Friday, May 4, 2012

What Ford And I Have Learned This Week


What Ford Has Learned This Week:
1. A stop whistle means lie down on your belly
2. A steady whistle means turn in right there, and maybe slow down
3. There are sheep that grow hair instead of wool - and they can run really fast
4. Thunder isn't so bad if there are sheep to watch
5. Sometimes outruns are farther than you think - better keep going or you'll hear about it
6. When we go someplace new, there is likely to be sheep there to work
7. Water is your friend when it's 83F with a 79% humidity
8. Swimming/fetching a stick in water is fun
9.  There's no winning when Laddie wants the stick

What Jenny Has Learned This Week:
1. Don't underestimate Hemp especially in the fog
2. Just when you think you have Laddie's shed in the bag, you don't
3. Ford really needed a stop whistle (I was only running him on voice)
4. Since Ford now has a stop whistle and therefore also a "there/steady" whistle - I can see glimpses of the dog I really wanted and what he'll become with experience, and it makes me happy.
5. Ford still needs to learn to take an off balance flank for the first flank on the crossdrive (he can do it after that)
6. Without that first flank on the crossdrive, you can't finish the course
7. June is not unbreakable and after two flips at a trial in long grass, she can come up lame.  (hopefully the chiropractor can fix her today)
8. Ticks can be really small and hide between your toes (I know TMI!)
9.  It's really humid in Missouri
10. We have some really great friends in the sheepdog trialing world (ie The Gorackes and The Flemmings)

2 comments:

Janet said...

Sharing Ford's notes with Jude now...

Donna Brinkworth said...

Thanks for posting this. It is neat for me to see that you still learn with every new dog, despite all your experience! Ford sounds like a really nice boy. Enjoy! PS Ben has discovered he likes water too - just this week as well.