A day or two ago I realized I have taken the wear out of Rave. I have worked hard to have Rave not flank when driving. Holding a straight line and not flipping back and forth. I have been pleased with how her drive has straightened out. I was happy.
So now fast forward to the present. My ducks needed moving. They had been in their location much to long and it had become a muddy, stinking mess. Anyone who has kept ducks will understand what I mean. So I dismantled their pen and moved it to the other side of my pasture. Fresh ground for them to trample and turn into a muddy, stinking mess.
Time to move the ducks over to their new pen. They had been hanging out where their old pen used to be while I re-assembled it to where their new one is located. I have 19 ducks. So I call Rave in for the grand move. At first all goes well. They waddle along with Rave driving from behind and me bring up the rear. Then they start to enter unknown territory. They start to balk a bit. Rave pushes up. They string out in a long line parallel to us. Rave needs to wear to tuck them back into a tight group. She flanks but doesn't come up far enough to catch their eye before turning and going the other way so the line of ducks does not compress. I realize that I have blocked her right at the point she is turning back many times when I was trying to stop the flipping when working on 4 sheep. Which of course she didn't need to do on 4 sheep but she does need to do on 19 ducks. Pushing into the center of a group of ducks without tucking in the sides doesn't work.
Now I need to figure out how to teach her that it okay to come up on the sides again. At least in some circumstances. Oh the problems we make ourselves.
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