Bear went missing last week. FM and I were dealing with a water problem in the barn area and Bear was locked in the yard. We don't take him into the pasture much because for one, he gets easily distracted and tends to wander off and secondly, Buttons hates him in her pasture. On the few occasions we have taken him with us she tries to bite, kick and stomp him, which greatly amuses him but pisses her off even more.
So he was locked in the yard by himself, which he hates! Normally he is very well behaved about these kinds of things but decided he would take matters into his own hands that day and jumped the fence. We didn't even know he was gone until a neighbor pulled up, frantically honking and yelling that Bear was loose "quite a ways away" and chasing a small stray dog. Oh, a stray you say? Well that explains it, there are two distractions that will make Bear jump the fence, Deers and Dogs! A stray dog is always more influential than home training and a taller fence, in this dog anyway.
FM panicked and ran to the house to grab the van keys and away we went, covered in mud and horse crap! Just lovely! We drove up and down the road calling for him and although every untethered dog in the area answered, there was no sign of Bear. Then we heard the sounds of loud gunfire and Mom became convinced someone was shooting at her beloved pup (which is not a far fetched fear in this area of the country).We decided to split up and she drove further down the road to keep looking and I started walking back home, calling for him the whole way.
When I got to the house, there was The Bear! This dog's a bit of a celebrity around here and everyone knows him and where he lives. It seems two kind neighbor ladies had seen him wandering and coaxed him to follow their car, then simply locked him back in the yard. Their car must have smelled like bacon was all I could think. He was sitting on the porch patiently and although I was pissed enough to kick him in the butt, I was greatly relieved to have him back safe and sound.
The next day, we started whistle training him. It works like this, you blow a whistle and then give the dog a highly coveted treat. Blow the whistle, get a treat, blow the whistle, get a treat...get it? Bear did right away, after only two times in fact. We have since tested this theory outside the house repeatedly and he comes running like a freight train when he hears that whistle. I would prefer he not jump the fence but if it happens again, FM has a tool to get him back safely.
So he was locked in the yard by himself, which he hates! Normally he is very well behaved about these kinds of things but decided he would take matters into his own hands that day and jumped the fence. We didn't even know he was gone until a neighbor pulled up, frantically honking and yelling that Bear was loose "quite a ways away" and chasing a small stray dog. Oh, a stray you say? Well that explains it, there are two distractions that will make Bear jump the fence, Deers and Dogs! A stray dog is always more influential than home training and a taller fence, in this dog anyway.
FM panicked and ran to the house to grab the van keys and away we went, covered in mud and horse crap! Just lovely! We drove up and down the road calling for him and although every untethered dog in the area answered, there was no sign of Bear. Then we heard the sounds of loud gunfire and Mom became convinced someone was shooting at her beloved pup (which is not a far fetched fear in this area of the country).We decided to split up and she drove further down the road to keep looking and I started walking back home, calling for him the whole way.
When I got to the house, there was The Bear! This dog's a bit of a celebrity around here and everyone knows him and where he lives. It seems two kind neighbor ladies had seen him wandering and coaxed him to follow their car, then simply locked him back in the yard. Their car must have smelled like bacon was all I could think. He was sitting on the porch patiently and although I was pissed enough to kick him in the butt, I was greatly relieved to have him back safe and sound.
The next day, we started whistle training him. It works like this, you blow a whistle and then give the dog a highly coveted treat. Blow the whistle, get a treat, blow the whistle, get a treat...get it? Bear did right away, after only two times in fact. We have since tested this theory outside the house repeatedly and he comes running like a freight train when he hears that whistle. I would prefer he not jump the fence but if it happens again, FM has a tool to get him back safely.
The Bear - listening more to his nose than his master!