Herding Pigs - It's Been Awhile
This time though, and unplanned, as is all pig herding, I had the Australian Shepherd pups (Tilly & Toby) and Lulu (one of our Pit Bull mix dogs) with me.
Yes, I know, the pictures are not good. I use a flip phone, and I was as busy as the new pups herding pigs. That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it!
That’s Toby out in front of the pigs, Tilly behind. I was in the Sugar House making up a package for shipment, while at the same time ensuring that the Australian Shepherd pups were not getting into any trouble. Lulu (Pit Bull mix) was also outside.
I look up to see the pups and Lulu staring up the driveway, eyes big as saucers. Of course my gaze follows, and after some delay, an innate refusal to accept reality I suppose, I see all of the January pigs 3/8th’s mile from where they should be! I calmed myself to the extent possible, and with the herding dogs and Lulu, we successfully and quickly herded the pigs back up to and into the High Tunnel. Fence repair followed; the pigs had pulled up a T-post and made their way out.
The pups herding instincts were clearly on display, while Lulu hung back a bit, as any sane dog would do. I did have to make some corrections, but overall I could not be happier with the impromptu performance of Tilly and Toby, who are siblings and less than 4 months old.
It’s only by God’s grace that the pigs made their way directly to the house, given all of the other less desirable possibilities, and that I had the pups outside with me!
On our way back Geri called to said she’d received notice of a grid power outage, and within seconds I saw a tree down on the power lines. I called the utility, MEC, gave them news of the discovery, and literally within 30 minutes the problem was resolved and the workers were long gone.
That’s enough excitement for today!
Something you may want to consider, that I always had good success with for horses, cattle, goats, and hogs.
That is EVERY TIME that I feed, just before pouring or dropping the feed/hay, I give a particular whistle.
The Feed Whistle meant: “Food is being given HERE and NOW!”
If there were “escapees”, I’d stand where I wanted them, whistle the Feed Whistle, and dump feed.
They always came running once trained.
Excellent suggestion S Howton. I also had an audible cue to an edible reward. No matter what time I returned home from work (I was on-call for surgery 1/3 of the time for 15 years). I would ALWAYS head to the barn put 1/2 bucket of 12% All Sock Pelleted Feed with Molasses into a five gallon bucket and shake it 3 times and wherever the animals were they would come a’runnin through the narrow entry to the squeeze chute into the corral. I used this method to recall the cattle/hogs more times than I would like to admit. But, I never had two herding dogs at my disposal!