Getting the mail.

Siera has never been a mule that was willing to leave home very well, especially first thing in the spring.  And especially solo.  Usually towards the end of summer she has decided that it is okay.

So I've been taking her on walks to do such mundane things as to pick up the mail on the ridge.
It involves her least favorite walk.
Up the driveway and away from her buddies.

I used to have to wait for her after she locked her legs.  I could force her but I want her to cooperate as her own idea.
You can force a mule, but it doesn't always seem the best way of training.
Siera is very 'sensitive' whereas Badger was not.

Up we started, Siera was doing the perfect job of 'heeling' me on the leadline. Her head was dropped and she plopped along as if there was not a care in the world.

That is until Fred and a couple of the mares whinnied.

Then she stopped and looked around as if coming out of her zone.

I let her stand and take a quick look, then asked her with a jiggle of the leadline to please pay attention to me.

I took a step forward.  She stepped a bit sideways.  I said quietly, but firmly, "Siera, walk."

She did.  When we walked passed the entrance to the woods trail, she looked over and stepped slightly in that direction.

Routine can sometimes be the best and worst training method for a mule.  But I think if I establish a 'routine' about leaving home with me while not saddled, it will become a non-issue when she is saddled.

We walked up the steep hill and every once in a while she stopped.  I let her take a look around and then simply said, "Siera, walk."  
And she did.

We got to the mailbox and I gabbed the 'junk' mail out.  Siera looked past me to the corn field and the gravel road which goes east to a secluded farm and to the south which leads to the ridge.
When riding we go both ways.  

I walked her passed the mailboxes and down the road a bit.  She walked like a big obedient dog.

I needed to return home but would have liked a longer walk with her since she was being so incredible.

But home it was...half way down our steep driveway Siera stopped and looked around.
I let her because it seemed she was in no hurry to join her friends.

Suddenly her eyes widened and she leaped sideways.  The lead rope never tightened in my hands.  I consider that a good 'spook'.  I looked over my shoulder to find the mule monster.  
Really, I expected to find one?

Then Siera did something very funny.

She dropped her head and stepped around to face me.  I don't normally put human emotions with animals, but it was almost as if she was apologizing.

She then lifted her head and stared off towards home.

She made no move forward until I asked her to.  And the rest of our walk was about as exciting as watching paint dry.

I let her read the junk mail when we got home, but she was more interested in trying to find a bit of grass.

I would have loved to walk with her in the woods, but the north hillsides are mud/ice, the south hillsides are slimy slippery mud, and level land is saturated.

So for now we are sticking to the roads.  I hope to take her on a longer walk next time.  Maybe I'll toss a saddle on so she can give me a lift on the way back!

Good girl Siera.
I am proud of you.

Hello Spring!

These shots were taken just a few days ago.  With the onset of warm temperatures lately, the snow is just about gone except in those areas where the sun rarely shines.

In the far eastern part of the valley is a dry run that had blue ice earlier this year, I got back to it a couple of days ago.

The sun's angle has changed and the ice is beginning to melt here.  However, most of the valley was without snow.
Everything was brown.

Although I still can find places I feel are beautiful.  I love this tree which stands over the 'hard' turn of the creek.

The sudden thaw always creates a few issues regarding gravel roads and even some more issues with gravel/dirt driveways.
Here is a shot of my neighbor's driveway.
He uses this sign each year and props it up with a kid's plastic picnic table.

The Grammar Cop in me wants to take a red marker and correct the word "Muddey".
However it makes the sign a bit more fun.
Especially the Call Me part which can't be seen unless you get out and pick up the sign!

Lastly, I created a separate blog for the house remodel.

This spring after the road bans have lifted, our cottage or Little House is getting a huge facelift.

I'm going to make it a photo project and update things that we do and the contractor does.  
It isn't going to be a how to do it yourself blog...no way!  I would not attempt to put on new roofing, drill through concrete to put in plumbing, nor try to excavate...

Anyway, I may refer to updates once in a while here so anyone who wants to follow it can.

The Little House Remodel 

It promises to be a great and crazy journey.

Photo Bomber!

Morris normally doesn't get in the way of the camera, but I guess yesterday was different.

He picked a nice spot to sit down just as the 1/5 timed exposure went off.

Since he was so insistent that I take his photo, I ended up doing just that.

Doesn't he look as though he is in charge?

He loves the spring rituals such as the snow melt and run off as well as I do.

We had hours to explore and take photos, not to mention wading and jumping the creek waters.

Taking a walk with Siera

I meant to take a walk with Princess yesterday but Siera gave me started to knicker at me when I came out of the shed with a halter and lead rope so I took her instead.

It was a good thing that I did.  The snow was slippery, the footing terrible, and it was very very wet due to the sudden warm up and the strong March sun.

Siera really didn't want to 'leave' home.  We have this issue every spring after a long winter lay off.

So she planted her feet and cocked one ear back towards her 'paddock' pals and refused to move.

