I Ran, Sort Of

I finally stopped procrastinating and got outside for a run....sort of. It was more of a lift foot a little bit, drag the other forward, lift a bit, drag and keep repeating. Legs felt like lead. I kept thinking of that New Balance commercial that shows the love/hate relationship with running. I was NOT feeling the love today.

On a dog note - Robbie had his herding lesson yesterday. He was magnificant. I got to watch from the side as my instructor worked him. I really do not want to mess up his foundation. She moved him to the next largest field she has and he did a natural wide outrun. He is calm and keeps his sheep under control. It really is a beautiful thing to watch because he just knows what to do, no fighting him, no arguing, just poetry in motion. Truly beautiful. I need to get some short video clips so I can post them.

Seriously Talented on Stock!

I took Robbie and Gusto to their herding lesson today. We started out in the round pen with Robbie, he remembered his earlier sessions from 2 weeks ago. We did a reminder on lie down and on sending out both directions. Then we worked Gusto - what a train wreck. He does not have any natural talent, he is afraid of the sheep to a certain degree and is generally confused. Poor boy, he tried really hard to figure it out. He worked better for Sharon, my instructor, then he worked for me. He was being silly for me, biting the rattle paddle, the noodle, screamed at me but worked a bit more calmly for her. Until she shook the rattle bottle. Then he refused to work for her - he is such a weenie.

Second time out for Robbie, we moved him to a larger field. He was truly brilliant! It was a thing of beauty to watch. It barely looked like Sharon had to do anything, she would send him out on a come bye - he did a natural, wide outrun and then turned at the right point without Sharon saying a word. Then she would lie him down, send him the other direction - again, just as nice as the other one. I just kept saying, "oh my, that is beautiful to watch" and Sharon had a "blank-eating" grin on her face.

I can't wait to take him for his next lesson. He really needs a solid foundation if I ever hope to trial him so I am having Sharon work him as much as she is willing. I'll mess him up although he is much easier to work on stock than Gusto. UGH! Poor G, at least he has fun in agility. Sadly, herding trials do not look like they are in Gusto's future.

Robbie at Sharon Nunan's

Here is another picture of Robbie. Sharon Nunan, my herding instructor, is working him here. Trying to get him started off correctly. I worked him at the next lesson. We took a break for a week or so to let things settle in his mind. He will go back for more lessons next weekend.

Herding Pictures

The first picture is Robbie - going slightly faster than necessary. The second picture is Gusto - also going slightly faster than necessary. The last picture is Ivy - being her perfect self. If only she could hear, she is a dream to work on sheep. It's like a dance when working her. I actually purchased Ivy from Shalimar Distler because of her herding talent. At the time, I was working Carac, the butthead who was not easy to train on stock. He didn't want to work with you, he just wanted to do it himself. Ivy, in sharp contrast, included you when working the sheep. Now running Ivy on an agility course - totally different matter. That was not a dance, that was a train wreck in our early days.