Sundays

Tilly herding last fall

Today is sheep herding day. You know. The day that Gracie gets to run around and bark while I get to walk backwards with a paddle in my hands. Fun for all.

I'm getting better. Still not good, but I am getting better. And Gracie has matured into a good little herder. At least she knows what she is suppose to be doing. I'm still catching on. An interesting side note to all of this herding is that my dog now wants to herd other dogs. She has figured out that running in circles and occasionally barking is a way to move a group of animals. Gracie just used to play at the dog park. Now Gracie wants that order to her life. "Okay, all you brown dogs line up over there, while the black ones are behind me." Life is not always in order, as she has found out.

It seems that everyday there is new information about what goes on in a dog's brain, or what motivates them to act this way or that. I try to keep up on what is best for my dog, and weed out the here-say. It amazes me how many dog owners there are who are totally clueless as to why their dog, or mine, do what they do. There was a woman who came to the park last year who screamed at her dog if he sniffed another dog's behind. Hello? That is how they identify one another. Gross as it may be to us, it is normal behavior for a dog. So this woman spent her entire time chasing and screaming at her dog.

When I encounter a person who "doesn't like your dog barking at my dog", I have been removing Gracie and Jake from the big dog park, and going over to the small dog side. I don't want to see Gracie get hurt, and I don't want to be aggravated. It would be a waste of time to explain my dog's behavior to a person who already has a closed mind.

Interesting, isn't it? I wonder if these same people vote? Have a great day.
Linda