Gaining Confidence

[Keegan's Mom]

Sounds great Julie.

 

See you on Monday

[mayflower]

Laura,

 

How old is your dog? I don't believe it was ever mentioned or that anyone asked.

 

Thanks,

Donna

[Carson Crazies]

Donna, she is going on six years old. She comes complete with quite a few issues, but for now she's what I've got. Then again, I'm so green that even with her issues every time she's teaching ME something. I've only had her for just a year now, and only started taking lessons last fall. She pretty much sat in the kennel before she came to me.

 

Julie, as it turns out there will be a mixture of a few schooling sheep and some of her non-schooling sheep up in the ring for us when we get there. That will be very good for June - working in a place she's worked well before, but just changing a slight variable - a few tougher sheep. Also, I'm told the mare hasn't even bagged up yet, so that is a good thing. I've been encouraged to take Faith out and work her some, so I'm pretty excited about that, too!

 

There are several things I want to work on this weekend, including working more on getting June to take a correction, and calling her back on if she wants to quit. I need work on me, too, to stop being so afraid of her quitting! I'm letting her take advantage of me in places when I shouldn't.

[juliepoudrier]

Originally posted by Carson Crazies:

I've been encouraged to take Faith out and work her some, so I'm pretty excited about that, too!

Ha! have fun.... Faith is supposed to be the sweet dog who will work for anyone. I think it was last year at Roy Johnson's June trial maybe I was exhausting sheep for the ranch class I suppose. It seems that I must have had lame dogs or something because I ended up borrowing sweet Faith from Kay. The dog who will work for anyone. The dog who proceeded to blow me off and do what she darn well pleased.... Time and time again. Needless to say, the exhaust work was a bit, um, rougher than is my usual. LOL! Kay and I had a good laugh over that one.

 

Actually Faith should be a good dog for you to work. You shouldn't have to worry about her doing anything stupid, so you will have time to think and work on yourself without having to worry about what the dog is doing.

 

J.

[Carson Crazies]

Thanks for the heads up Julie.

[Carson Crazies]

Well, back from an eventful weekend farm sitting with some observations and updates. You can entitle this "Ramblings of a mad woman" if you like.

 

To start with, I looked out the door on Saturday evening (right at sunset) and there were two lambs out in the mare pasture. With all of the thunder storms, and the sun going down (not to mention a very grumpy mare waiting to foal), I couldn't leave them there (and they couldn't seem to figure out how to get back where they came from). So, I tried to just move them myself... and that was an utter joke. So I went and got June, and they took one look at her and ran like crazy mad. So, I called her off for the moment, and waited to see what they would do. They ran around the farm, and over to the lot where the school sheep were. I came to the conclusion that my novice self with my novice dog wasn't going to be able to move these young lambs (without someone getting hurt, and causing train wrecks) where I wanted them by trying to work the lambs.

 

So... I went to the lot with the school sheep, and had June gather up all of the sheep in the training lot (and their lambs), and bring them over to the gate. I had her hold them just behind me, and behind the gate, and cracked the gate and waited. I pretended in my mind that I was invisible, and after a few moments the lambs came through the gate on their own to join the schooling sheep. CAUGHT! HAH! I thought.

 

Yep. Hah. I thought I had won... until I realized that at that point I now couldn't tell which of the lambs belonged there, and which didn't. After another few minutes of pulling lambs out (with no crook, so I was like a deranged madwoman chasing lambs around trying to catch their wily cheviot selves) and not being able to figure out who was who... I gave it up for the night. At this point it was pitch black, and I wasn't making any headway. They were safe there. I kept waiting for their mamas and them to pitch a fit, but it never happened - and these were older lambs, and seemed quite the independent little buggers.

 

During all of this, my dog got some good experience though (so did I) - learning to LIE DOWN and stay there. At first she wouldn't just stay there, only covering if she needed to (she'd never done anything like this before) - she was creeping around and just generally NOT helping. Its awful hard to do work if your dog is goosing the sheep.

 

Eventually I lost my patience (after all, I had something I needed to do, and I needed her to do her job) and gave her a harsher correction than I normally would. I figured she'd be heading for the gate, but surprisingly enough, her attitude was like, "well why didn't you say so??". So, at that point she had an attitude adjustment, and actually held the sheep without being stupid. I saw a silly streak in her though, and could see how Steve might have lost his patience with her easily. At one point I was holding a lamb and I notice the sheep getting squirrely... I look down and my dog is up on her feet snuffling the lamb I'm holding. Sheesh.

 

So, I admitted momentary defeat for the night, and went to bed. Next morning I brought out Faith, to see if we could weed out the lambs in the daylight.

 

That was a no-go. Every time I put a lamb out in the big pasture it became evident I had ones that belonged in the ring. *sighs* Funny how its hard to tell them apart when they're not your sheep. So, I decided, well, if they want to stay that bad, then they can work with the others.

