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[Niners]

Oh, I just love these stories! Agility was never 99's thing either. But you should have seen her herding cattle off the trail in Wyoming! She loved that. Cowboy never did agility other than a few times and he was good. But his agility is in the park where I can tell him to jump over the hedge or walk on the benches. We are quite entertaining. He also loves to herd the geese off the trail. He is a flyball dog---though we've never officially done it  just on our own. He would kill himself before he would quit playing ball. His bloodline is a working one, but my AKC girl (99) could move like magic around sheep and cattle. They all are so unique!

My daughter is a softball player, so my husband had taught the dogs how to run the bases. Cowboy can take grounders at shortstop too! (tennis balls of course) They are non stop fun.

You are so right about uniting with and listening to their own people. I think that's part of their breeding. I was told by one breeder that on the ranch, Aussies had to be able to watch the children as well as the herd. So the trust issue is huge. That's why I get so sad to think about owners who don't build on that. You can't really do too much when you don't trust one another. And the dogs sense that. I used to go into a panic every time the mailman came and Cowboy was outside. Cowboy could sense my fear and panic and it only made things worse. He looked like he wanted to eat the mailman! But when I began to trust him and work on that trust, I could calmly call him in. Don't get me wrong---he still wants to drive the mailman out of his yard, but he trusts me to trust him. Cowboy just looks back and gives him that face like "I don't want you here, but she says it ok."

Sore on his face is getting better. He's going to be one spoiled pup this Christmas!

ct

[jefndebbacon]

Wilson3 (Kristen) and Sadie123 - what great information about your dogs - thanks for sharing!  I think that our Terrra is a part herding dog breed, just not sure which breed.  She looks like a miniature Black Lab, but has all of the instincts to herd my horses and children and company! We love her very much!  She is a great frisbee chasing dog and also loves her tennis balls. She is intense on herding, chasing, retrieving.....   So nice to learn about your dog breed, whether it is our rescue, Terra's heritage or not,  Deb

[Sadie123]

Oh, the mailman CT.....Our mailboxes are at the end of the driveway so ours comes in a truck, not by foot.  Sadie got used to the sound of the mailtruck coming everyday.  We have a different guy that comes each day of the week to run the route.  But the Thursday guy is the one who leaves the treats.  Once he knew that a dog and a little boy lived here he started leaving dog bones and candy in our box each week.   If we are outside then Sadie would run  up to the mailbox and he would hand feed her a treat.  It's so funny though....If she was inside and heard the mailtruck pulling up to our house she would bark to remind him she's there - "woof woof this is the house where I'm at".  If we were outside she'd run to the house before ours, get a treat, run to our mailbox to get another one, and then run to the house past ours to get a third.  I always made her stop after that.  If she was inside, he'd leave it for her with the mail.  We saw him the last week I had Sadie and she got lots of treats when I told him she was sick.  The next 2 weeks he still left her a bone despite the fact there was no barking when he pulled up.  The third week there was none.  I think he figured it out.   I'm sure in the spring time we'll be outside and catch up with him again.  Probaby with a new pup by then. 

[Cosmo]

What a sweet mailman.  Nice story about Sadie.  It made me smile, and then frown about how empty your house must feel.
Jacci