Working with Tex

Awhile back Lytha said she would love to see a video of me working with Tex at liberty.  So, I enlisted Brett's help a few days ago, handed him my phone, loaded my pocket with cookies, and headed into the pasture.

The video is taken from outside the pasture because I was afraid that if Brett came in, it would distract Tex (Brett is a reliable source of treats).  I was also concerned that Flash would mob Brett -- and you can see that he did that even with Brett outside the fence.  There's quite a bit of Flash photo-bombing going on.

Tex and I have been building on our liberty work slowly.  I view it as an extension of the bond we are building and a way to expand its boundaries.  We are far from polished and we are probably not doing everything correctly, but it is our relationship and our bond.  So there.  What I've done is taken my initial work with him -- let me approach you, touch you, walk around you and mess with you -- and expanded it.  At first, I added "walk with me a few steps."  And, as that got easier and more consistent, we walked further.  Tex watches me enter the pasture, and then he turns and comes to me.  Sometimes, I get a goat as a bonus.  ...which is actually a big deal because Tex does not like the goats milling around me at all. Here's a very short clip of me going into the pasture and Tex turning:

We always end up at his feed bin (because he is often leaving his breakfast or dinner to hang out with me).  Sometimes, he marches along at my shoulder in perfect lock-step.  Sometimes, not so much.  This video captures a pretty typical/average session.  Sometimes, he walks next to me but sometimes he needs to think about it first.  For me, I don't care that he thinks about it first -- what I care about is that he chooses to join me.  Every time.  He always chooses to be with me and that feels awesome.