 

Faith worked beautifully for me. It was like driving a porche when you're used to a dump truck. We drove around the small field, and I made up a course in my head and we really worked nicely together. It was nice to not have the pressure of anyone watching, and we really enjoyed it. It gave me a good feel for more of what I wanted out of MY dog.

 

Then I got June out. We were working several of the school sheep, along with a few lambs, and (I think) two of the non-schooling sheep, which were left for us, plus the three renegade lambs. The school sheep and their lambs were very good (although not as much knee knockers as she's used to), and the two non-schooling sheep were um... pretty spunky. They would just randomly take off running.

 

At any rate, she covered them nicely... and June had to have a discussion with one of them about her silliness, and that took care of the random bolting thing. I didn't allow her to just chase them around when they did this, and corrected her for anything other than effectively turning them back, and she seemed to get the picture, and the ewes settled down and stopped acting silly.

 

I don't know if Steve put a look back on this dog, or if she just understood what I meant, but a couple times when she gathered them, she gathered all but the two wily ewes! When I told her look back (which she did) and come by (which she did) she went back and got them, brought them to the others, then brought them all to me. It was one of those "who are you and what have you done with my dog" moments.

 

I was pleased to see her basically just work the ewes, and the lambs just followed along. She was flanking faster than I've seen her flank before, and I could see her reading her sheep. She was giving more ground when she needed to, working closely and quietly when she needed to, and covering when she needed to. She was actually taking corrections nicely (for a change). All in all, it was a good day. I felt like it was a job well done. I have the blisters to prove it.

 

I turned them all out into the big pasture when I was finished, so the renegade lambs could go back to their mamas (that was why I was calling you Julie - to ask what I should do, but I just made an executive decision), and surprisingly enough June was very helpful doing that too.

 

The mare didn't foal (thank doG), and all of the dogs were good. Whacker slept with me again. Bree got into something in the woods she's allergic to, and is all whelped up and at the Vets this morning. I nailed my head on the mantle and bled like a stuck pig, not to mention almost knocked myself out, June ran into the woods when it thundered (but came back when I went after her)... but other than that the weekend was uneventful.

 

[Carson Crazies]

Goodness that's long. So sorry.

[juliepoudrier]

Hey, no problem on the length--it was a good read. I'm glad you and June got some real life work in--it will make a huge difference in your working relationship too.

 

I'm glad the call was about nothing more serious than where to leave the sheep. I think you made a good decision.

 

BTW, how did the chickens fare?

 

J.

[Carson Crazies]

It seemed like the right decision. Kay had to have sorted those sheep out to put them up in the ring, so I figure she should be able to put them back up there when she gets back. I felt like the lambs needed to get back to their mamas, so it sounded like the right thing to do.

 

I was glad to have some real life work in too. I had to think to figure out how to get them put up, and June had to actually listen to me to keep from having a train wreck (ie letting all the sheep in the pen OUT instead of the lambs IN - that woulda been bad for us).

 

I'm pleased to announce that there were NO chicken (or cat) casualties. Bree was on her best biscuit-eater behavior, actually. Apparently my correction the last time I took a chicken out of her mouth held up. I drug her around on the long line stuffing her face up to the chickens and she refused to even look at them.

[juliepoudrier]

I believe one of those sheep was the ram, so you worked one of averything she's got!

 

J.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Wow Laura, I'm glad I spotted this before I left. Way cool. You are officially elected Farm Sitter Goddess in addition to Clipboard Queen. Have Useful Farm Dog, will travel. Doing chores is really a great way to test the mettle of your dog's training and background. Trials and chores are two sides of the coin - you've done one, soon you'll be doing the other! By the way, we had another ship come in unexpectedly so I'm sending in my entries today.

 

Julie, do you think working a trained dog would help Patrick? Someone offered to loan us a retired open dog and I have this feeling it would help Patrick get to enjoying working with a dog again.

 

I want to keep working with Ben (I've been working on that problem you spotted of his turning off contact) and of course bring Ann along apace. She was picking up sheep set out in the larger field this morning!

 

Oh, my gosh, Julie had better watch out - Lark may disappear mysteriously when she stays here next week. I'll dye her red and say, "Oh, so sorry - you like my new red tri puppy Clark?" Anyone would understand. It is very cruel to make someone with puppyitis babysit that cutie.

[juliepoudrier]

Becca,

I think it could be a wonderful thing for Patrick, as long as the dog isn't the kind to take advantage. Nothing like a well-trained dog as a confidence builder.

 

As for Lark/Clark, I'm sure after you've dealt with the little he**ion for a few days you may be singing a different tune....

 

J.

[Keegan's Mom]

Laura - WONDERFUL!!! I know that you were so proud of both you and June!!!

 

Can't wait to see you both this Sunday - hopefully!!

[Keegan's Mom]

OH - and Julie...see you tonight if we are still on. I'm ready to trim some feet!!