Overnights

Last night was my first night on 10-7. Sayed and I were really busy and only the times we looked at the time was when it was close to break times- the night went by really quick. We have QUITE the job in store for us between now and when the system is well under way!

It was great to not have to leave until 9:25! Ella came out around 6pm and I worked Cruz, Gwen, and Toss. We held the sheep on grain for Mary Jane, Cruz, and Gwen- as that's how they'll be held this Sunday at the trial. They lift very differently off food, so it was a good thing to practice. Not so much for Cruz, but for the less experienced dogs. Mary Jane did very well. With the sheep set on food they really needed to be taken control of for a good portion of the fetch before the the dog needed to be stopped. It was good practice for Ella to read that correctly and good for the younger dogs to remain patient on a heavier lift. The sheep not only lifted heavier, they also wanted to curl back around to the bucket for the first 50' or so of the fetch. Gwen struggled with this a bit. She needed quite a bit of encouragement- all that pressure locked her up a bit. She went right on around, but locked up some on the walk-up. (unlike Deal who will feel the pressure and pull up short, but will walk right in up the lift- Gwen zooms right to the balance point, but then can get stuck there- holding rather than pushing) I sent her 3 times, and she got better each time- which is all you can ask for. Lifting sheep off grain is much different then lifting them off grass, but they seem to do that a lot around here so best the trial dogs are accustom to it. I worked Toss before Ella got here, so I didn't do that with him- although that it is not a task he would have any trouble with. One of the ewes in his group did a wonderful job schooling him on one of his weaker points. She kept trying to beat him by squirting off or getting way ahead of the other 2 with the intention of bee-lining to the barn. He will often get too fast and too tight on his flanks when this starts to happen, so it was a wonderful training session. I kept myself pretty close to him and the sheep so I could help him understand that if he just kept his head and kept his flanks honest that he could manage the situation. He keeps a level head A LOT longer than he did just 6 months ago! Hopefully Sunday will be a fun trial.