Driving, driving, driving ...

And more driving.

Well, the trial is coming up this weekend, and I'm way out of my league. Let's see ... since the last update, I've worked the dogs a couple of times ... once on ducks. Zip does pretty well on ducks when he decides not to be too pushy. Echo didn't know what to make of them at first, but quickly figured it out. She is such a fun dog to work with.

I took Zip out into the pasture tonight to work on just driving. And driving. And more driving. The last time I worked him, he seemed to have lost confidence driving. I came to the realization tonight that it doesn't have anything to do with his confidence, but has everything to do with my lousy handling. I notice that when he's driving, he's anticipating me telling him to do something other than "walk up." For instance, he walks up and then stops and cocks his ears back ... waiting for me to flank him or call him off or lie him down or some such thing. If I flank him, he goes readily, then I can "there" him and walk him right up again ... only to have him stop and wait again.

So tonight, I changed it all up on him. I kept had him walking up ... walk up ... flanked him, walked him up, crossdrive, walk up, flank, flank the other way, walk up, walk up, walk up, walk up, fetch them to me, oh wait flank back around and drive them away, keep driving, walk up, go go go, get up, take time, etc. Seemed to loosen him up a bit. So I think this is what i will do with him on Friday night in hopes of it helping.

My whistles suck. Looks like I'll be doing a lot of yelling.

Echo, I hope I don't put you through all the shit I've put my poor Zipster through. Zippy, thank you, buddy, for putting up with me and teaching me all you have taught me over the years. You're awesome, dude!

Happy tails,
"Dude" (with lots of shiny beads)