One step back, two steps forward

So, I last left you feeling a bit “iffy” about moving into the arena and how the sheep were really bouncing all over.

I post this blog to my Facebook page and basically, I came to the conclusion that I probably knew what I was doing and wasn’t going to break my dog, so the last two days of lessons this week, I just relied on that. Realizing that we looked great in a pen, we absolutely had to slide backward with a huge new environment to work with. Rippa has to learn how to work the sheep with a whole new set of terms: bigger space, more insecure sheep, more insecure handler. Gotta realize that and know that things will go okay, just like they did in the round pen.

This morning, Stephanie was away and didn’t set sheep out so I had to sort my own. She’s only got about four adult sheep we can work right now because the rest are pregnant. There’s lambs, but working lambs is cruel for a dog as green as Rippa.

This is the first time I’ve tried sorting with Rippa with full intention to do it because I knew it was okay, and I have to say . . . I’m super impressed. Rippa is definitely proving herself as a viable stockdog partner now that I’m not stressing. She went into the holding pen with all the sheep in it very cautiously and worked with me not being able to see her (there’s a little shed for them that she has to go around) and while I stood at the gate, she brought them to me and laid down.

I can’t give her flank commands in this situation yet, but if I went to replace her, she did it happily.

And so I sorted out six sheep (some lambs) thinking maybe if I had more, it would be better. Then, knowing I can’t set up a nice outrun, I just started with half-moons on the fence until Rippa balanced herself, but I kept finding the lambs on the outside getting the brunt of her pressure and didn’t like it, so I used her to help put them back. Very successful work.

And then we took a walk. I have to use the big stick to point out what I don’t want her to do right now, but it’s not a battle. It’s just there as a visual cue to stay out or go a different way.

We can’t walk straight anywhere right now because she’s coming in too close to them and making them kind of zig zag along, but I think the more she does this and when I mark the good, straight bits, the mileage will work out.

This whole method worked great and the sheep stayed under her control the whole time. I have noticed she’s kind of flat on the top of the arc (what’s creating the zig zag) so I used her flanks to make her circle and watch where she jogged in, using the big stick to push her out and it worked well.

Now that I’m using the big stick again after the little one, I totally see how I crutched on it before, and I’m trying really hard to only use it as a tool and not a necessity. I think we’ll need it for when we start out to remind Rippa to keep out and easy, but next work I’ll drop it in favor of the little stick because she’s definitely taking my “outs’ and “nos.”

I’m really excited that we’ve got it going on now. I don’t feel good about her outruns and flanks, but my thought is work a little on those but let her learn to manage her sheep without me and that will come.

And then I went to visit with my friend on her big ranch and took the dogs hunting for squirrels in the hills. Good day.