I am being very careful to keep it short and sweet, but Star went back to work this week, and clearly, the time off was good for him. I purchased some Dorper lambs to re-focus his attention and provide new challenges, but he demonstrated more maturity and confidence as a result of the break, and the mental respite it provided. This weeks lessons:
- Short and sweet
- Quit while you're ahead
Here's an excerpt:
I was running out of dog after just a few minutes and wanted to finish up with some fun. I let him tuck in the ends with me against the fence, and again he came in for a grip. He is remaining on his feet during this exercise, which is improvement over him lying still, staring and requiring me to shush, and encourage him to engage. He likes to tuck in the ends, and it's good for his self esteem. It was my intention to call him off, move away and finish with a gather, but when I said "that'll do" he retreated under a tree and was reluctant to come out. It was hot after all, and like I said, he is sensitive to it. I trotted after the retreating ewes shushing and calling him to me. He broke to cover with intention, so I stood in the middle of the sheep shushing him, while he made mad dashes flanking around them. He was clearly having fun, and we called it a good day.
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