"PETE"erbilt

by Danny Crafton

 
I read through the dog’s history sheet that my wife Anita had given me on the new board and train. Pyr Akbash cross, male. "Montana’s" brother.

I let my mind slip back into the warm summer days and a smile came to my heart as I thought of Montana. Also a Pyr Akbash cross, she had stayed at the back of her run for days, refusing to come and meet me. Fearful as I have ever seen I wondered if she would ever make it.

I remembered the history of Montana and Pete’s litter. Born on a very big sheep ranch in Idaho, their Mamma refused to let the nurse. So they were left to die. A hard life being a Stockguard. If a dog does live from puppy hood, and if they don’t chase stock and do their jobs, they have good homes. If not they are simply shot. Sounds like a rough life but this has kept the stockguards very sturdy and trustworthy. I remember Anita’s lecture: We aren’t here to judge the way stockguards have been raised for several hundred years-successfully. We are here to help the ones that need some help adjusting.

It took me three days to get Montana even to come up to me. Through leadership and patience, by end of summer, Montana was happily at heel, and going into town for walks. Costco and Petsmart visits? No problem.

I missed Montana alot and it still stung not to have her here. But I knew she loved her owners and was happy.

I checked Anita’s training routine what she wanted done, and started out to the run still glancing at the dog’s history papers. When I got to the run and looked at what was standing infront of me I could only think- Your name is Pete, that’s gotta be short for Peterbilt cause your as big as a truck.

I gotta tell you I was a big intimidated by his size. That was the awesome thing about him. Secondly I noticed that although he was Montana’s brother his demeanor was completely different. Pete was standing at the end of the run, wagging his tail and had those smiling eyes that some dogs have. It was like he was saying Hi! My name is Pete! Shouldn’t we get to work now?

I read in his history, "Friendly and loves to play."

I spent the next few days bonding with Pete and reporting his progress to Anita who kept a watchful eye on things.

His training went very smoothly. He loved to please people and worked hard. He loved to play with our other stockguards and also Simba our oversized GS.

Pete was a gentle giant. He did seem to have some prey drive, which I thought was too bad. I told Anita and the dogs owner that I thought Pete had too high of a prey drive to be a good stockguard. Pete’s owner, a good stockwoman in her own right, said that she thought he would do fine on sheep.

Pete came back early this spring for board. I had been thinking about him all winter and thought I would try to put him on sheep.

I talked to Anita and she told me that it was okay, but to make sure I followed the right steps.

Pete I knew had the Akbash Pyr hardwire for something’s. Those things are built into a dog. I don’t think they can be changed easily.

Pete definitely had the Pyr friendliness for people. Would he have that same hardwire for guarding stock? Had the genes in his body for so many generations of breeding for stockguards be there? And could I harness it.

Pete lived in a situation where he meets lots of people at his house. We went to a social at his home once and there must have been 100 people. He did fine! He had excellent owner, as did Montana. Nothing was too good for the dogs.

Pete was always a very, very fast learner. After proper introductions I slipped his training collar onto him (I could pull a tractor out of the mud with it), put on his leash and into the Sheep pen we go.

We have Shetland Sheep. They are only used to Jack, our stockguard. Sheep being sheep they ran. Pete started to chase! A good collar correction, No! I told him. Pete settled and sat down. This happened several times until he pretty much ignored the sheep. After the last correction Pete looked and me with his smiling eyes as if to say" Okay; now I understand, gotcha boss!

I took Pete around the pasture several times and let him smell the Perimeter...I took lots of time and let him investigate and until I could tell he was comfortable. I do some stupid things sometimes, letting my confidence in myself get me in trouble...I was thinking. Anita isn’t home, hmmmmmmmm!

I remembered that these dogs are really special, highly intelligent, excellent hearing, excellent smell. I remembered what Pete and Pete’s ancestors had been bred to do...guard stock...I wondered?

I knew that I could pull Pete off anything with a verbal, we is very good at that. I had faith in him, and I had faith on the kind of dog he was.

Pete was very settled as we came back to the main pasture gate and I made my decision. I gently slipped Pete’s training collar off, put on a remote citronella, adjusted in just so----and walked away. Pete hates citronella.

After I was out of the pasture I released him with a verbal. He started turning his perimeter, very carefully and as if he had been doing it for his whole life. On his first two occasions that he came in contact he "Flared" at the sheep, a burst of citronella stopped it from going any further. It is important to know the dog and stop a possible attack before it starts.

Anita got home about 5:00 PM and I was sitting in the shade on the west side of the house, watching Pete in the pasture. I was also having myself a nice cold beer, (maybe two.) Anita looked into the pasture and asked? Is that Pete! I told her yes it was and he had been on guard all morning and all afternoon.

Things just took off after that...Pete wanted to be on guard duty all the time, and Jack was glad to have the company. Pete’s owner was tickled to death and I am glad to say she was right and I was wrong.

Nowadays when Pete comes for board I put him to work with the sheep. Or we go to the feedstore, town or anywhere else we want to go. Oh yes, he gets his down time in the house too. He can do anything we want to do.

I am pleased to be right about some things a dog is hardwired to do, and some things they can’t. You can’t take a stockguard to the city and not expect them to bark and you can’t expect them not to be guard dogs cause they are.

If you ever come to my house and in the front pasture you are taken a little back thinking why would anyone park a truck in their yard, it isn’t a truck at all it is just our "PETEerbilt" there for a visit.