Penning

Ah penning.  It is a challenge.  I have a group of flighty, wily sheep.  We have been working on our penning skills.  They are honing our skills but we still have a long ways to go.  And now I have an opposite problem to my old, don't watch the dog watch the sheep problem.  Now I am watching the sheep to much and not seeing Rave starting to move.  So I need to learn to see the whole picture.  I am having to keep Rave way off to make these sheep go in the pen.  We generally have to work them back and forth as they try to break to the repen to wear them down a little as Marilyn, yes the same Marilyn, will try to dodge out, put her head down and run at the very last instant.  That is until she is convinced that the dog will catch her and turn her back.  Then she will allow herself to be penned, if the dog is right!  I still have a long ways to go to get my timing right. 

Tried penning the ducks.  They are tough too.  I need to be able to pen them in a more timely manner but we are getting it done, eventually.  Which is an improvement from last year. 

So after that I wanted a win.  I got out the old wool girls.  They mostly are retired except when I want Rave to work a large group of sheep.  They where a bit disgruntled about having to work.  Rave calmly took them around the arena, I opened the pen and in they went.  Wow.  ;-)