Being Trained with the Chickadies

Who says that Airedales are impossible to train? If an Airedale has a strong will, the owner just has to have a stronger will. Mum is training me to tolerate the chickens, whom we now call chickadies. I am not allowed to stalk, stare at, or chase the chickadies. I've been very good at it, when I run toward their "condo", also known as the chicken's home, someone will yell at me, "No Birdies", which means, leave them. And I listen.

For a little while, I would be interested in what they get to eat. Mum would throw them old blueberries, or give them pieces of fruit and things, just so that they would come closer to us humans and dog alike, and learn to trust us, and I'd wonder why I'm not getting any of that food. I would try to get to the food they were eating off the ground, but Mum would say, "Leave it", and I'd obey her. I have to - there is no question about disobeying, because I'd be put in a down position if I don't listen. And I don't fancy falling out of favor with mum, since she's the alpha around here.

I've even learned how to walk calmly among my chickadies now. And the birds trust me too, they keep an eye on me, and never ever let me get closer than 3 feet, but now, I'm getting a hang of this. I'm learning to switch off the prey drive in my head. If Dave and Alice came to visit me on my property, I know they would be so delighted to have a free chicken chase and dinner.

My chickadies like to hang around the garden, picking out worms, bugs, rolly pollys and other insects. They roost up in the tree at night, and they lay eggs in their condo. They never seem to leave our property, I guess they like living here, just as I do. It is very nice for me to live on a big property and have these other living things around me. I've even chased a garden snake in my garden. I wonder if the chickadies would eat the snakes because that would make my mum very happy indeed.

So its not impossible to train an Airedale, it just takes a very firm hand and consistency. Oh, and also a lot of patience and time. If I want something, Mum just makes sure that she has more persistence in making sure I defer to her first above all things.

Hugs,
Kimi