Doggy Dilemma
Remember how I alluded to a bit of a conundrum we have here at Granite Glen in this post… a little bovine/canine issue?
Well here is the low down.
We have a Great Dane. His name is Axel. He is sweet and mostly gentle and adores his Mama (me) – apparently refusing to come into the house when I am away.
It looks like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth, doesn’t it?
Axel is a very good boy about 90% of the time.
Except:
1.When my Dad is around the house (and then he is SUPER annoying), and;
2. When Bay Leaf wants to frolic nearby.
When Bay Leaf wants to frolic (as calves do) Axel tries to join in.
Which is fine, except he is a dog.
A VERY big dog.
A very big dog who has these irrepressible doggy instincts.
Now he has never hurt anything deliberately (he does knock things over regularly by accident) but there is a siren song in his heart to round up cows. He sees OTHER dogs rounding up cows and he LOVES joining in.
And he gets VERY deaf if the boys (okay, if I) forget to tie him up before they muster around the house… he bounds around like a mad thing (quite convinced he is helping) in an attempt to muster. I suppose his ancestors’ great hunting genes have not been bred completely out of him…
…they were bred to be… fierce, courageous canine – a “super dog” designed to hunt the savage and unpredictable European wild boar, a beast well armed with formidable tusks that could rip a dog to shreds. (1)
Axel is actually a massive scardy-cat (as most modern Great Danes are, think Scooby Doo) and has never shown the slightest inkling to chase a wild pig (which would actually be quite handy).
A motherless calf, on the other hand…
While he has never actually touched Bay Leaf, he trembles a bit when she is near, like he is HOLDING himself back. And when she skips by him, he has a little air-snap with those big floppy lips. I think I am being quite logical to make sure that if she is nearby, he is either tied up or in a different area where his base instincts cannot so easily be tempted.
The sad bit is she is desperate for someone to play with.
And he soooooo wants to play with her.
But one has the feeling it just wouldn’t be pretty.
Instincts are instincts, however much we’d like to pretend otherwise.
Mother Nature is a bitch sometimes…
😉
BB
12 Comments
Fleur McDonald
Yes nature’s instincts hold out above all. We learnt that yesterday after leaving the young working dog off the chain while we had lunch. He went down to the sheep yards where we had sheep waiting to shed up for shearing and tried to re-muster them… in the yards.
Fleur McDonald´s last blog post ..Hay, bales of hay!
Jayne
Yep, Mother Nature is a tangled web at times. Maybe wait til Bay Leaf is bigger…?
Perhaps she’ll get convinced she’s a dog if she romps with Axel, though?
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Kate
You’re doing the right thing. You really are. It’s a shame that they can’t play. Maybe she needs a much different playmate?
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Lynda M O
There are no equals in the animal kingdom is the refrain that comes to mind when you describe the problem Axel and Bay Leaf face. Herding instincts are Berry Berry Strong and I believe you are doing right to keep some fencing between them.
debby
Oh, poor Bay Leaf. I’ll come over to play with her. As long as you do something about your pantry python.
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Leenie
Yes, sort of a Beauty and the Beast conundrum.
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Colin (HB)
Yep BB – keep that fence between them – they can “goo eye” each other with safety.
Get use to each other by smell etc., then when the calf is bigger, they can be let loose???? With supervision.
When I was in TPNG, I was given a tortoiseshell kitten, at the same time, one of the little school kids, knowing that my previous dog was dead ( long story!) told me that his village dog had pups and would I like to see them. Well I did and in a moment of what was then madness I said I’d take one – a little black bungle of hair. When the pup, to be named Monty, was able to be weaned I took him home and started giving it REAL puppy tin dog food. Result: Monty lost all his hair – he was a blue skinned horror. He would follow me to the club just 50 metres away – Finschhafen – if I was told once to kill him, I was told hundreds of times. I refused – eventually his hair reappeared and although a smallish dog, looked like a minature husky.
He and the cat got on like peas in a pod – when she started on her “harlot” activities – she was brilliant at that – and was about to give birth she got Monty – as the kittens came out he did the cleaning – animals are really unbelievable at times. Over the period I had “Madame” Pussy Cat as she was called, due to her promiscuity activities she had 36 kittens in all over a number of cat stages. It was difficult I can tell you to find homes for these unwanted by me arrivals – regretably some met an early departure with one only surviving to find a home.
Maybe when Bay Leaf has her first calf, Axel might do the same duty. Wonders of nature – eh?
Cheers
Colin
Mummaducka
Mother nature is hard sometimes. While I fed our poddy I allowed all the dogs into the old Goose yard (high fences) while he was being fed and kept reminding them he was a baby and to be “gentle”, while they all tried to dart and play with him. I have been doing this since they all were little puppies with chooks, kittens, lambs, whatever comes our way. Then we’d walk the calf around with his dog collar and a lead on the lawn and in the paddock so he could have some grass. The German Shepherd eventually showed no interest and calfie could wander around on the lawn at night. Best of luck with it but axel knows you are the boss and you just let him know that you are the boss of the calf too! It should get better, but you are so right not to take any risks.
Mummaducka´s last blog post ..Baby update
CeeCee
I’m guessing Bay sees a playmate and Axel sees a snack?
Too bad they can’t be buddies. It might make your job a bit easier by not having such a needy baby on your hands.
PS. Origin of the word Poddy?? I realize it’s a Aussie word, but is Poddy short for some larger word?
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Mikey
Ok, I want to see the big python in your pantry!!! Pretty please 🙂
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Kelly
I’m a bit torn. I love dogs so much and want them to have fun, but I’m feeling very maternal towards Bay Leaf. I’m glad you’re keeping them apart!
We had an awful experience with a couple of our dogs and some livestock. *shudder* I don’t even want to think about it.
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Nancy in Iowa
At one time my daughter and SIL had 3 delightful rescued and adopted Catahoula hounds, which are used primarily for hog herding, I understand. They were on a day trip with all 3, stopped for a picnic near a fence surrounding a pasture with a handful of cows. Olive, the intrepid female of the trio, got through the fence and proceeded to round up the cows single-pawedly and herded them to stand under a large shade tree! No cow was injured (other than pride) and Olive was quite pleased with herself.