'possum'

[persephone]

Possum is around 4 mths old now ... and is starting tether training and general manners .

here she is just now .. 15 minutes into her first experience of being tethered . She looks very stressed , doesn't she ? :p She had a rice cake with peanut butter, and a tummy rub... and seems happy to stay in bed for now . ( and yes, she does know she is attached to something solid! )

Edited July 20, 2012 by persephone

[raineth]

that is lovely, she looks like a very sweet puppy :) Love the name too.

[persephone]

she looks like a very sweet puppy

:p looks can be deceptive ! She takes after her mum, whose name describes her nature , "Bitch" She is showing good promise as a worker ,(spends most of her free time 'working' Bruce, the pet sheep) , so here's hoping !

[W Sibs]

Naww... what a cutie!!!

[Esky the husky]

Awww so cute, is she a koolie?

I wish my girl was this relaxed on her stake out. Is there any methods you use that help them to chill out?

[raineth]

she looks like a very sweet puppy

:p looks can be deceptive ! She takes after her mum, whose name describes her nature , "Bitch" She is showing good promise as a worker ,(spends most of her free time 'working' Bruce, the pet sheep) , so here's hoping !

nup I just can't believe that from the photo you have posted

[Starkehre]

Gorgeous Pers

BTW, I love the name "bitch" That's hilarious.

[persephone]

She is a koolie -

When I decide to tether them first up .. they have a nice walk/run with the others .. then I make sure there is a nice bed they know just near the kitchen .. so I can see them without being seen all the time .

On goes a collar - tight, so it can NOT be slipped , as that is a lesson quickly learnt .

Then, depending on pup - a chain or soft leash is attached ..about 2 metres.

yes, they do pull for about a minute - I let them work that out for themselves ..that they ARE attached ..and yes, I do watch carefully ..but mostly there is no panic- just a 'oh damn ..I can't go any further' type reaction.

Then I go outside and call them over.. make a big fuss , give them a treat/bone and a cuddle and leave them be for a couple of hours . That's it for day one....

I think making sure pup has a known bed.. a toy/treat familiar..and is in a suitable spot where they normally are not stressed is very important ! ..

I do not advocate chaining etc unless owners are experienced, and dogs are a suitable temperament . Accidents can so easily happen

... we have been doing this as long as I can remember ... and are comfortable with it - also our dogs are not 'pets' as such ..and have independent natures to start with ..we have never had a problem/injury.

[persephone]

I love the name "bitch"

it's the one that stuck - because she IS !

She is a real people dog ..and sometimes when we have visitors ..and there are those who are swagging or tenting .. she has been known to find her way inside a swag .... but to watch her with other dogs , or working tough goats /hunting feral cats .. she is like a barracuda!!

[Dame Aussie]

OMG, I'm going to come up there and steal her perse. She is gorgeous

[persephone]

She is gorgeous

Not sure about that ..but different!

here last week , the night of a thunderstorm ..she went missing.we have NEVER EVER had a pup/dog disappear . I walked & drove ... whistled & called - took the other dogs out to make noise ...but with hundreds and hundreds of acres .. it was an impossible task .. everyone was on the lookout - no sightings.

So - we presumed she had had an accident and been killed ... (even April Pig was suspect at one stage , as the pups have tried to get into her pen before)

Exactly 48 hours later , as I was outside chopping up a goat to feed the dogs , I felt a scratch on my leg ..and here was little Possum - VERY tucked in & tired looking.

She drank & drank (odd , cos we'd had big rain & there were puddles everywhere I could see) & ate about half a goat then slept for ages , so we have no idea where she'd been, or what she'd been doing .

I surmised she had been scared by the storm .. and , instead of heading for a kennel/verandah ..had run the other way . She MAY have then stuck with the sheep, perhaps ? No idea.

She is getting the benefit of the doubt, as she found her way home again ..not a bad effort for a 4 mth old who must have been more than a few of km away at least..and she is now being 'debriefed' and flooded with training /being taught that humans are 'god' ..in the hope of both increasing a bond, and her desire to please, and her confidence .

This afternoon we went out for a while - with her on a long line- first time . She was great , and ended up being fairly responsive. She is much like her great grandma .. who we 'rescued' . She was a bit of a 'street kid ' .. not much respect/dependence on humans.

SO- as possum shows such an interest in working sheep - we will persist . :) her days of free running are over ... for now anyhow - will keep you posted.

[TheCheekyMonster]

She is gorgeous

Not sure about that ..but different!

here last week , the night of a thunderstorm ..she went missing.we have NEVER EVER had a pup/dog disappear . I walked & drove ... whistled & called - took the other dogs out to make noise ...but with hundreds and hundreds of acres .. it was an impossible task .. everyone was on the lookout - no sightings.

So - we presumed she had had an accident and been killed ... (even April Pig was suspect at one stage , as the pups have tried to get into her pen before)

Exactly 48 hours later , as I was outside chopping up a goat to feed the dogs , I felt a scratch on my leg ..and here was little Possum - VERY tucked in & tired looking.

She drank & drank (odd , cos we'd had big rain & there were puddles everywhere I could see) & ate about half a goat then slept for ages , so we have no idea where she'd been, or what she'd been doing .

I surmised she had been scared by the storm .. and , instead of heading for a kennel/verandah ..had run the other way . She MAY have then stuck with the sheep, perhaps ? No idea.

She is getting the benefit of the doubt, as she found her way home again ..not a bad effort for a 4 mth old who must have been more than a few of km away at least..and she is now being 'debriefed' and flooded with training /being taught that humans are 'god' ..in the hope of both increasing a bond, and her desire to please, and her confidence .

This afternoon we went out for a while - with her on a long line- first time . She was great , and ended up being fairly responsive. She is much like her great grandma .. who we 'rescued' . She was a bit of a 'street kid ' .. not much respect/dependence on humans.

SO- as possum shows such an interest in working sheep - we will persist . :) her days of free running are over ... for now anyhow - will keep you posted.