Grounded

Went out and worked the cattle at Dianne's today.  It was a good lesson.  These where fairly 'fresh' steers.  Only been worked a little by a dog before us.  I was real pleased with Rave.  She is walking in on the heads a little easier each time.  She listened (mostly) although I was still saying stop on the average twice instead of once.  I concentrated on making my first command nice.  Only going to correction tone when she didn't respond.  We are working on Rave not doing a fly bye but kicking out.  Had some success with that.  Fly byes are certainly dropping in frequency at least in a lesson.  I was real pleased that she only hit heel a couple of times and was content with a once and done.  She is starting to learn some self control, at least I think she is ;-)

There was one steer that liked to trot out alone, not staying with the group.  Perhaps he was a roping steer in an earlier career.  Rave did a good job of kicking out to cover and I was (usually) able to stop her when she caught the steer's eye and did not let her go all the way to head.  I was very pleased that for the most part she did stop. 

On our last exercise we did an outrun with the steers against the fence, facing the way Rave would need to come in to pull them off the fence.  We were not quite the length of the arena away from the steers but pretty close.  This is a big arena.  I keep thinking I will bring a measure tape and see how long it is but I always forget.  Anyway the first time I sent her she did a fairly decent outrun, could have been a bit wider and slowed as she came in on the heads.  I was able to encourage her on into the steers as I walked forward.  She did go in to pull them off the fence but the stress/pressure was to much so she did a fly by as the steer pulled off.  We put the steers back on the fence and set it up again, but I move a bit closer.  Same results but she waited a bit longer for the fly by.  On both I was a bit slow on the correction as I couldn't see her until it was to late and I didn't want to give a 'I know you are going to do it" correction as I was afraid that my timing would be right when she was making the decision to go through and I certainly didn't want to correct her for that! At the last I moved quite close, set her once again and this time she was able to pull them off the fence without releasing her built up tension with a fly by.  Good job and a good place to end it.

We then went to the small pond that Dianne has and Rave got to enjoy a small swim and splash about.  She was a happy dog.