Kort is going to be 7 months old on Thurs. He still will not walk down stairs....I have been patient with him, collies all move at their own speed..he's just moving slower then most!When Wendy & I went to Writing On Stone there were many many stairs...stone stairs, but stairs none the less....we came upon the first set & I had to pull him down, after letting him try & decide to come down on his own. Collies can develop crazy fears if you push them too hard, a bad experience in their heads & that's all it takes for them to remain afraid forever. Anyway, it ended well, Kort was doing stairs like a pro by the end of our walk, I was encouraged!
The stairs at home are different, they are not rugged & they are steep, at least in Kort's mind, but there are only 6 of them. I decided today to try & "make" him do the stairs. The main reason is he is getting bigger, & gaining weight. I'd guess him to be maybe 50 Ilbs now, I have pulled the muscle across my chest, no doubt from the numerous times a day I need to carry him down those darn stairs! It hurts, bad, I can hardly drive, or turn my neck without my chest hurting.
Ok, I put his leash & collar on, & walk him toward the stairs armed with treats, no go, he backs up & pulls. I pull him gently back toward me encouraging him all the while, no go, now he's getting worried. So, I take the bull by the horns, or in this case, the collie by the collar, & pull him screaming & pulling down the stairs, all the while telling him how brave he is!! He gets treats galore at the bottom! We go back up & this time he goes down much easier, but jumps the last 2 stairs..ok, up again, he jumps just the last stair. Then the most exciting part, he follows Tate down the stairs all by himself!! Yippee!!
However, this does not have a great ending! In his fear he blew his anal glands, if you ever have smelled them you know how unpleasant they are! So, I have to wash his butt to get rid of the smell, & later I realize after being outside, that my house stinks of anal glands too! So, I wash the rug at the top of the stairs hoping I have gotten the spot where the foulness may have dripped!!
But alas, don't get too excited about Kort's achievement yet, I just asked him to come down the stairs a half hour ago & he ran away!! Back to the drawing board I guess!
Isn't she just the cutest little thing!
Wendy & the girls......
Coulee......
Jackie was a very good girl & waited in the van for us to get back. Wendy & I sat at a picnic table to have a bite to eat & Jackie got to join us.....here's a picture of Miss Personality! giving me a big kiss!......
Now, if any of you gals out there take care of all your car repairs yourself, you know what it's like to walk into "man's land". There were 3 men in the shop this am. when I walked in, they were having a manly discussion I'm sure. Of course when I walked in the discussion stopped & it became silent, uncomfortably silent. I had to wait for my van for an hour, & these men were there for the hour also. They weren't waiting for their cars to be repaired, that became quite obvious , rather they were just enjoying hanging out in "man's land" together. They did resume their conversation after a bit, motorcycles, fishing trips, garages, & vacations were some of the topics of the day. I felt in the way, like I was listening in on something! Anyway, I was glad to leave, & the men were still there when I left, probably glad to see me leave too! 
Wendy says, in the above picture, I look like I'm praying for Kort to be good, if only for a day!
Goofing around!......
Hope everyone else enjoys them too...thanks again Wendy!