And I think we're really off and running...literally

Odin, Bayfront Levees, Aug 2009

Last week I panicked about the clinic and decided I had to get out to Joyce's before I left for Arcata. But when I called, she had no times on Sunday. CRAP!!

"I have time on Wednesday," she said.

"I'll ask my boss if I can get the afternoon off," I replied, desperately. Then, when Monday rolled around, I didn't just ask Pat, I told him I would be going to Santa Rosa. He he. Poor guy - Odin barks at him every time he sees him now yet he's still nice about it.

At Joyce's things went pretty well, considering she left me in the field for about half an hour on my own with him. We had those same little dorpers and the black-bellied barbados, and they were very kind sheep. He kept pushing them past me, but I kept running backwards trying to absorb the push. There were still some things I didn't understand about why he cannot go around me. At one point I fell down flat on my back, hard enough to tweak a few back muscles. But I got right back up and Odin had those sheep on the fence, we picked 'em up and took off again!

In the Wed Aug. 26th session, we tried Joyce's method for putting names on flanks - it's a bit weird and I'm not sure I want to do it anymore. I'm supposed to chase him around the sheep, I think pushing him out, in the direction of the flank, while sing-songing the command. Then again, he did seem to have a clue about floank names at the clinic, so maybe this isn't the worst method. It seems weird to me because it's not really like anything you would want to do with the sheep in normal everyday work.

Also, I saw what happens when you push him, endurance-wise. I thought we were just supposed to go until she came and got us. This was his third time on sheep that afternoon, by the way, by thye time he and I tried to work it out out there for 30 minutes or more. He got sort of starey and drooly, almost the way he does when he's starting to overheat. But there was 1) NO eating sheep poop, and 2) NO quitting. I won't push him like that again any time soon, but in retrospect I'm glad I know he's got some dedication, and will keep working for me past when it's sheer fun and into the realm of "I gotta do this because she wants me to keep going."

So proud of the fancy lad, my heart, Odin. :)