Monday, December 23, 2013

Funny Farmers Read Chaser










Buddy:  Hey, it's the Funny Farmers mind-your-manners educational team here. Don't you dare call us "baby sitters!"  Who are we baby sitting ... um, we mean educating?  Why, Red aka Little Puppy No Name, of course!





Sam: Have you ever wondered how much your puppy could learn if you had hours every day to teach him? Well, first we'd like Red to learn not to steal our beds.

Buddy:  I can spend two whole minutes stomping my bed into just the right shape and before I can lay down on it, I'm bed-less and Red is snoring.

Sam: And he needs to learn not to try to steal our food just because he's wolfed down his own.

Merci:  And not to bite our ears.  Or leap on us when we're sleeping.  Or sing soprano when Jan puts him in the borrowed crate because she has to leave for a bit.  That hurts our ears too, which is why we sing along - to drown him out.

Why are we going on about educating Red?  Because we just finished reading a book titled Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words by John W. Pilley with Hilary Hinzmann.   It has taken us a while to get through it since we have to squeeze reading time into our schedule.  Usually, we take turns reading to each other in the pee/poop room.  (That's the dog pen, in case you don't have a canine to human dictionary.)

A couple of years after he retired this guy, Pilley, was given a Border Collie by his wife.  He spent hours each day training the dog, which he named Chaser, to learn words.  First the basic commands.  And some herding commands.  Yes, Chaser can herd sheep, as well as "herd" his mountain of toys, each with a distinct name.

Unlike the treat method of training many humans employ, Pilley used play-based methods to teach Chaser words, names and more.  Pilley is an intelligent professor/scientist and Chaser a willing student, but first and foremost throughout the training, Chaser has been a beloved pet and member of the family.

We really enjoyed this book. Pilley comes across as a man who loves animals and believes they - well, we're dogs, so we mean he believes WE are more intelligent than most men consider us to be.  What a relief to know someone finally understands us. 

Here's a short video preview of Chaser's story. 


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Buddy:  Believe it or not, the Funny Farmer Felines want to stage a protest because they believe they're every bit as intelligent as we canines and they want their own book and professional website.

  Oh, Chaser, what have you started?  We'll never hear the end of this.

12 comments:

  1. Wow what an amazing and smart dog .. it was such a sweet video

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  2. Awwwww we love this wonderful man, his wife and his dog!! We read about him and his book and we think he is such a fabulous inspiration to all humans and their woofie pals! They both learn from each other and it's lovely!

    Awwww little Red is adorable!! Buddy, Sam and Merci! We know you will be shining stars and teachers for little Red! Yay! take care
    x

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  3. Lil' Red is quite the paw full. He will be much better now that you have begun a training regimen with him though. Train him up in YOUR ways and life will be much better.
    We have heard about this Chaser and all the words he knows.
    Ernie and I have learned LOTS of little SHORT words... butt we can't use ANY of them on the Blogs. BaaaaaWaaaah.

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  4. We know all about puppies habits Jan...did you remember we have had 3 puppies live with me in the last 4 years....holey moley!!! Biting my back legs, and my wrinkles, stealing my toys, trying to eat my treats....sigh.....that little red guy sure is wayyyy cute tho. Thank you for taking him into your lives.
    Mom said one day puppies grow up and become better behaved. We are still waiting for that to happen at our house.
    Stella Rose

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  5. Buddy, Sam and Merci you are excellent teachers for little Red and we agree you should have your own book! (Jan you have a heart of gold agreeing to keep the pup for awhile, glad you did find the owner though...but seriously you are very kind!) Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas!

    xoxo
    Clooney Claus & Neytiri

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  6. Now that sounds like a book I'd like to read. M had spent a lot of time teaching me things too. She says I'm smart, but sometimes develop that "I don't want to do it now" attitude. Sigh! Well what can I say!

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  7. My feline sisters insist they are my trainers …maybe they should read this book.

    Ruby

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  8. A real heart-melting video and story! I think you guys are certainly doing a lot to train "Red" so he'll be really ready to go back home. By the way I agree with the FFFelines - we cats are DEFINITELY as smart as pups are - we just aren't flashy about it!

    Holiday Hugs, Sammy

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  9. Chaser sounds like a very smart dog. Good luck training Little Red not to take your beds and food.

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  10. What an incredible story and so interesting. That man and his wife are so incredible. Well Red we think you found yourself a great trainer!!

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  11. ★˛˚˛*˛°.˛*.˛°˛.*★˚˛*˛°.˛*.˛°˛.*★Merry*★* 。*˛.
    ˛°_██_*.。*./ ♥ \ .˛* .˛。.˛.*.★* Christmas*★ 。*
    ˛. (´• ̮•)*.。*/♫.♫\*˛.* ˛_Π_____.♥Everyone ♥ ˛* ˛*
    .°( . • . ) ˛°./• '♫ ' •\.˛*./______/~\*. ˛*.。˛* ˛.*。
    *(...'•'.. ) *˛╬╬╬╬╬˛°.|田田 |門|╬╬╬╬╬*˚ .˛ ...

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  12. Hmmm interesting sounding book!
    Wishing u and your family a very Merry Christ!as Jan!!!
    ((Husky hugz))

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