Bark magazine recently had an interesting article about a dog trained to a series of vibrations instead of verbal or visual cues. Tai, a Labrador retriever, wears a vest that allows the handler to signal him through different types of vibrations--pulsed or steady--placed above different legs. In other words, a pulsed vibration over the right front leg might mean back up, a steady one over the left hind might mean lie down. (Note to those of you going on electric collar alert (pretty much like I did): These are truly described as vibrations, similar to what you feel when your phone is on vibrate.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofNjevpHdX0 An expensive motorized vest is hardly something that most of us need or want for our dogs, but it could be a boon for dogs working in noisy Read More
Archives for August 2019
The Books on My Bookshelf
Holy moly, Batman, the books on my night stand are piling up. Here's a sample: OUR DOGS OURSELVES, by Alexandra Horowitz. (Released September 3rd, but available for pre order.) This thoughtful book by the author of The Inside of a Dog and Being a Dog deserves to be read by dog lovers everywhere. I say that, full disclosure, not having read the entire book yet. An "advance readers edition" came several weeks ago, and I will admit to, at first, feeling a bit wary of how much new information it would contain. But then I started reading it, and this is, bravely and insightfully, a book that goes far beyond the usual musings about our relationship with dogs. One early chapter is titled "Owning Dogs," and explores our contradictory relationship with dogs--legally defined as property Read More
Why I Farm, Revisited
I spent last week on vacation, and so am reprinting an article I posted in April 13, 2012. It's as relevant now as it was then, and I hope you enjoy it if you haven't seen it. Here it is: Last Saturday my teenage ewe, Butterfinger, had her first lamb. I found her in the barn pen, licking off a slippery package of skin-covered bones covered with tiny whorls of wool and placental slime. Even though she was a first-time mom, she was a good one. She attended to her lamb just as she should, licking off the sack and clearing her head and nose first, nickering to her repeatedly, and standing patiently during the lamb’s first wobbly attempts to find the faucet. After I had seen that things were going well and the lamb looked hardy and healthy, I dipped the umbilical cord in iodine, and Read More
On vacation. Sending flowers.
I'm officially on vacation as of today, Monday August 5th. In lieu of a real post, I'm sending flowers. I am lost in the lilies. Not to mention this ridiculously as-big-as-your-head hibiscus. Maggie and I are working hard getting ready for the Midwest Championship Sheepdog Competition. Here's a lovely view I enjoy while driving back from practicing on a friend's huge field. (Thank you JH!) Maggie needs to be comfortable running out over 350-400 yards to find the sheep (and I need to be comfortable sending her that far). I don't have a field even close to that big, so we work on other things at home. Here we are coming back from a session on the farm on a hot day. I'm on "George," our ATV that has saved me trudging up the long, steep hill several times a day. Read More