I Guess It's Not A Fluke :)

Took Cedar and Moss out to Dianne's on Sunday. Both the dogs were really good... but as usual, my handling (and whistles) left something to be desired. I really wish that Moss could send ME away for training! :D

I worked my boy dog first. He was rearin' to go after two weeks off and was really strong at first (at least for him, LOL...even when he's bad, he's not horrible). It took me awhile to get my head back in the game, but eventually we got everything sorted out. Jaenne held sheep for us and we ran a little practice course thingy in Dianne's field. Moss didn't even notice her; he's never actually minded the set out people which is a good thing! I practiced staying further away from him and not babysitting him on the drive; he can do all this stuff, I just need to learn how to guide him.

Cedar was good, too... especially considering I've only worked her a few times this year. Maybe she just needed some time off to mature? I dunno. It seems to work well when I work Moss first and then her, so that I'm warmed up and ready for Cedar. At first, she was acting really insecure and not wanting to get behind the sheep to drive them out further in the pasture. She kept trying to come to me, so I just kept flanking her around and walking in a bit of a crooked line to get her more confident. By the time we got far enough out in the field, she was pretty good. We practiced some outruns to get her loosened up, and then I had her drive the sheep to the first set of "panels" (two white buckets, haha). This was a good opportunity for us to practice our inside flanks... she proved that last time wasn't a fluke by actually taking my commands and swinging out square and with as much precision as I wanted. The only times that she felt the pressure too much and dove in were when I got too close to her. So that was my fault. She's really doing well... I'm so proud of her.