08-02-2024, 01:28 PM
(08-02-2024, 07:52 AM)Tecate Wrote: FCD I’m sorry to hear about your buddy.
I have an Aussie Shepherd/Blue Heeler cross (oddly enough called a Texas Heeler)
Who turned 13 this year. And while her hearing has been slowly going, we’ve noticed that her eyes are getting the blue tint inside meaning cataracts.
Cattle dogs are so visually looking for cues, and of course whistles, clicks or whatever they respond to that we decided not to move cattle with her this year thinking that she may get hurt. She thinks that she is still a young lady.
It’s sad, but I was going to suggest the hand clapping with a smile works for us.
I’m glad that you are able to work it out!
Tecate
Yeah, we don't use 'Cisco' to move the cattle anymore, not so much because of his hearing, but he still thinks he's as fast as he used to be. He's still fast (faster than most dogs), but he's not the lightning bolt he used to be and I'm fearful he'll get hurt. Now, with the hearing issues, there's no way I'd let him in there with the cows. He's still got the aggression, but lacking the speed and now the hearing would likely be deadly for him. I always marveled at this dog; ever since he was a pup he was almost 'timid' about virtually everything EXCEPT the cattle! When it came to the cattle, he would pick out the biggest, meanest, bull and go after that one first. Just no fear at all. Once he had complete control of that animal all the rest would follow. He knew exactly what to do in order to control the whole herd. And he was an absolute rocket on the ground. Like I said, he's still faster than most dogs, but he can't run down jackrabbits on a dead run like he used to be able to do. When he was younger I actually watched him run right over the top of a jackrabbit one time in a full-on sprint. Neither the jackrabbit nor Cisco knew what to do exactly; the jackrabbit went tumbling and Cisco didn't even realize he'd run right over him so he was still busy looking for the rabbit out in front of him when it was now upside down in a yucca bush behind him. LOL! Rabbit was looking around like... 'WTF just happened???' The Australian Shepard we have was always slower than Cisco, so he was bringing up the rear and by the time the rabbit shook it off and came to his senses, the shepard was on top of him.
Cisco has earned his retirement many times over. It's a little disappointing though because we trained them to work as a team. Cisco would always take the long direct pursuit route line from the rear for their heels, and the shepard would take the vector, short-cut, route from the side to pick up the bolting calves to get them pointed in the right direction. They rarely ever had to do this more than a couple times with any group of cows before the cows, calves and bulls learned trying to outsmart / outrun those two was futile. After that, the two dogs just needed to show up in the vicinity and the cattle would go wherever we pointed them while the dogs sat and watched. They're still best buddies though, so that's a good thing, but I'll miss all that in action.
