Farm chatter

[black_cat]

Lol, well I’ve been studying pedigrees since I was 9 and can recite stuff back a few decades. And I can talk people’s ears off

please do

about pedigrees, genetics, canine evolution, dog behavior, etc until they beg me to stop lol (not really I’m pretty good at knowing when to change the subject when I see people’s eyes glaze )

pm me?

 

[DucksAreBest]

Hey, everyone! How's it going? We had 5 calves born last week. Four heifers and one bull calf. They are all doing well, praise the Lord!

Hello! I'm not doing very good, feeling kinda sick. How are you? Wow! Five calves in one week?!?! How many cows do you have?

 

[black_cat]

1) Depends on if they are intact or not. Intact coats are very easy, until a female blows her coat before going into heat and than you have fur everywhere. Spay/neuter coats are thick and wooly, and require grooming up to every day depending on how bad it gets.

Oh wow, I didn't know that being fixed changes it! Do you know why that happens?

2) I wouldn’t say they’re super impulsive. They’re thinkers, which sometimes isn’t the best lol. If they think they know better than you that could be good or bad depending on the situation.

So they'll pause to assess the situation instead of just go go go?

3) Very medium, you put them next to a German Shepherd and there is a significant size difference.

Oh hecc ok, I was hoping they were bigger lol

4) Typical herding dogs, they’re barky. Pitch depends on the individual and their mood. The dogs I’ve had tend towards a deeper pitch, but they can get obnoxiously high pitched if you aren’t throwing their ball fast enough lol

5) From the AKC standard “In his relationship with humans he is observant and vigilant with strangers, but not apprehensive. He does not show fear or shyness. He does not show viciousness by unwarranted or unprovoked attack. He must be approachable, standing his ground and showing confidence to meet overtures without himself making them. With those he knows well, he is most affectionate and friendly, zealous for their attention and very possessive.” I’d say that sums it up well. The breed is somewhat notorious for nerviness though, and not in a good way. I’ve met plenty of dogs who meet the standard, but also quite a few who have less than stellar temperaments.

Do you think that that is because of regular breed variation, or other factors like poor breeding and/or poor socialization?

There are few Golden temperaments out there, but they’re not typical. In terms of dogs I’ve observed that same sex aggression isn’t that uncommon.

Towards just the same breed, or all?
Have you ever had more than one dog at a time with them? How do they react to introducing a new dog or puppy?

6) They’re not Border Collie level energetic, but not that far off.

So they're not absolutely insane, but are definitely working dogs?

 

[black_cat]

Hey, everyone! How's it going? We had 5 calves born last week. Four heifers and one bull calf. They are all doing well, praise the Lord!

m o o c o w s

 

[Tervuren]

Oh wow, I didn't know that being fixed changes it! Do you know why that happens?

So they'll pause to assess the situation instead of just go go go?

Oh hecc ok, I was hoping they were bigger lol



Do you think that that is because of regular breed variation, or other factors like poor breeding and/or poor socialization?

Towards just the same breed, or all?
Have you ever had more than one dog at a time with them? How do they react to introducing a new dog or puppy?

So they're not absolutely insane, but are definitely working dogs?

1) I think it's just the change in hormones affects the coat? I'm really not sure about the science tbh.

2) The impulse thing kinda depends on age, situation, and individual. Generally speaking they're thinkers, but there are certainly situations where thought goes out the window, I mean they are dogs lol. As an example my current dog, Gracie, is very methodical when she does searches for nosework. She's been like that since I started her at 9 months. On the other hand she can be a brat doing agility, because I'm not going fast enough in her opinion.

3) Yep not big, it always surprises people. Gracie is 50lbs and 23.5 in at the withers, so she's as tall as is allowed for a female. Most girls are like 40lbs or so. The boys can get up to 75lbs. This is assuming everyone is trim and fit lol.

5) I think bad temperaments are just in the gene pool tbh. Belgians are a sensitive herding breed, and I just don't think it takes much to give them that push into a nervy, unstable dog. That can come from unfortunate recessive genes getting matched up and/or bad experiences during fear periods that members of other breeds (like Labs and Goldens) can just shake off. When you're breeding dogs who are meant to be super handler aware, aware of their environment, aware of their livestock charges, and guard a farm it isn't too hard to end up with a dog who can't handle modern suburban society.

6) They can be jerks towards all dogs. Most commonly it is just being grumbly and growly, but there are individuals who just can't be around other dogs. I've lived with multiple Tervs. They can be very jealous with each other, and there can be posturing, but I've never had to deal with a dog fight or anything. When I got Gracie, my old girl Jenny definitely had the attitude of "what did you just bring home, please take it back." But, she handled it well. We did end up separating them when it came to training and playing. They wanted to stick their noses in each others' training sessions and playtime, which led to snarling and such things.

7) Perfect way of putting it! They would be great working on a farm all day, or in my case doing long hikes and backpacking! They love having a job and learning new things. They're very hardy, Jenny was hiking in the Cascades with me over all kinds of rocky ground when she was 11!

 

[chickentrains]

Lol, well I’ve been studying pedigrees since I was 9 and can recite stuff back a few decades. And I can talk people’s ears off about pedigrees, genetics, canine evolution, dog behavior, etc until they beg me to stop lol (not really I’m pretty good at knowing when to change the subject when I see people’s eyes glaze )

OMG sounds like heaven. my eyes would never gaze

 

[black_cat]

OMG sounds like heaven. my eyes would never gaze

ikr
petition to start a group pm so @Tervuren can talk our ears off?

 

[ChickForLife]

ikr
petition to start a group pm so @Tervuren can talk our ears off?

I second it!

 

[CHlCKEN]

Guess who has a broody!
(probably)

 

[CHlCKEN]