So what do you do with a mule that refuses to move?
Wait.
I've known Siera long enough now to know that she really needs to think about this whole leaving home business.  If she is forced she will go, but there will be a lot more hesitation and balking if she is forced.

So she stood and waited.  I stood and waited.  Fred carried on as if he'd lost his best friend back home and she could hear it.  Normally Fred doesn't care about Siera in the least.  Of course he did on this instance.

I was again amazed at a mule's agility at taking on terrible footing.  I was slipping more than she was.  I wish I had her 4-Hoof Drive sometimes.

Siera finally convinced herself to move and off we went making a trek up the north wooded slope and then back down and around.  I didn't take a long hike because the snow is so deep on the hillside.  It was more of a 'let's get used to leaving home exercise' than anything else.

She never was in a rush and followed me quietly.  The path is narrow with many trees, the one time she did try to surge ahead, she caught my elbow on her nose.

Just like leash training!  She only bumped her nose once and while on the narrow trail walked a polite distance behind me.

I was rather pleased how our hour went.  She was perfectly content to stand around with me in the woods when I decided to stop.

I plan on hiking again today.  Morris could go with us.  Siera adores having his company.

Our temps are supposed to get to 45 degrees again today!

That means we should have another snow melt that will crash down the rocks into the creek.

I caught the mini flash flood as it began yesterday late afternoon.

Dog Obedience can be used for Equine Obedience

The principal is much the same I've realize now after all of these years.

The lessons I learned in my first week of dog classes in 1980-something, was that it was important for your dog to learn to pay attention to you.

This was what we did for just one week in short 15 minute daily workouts.

A longe line was used, a very light cord tied to the collar.  In this case I had a corrective 'choke' collar.  We were never to nag or choke the dog.  The dog was to wander around and eventually 'not pay attention to the handler'.  As soon as the dog's eyes were not on you, you walked swiftly in the opposite direction.

Within two to three times my dog realized that she ought to keep an eye on where I was and she knew exactly how long that line was.

Now I wasn't working her a as a puppy, or taking her on walks as I did Morris as a pup because I lived in a city.  Her work started way after her puppy-hood.

How are equine trained?

In a round pen or on a longe line.  They need to learn to focus on the handler.
Wow.
Does that sound familiar?

Dog Obedience can be transferred quickly to Equine Obedience.

Today's world is all about non painful training or Politically Correct training. Yet still the principles are the same and the goals are the same.
Happy are those dogs who understand what is expected of them and the rules of conduct.
Why not the same for equine?
I see so many equine walking all over their handlers...



Yesterday, as I was reading through the old lessons and the paper work I saw a very parallel line between equine and dog 'trickery'.

I used the method I'd learned in how to teach a dog how to 'heel' and transferred it into teaching a mule or donkey to 'heel' at my elbow on lead line.

I was surprised at how easily it was accomplished and how much faster the donkey and mules picked it up.  
And let me tell anyone who wants to know.....
No harm, no pain!

Not only that, I can walk my 'tricked' mules on a loose lead.  Siera is my new shining star in that respect.
She will 'heel' me in the pasture.  She will stop and stand if I stop.  If I turn into her and give her the shoulder signal to back up, she backs up as I turn into her.

I've shown this to visitors at our farm, and the believe I have a 'trick' mule.  All I did was apply Dog Obedience 'Heel' training to her at halter.

To some who've seen it, they think I've preformed magic on her.  No, I applied a few weeks of 'leash' work to her!

In the Chicago Tribune on November 3, 1976 an article was done on Shepherd House and its Obedience Training classes.  One of the men interviewed said if he called his classes 'Trick' classes, he'd have more people sign up.
They did not use the strict Koehler method for training as they felt is was a bit harsh in some cases and wouldn't work on 'all' breeds.
So they developed a very non-harsh method that drew from several behavioral theorists.

So you want a dog?

My friend blogger over at Dancing Donkey wrote an excellent blog about how she has taught her dog Conner how to stay close to her and not run off.

Responsibility Training is the title of it.
If you are thinking of getting a dog or a pup, go read it.

There is nothing worse than a dog who doesn't want to stay with you when they are off leash.
Chasing your dog all of the time is not fun as an owner, although it may be a lot of fun for your dog.

She explains about how she took Connor for walks as soon as she got him home.
How as a pup he tired out and she carried him.

I never thought of it as training, but I've done that with all the hound dog pups and our house dogs ever since I can recall.

Of course Morris would be a shining example of that.

He went everywhere with me as a pup.
I even devised a way to carry him.

And there is Dixie here at 12 weeks old.  I'd waited until she wasn't paying attention and then I ran and hid behind a log.

I didn't make it hard and she was so thrilled to 'find' me!  It became a game.

She and Morris both come with a sharp whistle on the fly.  As if no other creature in the world is important.

Well, that is, unless there is something delicious for Morris to roll in!

I have some neighbors that I love dearly.
They got one older dog.
He was very nice, but was a wanderer.

