Archive for December, 2006

Is it a shearing shed or a kindergarten?

We’ve been shearing in the lead up to Christmas. We had two shearers and eight children!

As school is out for summer, our friends and shearing team, DB and Lucy brought their four kids along to work.

It’s inspiring to see the whole family is passionate about shearing sheds and wool.  
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Sit! Stay!

Here’s Rousie learning to sit and stay. I usually use a longer rope to get a further distance away, but I think you’ll get the picture.
 
Loop the lead around a post. Sit the dog down. Reassure him.

Hold your hand out in front of him saying stay, back back slowly. If he gets up, and runs to you don’t go crook at him. Just give the lead a little tug and I say ‘Agght’ (like a warning growl).
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Ballet Barbie and natural instinct

I was wondering how I could best convey to you the basics of how dogs work using natural instinct. While packing up Rosie and Charlie’s toys I had a brain wave!
 
Enter Ballet Barbie, my trusty assistant (who is so attractive she can’t stand up.)
 
With all the foundation training she’s done Barbie has asserted herself as the Alpha Wolf — which is what we are doing with Rousie. I am higher in the pack than him.
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Stick for the lead puller

You can tell in an instant what the relationship between a dog and its owner is simply by looking at how each of them are connected with the lead.
 
I’ve seen people hauled along by their dogs, the rope wrapped several times around the owner’s fist, the dog straining so hard its eyes are popping out of its head.

The harder a dog pulls on a lead, the harder and more closed its mind is to training and to respecting its owner.
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Dogs with baggage

Taking on someone elses dog can be a challenge, but the end results, with time can be worth it.

This is Trevor. He’s my uncle’s dog. Recently my wonderful uncle had a sudden health scare — it meant he can no longer work 24 hours a day on the farm like he used to.

He’s kept his old dog, but Trevor — a two year old border collie has come to us for us to find a new home for him. John and I are frequently asked  to help re-locate dogs. It’s a very hard and frustrating task — luckily Trev has had a taste of suburban life so he will make a wonderful pet, but finding someone to take him is a challenge.
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Blow me down

You never know where life will lead you if you say yes to anything and everything!

I was asked to apply for the Rural Woman of the Year award and blow me down, if I didn’t win the Tasmanian section today!

Here’s me accepting my award. (Luckily I have clean hair as up until last night we were out of water until John re-jigged the pump!) I was up with five other finalists. Meeting the other women has been the best part of being involved in the RIRDC Rural Women’s Award.
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We have a situation!

Our family in Victoria are having a stressful time of it.

Fires are headed towards property at Castleburn and Dargo.

The schools have been closed for the week and it’s a nervous time of waiting.

Down on the flats at Stratford my father-in-law, Doug and the family have evacuated stock from the place, including all the mares and our stallion Akbar.
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Life imitates art!

What a day! I had just finished the final major edit on my novel, The Rouseabout, and shoved it in an express bag to send to my publisher.

You would think a writer would crack a bottle of champagne at this point — but with the farm and the kids, I never seem to give myself permission to rest on any laurels.
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Choosing the right company for your dog

This is Indi, our Jack Russell terrier. She’s called Indi because she come “indi” house and rides ‘indi’ car. She’s great with the children, but a pain in the arse when it comes to training pups!

In the past week, Indi has raised a very good training point that I want to share with you …
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Make training a game!

As humans we get so serious about things we are trying to acheive! That’s why it’s important when training dogs to make it fun!

I want Rousie to learn to hop up on anything I ask him to. Whether it’s a bike, a sheep, a horse, a ute, a log or a bar stool.
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