Flirt Fails Sheep

Border collies are an energetic, highly intelligent breed, and our new dog, Flirt, is no exception.  We are fortunate to have a big yard and conservation land directly behind our house with miles of trails, so Flirt gets plenty of walking time.  Wanting to find something else to occupy our little border collie, we decided to look into herding. 

Two weekends ago, we loaded Flirt into the car and drove to Magic’s Legacy, a farm on the Wisconsin border, where Shannon Wolfe teaches people and their dogs about herding.  Shannon was offering a weekend of herding instinct tests so people could find out if their dogs had any affinity for this canine sport. 

Flirt was one of 15 dogs in the Sunday afternoon session, which began with a demo in which two very talented border collies (and their handlers) effortlessly maneuvered a large flock of sheep around a pasture.  Responding to one word commands and whistles, the dogs proceeded to gather the flock, move them around obstacles, and even split the flock into two groups.  It was amazing to see the connection the handlers had with their dogs.

Then the instinct tests began.  One by one, Shannon took the dogs into a pen with three sheep.  She would begin by walking the dog on leash around the pen, making him aware of the presence of these strange, fluffy critters.  After the dog began to notice the sheep, she would encourage him to follow the sheep.  If the dog’s interest was aroused, she would drop the leash and let the dog engage in a controlled chase.  As Shannon explains it, you cannot instill the herding instinct into a dog.  The dog either has an instinct or does not, and if he does, you can then help develop that natural ability. 

The first three dogs to be tested were German shepherds.  The responses varied, but all three reacted to the sheep and eventually ended up in the controlled chase.  “I bet all the dogs here will show some instinct,” I commented to Steve.  “It just seems natural that any dog would want to chase the sheep.”  Flirt was the fourth dog, and would be the first one to prove my uneducated theory to be way off base.

Once Flirt was in the pen with Shannon, all she did was scan the crowd, looking for us.  When Shannon saw this, she asked me to join her in the pen to help make Flirt feel more comfortable.  Flirt thought this was great but still showed no interest in the sheep.  Then Shannon called for a “sheep party”, in which I was required to chase the sheep around, whooping and hollering, trying to show Flirt how much fun she was missing by not chasing sheep.  I succeeded in getting Flirt excited, but the only thing she wanted to chase was me – no sheep.  Shannon finally put an end to my embarrassment and determined that we were the proud owners of a border collie with no herding instincts. 

Despite our lack of success, we really enjoyed the afternoon.  It was such fun to see how the various dogs reacted to the sheep.  And no, Flirt was not the only one to fail the instinct test that day.  But that’s OK, we’ve already got her enrolled in an agility class.  No sheep involved there.

There’s a New Kid in Town

After we lost our sweet little Tootsie Roll last year, there was a lot of discussion concerning a new dog.  We wanted to bring another dog into our home and thought it would be good for Sosa to have canine companionship.  However, Sosa doesn’t like all canines, so we knew it would have to be the “right dog”.

We quickly ruled out dogs with pushed-in noses because Sosa doesn’t like them.  We learned this when we had him in agility.  The owners of our training facility bred boxers and occasionally would bring them to our classes.  We can’t remember anything bad happening between Sosa and these dogs, but he just decided he didn’t like them.  We next saw this when a cute little pug puppy came to stay at our house while his family was on vacation.  He spent one week in our home, and Sosa never did warm up to him.  I know it’s probably not politically correct, but he just doesn’t like those pushed-in noses.

We next ruled out a puppy.  Sosa doesn’t mind an active dog but doesn’t like it when they want to play with him or get too much in his face.  We knew a puppy would just drive him crazy.

Male vs. female didn’t seem to matter.  For all his bluster, Sosa is pretty submissive, and definitely a momma’s boy.  His canine pals have been of both sexes.  He did, however, get along quite well with our Tootsie and Valentine, so females were somewhat preferred over males.