They lost him a few times.  Got him out of the 'pound' a few times.  
Two years ago he wandered off and got injured.  Some good Samaritan took him to the vet's office.  He was taken care of and put up for adoption.
He was adopted by a nice family.

Then our neighbor found him and once again paid a huge price to get him back.

Finally they got a collar with an electric fence.  Old dog stayed home as long as his collar was working.
But no one in the family interacted with him.  He was left mostly on his own to wander his little territory.  His humans fed him and the children watched him not trusting him.  He was large and they were small.  
Old dog started to seem down.

So Neighbors thinking they were nice, got him a puppy.
Puppy and old dog now spend time with their collars on seeking out things to shred within their electric area.

Neighbors called a trainer to come in and help with the Young Dog.  He was knocking kids down, jumping on people, and grabbing the children's hands.  
To the trainer's credit, she said the Neighbors must work with Young Dog daily. Exercise Young Dog, walk with Young Dog.

Yesterday as I left for work I saw Young Dog wandering down the gravel road, he saw my car and gave chase.
I stopped and checked to see if he was okay.  His electric collar was torn in half.
He sat politely when I asked him to.

I called Neighbor and informed her that Young Dog was on the loose and I had to go to work.

She said she'd try and find him as she was in town picking up her daughter from school.

~~~~

When I was a young mom I got a puppy that turned into a shoe eating, plant digging, jumping on everyone nutcase, that would slam through the front door if someone opened it...

When I took her to the Vet to get neutered, he told me to take Missy to Obedience School.
And I did.
And we worked at it for 10 weeks of basic training.
It took time and effort.  Much like the training of any animal takes.

In the end I had a dog that would heel off leash and could walk through a crowd of people, children, and dogs and ignore everything but me.

I could use hand signals to make her stay, come, lay down, and other useful things.
Most of all, she became a very calm quiet dog once she had a daily job.

Dogs need a job, they need attention.  They cannot learn good behavior by osmosis.  It doesn't just come to them.
It is hard work to get a good dog, it is harder work to get a Great Dog.

Oh and if you read this far?
Same principals apply to donkeys and mules.
Good hard work.
I still have my weekly assignments from the early 1980's dog obedience class.
Guess what?
It really applies well to equine training also.

I did some research and the class I took in 1983 [I think] was a mix of the Koehler Method and the Chicago area Shepherd House, The Foundation for Applied Studies of Animal Behavior.

Making up Stories

Around Christmas time I was visiting with my daughter and their family, when Ariel and I started to 'play' with her 'My Little Ponies'.  We took photos of them in her house and outside.

Ariel had duplicates of ponies so she lent me some of them.  Now these ponies have little markings on their flanks which help you identify them.

For the life of me, I cannot ever recall their names without looking them up.

So the deal was, we'd take photos of these toys in odd places and make up a quick little story about what was happening.

One day I grabbed one of my small figures of a doe and went out with a few ponies in my pocket and took a hike to the ice cave.

I took the above photo.

Now I had to come up with a short blurb of what it was about.

Rarity and Trixie stopped to talk to a very small doe who lived on the upper part of the ice cave on their last hike to the back valley ravine.

It was a rocky ride in the backpack but they did get out and enjoy stretching their legs and enjoying the giant icicles.

And it seemed that things started to expand from there.  I started carrying Doe and acquired a small skunk that I incorporated into the 'story' that was forming.

Doe kept getting lost.  The ponies had to keep finding her.  One day Stinky the Skunk came along to help.

And the story continued.  Doe needed a home and kept finding some of the worst places to live.

No Doe should not live in a bale of oats...

Then Doe and Fluttershy get lost.

And Stinky comes to the rescue to find them with several other Ponies.

Stinky and the Ponies go on a mission to find a good home for Doe.

They look at all sorts of places and then Stinky thinks they have found the perfect spot.

A Bird's nest in the Creek bottom where Doe can stay safe and out of the weather.

But Doe has other ideas.

Stinky and Smiley Pony try to tell Doe that living in an ice cave is not a good place to stay.  It is very cold and it will melt in the Spring.
Doe is not convinced.  She thinks the bird nest is a good spot too!

Doe just never seems to learn.

And yesterday, Stinky is horrified to find Doe thinking she should live in a parking lot!  Yes I know I am a bit crazy, but a little project turned into a 'story' of sorts.

Stinky ran up to Doe.
"NO Doe, you cannot live here! A parking lot is no place for a doe like you."
Doe didn't understand, she thought it was a nice sunny place.
She thought about it, Stinky didn't like her making a home in the Ice Cave at the Ice Falls either.  Stinky was pretty particular.  She wondered if she'd ever find a home.

When we were at Wildcat Mountain at the Ice Cave, some people came by and we explained what we did with the toys.

They climbed the ice and took photos of Stinky and Doe.  How fun was that?

So the story of Stinky, Doe, and the ponies will continue.

And A. Waite will continue to come up with fun photos for me to see...

Find Stinky on Google+

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