The dog days of summer. Scout the Ox and Harry the Dog are both 22 months of age. Scout is an Ayrshire steer being trained as an ox. Harry's a Newfoundland/Pit Bull cross dog. Scout and Harry are companion animals to each other.
Grazing on the lawn, by the firewood pile, is one of several rewards Scout might get after an outing with the ox cart. By varying the rewards we avoid getting into a routine with certain expectations that can become entrenched and difficult to vary from. For example, we get Harry to go into the kennel/pasture by offering a treat. He will refuse to go in without the treat and sometimes will hold out on us for a "better" treat. He has us trained pretty well.
Grazing on the lawn, by the firewood pile, is one of several rewards Scout might get after an outing with the ox cart. By varying the rewards we avoid getting into a routine with certain expectations that can become entrenched and difficult to vary from. For example, we get Harry to go into the kennel/pasture by offering a treat. He will refuse to go in without the treat and sometimes will hold out on us for a "better" treat. He has us trained pretty well.
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| Scout the Ox, an Ayrshire steer, grazing by firewood he helped put up. |
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| Scout theOx, an Ayrshire steer, wearing a rope cattle halter and lead rope. |
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| The horn of the Ayrshire breed of cattle. Both cows and bulls have horns, unless they are removed shortly after birth. Oxen horns are useful, and seldom removed. |
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| Harry the Dog is a cross between a Newfoundland and a Pit Bull Terrier. He has an even temperment and gets on well with Scout the Ox. |
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| Scout will not be part of a team of oxen, but is being trained as a single ox. |
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| In the tradition of the Red River Ox Carts, Scout works alone. As part of training, he enjoys grazing on the lawn as a reward for good work. |
(See short video clips in the same setting.)
