Pippi

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Nellie, Pippi's daughter by Bodie

Pippi and Bodie
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Pippi was ready to bond as a pup. She loved trailing my 3-year-old around and stuck right close to him. She let him carry her around in a basket and even tolerated him covering her with blankets...they were "camping". She showed some interest in the animals, but was content to sit back and watch them. She was not one to jump right in, but was very interested in what they were doing. She now lives in Banks, Oregon where she is goat dog in training, defender of all cats, and best buddy to a little girl.

October 12, 2002

From Diana Bratton

The last few days have been busy for Pippi. Breeding season for the goats! So lot's of moving around, separating etc. Pippi did an awesome job! I have 8 babies from the spring so needed to gather them up to open a pen for a buck and a few does. She trotted in (usually she goes about 150 mph)! And it took some work but we got them out of the pen (half are wild I can't even get near them) and out into the pasture. Then had to round them up and get them locked into the barn. tada first job done! All 6 bucks were due for vax, hooftrim etc she helped get them into the stantion and then I'd take them by leash to their new pens, with her help! Then pick out which doe for which buck, they weren't to happy to leave the herd to go with a stinky boy but Pippi convinced them it was in their best interest. Got half way done the first day. My one larger doe (who broke Tucker's leg a few years ago) decided she didn't like the buck in the pen by her pasture and proceeded to beat the tar out of the fence! I have enough work w/o her creating more! I thought she would give it up but she didn't. Pippi and I went down there in the dark and Pippi went in like a bull in a China shop! Got the doe off the fence and running full speed across the pasture and into the barn. Pippi had a hold of the does front leg while they were running at break neck speed but let go of her once they were in the barn. I got to the barn in time to see Pippi standing in front of the doe calmly and the doe charged Pippi, yikes I said "get her" and Pippi put the doe in its place "that'll do" and she stopped! Excellent job! These girls had given Pippi a hard time when she was a pup so it is nice to see her get the control over them. I'm afraid one problem I might have to deal with is Pippi is really trying to bite quite a bit or even run by grab wool and swing off the goat. I had to let her get a bit tough so they would respect her which has worked, but now if everyone is moving and cooperating, I've been telling her "no bite" or using a long PVC pipe to block her. Don't want her thinking excessive gripping is OK. Anyway this morning I notice my 2 extra bucks had escaped, tried just using grain, they wanted none of that not with so many girls in all the pens, so called Pippi. She runs out with Tucker gets one whiff and she is all business, barking like crazy (she usually is a pretty quiet worker) and lays down the law quickly! It took a while, their pen is away from the girls and we would get half way there and one would break away but Pippi was on it, and Tucker was trying to help (bless his heart) he can't move very fast but I wish I would have had a camera, bright morning sun with the buck with his head down and both dogs at his head barking working as a nice team. They'd get him turned back and finally got the first in the pen the 2nd is 5 feet from the pen and Pippi runs into the pen ahead of him and thinks she needs to bring the 1st one out, aaah no leave it! She stands there just looking at him, weighing the situation out in her head and decides OK and comes back out, (whew!) get the other guy in, close the gate, lot's of praise for everyone!
I think she had a blast. In between all this working she also had to put up with the 3 neighbor girls putting halters on her , leashes pulling her around etc. She took it all in stride! Better than me! I had to tell them you need to stay away I am dealing with bucks in rut here and I need the dog's help, the next thing I look up and can't find the girls, I told Pippi "go find Annika" off she goes finds them in the blackberry patch munching away!
Also found a dead brush rabbit in the yard don't know if it was Pippi or the cat but Pippi looked pretty proud about it. And she was after a pheasant yesterday!

October 16, 2003

You would be quite proud of her attitude and abilities with the chickens. I love to watch her work them. She very carefully walks them into their yard and then their little hen house. You barely have to say a word to her. And if they bunch into a corner of their yard she stands like a statue, very patient until the birds get nervous and run into the house and she let's them one by one rush past her and as long as they are going where they are supposed to go she doesn't pounce or anything. If they won't leave the corner she wags her tail like crazy and then stop and wait and wag again, one time even stomped her front feet, not forward at the birds but a little dance of right left right left. It is so cool to see her develop her own style.

She cracks me up too, still not thrilled with rain, she always has been a "fair weathered " dog, but she is much better. Her and I were down putting chickens away in the dark and the rain, and I can't find Pippi! Well, she belly crawled into the hen house with the chickens to get out of the rain, of course all birds were getting a thorough sniffing over. Too funny.

She is coming along nicely with the goats too. One thing I have done the last few weeks is to lock Tucker up and only take her, much better. She also definitely knows her herd. Even though the groupings change and the pens and pastures and even over to the neighbors pasture she knows whose are ours. Two does came in for breeding here. Pippi was not out when they brought them didn't want to worry the owners. But boy that evening doing the chores she noticed them. At first she was upset ran the fence line and barked,"intruders!" But she listened to me and I let her know they were allowed, sweet talked to them etc and since then no problem. Well, this is way to long I'll close for now.

Tucker has been good in teaching her to just "hang out" . But she definitely surveys the property, goats and patrols for pocket gophers, which is great! She only barks if there is a reason. I think she has settled down quite a bit. Maybe has gained more confidence in her abilities? I have to say I have noticed alot of improvement with her working the goats without Tucker around. I should have done that along time ago but didn't have the heart to make him feel left out. She has given him a burst of energy and he wants to help with the chores. The problem is he is not much help, doesn't listen, actually can't hear well, the goats don't take him seriously anymore, and it is competition for Pippi. She gets more frantic, like I can get them first! And my yelling at him is upsetting to her. The funny thing is her correcting Tucker. If they are outside a pen and I am in with the goats, Tucker likes to start barking, Pippi will jump on his head and scold him. She does like to enforce rules.

Diana

"Pippi could be an agility *queen*!"

Mary Peaslee
October 23, 2002

January 24 2004

It is an old harness I bought 18 years ago, can't even remember where I got it. It was just nylon and I sewed fake fleece on the inside to keep it from rubbing. Tucker pulled Annika (my daughter) with it when she was tiny. She was disappointed that Pippi wouldn't be able to pull her! : ) She is 7 years old now.But it works nicely for getting hay out to the bucks! We used to have a few cows/steers and Tucker was pretty funny when he took the hay out to them the first time. He was all proud pulling the sled, but boy his expression sure changed when the cows were following him instead of moving away from him!

The snow is all gone but it was fun while it lasted. Annika had a blast sledding down the hill but got tired of pulling the sled back up the hill so Pippi did it for her. What a smart dog after just 2 times she had it down. She would run down the hill with Annika, circle around wait for the sled to be turned the right direction and then stand right in front of it waiting to be hooked back up, without any commands! And then race back up the hill!