Well, Lu is semi-retiring. In the spring when the weather warms up I'll let her rejoin the LGD team and help guard the new lambs.
Lulu is the LGD furthest over to the left in my siggie picture. She's a Pyr/Maremma cross and is going to turn eleven years old next Feb/March. Her littermate sister was sort of famous. When they were much younger, an author regularly featured on NPR's All Things Considered (Donald McCaig) often talked about his LGD Rose, who is Lulu's sister. You can probably still do a search and find the old MP3 files, or request them from NPR. I've thought about it a few times and should sometime.
Lulu spent the first six months of her life raised by a Scots family who had no clue how to raise an LGD and got advice from totally the wrong people. They recommended driving her off with sticks when she sought attention or did anything but stay with the flock. As a result, Lu is rather shy, and also somewhat fearful of leaving the flock, even to do her job.
So you would think that it would be a big deal to transition her to being a house dog, as I've decided to do. Well, as it turns out, not so much. Lulu is apparently quite ready for the life of luxury.
I've moved her in because she has acted stiff the last couple of winters, and now we have Min to take her place. We're moving to a smaller place (at least the sheep will be in a smaller place this winter), and there's no need for three LGDs.
I have been thinking about this since we rescued Min. However, I'll admit that when Ben passed away so suddenly, I started itching for another "project dog." What better dog than Lulu, who has given so much of herself for our peace of mind and for the safety and well being of ten generations of sheep? I was amazed at the evidence of what goes on that I have no idea about as I was grooming her out thoroughly - battle scars all over her! Mental note - spiked collar for Tully - I had one on his dad but never bought one for Tully as I could never find one safety orange and also spiked.
Lu walked in, spent about an hour digging her claws into the floor where I left her, then looked around and made herself comfy in our bedroom. About an hour after that, she climbed up on our bed! I had to help her up, but clearly she felt quite at home. My bed is next to the window and looks over the lamb pasture. She glanced out, curled up, and stayed there the rest of the evening.
The next day she'd tried out the couch and one of the elevated dog beds (too small) and then I folded up a futon at the foot of our bed and she liked that. She could get up and down our bed using it, or just sleep right there. PAtrick was a litttle alarmed at her preference for the bed - she's a lean 95 pounds and that is a lot of dog even if she's polite, which she's not always (demands petting!).
She's been inside for a week and has not had an accident - not one. She figured out the food routine in one day, ditto where the food comes from. She readily takes treats and snacks from my hand, seeks attention, and has taken over as lead alert barker (barks last, if I quiet her the rest will also quiet). It's like she's decided that because she's not with the sheep, she can be her "real" self - whatever she was before her first family discouraged her friendliness. Please note, Lu has NEVER been in a house, from birth until a week ago. I always thought she'd have a meltdown because the few times I've had to kennel her for some reason, she's gotten very upset at being separated from the sheep.
Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Oh, yes. In fact, I'm going to see whether Lu literally will learn some tricks. I'll give her another week to adjust and then introduce her to the clicker.