8 State Hurricane Kate

Yesterday we got out to herd sheep for the first time since last fall. The ice has melted here and the footing was good, except for some mud here and there. We enjoyed being out and I could see that the boys felt fulfilled, like they were once again doing the job that they were meant to do.

Bandit, as usual, was “overkill” on the sheep, and I, as usual, had a hard time staying ahead of him. But it felt good to be out there. I could tell that the time we put in last year made a difference. Bandit was pretty excited at first and eventually settled into some very nice herding work. He is much better matched with cattle, which he was bred for, than sheep. He and the sheep sometimes excite each other too much!

I didn’t know if Chase would want to work because he has been having back spasms. But he sure did want to work, and he did a great job. His style is very different from Bandit’s. He works much farther off the sheep and is good at rating them. He can move the sheep while appearing to be not doing much at all. His style was easier for me to work with, but he needs to learn to follow my direction better. He has great instincts with sheep, but less formal experience than Bandit.

For the first time, I took Cay in the field with the sheep. In general, she is much more focused and less afraid than she was last year. She showed interest in the sheep from the sidelines, so we went in with them. She was curious, but stayed close to me. When she saw that she could move the sheep, her eyes got real big and a light bulb went on in her head. I swear she cracked a smile! She might just have enough interest and confidence to do this! In the mean time, we continue to develop our working relationship and practice obedience commands from a distance.

It was a full and very fulfilling day. None of us had to count sheep to get to sleep last night!