13,627 Steps

We had a Very Big Day. Friends came and worked dogs. Ryme and Spot and I held sheep for the younger dogs to learn how to take sheep off of a stock handler/spotter. Ryme and Spot each broke their stay, once. Bad setout dogs! :-) Most of the time, they were good. It is fun to help others get their dogs going and to see that breakthrough when the younger dogs decide that it is really okay to go around that strange person and her dog, to lift the sheep and take them down the fetch, all properly! We discussed the conclusion in the great Vergil Holland book, the Handler's Post, about how we often lose 50% of the trained skills we have at "home", when we take our show on the road, even just to friend's to practice, let alone to a trial.

My phone says I did over 13, 627 steps today. I am not a big walker, because of my foot and leg issues, and I "save" my steps and walking for working my dogs. I have my "goal steps" on my phone and My Fitness Pal, set at only 7,000 steps, instead of the 10,000 that most everybody else has. I try to make up with other activities (like riding my exercise bike). My average normal steps are about 4,700 per day. Today was a biggie! :-) It is good to know that I "can do it" when necessary.

I also took this guy out to sheep today. Cap is just over ten months and ready to go. I have been waiting but the time is now. He is keen, fast, but still a team player at this point. I want to get a bit of a handle on him before he turns a year. Sometimes big changes happen at a year and my goal is to have at least a little bit of the structure of going to the sheep and coming off the sheep in place by that time. He stops on his feet, for now, which is acceptable.

It will be an interesting summer. My steps may top 7,000 more regularly.  We have one tired puppy (actually four tired dogs and one tired human) tonight.