Then, we got the call.  A tech in our vet’s office had just started fostering a nice, 5-6 year old, female border collie.  The rescue group had just gotten her two days before from Chicago Animal Control, and no one knew anything about her history.  It was suspected that she had been used for breeding.  After Steve and I met her, we took the critical step of bringing Sosa to the vet’s office to meet her.  They sniffed each other out a bit, tails wagging, and then kind of ignored each other – a good sign.  After getting her spayed, we brought her home and named her “Flirt”, because she was one.  Flirt is adapting very well to her new home and seems to feel more comfortable every day.  She and Sosa have occasional altercations, but they are minor, and everyone seems to be getting along just fine.  We are having a lot of fun with Flirt, and I hope that Sosa someday see the wisdom of our decision.

Zoe

One of the very best things about pet sitting is that we get to interact with so many wonderful pets.  We see some of our clients on a daily basis as we give them their midday breaks.  Others we may only take care of a few times a year when their families go on vacation.  We come to know and love each and every one of them as if they were members of our extended families.  Kind of like our furry little nieces and nephews.

One of the very worst things about pet sitting is that we occasionally lose one of our client pets.  We recently lost one of our favorites.  Zoe, a black lab, came into our lives just over a year ago because she was no longer able to make it all day without an accident while her pet parents were at work.  In addition to daily dog walks, Zoe was also a guest in our home a few times when her family went out of town.  We lovingly walked her, administered her meds and supplements, and even patiently waited by her side for her to recover from an occasional small seizure.  It was our pleasure to do what we could to make life better for her. 

                          

Zoe left our lives just short of her 16^th birthday.  A good long life for a big dog.  We miss her very much.

The New Old Dog

I haven’t updated this blog in quite some time.  Sadly, we lost our dear little Tootsie Roll at the ripe old age of 18 ½ years.  All I can say is that we were so fortunate that the “sweetest dog in the world” is the one that was able to stay with us the longest.  We miss her very much.

In thinking about whether or not to continue the Old Dog Blog, my initial thought was that I really didn’t have an old dog anymore, and who would I write about.  Then, I looked into the graying face of my 11 year old terrier mutt, Sosa, and realized that wasn’t quite true.  It was so hard to have lost two elderly canine family members over the last two years, and I was not ready to admit that Sosa is getting up there.  Actually, given Sosa’s size, he’s probably the equivalent of 60-62 of our human years.  But, using an analogy I like to use for myself, 11 is the new 8 in dog years.  I’m hoping that his small size and all the good care that he has received will translate to Sosa being with us for a very long time.

Trying to equate a dog’s age with a human’s age is not an exact science.  The old adage that one dog year is equal to seven human years is not accurate.  In fact, a number of factors determine how long a dog will live.

Size – Generally small dogs live an average of 1.5 times longer than large dogs.

Breed – As indicated above, small breed dogs generally have longer lifespans than large breed dogs.  However, even within the same weight category, some breeds tend to have longer lives than other breeds. 

Gender – Female dogs tend to live one or two years longer than males.

Neutering – As a rule, neutered dogs live longer than intact dogs, mainly due to a decrease in the risk of developing cancer of the sex organs.

Living Conditions – A healthy diet, plenty of exercise, comfortable home and good medical attention also serve to prolong a dog’s life.

Individual Characteristics – As with us, some dogs just have healthier constitutions than others.

Size being probably the biggest factor in determining how old a dog is in people years, the following table is often used to approximate that number for dogs in various size ranges.

A Dog's Age in Human Years
Age	Up to 20 lbs	21-50 lbs	51-90 lbs	Over 90 lbs
5	36	37	40	42
6	40	42	45	49
7	44	47	50	56
8	48	51	55	64
9	52	56	61	71
10	56	60	66	78
11	60	65	72	86
12	64	69	77	93
13	68	74	82	101
14	72	78	88	108
15	76	83	93	115
16	80	87	99	123
17	84	92	104	Purple numbers = Senior Red numbers = Geriatric
18	88	96	109
19	92	101	115
20	96	105	120
Chart developed by Dr. Fred L. Metzger, DVM, State College, PA. Courtesy of Pfizer Animal Health.