Demo time with demo-dog at SoHo
Two weeks turned into 3, but we're back and, for the most part, back to work. After a major trip like ours, I always find it hard to get back into our normal rhythym of training, but I will begin again soon enough, as Star's nursery season is upon us. This is his year, and Carbondale, CO is his finals. The push is on to get qualified, and to get good.This week's lessons:
- Smooth sledding, I mean shedding
- Go East young doggie
- The gate trick re-visited
It is quite hot here today, so Star's work was short and sweet. He prefers to lie down when the going gets tough, so I am reverting to the gate trick. I used him to move sheep to the little field and had him push them through the gate instead of opening it to let them pass. My gate swings easily, and has a chain on it for fastening. Once the sheep get to the gate, with Star behind them, I hold the chain and slowly let it pass through my hand as star applies pressure to the sheep. And, I don't let it pass easily. Star preferred to lay and wait, but I added lots of encouragement to get him and keep him on his feet. Slowly, the gate swung open, and Star pushed them through. Once inside, we worked on shedding with the added "shush" described above to keep him on task. It's really hot, and that is all...
