Herding sheep instead of dogs

Last weekend, my foster mom took Kasey and I to a herding clinic. Evidently, Kasey knew what was up because he started pacing the closer we got to the farm. I just laid down in my crate and chewed my bone. Once the car stopped, I rested in my crate enjoying the breeze and watching all the dogs and people going by. Eventually, mom came back to the car and took Kasey. Wow... when he came back he was tired and so happy. Sheep.... hmmm... what kind of drug are these sheep? It makes Kasey crazy!

Mom then took me out of my crate and lead me down to the pasture. There they were: SHEEP! I got to spend the rest of the afternoon watching the best border collie tv I have ever seen. Sheep and dogs working in a pen. It looked pretty cool. My mom and the other people there were impressed because I was so calm in my watching of the sheep. I liked that everyone stop to pet me, plus I made some new dog friends.

Toward the end of the afternoon, the trainer Kathy (http://www.dancinghearts.org/ ) took me into the pen with the sheep. She kept trying to get me to come closer to the sheep, but I felt safer moving them into a corner and laying down and staring at them. I started to worry that maybe I would get in trouble, so I climbed under the gate to find my foster mom. She brought me back into the pen with Kathy and the sheep. Kathy's dog Russell came in too, and he was moving the sheep all over the place. I began to get the idea that I was suppose to hold the sheep to mom and the trainer, but I really felt safer working them from a distance and holding them in one place.

The trainer said this is what happens when people let their dogs work livestock through a fence or when chained up. She thinks I lack confidence due to probably being corrected for what is my natural instinct.

When we went back on Wednesday for Kasey's weekly lesson, I got a turn too. This time it was just mom and I. Every time I tried to lie down, mom made me get up and start moving. By the time we were done, both mom and I were tired. I heard mom making plans with Kathy to bring me back. Cool.