefully, like, wow, where did THAT come from?  But he would not be curious about it and want to go back.  His brain was full, and he didn't need more information.  Decibel, she sees if she can go back to that new place, and check it out without mom watching her every move.  There is probably something cool in there...

Physically she moves a lot smoother and faster and enjoys racing at top speed... obviously she is not at my side then, because I don't move that fast.  She loves getting speed up and crashing into tall weeds or grass just to do it.

And you have heard lots about her swimming... Barley had to learn it twice... we had little water in the pond the year he came, so he didn't get to swim a whole lot his first year, and had to learn again the next wet season.  He loved to swim, though, and would go in the pond and swim laps in the middle, as if he had a preset number to do.  Decibel just splashes and paddles and wants to get to me or Harold so we have the privilege of holding her, and then races to shake on the clothes piles.  Her actual time swimming is very short.

She also challenges rules a lot more than Barley.  Not in a mean or determined way, but she just wants to know if it is the same today as it was yesterday, that kind of thing, like trying to de-fringe the rug.  It is as if she hopes there is one day of the week where that is allowed.  Barley, one no, and he was done trying that, and hoped his mom would still love him.

And she is far more independent.  She sleeps in the kitchen, even when the whole family is in the living room watching tv.  Barley either touched me or was close enough so I would only have to move a hand, just in case I needed to touch him.  Filling a stock tank, there was always that weight at the back of my legs, Barley leaning, in case I needed to pet a dog.  Decibel is in front, trying to bite the spray of the hose.  Or the hose.  Or hunts for poop.  Or something.

When Barley got scolded from our old bitch Sassy, he didn't go back.  Decibel gets grumped at by Ralph daily and learns exactly nothing.  She runs for cover, gets a hug from her human, and then goes right back and jumps on Ralph like he is her long lost brother.  Let's play!

But then she does do a lot of things I decided must be Briard customs:

She loves to walk behind people and goose them (sticks her nose right between the cheeks, if possible), she does the demand barking when we are too 'slow' getting her food ready, she puts one paw on her human's foot when she is not so sure about what is going on or waiting for the forward/heel command or just wants to be sure she is not missing something like you might get up and go to the kitchen, she uses her front paws like hands, and loves to very precisely poke a human's or dog's nose with them, she feels that when people come near her in prone position it is time for a belly rub, and she seems to be able to tell when I need her to listen, like working around the horses or cattle, she tends to be better than in class and that's without hotdogs.

Voiced disappointment is her harshest punishment.  I don't think we had to even do a neck shake, and certainly no severe physical correction (except the time in class when she didn't want to down, I did have to push her then and remind her by a quick tug on the collar that this wasn't up to her).

And scolding they take to heart.  Decibel and Barley both ran outside after peeing in the house and getting caught (we make a lot of noise and then it is 'outside', through the doggie door) and then they stayed out there, until I felt bad and had to go and get them.  I had to go and get them to come and pet them, because they seemed to think that they were in such big trouble that nobody loved them and they couldn't come back.  Ever.  In both cases that was the last time they messed in the house.

And she would probably stay home and never vary a routine, if she could.

Oh, she eats slowly now, which always cracked me up with Barley and Ralph, those two eat/ate like each kibble must be chewed.  And tasting new things, it is the same, they actually taste it!  (My other dogs swallow first, then decide whether they want seconds to find out what that was).

I can't tell you how happy Decibel makes both of us.  Instead of missing Barley, we delight in her new experiences, and we are way too busy to mope and be sad.  We get to remember our dog when he was a pup, not just the old guy he had become, and that helps so much.  
And Decibel is an experience all to itself.  She already has a fanclub.  Our hairdresser gets mad when we don't bring the girl, our neighbors' kids ask about her, and flock to her wherever she is, and at work she has plenty of people that we can't skip during a visit.  Now that I no longer work there, they have no reason to 'humor' me... they like Decibel!

There aren't words to thank you for her.