Bear training

Bear has been part of the fambly Summers for 3 happy months!

All of us have made progress in those 3 months :)!

Up until a week ago, the giant kennel was the “gate” between one bedroom door and the living room.

About 3 weeks ago, we tried the above gate at the end of the kitchen that gives access to the front door and the bathroom/bedroom’s alternate access.

We did some boundary training with the gate: you may not put your nose through the gate, you must lie down and be given an ok to go through the open gate, you will watch quietly while Bob crosses your vision beyond the gate!

Bear is VERY intelligent and understands quickly what is expected. The Bob part took/takes a bit more work as instinct/past whatever get in the way, but there is progress.

So I got a second gate and the living room looks a bit more normal minus the giant kennel.

Outside, we’ve been working on a long line in the yard. I attach a very long rope to Bear’s collar and unhook the leash. He has freedom to run and play but is dragging a long line which I can step on if needed and/or it feels like a tether of sorts to Bear.

Lately, I shortened the long line from 40 feet to 20 feet and I put it on when we go for “long-lead” walks in the woods. Long-lead walks are the front-runners of off leash. A 16 foot lead is attached to Bear’s regular collar vs a 6 foot lead to his slip collar. On short lead and slip collar, Bear heels and keeps his eyes on me and what direction I go. On the long lead, Bear is in front, although he must “leave-it”, “wait” or follow/change direction if I ask.*

The 20 foot rope drug easily and did not get tangled in either brush or Bear’s feet. My hope/plan was that if that was the case, I would start unhooking the lead on our walks and see how Bear did off leash but dragging the long line.**

Last week, I started unhooking the lead toward the end of the walk when I knew Bear was hot and thinking about the cool house.

Bear is off lead in the above photo, dragging the 20 foot line and “heading for the barn” :)!

Waiting for me to open the door.

I will start unhooking earlier in the walk and as that goes well, will also shorten the line with the goal being no line and Bear following my “leave it”, “let’s go”, “this way” – off leash!

The cut off pieces of long line are Bob’s new toys…Win, Win!

*Bear came trained :)! He knew all of the normal commands and has done them willingly for me. We have done a LOT of down-stays and I found them to be so helpful in calming him in new situations as well as helping him learn that he is now my dog. And that is really the crux of the training with Bear…helping him adjust to me as his person, leader of the pack, and a pack that includes a cat…a cat who would be King!

I think, from observation, there was also a learning of what it looks and feels like in Montana vs rural New York State. I’ve been in the area where Bear lived and even though rural, it is not as open as it is here. It probably contributes to a feeling of unease…not only a new person and new house but a whole new countryside.

Given all of the new and different things, Bear has done so very, very well and it is a joy to be part of helping him feel at home with Bob and I.

**Additionally, I use an electronic collar that has both shock and vibrate capabilities. I shock myself anytime I shock my dog…that’s my own rule so I know what level of correction I’m giving. This particular collar, which has a vibrate feature, allows for reminders without the shock…i.e., “Oh, you meant me???”

Fire on the mountain

Late yesterday (Friday) afternoon I heard a helicopter fly over…sounding not that far overhead. As time progressed, the sound continued. I progressed from thinking Alert (air ambulance) to fire?

Fire.

Maybe 15 miles from my house – as the helicopter flies.

One helicopter, making a round trip from water to fire every 7-9 minutes I think.

That “bucket” looks so small under the helo. Depending on the lift ability of the helicopter they have buckets from 72 -2600 gallons. I think this fairly small helo carries on the lower end of the range.

But, in the 20 minutes I watched, the smoke lessened.

I heard the ‘copter going back and forth until dark. I am thankful every summer for the men and women who fight wildfires in the West…from helicopters, from airplanes, by parachute and on the ground. They work long hours in heat, in heavy gear and are responsible for saving towns and homes every year.

A bad year for purple

We are just past the half way mark for official Summer. But, in Montana, I call it 3/4 :)!

Despite a wet, cool Spring and a bit of rain almost weekly, it is drying up.

The grasses and woods vegetation is getting crunchier every day. As I write this, there is the rumble of thunder but so far, just a few drops of rain now and again.

Weeds and wildflowers…they were very different this year. I have both read and experienced that depending on weather and soil conditions, the things that grow can lie dormant until the specific conditions they like cause growth.

This year seemed to favor yellow things. Although the Lupins had a banner year, other blue-purple things have not.

Not looking so good at the moment, but whatever this is…a kind of yellow clover – it grew gangbusters all over my woods. It was like walking in sunshine until a week ago.

Another overachiever this year was St. John’s Wort which has some medicinal use, but is not good in cattle country and is declared a noxious weed in Montana. No photos as I’ve pulled it all.

It is not just my woods, though. St. John’s Wort is prolific everywhere in the valley this year.

This is what the Lupins look like now… crunchy. But they were gorgeous and abundant in the late spring/early summer.

Miniature wild asters… usually these start in mid to late July and are all over my woods through mid-Fall. There are just a few this year and they look to be nearly done, now in early August.

Even the spotted knapweed, another noxious…in fact, one of the worst noxious weeds… the few that came up looked sickly AND they pulled easily…root and all.

Thistles…I have a love/hate thing with thistles. I LOVE a few of them…the blossoms are beautiful and they attract butterflies. But there is no way to have just a few thistles. Birds love the seeds. Birds eat the seeds. The seeds go through the birds and get deposited, WITH fertilizer…everywhere. There will always be more than enough thistles, just not where I’d like them.

Even the thistles aren’t as robust as usual.

A bad year for purple!