Back in the Saddle

I made it out to Roy's for a lesson on Monday.  I haven't been there since the fall/winter weather set in.  It was really nice to get on challenging sheep again.  I am afraid my sheep are a bit tame.  Wonderful for a small farm but not so good for training a stockdog.  We were defiantly a bit rusty!  But it was nice that Rave kicked out on her cover.  I was very pleased with that.  We had trouble holding the drive, not that we don't always but this was more than in the past.  And she was flat on her cover to turn for the center, so we missed it.  I fell back into my old ways.  Raising my voice and flaying my arms.  I was disappointed at that!

We had hoped to be able to go out again today.  But the weather once again was against us.  It is not that we won't work in the rain.  We do.  But Roy's field is on a hill, it is dirt with I think clay mixed in.  And so sheep and people have a tendency to go sliding and falling.  Not a pretty picture.  So we need to wait for the soil below the first few inches to thaw so the water can be absorbed so no one, animal or human gets hurt.  Maybe tomorrow.

So we worked at my place.  Mud here too but it is not on a slope so not as difficult.  Although it is easy to not go out when you know every time the dogs will need to be bathed before returning to the house!  I tried to widen and round the back of her outrun, trying to correct the flatness for the turn to the center.  I wasn't real pleased about my method.  Again not to subtle.  LOL  Running at her and waving my stick.  There has got to be a better way!  And we worked the ducks.  I was pretty pleased with her duck work, although all we did was drive the perimeter and put them in a corner where there was a scary black barricade.  At least scary to the ducks.  So Rave had to push and hold with just the right finesse, and I had to hold up my side, not allowing the ducks to break back past me.  The ducks haven't had much exercise all winter so we didn't work them to long.  They are feeling the spring.  The drakes are starting their spring time antics,  Oh the poor hens, and a few eggs have been laid.  So there is hope that sunshine and warm days will come.  Can't wait for the time to change and we will have longer daylight hours!