Spot's Progress

This is the top of Spot's head.

The photo above shows the top of Spot's head (taken several months ago, but it is still his head). Why am I featuring the top of Spot's head? The answer is, because he has been doing a lot of thinking lately. He's been doing a lot more thinking about his favorite topic....sheep. So far I don't have any actual photos of Spot working sheep. I need somebody else to take some and I'm sure that will happen, eventually. I have my hands full at this point! :-)

Spot and I are back to working on the sheep. He is making some progress. I am also making some progress of thinking through where I need to be and what I need to do, to give him good situations to learn about sheep. Right now I am not trying too hard to get into that head pictured above. I want him to figure out feeling his own influence on the sheep and gaining confidence to be around them on his own without me telling him a lot of what to do. Certain things, obviously, I am not going to allow him to do, which I am attempting to show him by my positioning and tone of voice. So we're learning it together. My brother calls the current sessions, "magic moments". Cool! You can tell that Spot is thinking. Any time in our work sessions where I feel he has slipped over to not thinking or if he is getting too tired, we quit.

Meanwhile, we went to the Bill Slaven funeral in Zamora this week. It was sad but very appropriate and extremely well done. I am so thankful to have known Bill and I treasure the times spent running my dogs in trials at the Slaven ranch over the past several years. I'm sad...and I know many others are, too...

Ryme's shoulder was really messed up when the boys had their monthly chiropractic adjustment this week. So while I'm working Ryme, I'm sort of taking it easy with him for now. He doesn't show any lameness or discomfort but I want to be careful with him. As a result I am using Coal more for sorting chores; which is a good opportunity to insist that Coal does as he is told - a common issue between he and I!! :-) Chiefie seems good...his weight is much more where it should be versus early in the year when I allowed him to get too heavy.  Even though it is not August yet, and although I am somewhat sad at times, we are enjoying the dog days of summer. It's nice to be able to work the dogs again.