Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Dog Training

From this . . .
To this.
Note: Please disregard the human . . .












For over thirty years, our family raised Old English Sheepdogs.
A wonderful breed.
Hairy, yes, but loyal, gentle, protective and very, very smart.
Easy to train.
Dozens of puppies left our home in those years, successfully joining other families.
All with the same amazing temperament.
Well, almost all.
There is an exception to every rule.
Apparently . . .
I received a phone call from one of my puppy people. Their puppy, at the time, was about six months old.
Her: “We are moving and won’t be able to take our dog with us.”
Me: “Oh. Well, I don’t have anyone waiting for a puppy right now . . .”
Her: “That’s all right. We don’t want any money back. We just want to drop him off.”
Me: “Ummm . . .”
Her: Click.
Now I want to mention a couple of things:
1. OESs grow to be . . . large. They need to be trained early – before they outweigh you.
2. When we placed our puppies, it was only after a quick course in ‘puppy-training’. For the new owners, not for the dogs.
3. Said owners then went home with food, instructions, toys, and an informative book. Unfortunately, whether or not they read that book was totally up to them. And:
4. Follow-up phone calls after purchase don’t necessarily disclose training problems.
All of these points were brought distinctly to our attention when said puppy showed up later that day.
Oh, dear.
For the first time, I saw what could happen to a pup when he was given little-to-nothing in the way of instruction.
And weighed in at a few ounces less than a Buick.
The owner appeared at the door.
Handed me the leash.
And disappeared.
Really.
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone move that fast.
Ever.
The dog and I regarded one another.
Then I shrugged and pulled the cretin untrained dog into the kitchen.
He proceeded to jerk the leash from my hand, dart under the living room table, and make a deposit.
Large.
Whereupon (good word) I recaptured the leash and tried to drag the monster toward the back door.
And that’s when things sort of fell apart/came together.
He growled and tried to bite me.
Have I mentioned how gentle this breed is?
Smart?
Loyal?
Protective?
Well, they are.
And it was never more apparent than at that moment.
Because my three (Yes, I had three full-grown OESs in the house. But that is another story.) attacked the newcomer.
As one.
Their coordinated effort would have been admired by special forces troops worldwide.
One had him by the back of the neck. One by the flank. And the third, by the throat.
Individually, we peeled them off.
Then checked for damage.
No blood had been spilt.
Miraculously.
But the dog that got up from the bottom of the umm . . . dog pile . . . was not the same one who had gone under in the first place.
Nope.
This dog was sweet. Gentle. Eager to please.
Everything that the OES breed is noted for.  
Huh.
He went on to a new home. A better home. And a successful adoption.
But we all learned an important lesson that day.
If you’re dealing with a difficult problem . . .

Take your pack.

11 comments:

  1. A very effective training method indeed.....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh ya. He got the message. lol
    Dogs, especially trained dogs, train others much easier than people can.
    That's for sure.All you need is one well trained dog.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Doesn't it just make you wonder what went on in that first home, to make a dog with such a naturally good disposition act like that? ... And who, pray tell, is "the human" in the second picture? ... awesome apparel; my daughter would feel at home!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It had to be neglect and abuse - in equal doses.
      Heehee! That's my daughter. And you should see how she dresses HER daughter!!

      Delete
  4. Instant understanding of a new lesson, that's impressive.
    I'm glad the pack was there to help out.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This story makes me want to own an Oes. I love big dogs and know that it is how much time YOU invest in them that makes them good companions! This story also makes me miss my Max. Thank you for the memory.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad to trigger a memory, Deb! You'd make a wonderful OES owner!

      Delete
  6. This story makes me want to own an Oes. I love big dogs and know that it is how much time YOU invest in them that makes them good companions! This story also makes me miss my Max. Thank you for the memory.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting! Drop by again!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!
My FIRST murder mystery!

Blessed by a Curse

Blessed by a Curse
My very first Medieval Romance!

God's Tree

God's Tree
For the Children

Third in the series

Third in the series
Deborah. Fugitive of Faith

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael
A House Divided is now available at all fine bookstores and on Amazon.com and .ca!

Daughter of Ishmael

Daughter of Ishmael
Now available at Amazon.com and .ca and Chapters.ca and other fine bookstores.

Romance still wins!

Romance still wins!
First romance in a decade!

Hosts: Your Room's Ready

Hosts: Your Room's Ready
A fun romp through the world's most haunted hotel!

Hugs, Delivered.

Compass Book Ratings

Compass Book Ratings

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!
New Tween Novel!

Gnome for Christmas

Gnome for Christmas
The newest in my Christmas Series

SnowMan

SnowMan
A heart warming story of love and sacrifice.

Translate

My novel, Carving Angels

My novel, Carving Angels
Read it! You know you want to!

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic
What could be better than a second Christmas story?!

Join me on Maven

Connect with me on Maven

Essence

Essence
A scientist and his son struggle to keep their earth-shattering discovery out of the wrong hands.

Essence: A Second Dose

Essence: A Second Dose
Captured and imprisoned, a scientist and his son use their amazing discovery to foil evil plans.

Looking for a Great Read?

E-Books by Diane Stringam Tolley
Available from Smashwords.com

The Babysitter

The Babysitter
A baby-kidnapping ring has its eye on J'Aime and her tiny niece.

Melissa

Melissa
Haunted by her past, Melissa must carve a future. Without Cain.

Devon

Devon
Following tragedy, Devon retreats to the solitude of the prairie. Until a girl is dropped in his lap.

Pearl, Why You Little...

Pearl, Why You Little...
Everyone should spend a little time with Pearl!

The Marketing Mentress

The Marketing Mentress
Building solid relationships with podcast and LinkedIn marketing

Coffee Row

Coffee Row
My Big Brother's Stories

Better Blogger Network

Semper Fidelis

Semper Fidelis
I've been given an award!!!

The Liebster Award

The Liebster Award
My good friend and Amazing Blogger, Marcia of Menopausal Mother awarded me . . .

Irresistibly Sweet Award

Irresistibly Sweet Award
Delores, my good friend from The Feathered Nest, has nominated me!

Sunshine Award!!!

Sunshine Award!!!
My good friend Red from Oz has nominated me!!!

My very own Humorous Blogger Award From Delores at The Feathered Nest!

Be Courageous!


Grab and Add!

Search This Blog

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?