What I Learned at Sheep Camp

It was an interesting week. Unfortunately, it is a week I am not sad to see go.

My poor husband is a brave man. He patiently listened to me cry every night. Complaining about the heat, the frustration, the pain of not knowing what I was doing wrong.

I tried to keep positive, every morning when I got up I tried to focus on all the positive things we were going to do and learn. But every day that passed I found I struggled to go...

I learned many things this last week.

Many things about my dogs, handling and livestock.

Many things about myself that make me sad.

Many things about other people which make me very sad.

I learned an amazing amount of information about livestock handling and behavior. That alone makes the week worth it.

I learned that Chris Soderstrom & Elsie Rhodes are fantastic instructors and just plain neat people.

I learned that I have grown in my appreciation for Karen Child. I think she is absolutely amazing. I admire her ability to instruct to every person, dog and skill level. She is also a truly nice person.

I have learned if frustrated or upset not only will I telegraph those feelings to my dog through my voice and my body language but ALSO the livestock. If you are upset, your dog is upset and your livestock is upset. For example: if you are yelling at your dog you are also yelling at the livestock and it makes everything icky.

I learned the importance of approaching every training session with a plan.

I learned about inside flanks, outside flanks, driving, gates, chutes, alleys. How to handle lambs differently than ewes.

I learned that if you are laying on the ground in a flock of 50 ewes and screaming - no one can hear you.

I learned that I never want to be a handler that micromanages everything. If you micromanage your dog's every move & action you do not give your dog an opportunity to think for themselves. You can try to micromanage your dog, but you cannot micromanage your livestock, and more often than not sheep are not going to fit into your plan.

I saw people this last week who micromanaged every single thing their dogs did. Micromanage them into nervous wrecks.

I never want to be that person.

I learned I never want to do something like this again.

I learned that a group of 20 women in 100+ degree heat are not fun to be around.

I learned that Bonnie will give me lie downs consistently when I am not freaked out, stressed out, grumpy, anxious and upset.

I learned that Beth doesn't want to be in the same field with me when I am freaked out, stressed out, grumpy, anxious and upset.

I learned that my deodorant does not function well in 100+ degree heat. Neither does anyone elses.

I learned that not all people treat their dogs like family members, rather like tools or extensions of their own ego.

I learned that many people only want to talk about their dog's pedigree and when they learn you have rescue's...then *poof* you are dismissed.

I learned that being nice and letting others go in front of you gets you screwed in a clinic situation unless the instructor watches the clock.

I learned that there are always the people who have to go first then monopolize the entire session for themselves and don't care that the person who was nice is getting screwed out of their time.

I learned at this sheep camp you will only work your dog 30 minutes a day. That is all. The rest of the time you get to sit in the blazing heat and worry about your other dogs locked in a horse stall all day long.

I learned that if you are assigned sheep chores, the members of your team will go out and start doing all the chores without telling you, just so they can work their dogs more - then have the audacity to be upset with you for not helping.

I learned that some people are still in high school and never left. I never was part of the 'in' group in high school. I hated high school and don't want to revisit the game playing and psychological warfare.

I dislike people who have 'inside jokes' and 'you had to be there' stories.

I learned that I can be difficult, grumpy and bitchy too and I am sure there is a very good reason why the last day no one wanted to talk to me. Heck I was afraid of me too.

There is a reason why I am a 'dog' person. I find that I get along with dogs much better than I do with most people.

Dogs are honest, pure, do not lie or talk behind your back.

I read in in a Jon Katz's book that he found a great many 'dog people' are emotionally damaged. I am sure that is the case with me.

I didn't do a very good job of keeping my head in a positive space did I?

Sheep Camp Update

Today was the hottest day in Western WA...ever. Yes, I said EVER. Seattle topped out at 103 degrees. When I got home today it was 106 in my driveway. They have been keeping temperature records in Seattle since the 1800's. We have NEVER had temperatures this high before EVER. Let alone an entire week like this.

KOMO News - "Welcome to the Hottest Day Ever in Seattle"

Many of you are thinking (especially the Idaho folks) "Ahh that is nothing". But you have air conditioning. Most people in Western WA do not. We are not prepared nor have we ever experienced anything like this. We are heat wimps

The hottest week in Western WA history....and it just had to be the same week as sheep camp.

*sigh*

I would love to post a bunch of awesome pictures from sheep camp. But I haven't taken any. I am planning on changing that tomorrow. Our schedule has been so tight and I have been so hot, tired & grumpy pictures have been the last thing on my mind.

We start class's at 0630 and are done with sheep for the day at 1200. By 1030 it is oppressively hot and the sheep are open mouth panting and we are limited to working 5 minutes at a time. Poor beasties.

We have had some fabulous classes! The afternoons have been filled with lectures in the barn arena. Today Karen Child lectured on training exercises with demonstrations. I have filled my note book up with diagrams and notes that are going to be incredibly helpful.

After Karen's class today I decided that I am going to keep a training journal. Prior to going out in the field I am going to write down my plan, decide on what we are going to focus on, review the diagrams of exercises, work my dog then come back and make notes on area's needing more work or focus. This will really help me with each of my dogs.

Karen was very impressed with the progress Beth has made since spring. This morning I sent Beth on a complete blind outrun. She left my feet like a bullet, ran clear down to the fence line, then swept the entire field until she spotted the sheep in a ditch along the far fence.

Karen looked at me and said "Think she will go in the ditch?"

I said "Yep" then Beth disappeared. Next thing I could see was sheep popping out of the ditch. Karen told me to give her a correction because Beth was goosing the sheep & 'hot-rodding" a bit. Beth stopped, calmed down then to my amazement looked back, took the flank and gathered the rest of the sheep that split off, bringing them all together and right to our feet. Karen looked at me and shrieked "That was AWESOME!" I was so proud of Beth.

The next class I took Bonnie out for the large flock class. We went on walk abouts with huge mobs of sheep.

I am struggling with Bonnie's lie down. She has been REFUSING to give me a lie down AT ALL. This has turned into a very negative thing and I need to change the way I am approaching it (more on that later) because she is starting to shut down & leave the field again.

Bonnie did a very nice gather, and got all the ewes (approx 40 head) together and brought to me, then we started walking. Shortly after we were moving one of the ewes stepped on the back of my shoe and whoosh it was gone and I face planted on the ground, bouncing off one ewe on the way down. I tried to get back up, but the ewes kept crowding me because Bonnie kept pressing them closer and closer up against me.

Good news, I found my shoe but my legs are covered with bruises. Ewes are not nice to you when you are at eye level. I was also more up close and personal with more sheep dingleberry's that I ever want to see again.

I learned one very important thing. If you are on the ground in the middle of a flock of sheep, screaming for help...won't help! No one can hear you.

After I got back on my feet, I was mad. I was mad at the sheep, I was mad at Bonnie and I was mad at myself.

I called Bonnie to me. I didn't want to freak her out because she has been acting 'spooky' again, so I patted my leg and said "come'mere Bonnie lets go!". That was my second big mistake.

It was like a replay of the other day. She came flying at me then launched into the air and WHAMMO hit me on the side of my thigh AGAIN! My knee gave out and I crashed to the ground sideways.

In the process of falling, I ended up stepping on Bonnie and landed partially on her. She yelped and bellowed like she was dying. I screamed as I was falling. You would have thought something was being slaughtered.

I am sore, it hurts to move. I wrenched my knee and my wrist. I have bruises on top of bruises. I think I have scorch marks on my face from the heat.

But I am happy, my dogs are tired and content...and we ready for more sheep camp at Fido's Furnace tomorrow.