Laddie - From Country to Concrete

Stunning ... but I'm a bit biased 😉

Laddie the lover boy... traveled with me for 9 days after being a homebody for 5 years (other than vet visits). Ready for the book? Lol 🤪

He did beautifully, first traveling in a crate 7+ hours there, then 10+ hours back without a peep. This was Laddie's first urban experience, from sirens to other dogs, bikes, rollerskates / blades, skateboards, and many people walking by the greenspace adjacent to our yard.

He was exemplary throughout the stay.

(Please NOTE **with all videos, click on the bold blue link, then double click on the thumbnail to open fully**)

He is such a gorgeous dog!

I love his presence and his movement in addition to his sweet temperament & ability to adjust to change. He looks chunky - and IS built like a tank, but he's not overweight; I can slightly feel his spine through his coat. He IS pretty floofy tho. 🥰

(Oh, it just breaks me to consider finding new homes. 💔)

Laddie's response to his first day as a city slicker.

On the second day we went for a pack walk. It was Laddie's first time seeing Elko (Jazz x Monty son, younger brother to our Opal) since he left our place as a pup. (And, as an unrelated male, he really had very little - if any - contact even then!) I am really pleased with both of these boys!

In the video, it may have seemed like Laddie's leash were tight but it's a very stiff leash so even though it wasn't pulled taut, it doesn't sag like a typical leash does. I didn't have it relaxed completely and dropped on the ground or anything either, but there was no pressure on him.

(Release of pressure is very important when dogs - actually, most animals - are doing the right thing because the lack of pressure is the reward for good behavior.

It's also why retractable leashes can be a negative thing for dogs unless they are operated correctly.)

Laddie's observation deck, Day 3.

We found that the most useful command to quickly clarify what we expected of Laddie was the 'just observe' command, followed by the 'leave it' directive. Both of these came in very handy while navigating the concrete jungle. Laddie clearly understood what was being asked of him and obeyed beautifully the whole week. We only had to do one correction and it was very quickly observed. I wasn't there but according to the people with whom I was staying, Laddie had met a muzzled dog on their walk that morning that had snarled at him so later, when it came charging right up to the fence, Laddie met him with a snarl, but he was given the verbal correction 'leave it' so quit right way and moved off.

On Day 5, a relative picked me up and took Laddie and I to her place. We were in a new part of the city, there was a garbage truck right at her driveway when we arrived (although by the time I got my phone out and videoing, it had moved to the place next door) loud and definitely something he had never before experienced. Surprisingly, he took that in stride!

However, on top of that, there was a big, black thunderstorm rolling in, and kids he'd never met. Then, Elko was decidedly displeased with him being on his property and vocalized that displeasure, which had Laddie feeling antsy.

So there was a little bit of an indication several minutes after the above video was taken that he was not entirely comfortable with the situation (in fact, looking back on the video, I noticed he quietly and unceremoniously moved away from one of the boys - which was a wise, non-reactive choice).

To defuse the situation, I walked off down the block a little ways with my niece, whom Laddie had previously met. While we stood waiting for my sister to get her dog collected so we could head out on a walk, I was showing pictures & explaining to my niece that Laddie can be a little bit head shy due to an injury that he sustained in early 2022 from a fight with our LGD, Argos. I had just requested for her to pet him under the chin rather than reaching over his head when my teen nephew - whom Laddie didn't know - came up, saw the pictures of the injury and, without hesitation, bent over Laddie's head, staring intently into his face and exclaiming with a loud, argumentative voice, "I don't see any wounds!!"

YIKES!!

Well, for the first time in his life I saw Laddie discombobulated. He was not at all happy with the domineering / attack situation, gave a very quiet, low growl and backed away. Man... was I relieved! That could have turned out soooo bad!!! Instead, he gave the best response to discomfort, which was to remove himself from the situation rather than defending himself.

However, for a few minutes after that he was a bit skittish. The leaves were rattling up behind him and, while he never tucked tail, he would recoil a bit and look around to see if anybody else was going to "attack" him out of the blue. That was the one and only time I ever saw him in any way other than calmly observant and kindly interactive.

