A dream really did come true. Having our own place to work sheep is a culmination of years of hope. A long with it comes work, work and more work. I am still a happy camper because it is ours.
I had a lesson with Dianne today at Ronnie's in Yelm. She told me I was working Brynn dog better than she has ever seen (yeah!) so all this work is paying off. I am learning, becoming more comfortable with commands, corrections and confident that I am doing the right things.
Then Dianne said, she wished I could work like that during a trial. She made me laugh when she told me something Jeanne B. said earlier in the day, "you need to be speakin' not freakin'!" Meaning you need to talk to your dog calmly, help them, relax and don't freak out. Since Dianne was at Palm Cottage last week she witnessed my 'scary shrill nervous whistling' and subsequent harried meltdown when things started to fall apart. I am getting better (I don't hyperventilate, cry or scream at the post anymore) but I have a long way to go.
I know I will get there. I am confident that every trial I make a step in the right direction. Every day I work my dog with the right attitude, I am moving forward.
I feel good about where we are. This whole positive energy, attitude thing is kinda sinking in, and I like it. It sure feels nicer than beating myself up. I had an epiphany the other day - being positive and feeling good about yourself is GOOD, it does not mean you are egotistical, self centered, or stuck up - it just means you feel good about yourself. Feeling good about yourself is a healthy, happy thing.
I wish I could have learned this years ago.
Having my head in a positive space is good thing because my husband John just got layed off his job. He was put on stand-by for a month or two. To look at this positively - we are really saving a lot of money by having our own sheep and think about how much money we will save not paying for his gas to commute to work every day. Yeah!
In every cloud there is a silver lining. You just have to look for it.
That reminds me, John had a lesson with Beth today. I have finally committed to giving Beth back to John to work. It breaks my heart, because I adore her. She is the perfect chore dog. I don't even have to tell her what I want, she just knows. On the trial field, it is another story - we both succumb to nerves and Beth doesn't have fun.
She thrives on farm work - I will miss working her. She has been my right hand in doing any type of chore. Now it is time for Brynn to step up and I need to trust her and teach her how to do the same things Beth does every day.
John has set a goal. He is going to run Beth in his first trial this September.
I don't know if any of you remember, but John started Beth, right after we adopted her.
He actually is the one who fell in love with her first when we visited her foster home.
He attended lessons with her, even a few Scott Glen clinics.
When he started working overtime at Microsoft a few years ago I took Beth over....then never gave her back. Blame it on addiction. I was addicted to sheepdogs. It is a treacherous road to go down, it leads you to places you never thought you would be.
Like yesterday when we were helping with shearing. I was trimming feet. One of the ewes started struggling. I grabbed her behind and my fingers slipped into an place (certain orifice) I did not anticipate - or the ewe for that matter.
See what I mean? It takes you places...strange places with green schmutz that gets under your finger nails.
Speaking of places - my co-op partner posted a blog today about working on the field. She shot great pictures of the field. She determined the sheep need some training and she is just the person to do it. They are sheep with ill intentions that aim for people. One particular ewe is the devil incarnate. She has taken me out twice - she drops her head and aims for me... every-single-time. If she does it again, I will personally dispatch her to the big sheep farm in the sky - with my bare hands. She belongs to the land-owner and is for sale. I hope she leaves soon.
Speaking of which, he has 10 ewes for sale. Some Romney and a few Columbia/Rambouillet. They are all in excellent health. No foot rot, good moms (all twin'ed) bags are great, 5-6 years old & recently sheared. These ewes are massive, they have never missed a meal, big boned, sturdy sheep. Please drop me an email if you are interested. I can put you in contact with him.
Monique's blog is here Behaviors of a Dog Mom
Tomorrow we shear Jim the llama. This will be a new experience. After I have another lesson with Dianne in the evening.
Another long, but happy day.
I had a lesson with Dianne today at Ronnie's in Yelm. She told me I was working Brynn dog better than she has ever seen (yeah!) so all this work is paying off. I am learning, becoming more comfortable with commands, corrections and confident that I am doing the right things.
