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If you have been following us on Facebook or Instagram, you have probably seen photos of a cute little black and white cattle dog named Piper. Despite being a dog, Piper is still very much a part of our ‘herd.’ Piper is a ‘working dog in training.’ She is chock full of energy and wants to be helpful.
All of that energy is hard to channel though and when we don’t have enough work for Piper to do, her extra energy and inherent curiosity can really get her in trouble!
I tend to be pretty hard on Piper, but as I am writing this, NP is gone on a business trip (he will be back before it is published) and I have to admit that Piper is kinda nice to have around …
All of that energy is hard to channel though and when we don’t have enough work for Piper to do, her extra energy and inherent curiosity can really get her in trouble!
I tend to be pretty hard on Piper, but as I am writing this, NP is gone on a business trip (he will be back before it is published) and I have to admit that Piper is kinda nice to have around …
She has been my ‘gate watcher’ & ‘steer-keeper-out-of-the-wayer’ and just plain companion as I wrestle hay bales, buckets of grain, and fresh bedding through gates and across pastures. NP’s patience and the time he has put into training Piper is really starting to pay off. It is nice to know that I can set Piper at an open gate and tell her to ‘watch it’ and not have to worry about the cattle getting out while I make multiple trips in and out with hay bales or wheel barrows full of bedding. She is also good at pushing the cattle back to give me space to work in the pasture. The cattle are a curious bunch and like to investigate anything and everything that is happening in the pasture which can make it hard to get a task accomplished! Piper particularly loves this ‘steer-keeper-out-of-the-wayer’ task! She can be a bit over zealous though and the next step in training is to reign in and channel her enthusiasm! Part of the problem is that she doesn’t get to do this task nearly often enough. This is compounded by the fact that the steers learn in pretty short order to back off when Piper shows up!
**click on each picture above to see the full image**
Come this Spring though, we will begin a more intensive rotational grazing program with the cattle and Piper will have more opportunities to ‘round up’ the herd and move them from pasture to pasture. I think Piper will really enjoy this job!
Piper also provides us with a great source of entertainment. She has really been enjoying this snow! When you watch her go bounding and jumping through it - you can see how much fun she is having! In the warmer months, she loves to play in the water. She also enjoys ‘herding’ chickens. Bear in mind, she would much rather be eating them but so long as we are around, she knows she mustn't! So, she contents herself with attempts at herding them and it is quite the show!
Piper is a young dog and I expect she will be with us for many years to come. Keep on following along here and on FB to see what she learns and how she continues to help us out on the farm!
Enjoy!
Brun Ko Farm
To learn about more of our herd, check out the “Meet Our Herd” posts on our blog index!
Piper also provides us with a great source of entertainment. She has really been enjoying this snow! When you watch her go bounding and jumping through it - you can see how much fun she is having! In the warmer months, she loves to play in the water. She also enjoys ‘herding’ chickens. Bear in mind, she would much rather be eating them but so long as we are around, she knows she mustn't! So, she contents herself with attempts at herding them and it is quite the show!
Piper is a young dog and I expect she will be with us for many years to come. Keep on following along here and on FB to see what she learns and how she continues to help us out on the farm!
Enjoy!
Brun Ko Farm
To learn about more of our herd, check out the “Meet Our Herd” posts on our blog index!
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