The thing about training dogs is this, if you are honest, you are humbled again and again. This morning Bud came into the pasture and got cranked up – this is a dog with a lot of prey drive. Everybody was running, and Bud, who loves to run, chased after the sheep, barking and charging at them, and then did the same to Lulu and Fanny, who took it badly, Lulu ran right over him.

Nobody got hurt and nobody got bitten, but I was reminded to be more thoughtful and careful. And patient!

Bud  seemed so confident and careful and appropriate out with the animals over the last two days, I forgot to do the due diligence and train him deliberately and with patience.

I don’t believe in dog training miracles,  you have to do the work and take the time. My fault completely. Bud is a great dog, affectionate, obedient, and enthusiastic about life. There is nothing aggressive about him, but he is a dominant creature. Men.

He’s still got a lot of testosterone in him and as I said, a lot more prey drive than Gus had (or Fate, for that matter.) So he’s  temporarily banned from the pasture off lease.

After the donkey dust-up, which was a bit scary,  I put Bud on a leash and walked him slowly right up to the donkeys while they were grazing. The donkeys were quite calm and so was Bus. This is encouraging.  The donkeys were not upset, and Bud calmed down quickly.

I’ve taught Bud to sit, but didn’t bother to teach him that the animals are not toys for him to chase. Bud didn’t even try to nip or bite anybody, he just like the chase, but prey animals don’t  know the difference. And But got too close.

And as  sweet as they are, either donkey could stomp Bud to mush  if they wanted do. I think Lulu taught Bud a lesson or two about being close.

The donkeys are quite resilient, they’ve been around dogs all of their lives and handle them well. It’s the trainer who has to get to work. And this what I really love about training, it is just like chess, they make a move, you make a move.

Done properly, it’s the most creative thing in the world.

The challenge is to stay patient and start thinking about a different outcome.

For the foreseeable future, Bud will come into the pasture on a leash, we’ll work on being calm around the animals here. Bud is a smart dog, responsive and alert. He wants to please, and picks things up quickly.

I’ll have him stand next to the donkeys and give him some treats. If I’m calm, he will be calm, and then the donkeys will be calm. That’s the beginning. I am confident we can make this work.

He’s a Boston Terrier, not a border collie, so he doesn’t need to be in the pasture at all, if it comes to that. And I won’t to anything that frightens the sheep and donkeys or makes them uncomfortable.

I’ll share the process, honestly and openly. When you train a dog, your own flaws are revealed, there is no hiding.