Living on a ranch means learning to get along with, or at least ignore, many different animals. Thankfully, Shisa learned to leave other animals alone and not chase them very quickly. I think having her around them from when she was a pup played a big part in this.
Shisa loved being able to go play with other dogs.
She learned to ignore our guineas. I think it even got to the point the guineas would chase her, and she wouldn't chase back. Being on a farm and having her trained to ignore poultry is a big help. I don't need to worry that the dog supposed to help guard the henhouse will be one of the threats.
Shisa's not too sure about cattle or horses. They're too big. She no longer avoids them completely, but she's quite happy if they stay a distance away, or at least on the other side of a fence. She's far more interested in playing with a puddle, than going within reach of the horses' nose.
A cat is more her size, though both our cats quickly taught her that they were the ones in charge.
Before anyone panics, the snake in the picture is a non-venomous bull snake. We wanted to see how Shisa would react around snakes, especially since we have rattlesnakes around here. Thankfully, she ignored the snake, staying out of its path, and not showing any interest. I wanted to try to train her with this safe snake, so she wouldn't go after any rattlesnakes. To date, she has never shown any interest in snakes, though she will take a moment to sniff lizards and toads that don't run or hide before she notices them. But again, she has no interest in catching or harming any of them.
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