Hello Old Man Winter

It appears than winter has come as our temps have dropped into the twenties. My water troughs are freezing up and needing the ice bashed, my hoses where all frozen and I had to drag them out into the sun to thaw. I will be draining them out each time I fill the tanks and fill the duck pools from now until spring. One of my least favorite jobs. I will be hunting for the water tank heaters from where ever I stashed them last spring. But I do love to hear the sheep munching and crunching and smacking on their hay as they gather around the feeders in the crisp air.

I worked the stock yesterday and today. Yesterday I tried working on the speeding up and slowing down with the cattle. It went pretty well once Rave got over her confusion of me asking her to speed up! Unheard of. Sometimes she thinks her name is really Rave Slow Down. Then after she got the cattle trotting I would ask for a slow down. Works well on the cattle as they will slow when Rave does. The sheep seem to think if Rave is pushing up fast they should run much, much faster and no point in slowing down just because the dog does. Get ahead while you can you know. I also worked on Rave walking up on the steers' heads. She really is walking most confidently towards these steers, but then they turn off of her when she is about five feet out. I will be working cattle at Dianne's on Sat. It will be interesting to see how she does there on the beef cattle. Haven't been out to Dianne's in a very long time. Over two months I know and maybe more like three so I am looking forward to it.

I took some hay out the the far side of my gully and put 4 of the katahdins out there. Then I worked on Rave doing outruns. It went pretty well except that the draw to the barn, other sheep and llama is so strong that Rave immediately kicks out to the side to cover as they come up the gully, racing to cut them off before they can get down to the gate. And she can't fetch them to me in a straight line because of that. Don't know if it is good to practice it this way or not. Not that I have any choice if I want to be able to send for a further distance.

I also worked the ducks once. Took them out to the bigger arena instead of the duck arena and just tried to move them around. Well Caesar always seems to volunteer and he is just a terrible duck to try to work. He doesn't stay with any group. And then we had four other ducks that divided into two groups besides. So essentially we had 3groups of ducks. Now somehow I think I have sent Rave the message I don't want her to apply pressure. Might be all those slow downs, get out of that's, and what are you doings . I think if she would have put a bit more 'push' into it they might have stayed together better. Don't know how to fix that either. Oh what problems I create as I bumble along trying to figure out this stockdog stuff.