Moss works sheep again.... *VIDEO*

I am visiting Joe in Kennewick this weekend and had the opportunity to go out and work sheep with Mary (who owns Moss's brother Toss) again. I'm never one to turn down the opportunity to work my dog! So...yesterday Moss, Joe and I drove out to Walla Walla to work dogs and ended up staying and hanging out until after dark, drinking wine and chatting. It was a lot of fun! Productive, too.

The dogs (Moss and Toss) both worked great and I learned a lot. Mary and Toss looked awesome... they are SO ready for the finals! I just know they're going to kick some major ass... and look good doing it ;).

Anyways... working Moss was a mixed bag of good and bad. He was a little pushier than normal, and I was confusing him with my ditzy handling. As usual, his driving was great and his inside flanks were spot on. He did exactly what I told him to do.... good and bad. Haha! He's such a good dog, in spite of my rusty handling.

The one area we have been having the most trouble with is the lift and fetch. Maybe we've been driving too much or something, but sometimes he won't automatically bring the sheep back to me, instead wanting to stop short and drive them off somewhere else. So we worked on that some, and also worked on picking sheep up off of a person (Mary and Toss held them for us) as that has given us troubles in the past. Moss naturally has a really pretty outrun, nice feel for the sheep, and understands how to hold a line, but I mess him up with my micromanaging and conflicting commands. So basically.... I just need to shut up and clarify my communication. Help, not micromanage him. It was amazing how much better he was when I kept my head on straight and my mouth shut ;)

Anyways...he is a really good dog and I don't give him enough credit. I think with some consistent practice we could do some trialing this winter and next year and not feel totally out of our element.

My goals for the (somewhat) immediate future:

1) Practice my whistles away from my dog until they are 100% solid.
2) Go into every training session with a clear plan in mind of what we're going to do and what I'd like to accomplish.
3) Fix his O/L/F and get him outrunning from my feet.
4) Clean up my handling, insist on straight lines with a minimal amount of nagging. Insist on him being correct and be very clear of my expectations.

Some video:



I hope you all are having a great Labor Day weekend! Cheers!