cattle dogs

cattle dogs in general are just peachy!
I had a nice visit with Lur… Actually, his name is Boyd now, and he answers to it just fine. He’s a smart little guy. I took him to Petsmart for practice at NOT BARKING AT OTHER DOGS. He’s such a little pip.
I tried a new (to me) technique: You have to be down on the dog’s level. When Boyd barked at a dog, I grabbed his neck, twisted and said ‘UH-UH!’
Then let go his neck and wait, he barks again, grab, twist, UH-UH.
It took him three or four tries to figure out what I was talking about and another couple to make sure I was serious, after that, we could walk around the store and when he looked like he was going to bark at a dog, I just told him ‘UH-UH, no barkies’.
I took him in to get his toenails clipped, it’s regularly $8.00, which is very reasonable, but for first-time dogs it’s free. Bonus!
I’ll call Boyd’s owner today and arrange a ply-date with Annie Oakley.
She and Boyd played constantly while he was here. He always was the favorite one for her to wrestle with.
Actually, the first fave was Kodos, the early leader of the pack, but he was adopted very early, then I guess she went for the next aggressive pup, Lur. They were happy to see each other. If I get Boyd and Annie playing in Boyd’s park, maybe he will relax a little.
SOURDOUGH BREAD
I have given up on getting a fluffy loaf of sourdough bread, so I have decided to use yeast. I’m starting a new batch of sourdough starter today and will bake again this weekend, adding yeast. I should get a fluffy loaf that has the sourdough taste and enough texture to support whole grains. The taste really is marvelous, but the bread’s so heavy you have to toast it.