A dwarf in the garden & a giant in the house

There is a Dwarf wandering in my Asparagus bed!!

Nibbler is still tiny. All 4 ducks were hatched out in the same 24 hour time frame. All are, with no chance of otherwise, pure bred Welsh Harlequins. Nibbler by day 2 began growing in white feathers while the others stayed yellow fluff. She was full adult feathered by 3 weeks of age. The others were beginning their junior white fluff, the stage between yellow fluff and adult feathering. She has remained 1/3 the size in comparison to her crew. For those unaware, this is NOT normal growth & feathering patterns.

 Since our 16 days in a row of rain and final bravo of flooding everywhere, I let them out to dig in their normal stomping ground of my Asparagus bed. The old sled serves as their water play/duck bill cleaner. The green water is thanks to the constant rain.

 As you can see above, she is tiny next to the others. In person, her size seems even smaller then she appears in photos. I do fear for the time Zoidburg discovers "mating". The size difference may squish her to death. the breeder I bought them from was not worried about her odd growth pattern when I contacted her 4 weeks ago, declaring they breed for a smaller size. But this?! This is Dwarf. My next contact with her will hopefully let me know if this is what she bred for OR this is something smaller then they had in mind.

As for Moose... Well, I put a cover on the couch cushions and gave in to his furniture lounging. I have yet to find a dog bed for his size that does not over take my living room. Hardwood floors are not comfortable and he seems to pacify on the folded comforters I put down for a temporary bed. For now, I caved. Obviously, it only works when 1 person is on there... You should see him the car or truck! No room!

And yes. Yes that is an E-collar. Long story short, his Black mouth Cur father shared enough hunting dog drive, that combined with his St. Bernard mother's size producied a situation where my dog weighs 25 lbs less then I do and obedience was moody. He was already big when we got him as well as never being on a leash. The training of control in chasing wild life began to take a toll on my body. That E-collar saved me AND him from harm.

I plan to share a post on e-collar introduction & use. it's not like others seem to fear or spread. In 10 minutes of first use, after reading & watching training info, things finally "clicked" and Moose just got "awesomer".. My dog knew he was stronger then me and my patience after 8 months of constant whip lash & shoulder jerks had their toll.

More on which one we use {more like he just wears} and how by day 3 Moose discovered the world he wants to explore is his to roam as long as he stays in bounds, comes when called and checks in every few minutes. Moose is far happier with his new found freedom and it shows!

Till next time,

Sweetest Dreams,

~Tammie

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The pitter patter of Webbed feet & nibbling dog drool

The Welsh Harlequin ducks took longer to begin their laying this Spring which in turn delayed our duckling's arrival until last week. 3 females and 1 male {whom Panda has deemed his name is Zoidburg} have joined our odd little clan.. 

Frog held them on her lap, peering over the edge into the galvanized bait bucket, speaking to them about her excitement and all the adventure awaiting them at home. Namely. Moose. Personally, I had my hopes on a positive outcome, as Frog was set on there not being any other way. I feared he may see them as toys or go insane as done when squirrels are darting across the yard. 

Once home, we set the bucket down and reminded him to be gentle. be nice. Allowing him {with guard} to sniff and investigate the odd noise and smell from these tiny new additions. From that moment on, Moose once again surprised me with his gentle giant ways.

He has become... The Duck Watcher. So intent on keeping an eye out for his self claimed charges. Interacting with curiosity yet gentle understanding he could "break" them at any given misstep. The interaction between the 5 of them is endearing but under a watchful eye. Moose also thinks of them as a duck poo Pez dispenser... 

He follows them everywhere. If you hold one, he is right under you refusing to go away. He allows their nibbles of his whiskers, his nose. Which never fails to bequeath them a blade of grass, crumbs of food or dog drool mixed with boogers. Even the nibbles on his eyes will not set him off. He simply moves his head. It seems as though he enjoys their ear nibbles and between the toe cleaning action.

I remind him to be gentle while moving around, his only desire wanting being his nose placed right there within the crowd. He steps slowly, with intent, when they are under foot as to avoid stepping on them. He learned quickly they make distress noise when their feet are under his paw. That only took twice before he realized every step must be done with caution. The only concern I have is how he is now trying to figure out how to pick them up in his mouth. I caught him doing it after a lick, when he he opened his mouth just enough to fit Zoidburg's head in and did not close it {I was a few feet away cleaning their cage}. I reminded him gentle. No bite. This did not mean he would stop trying but listened while letting out a frustrating sigh. Laying down next to them, his ducklings pouncing upon his ever drooling mouth, nibbling at the strands puddling on the tile and those long whiskers jetting out the sides. I'm not sure what to make of his new desire in picking them up. Does he want to cart them off and chew on their little heads? or is he simply viewing them as puppies. he's male. Which makes it all the more confounding. 

My fears have been calmed. My hopes did not fall through. Moose has befriended the new feathering babies and thankfully they continue to live. In his crate....

I love my Moose..

Sweetest dreams,

~Tammie

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