Can't drive to town with him outside, he'll chase my car.
He's happy to sit in the truck for hours in town. Then we get back to the farm, he doesn't want to get OUT of the truck, until he's POSITIVE I'm not going anywhere again. He sits in the truck inside the garage with the door open waiting until I go into the house and things are still. I can use training (touch hand and reward) to get him out, but it sure seems like a lot of "over management" to just get out of the truck.....
He's ok if I put him in his crate, it can be managed just fine. BUT-lots of tractor work is about to begin here, it would be great if he could just "chill" on the lawn, he's wanting to follow me up and down the field rows when I'm on the tractor.He becomes exhausted. He did this while I was on the lawn mower for a few weeks, but has given that up. Wore him out. Now he seems to know that lawn mowing is not a job for him and eventually it will end and I will return. Though he's always watching, if I stop the lawn mower for any reason, he's right there.
I hate to tell him "stay" and go away, because there's no release given, he just eventually breaks on his own. Hate to confine him to the crate, though I do because it's safe. Lots of farm dogs die when tractor work begins before they figure this out.
How do you manage this with a farm dog? What's the right way?

Betty you are describing my brother's dog - a chocolate lab that has been around my bro 24/7 since birth (she's now about 12). The two are inseperable. His work situation for years allowed him to take her with him and in fact the customers expected to get their "Bailey" contact when coming into his store.

Sorry, I can't offer a "solution" for you. My bro, when forced to leave the dog and travel out of state, would regularly get calls from neighbors or citizens in his town that Bailey had escaped the yard and was looking for him...Like your dog, Bailey was happy to wait in his truck for hours - guess she figured he had to come back???

Maybe a workaround for you would be to use your truck as a crate during work time? Park it in the shade - would the temperature allow it? Maybe start putting his crate in the truck (even the bed) since he has such strong associations there. I don't see how you can get around not confining him somehow. I doubt any dog would stay in the yard if he had the option to go join his master..

I'm jealous of the time you get to spend with him - and positive you'll work something out.

Good luck!!

Read through some of the fourm bad behavier wile left alone it has good info on seperation problems I'm going through it my self