Schooling sheep

Okay, I sitting here eating my Peanut Butter Capt'n Crunch. Dinner of champions... Well, er, no. See, I worked sheep today, and had to rush home to get some dog food before they closed. I figured I would stop by the deli near my house and get some nice hot soup- they do a good job with soup there. I walk in, there is no soup. This pizza looks about 10 hours old. GROSS. I walked out. Then, I thought- wait! I don't have any food at home. So, I trudge back in and order a toasted bagel with cream cheese, a small container of potato salad and a doughnut. Yummy eh? I know, sounds pretty bad. Well, the bagel was good, the potato salad inedible, and the doughnut was, well, a doughnut. I needed something else, so I am having my cereal. Then, that's it, I am tired. Tomorrow is steak day, so I will survive. Besides, I need to lose about 20 lbs, so maybe I should "eat" at the deli every day....

Okay, so back to the fun stuff of the day. Worked Lucy today, AND schooled sheep.
If you are a horse person, you will know what "schooling" is. If not, basically, it's working a horse on the basics of equitation, and teaching it the rules. Some times I hear kids say "we were schooled" when they get beaten by another team.

The snow wasn't a problem- it was powder, but the wind! Ask me- HOW WINDY WAS IT? It was so windy that my whistle blew by itself. Lucy was only cold when we weren't working. I had several layers so I was warm- except for my face, which is now beat red. Wind like that will do that to you...

As usual, I brought the whole group up to be sorted, and got almost every lamb kept out of the pen. I say "almost" because one dummy decided that she wanted to stay with the Ks, and not her compatriots. When she realized that her friends weren't with her, she ran, hell bent for leather to the other pasture, where I had put her friends, and well, was stopped by the fence. I then had Lucy bring her back. Yes, not very bright. Anyway, Lucy and I braved the arctic and worked the Ks. She had some good driving going on, and we also pulled from the draw, no problem. As we were leaving, I had left the K's in the field, and figured, "what the hey", let me see what happens if I ask her to walk up to them from this far away, while I just stand back where I was. So, I ask her for a walk up- immediately she is large and in charge in attitude. She gets to the bubble, and stays forthright, forward, eyeing strongly, and as they turn she doesn't flank, she stays nicely behind and pushing well. YES!!!!!! I wish Derek S could have seen that.

Okay, now it's time for a rest from the wind. Lucy and I sit in the wind break for a bit, but although it's good for me, she's shivering. So, let's go work those lambs, shall we?

First thing I do is when we walk in there, I have Lucy walk up, and since this is a bigger group, she has to keep more on her mind, but still push. She did nicely, and I just can't believe how she's getting this- or did she always get this, and I messed her up somewhere... Anyway, we fetch a few times, and they have some draws, and Lucy covers well. Zips up to cover, turns on a dime, and walks straight up to them. No slicing. Just complete one on 10 push. So, then we take it a step further. I spy a deep snow drift... Hmmm.... So, I have Lucy walk them up to the snow bank. Sheep don't want any part of it. Too bad for you, sheep. "Walk up" I say. Lucy moves forward. Sheep look at Lucy. Lucy moves forward getting very intent. Sheep decide to test her. Lucy bounces at one sheep, but stays where she is, and affects a turn- into the snow, and they move nicely into the drift. Okay, let's try that again. Lucy pushes them further this time. Then one decides to really test her. You could almost see the text bubble over that sheep's head "come on sisters- she ain't all that tough, and that snow is cold!" Lucy immediately notices this trouble maker, lays a bead on her, giving her every bit of dog/sheep warning she can. Lucy sees that if this sheep gets away with this, she will have to do more schooling. Lucy comes forward with a grip for that sheep, and that sheep turns. No more problems after that. They went where ever we asked.

Now, Lucy is feeling extremely good about herself. I figure that we should work on getting the sheep out of the corners- after we get them nicely packed in there. I sent her both ways. When I sent her into their heads, she stayed calm, along the fence, and got them out. When I sent her into their butts, even though there was no room, she pushed through. Never once did she get hyped. Well, she did want to rush to cover them after she got them out, but the work in the corner was spot on.

One other thing- at the end of our time, I decided to have Lucy fetch the whole mob of sheep- but I forgot to close the pen- where the hay is. So, as she fetched them- the older, wiser ewes split from the lambs, and ran into the shed. So, Lucy brings me the sheep- she doesn't see that some are in the pen- we were behind a knoll. So, then, you could see a light bulb go off over Lucy's head, and her text bubble said "Hey! where are the rest of the sheep???" Some how, I SWEAR this dog can count. So, what does she do? She goes all the way down the field again, leaping like a gazelle looking for the stragglers. I let her do this. Then, as she comes up the hill, I point her in the direction of the ewes in the pen, with a smile on my face- well, my lass, you were 1/2 right :) So, we get those girls out of the pen, and back with the rest, and we are done.

Sheep education went well today. I bet Lucy is happy to finally be the one to educate, instead of it always being HER in the hot seat :) It was a great time, and can I please have another Lucy? Maybe a boy, in red and tan? You know, you can never have enough of a good thing!