To work in the wild pasture. It was not a good scene, and left me feeling utterly defeated, and needing a pep talk from one of my sheepdog mentors. See, I thought that if I could get Lucy to bring them into the cleared area, that I could do small outruns, flanks that sort of thing. We actually did a few, but he was t/t (tense/tight) on the left side, ran into sheep, and was just a nut. Sheep took off several times. Lucy was called into action several times too, and one or two sheep stood her, and she had to work like heck to get them back. They will give a dog the slip too, because as Lucy was being good, and staying off, they would disappear.
At one point, they took off, and she was on the task to get them. They then went up to the top of the hill and I saw that two had split off at one point. Lucy came out of the brush, I saw her, she saw me, I shushed her, and with her chest heaving, and panting like a dog who hasn't seen water in days, she fetched them to me. They were hot by that point too. They were just wild, and the pasture really isn't workable at this point. Oh, and Lucy stepped on a thorn, and ouched her foot, but was working right away. She will never leave me without my sheep, and she's got such a great attitude. I was less than happy with Danny, that's an understatement. Seriously Danny, just go AROUND the sheep.
But, my mentor told me that this was a bad place to expect anything good- sheep are light, as it's windy, they are also freshly shorn. There are myriad places to escape too, and well, they telegraphed that all to him. I really got on him too, but you know, it does no good. He simply has to grow up. I was ready to send him away for good, but he is starting to grow on me, darn it. Right now, he's laying to my right, and Lucy to my left. My other two dogs just leave me be, but not these two. I am sorry Danny. Sorry I yelled at you when you split a sheep off, and you didn't know what to do. I know I shouldn't, but I was frustrated. I am glad that sheep didn't spook you. Next time we work, and from now on, until you are a big boy, we are working in appropriate places, so I can set you up to succeed, not fail.
I didn't get much done at the farm, but I did learn that my two bushes are Honeysuckle, and Autumn Olive, both of which will not, I am told, hurt sheep.
The sheep were laying down when I got there tonight, and the sore foot lady was a wee bit lame, but she's going to have to suck it up. One sheep is looking lean, #21,so I may worm her.
Anyway, that's it for now. Let's pray it goes much better next time I work Danny.
2 comments:
Lesson learned and he'll forgive you! Been there, done that.
Thanks Carolyn- it was a lesson for me. Danny, has probably already forgotten it, but we humans, we dwell on things!
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