Then Dianne said, she wished I could work like that during a trial. She made me laugh when she told me something Jeanne B. said earlier in the day, "you need to be speakin' not freakin'!" Meaning you need to talk to your dog calmly, help them, relax and don't freak out. Since Dianne was at Palm Cottage last week she witnessed my 'scary shrill nervous whistling' and subsequent harried meltdown when things started to fall apart. I am getting better (I don't hyperventilate, cry or scream at the post anymore) but I have a long way to go.
I know I will get there. I am confident that every trial I make a step in the right direction. Every day I work my dog with the right attitude, I am moving forward.
I feel good about where we are. This whole positive energy, attitude thing is kinda sinking in, and I like it. It sure feels nicer than beating myself up. I had an epiphany the other day - being positive and feeling good about yourself is GOOD, it does not mean you are egotistical, self centered, or stuck up - it just means you feel good about yourself. Feeling good about yourself is a healthy, happy thing.
I wish I could have learned this years ago.
Having my head in a positive space is good thing because my husband John just got layed off his job. He was put on stand-by for a month or two. To look at this positively - we are really saving a lot of money by having our own sheep and think about how much money we will save not paying for his gas to commute to work every day. Yeah!
In every cloud there is a silver lining. You just have to look for it.
That reminds me, John had a lesson with Beth today. I have finally committed to giving Beth back to John to work. It breaks my heart, because I adore her. She is the perfect chore dog. I don't even have to tell her what I want, she just knows. On the trial field, it is another story - we both succumb to nerves and Beth doesn't have fun.
She thrives on farm work - I will miss working her. She has been my right hand in doing any type of chore. Now it is time for Brynn to step up and I need to trust her and teach her how to do the same things Beth does every day.
John has set a goal. He is going to run Beth in his first trial this September.
I don't know if any of you remember, but John started Beth, right after we adopted her.
He actually is the one who fell in love with her first when we visited her foster home.
He attended lessons with her, even a few Scott Glen clinics.
When he started working overtime at Microsoft a few years ago I took Beth over....then never gave her back. Blame it on addiction. I was addicted to sheepdogs. It is a treacherous road to go down, it leads you to places you never thought you would be.
Like yesterday when we were helping with shearing. I was trimming feet. One of the ewes started struggling. I grabbed her behind and my fingers slipped into an place (certain orifice) I did not anticipate - or the ewe for that matter.
See what I mean? It takes you places...strange places with green schmutz that gets under your finger nails.
Speaking of places - my co-op partner posted a blog today about working on the field. She shot great pictures of the field. She determined the sheep need some training and she is just the person to do it. They are sheep with ill intentions that aim for people. One particular ewe is the devil incarnate. She has taken me out twice - she drops her head and aims for me... every-single-time. If she does it again, I will personally dispatch her to the big sheep farm in the sky - with my bare hands. She belongs to the land-owner and is for sale. I hope she leaves soon.
Speaking of which, he has 10 ewes for sale. Some Romney and a few Columbia/Rambouillet. They are all in excellent health. No foot rot, good moms (all twin'ed) bags are great, 5-6 years old & recently sheared. These ewes are massive, they have never missed a meal, big boned, sturdy sheep. Please drop me an email if you are interested. I can put you in contact with him.
Monique's blog is here Behaviors of a Dog Mom
Tomorrow we shear Jim the llama. This will be a new experience. After I have another lesson with Dianne in the evening.
Another long, but happy day.
4 comments:
Congratulations!!! You're right, it will be more work, but very much worth it!!! Training sessions will be less stressful and more fruitful. Looking forward to seeing the progress reports. Way to go on the confidence!! I know I'm still working on it, but the last couple of months have been great for me! Sorry about John's job - hope you guys fulfill all your dreams.
Blessings
Dog addiction is very east to catch ;-)
Congrats again. On the confidence, isn't it a great realization? I'm that way in most areas of my life except for dog training. I'm hoping it transfers over soon. :-)
Cheers to happy, confident days ahead.
Congratulations on having your own place to work sheep (and a partner to share it with, no less)! Oh, and aren't you glad sometimes that you DON'T use your fingers to whistle!
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