Echo ... Monster

Had a couple of instinct tests last night (Jill with her blue merle Cardi ... awesome!) and Katy and Valerie came over to practice, and Ann came by to entertain us all!

After the tests, Ann and I worked Rio. She still quite young, and her attention span isn't all on yet, but it gets better each time. She is really understanding that "lie down" doesn't mean she will quit working, and she's starting to down pretty readily on command, and starting to figure out when she should down on her own to take the pressure off the stock. Her balance point was better last night than it's ever been. She is not feeling her stock much yet, but that will come in time.

Next up, I worked Echo. I figured I should try penning with her since we haven't done that yet, and the trial is this weekend!

I send her on an away outrun, and I notice that she ran very wide ... too wide really ... so that's something I'll need to pay more attention to. I'm not sure what I'll do about it, because I haven't been doing anything to kick her out. Anyway, she gathered them up very nicely, bought them to me, I opened the pen, and we had a bit of squirreliness for a minute, and then they went in and she went around back and pushed them right back out again. (I'm glad I tried this at home first.)

I set it up again. I sent her on a come bye outrun. Again, way wider than it needed to be. I'll bet a dollar that at the trial she runs straight up the middle like she did at the Canyon County Fair. (If she does, I am just calling the run. Period.)

She brought me the sheep, I walked to the pen, opened it up, swung her around, sheep went right in, I laid her down and closed the gate. Woo hoo! Yes, dog broke sheep comfortable in the pen. Great for teaching the dogs what we want, and a great ego boost for the handler.

I'm sure it won't be this easy this weekend ... but at least I can say she's penned before! (Or maybe it would be better - after it all goes to hell - to say "no no ... we've never tried penning ... this was her first time!")

In any event, I am looking forward to hanging out and relaxing and enjoying the weekend with my friends, eating fair food, and talkin' sparkly beads! ;-)

Happy tails,

"Dude"