However, once we got on our way, he settled into the walk and went back to his normal, quietly composed self in spite of the thunderstorm and rain. (A bit later, I introduced said nephew with treats, and all was as it should be.)

This was really good feedback. In a pressure situation where he felt cornered and threatened, he didn't attack. He did warn, but chose to back away rather than engage. It also told me that he does have a threshold. The fact that this was the first time he'd exhibited it in his life speaks for his amazing temperament. He can tolerate a LOT but there was a limit to how many things could all be suddenly happening. And he did bounce back quickly even though we were walking with a thunderstorm upon us. I think that is pretty reasonable for his first trip to the city and experiencing everything at once!

Photo of Laddie on Day 6, looking into the kitchen. Isn't he a sturdy boy?!

For the first few days of the visit we chose to chain Laddie in the backyard when not walking with him or when someone wasn't outside. The back fence was only 4' tall - which he could easily clear if so desired - and had a walking path on the green space directly beyond it. So, we wanted to always be present to teach him the rules, thus preventing him from getting the chance to respond to people walking their dogs in a negative manner and developing any bad habits.

However, it was clear after a few days that he understood, so he was allowed to be free. For the most part he chose to be on the deck either looking in the door, like in this photo or laying just in front of it. When he got too hot, he'd find some shade and then come back after he cooled off.

There were a couple of dogs that would stand every now and then on the neighbor's deck next to us and bark at him ferociously, and he just ignored them! 💖

The last night there was a pack of coyotes yipping and howling very close by (they sounded right next door) so good farm dog that he is, he did react to those and barked protectively even though, as usual, he was in the garage for the night. But it wasn't obnoxious yapping; they were a real threat and he quit when they moved off.

The house owners primarily walked him after the first couple of days. I had a big project with a deadline to finish off, and I wanted them to experience him alone to see whether or not he behaved himself out of my sight. And they wanted the opportunity to walk with him, so it was a win / win. Laddie very quickly won them over, and they reported that he walked beautifully on the leash, met everybody cheerfully, observed but ignored other dogs, and listened very well. But it does mean that I do not have a lot of video of him out on walks.

Man, I love this dog!

I had arranged to meet another English Shepherd owner at a herding clinic located reasonably close to the route home. (There ended up being two ES owners there, so I got to meet them both! 🙂) Laddie's build is broader and stockier than either one, but they were sweet dogs with some good herding instincts, and it was great to connect with other ES lovers.

I had not known about the clinic when I was originally arranging to meet, but the clinic instructors graciously allowed me to enter Laddie at the last minute. That was an experience! I have always used my dogs to drive and keep animals OFF me, where this was asking my dog to leave me & gather them up against me (& the instructor). Plus, he'd never been exposed to sheep before, either, as I'd only used him among goats and a very small amount with cows. (Although that didn't daunt him, sheep do work differently than either species).

Considering he expected me to work one way and I completely threw a curve ball at him by asking him to do something he'd never done with an instructor, other dogs, & a species he'd never before seen, in another entirely new place, he did okay. He does have the instinct but I was basically asking him to ignore everything I'd ever taught him about working stock, so he waffled quite a bit not knowing what he was supposed to be doing. He wants to please and was very responsive to correction but it did cause him check out at times rather than engage because he would rather quit than displease me or do something wrong.

He caught on a little bit right at the end and we finished on that good note with much praise. (My husband took video but, sadly, the clinic required that I not share it on social media.) However, I'm hoping that this blurry pic is nondescript enough to be ok.

Laddie herding instinct test Apr 28, 2023

It would take quite bit of time, I think, to consistently overcome Laddie's desire to drop back beside me, and to build permission in him to go out from me around the stock.

However, it was fun, although a steep learning curve for me too; it's not like gathering sheep is something I've done either! I wish we had somewhere to work him that were MUCH closer so that we could do it again - and more frequently. Throughout this trip, Laddie met and far exceeded my expectations. It was a pleasure to get a more rounded glimpse into his overall capabilities. He is a treasure: my Golden boy.

DUE TO things beyond my control, this amazing boy is available to an approved home. Please contact me if interested.