I took the dogs to sheep herding today for the first time in 5 weeks. Between the heat wave and my work schedule, and a few other little commitments like the McCartney concert, we had been unable to go. This morning the temperature was 70 degrees, nice breeze, a perfect day to be at the farm.
Gracie and I have come a long way in the past year. Gracie knows what we expect, has stop avoiding the work (for the most part), and is settling into her little side job quite nicely. One problem: she still has a tendency to follow too closely behind the sheep. When this happens, they crowd me.
I was in the process of turning around to tell Gracie to "get out", a command that means slow down, dog, and don't follow too close, when a sheep stepped on my foot dislodging my shoe. My foot turned the wrong way, and down I went. Falling is no longer a big deal to me. I half expect it. Except I hadn't fallen to the ground in sheep herding since last year. It was a wake up call. I don't want to get hurt again. From that point, I was more on top of the situation, getting Gracie to do what she is suppose to do: walk slowly behind the herd, turn with us, blocking her when she tried to go around.
It was a good session. But it was also a reminder that dogs need to be continuously trained. Gracie has known and performed the "lie down" command for 8 months. Today, she did indeed go down, but would spring back up. No, that is not allowed. She is not to move until she has been released to do so. Back to basics. We will practice at home, and at the same time, train Jake to "lie down" with the hand signal and the verbal command.
A mother's work is never done. Enjoy the weekend. Hug someone. I plan on hugging my two furry companions.
Linda
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