# How dogs make life better



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Peeves is our resident chicken guardian, entirely self taught. When he senses that they are agitated he alerts whoever is in the house to let him out and then he chases off the offending intruder (usually a cat). Sadly neither of the poodles, who are very accomplished in their own ways, have taught themselves something so useful as that.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

My tpoo years ago knew the 4 cat names and I could ask her to go bring me Max and she knew to go get him and herd him to me while ignoring the 3 other cats. It made things like going to the vet so easy because I never had to search all over the house. And if a cat crate came out, cats can make themselves very scarce, but they couldn’t hid from my tpoo. I don’t know how she learned to herd a cat but she was fast and 100% accurate. When she passed away the chore of rounding up who ever needed to go to the vet fell upon me and it was hard. Luckily my current cats are elderly Ragdolls whose idea of hiding is to snooze on the couch in the family room. Babykins hasn’t learned to search for or herd cat, but at this time I don’t need her to. I wouldn’t know how to even teach her. 

I do think herding started with asking our tpoo to look for and bring her toys to us by name. Maybe that morphed into bringing cats by name?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Skylar that is a funny mental picture of a tpoo herding the ultimate unherdable animal, a reluctant cat! It is amasing how readily cats can disappear when they want to. I remember when I had some work being done in my apartment and a window got left open. I couldn't find one of my Maine ***** and I was really worried about her. She was quite the agoraphobe and eventually mysteriously reappeared behind the recliner, but not until I had looked all over the apartment more than once and even had been looking for her outside.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

What’s really funny is this little tpoo herding cats that were much larger than her. Rag doll cats are as large or even larger than Maine **** cats. My tpoo was raised by a cat who used to carry her around the house when she was a puppy. She had strong, effective communication skills with cats. Strange cats would come greet her when we traveled shocking their owners who would swear their cats hated or feared dogs. Herding for her might have been easier.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I wish you could post a picture of your poodle being carried around by the cat. My SIL has the kindest rag doll male and I can see him doing that. Her cat quite fat and could use the exercise, lol.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Mfmst said:


> I wish you could post a picture of your poodle being carried around by the cat. My SIL has the kindest rag doll male and I can see him doing that. Her cat quite fat and could use the exercise, lol.


I wish I had photos of my cat carrying my tpoo when she was a tiny puppy but this was 30 years ago. He used to carry her when she was too small to get up and down stairs or on furniture. He behaved like a mother cat taking care of her


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

My sil had a chicken farm with several hours. Our STPOO also became a guardian over them and would chase off any intruders. Boy that dog was a handful in her young years but she became a remarkable dog in the latter.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

The only dog I can leave out with loose chickens is Lily. She really doesn't care much about interacting with them but if they are ranging while hawks are still up I put her out with them since I think her simple presence would be dissuasive to them. Peeves tries to herd them if they are loose. And Javelin, well he just can't resist chasing them...


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Skylar said:


> What’s really funny is this little tpoo herding cats that were much larger than her. Rag doll cats are as large or even larger than Maine **** cats. My tpoo was raised by a cat who used to carry her around the house when she was a puppy. She had strong, effective communication skills with cats. Strange cats would come greet her when we traveled shocking their owners who would swear their cats hated or feared dogs. Herding for her might have been easier.



Now I picture him walking up to cats and talking to them, like the pig herding sheep in the movie Babe. :laugh:


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

“Ba ram meow”.


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