Ups and Downs; Backsliding

Worked Rave again today.  And I slipped in my vow to be calm and patient.  Brought the sheep out from the bed down area and put them out in the pasture.  Then while my friend worked her dog I did my feeding chores.  I decided as the day was nice to take the ducks out of their pen and let them have some stretch room.  Their pen is a very long narrow run.  I sent Rave in to pull them out.  All our work over the winter on the sheep, staying calm, taking her downs etc. vanished.  She wouldn't take her commands and instead of remaining calm my voice got louder and shriller.  I really didn't want her to lay down in the mud and duck muck so I was just asking for a stop.  And when she didn't give it I didn't escalate to the down.  Ugh.  Ended the session getting the ducks out and into the pasture that I wanted them in but both Rave and I where unhappy and did not enjoy the experience.  ;-(

I put Rave in the backyard while my friend finished her turn which was going very nicely for her.  I had decided that I wasn't going to work Rave again today as my attitude was not conducive to good work.  Colt had started an exercise where he had put half the sheep in the free standing pen and was trying to pull the other half off the outside of the pen.  Very difficult since these sheep well know how to use ring around the pen and with the draw of the other, older, sheep in the pen they didn't want to leave.  We tried a few things, even with me trying to block the sheep from making the corner while Colt pulled them off and Sue acted as the draw.  Yeah like that was going to work.  The sheep just went right around me.  Ha Ha.  So we decided that I should get Rave.  Its not that Colt wouldn't have gotten it, but she had already worked him on some new things in the first part of his practice and she didn't want to over do when he wasn't fresh.  So Colt rested and I went and got Rave.  We were able to pull them off we as we have worked on this and the sheep know Rave, and I assisted with a rap to the head of the most crafty sheep with a hollow, plastic paddle.  Doesn't hurt them but makes a nice bang, and they decided to come off and be good sheep.  So I took them across the field and was ready to drop them when my cell phone starts ringing.  I ignore it, I know it is my son from the ring tone, and that he just wants to ask me a question.  He is up at the house.  Well he persists on ringing so I figure I better answer.  In the process of fumbling around for the phone and getting it opened I loose the sheep back to the pen.  Drat!  Phone call dealt with Sue and I decide that it would be fun to use the whole group and have one of us hold the sheep with our presence and dog and the other send their dog for the outrun, lift and fetch and then reverse the process  Playing catch.

It took a few tries to figure out where to place the dog to hold the sheep.  And that you had to stay with these sheep until the dog pushed them past you.  It went pretty well.  Rave is a bit sensitive to other people correcting her, and although it was Colt that was being reminded to hold his stay while Rave picked up the sheep Rave worried that it was her that was suppose to stop.  She also didn't like moving into Sue's bubble to push the sheep off of her.  It was good to try to work through that and I think if we continue she will start to understand that it is only my reactions that matter.  At least I hope so!

This was a really good exercise as the sheep have been leaving early and the dogs have not been having to find the balance point.  I think they where both shocked when they had to start paying attention on their outruns!  It was fun and a good way to get back into a positive mood from our earlier work.

But I am still very unhappy with myself on how I handled the duck problems.