Week 38

Star got over the hump this week and began to show improved confidence and maturity. My efforts to keep him on his feet and get him driving really started to bear fruit and by week's end, he was showing great style behind his sheep and some very pretty inside flanks.

This week's lessons:

1. Rollin', rollin', rollin'
2. "There," not there

Here's an excerpt:

Star and I finished up this week making great strides, so to speak. As the week wore on it became easier and easier to keep him on his feet while driving. I observed and learned the rhythm of when he would lie down, and anticipated it with a walk up whistle, which by week's end, kept him driving forward. He still needed the occasional shush, clap and "come on," but with less and less frequency and animation on my part. There was a bit of correction involved by Saturday as well. I was able to walk directly behind him while he was driving without him becoming fearful, so when I did give him a "come on" from behind him, I said it, and he reacted to it as if it were a correction. In other words he would change his mind and continue driving to avoid it. Star did not have sufficient confidence driving for me to correct him for lying down previous to this, but it worked well by the end of the week.

A few subscribers have suggested that I recount my exploits with the other dogs, while Star is being re-set. In the next few weekly digests I will talk about Imported Mirk. What he was like when he first came across, and what it took for us to become a team. Please subscribe now to learn about Star's progress and now, to learn about Mirk's big adventure.