Guardian Dog!

As soon as we started even talking about "livestock", we also talked about what we needed to do to keep them safe. A fence - Check. A barn  - CHECK (finally)! Ways to keep them warm or cool in the random crap weather we have - Check (ish) we've figured out the heat light issue for now and have plans for the cooling issues should we need them. We have our rifle and shot gun hand (ish - kid safety trumps animal safety) should we REALLY have something big come up and need it. The last thing we had thought of (and I'm sure I'm missing things, but ya know I do that) was a big ol dog to stay out there and just eat the crap out of anything that bothers the animals. Now, yes. We DO already have 2 big ol' dogs. But, seriously, have you MET them? They can't catch a freaking mole, nor do they bark at strangers (in fact one of them barks to get let out to be petted by them), and one tries to eat the birds. So, we found us a livestock dog.

The term "dog" is a little bit generous though. He's a smite bit undersized right now, to say the least. We found out - a bit late of course (is there any other way with us?) that he isn't as old as we thought or were told nor even fully weaned. The bastards were just bad people when it comes to that. I get so angry when people do that. They apparently were just *done* with puppies and got rid of them because they wanted to, not because it was actually best for the puppy. Both the big boys we have now were both thrown out like that though and turned out to be the most fantastic dogs we've ever had, so I'm not worried with it. It just pisses me off that people do that.

Anyhow, little guy is named Adams.

He's a Great Pyrenees. He stays out in the barn with the chickens and goats and ducks except when it gets too cold even with a heat light - because I'm a giant pansy. He's smaller, right now anyhow, than the Rhode Island Reds which is freaking hilarious. The long term goal is to teach him to round all the birds up at night and stay with them and keep them safe from the coyotes and snakes and stuff we've started to find. For now, we crate him in the barn at night and just keep him warm and are getting him used to that being "Home" and not chasing the birds.

The Puppy!

We've been working with the puppy quite a bit, you know.. Training them. Like you're supposed to. And we've discovered that our puppy (the 60 pound Great Pyrenees) is mostly deaf. Which is a relief that he's not being just THAT stubborn, but at the same time D'oh! He's actually taking to the slight variation in training (using more hand signals, trying to use a flashlight, guiding him with out hand, etc) fairly well. Mostly, he's just a good puppy with a lazy personality that likes hot dogs. We're gonna just roll with that for a while.

 Several people have suggested the great need to go to the vet and see exactly what he can or can't hear (well, he doesn't turn his head to his name or middle range sounds.. at all.. It's good enough for me.) and several have suggested it's *my* fault he's lazy and stubborn about coming when called. Which I would agree with IF he wouldn't come bounding when he could see me and when I did the hand motion for Come. But he does, which only supports the deaf and not the stubborn lazy. If he was a high energy, naughty, misbehaving dog - I might see these as potential issues. But he's not. He lopes. He lazes.

He loves to rest on the sofa too. The girl is holding on to him because otherwise he falls off like a limp, overcooked noodle.