First Post of 2012!

We had a pretty uneventful New Years over here in Eastern Washington. Had some drinks with the hubby, cuddled with the dogs, watched some X-Files, and chatted with friends online.... just like most other nights in our house ;)

We did have a fun afternoon in Walla Walla before that, though, working sheep and hanging out with our good friend Mary, who owns Moss's brother, Toss.

Here is a photo of the "Ossome" brothers:

Moss was pretty good, considering the spotty training he's had for the past year or so. Mary helped me to be more authoritative in my commands ("lie down is a command, not a request!") and (nicely) helped me to clean up my handling. She has a way of explaining things that just make sense to me. There were definitely big improvements from our first work to our second, which is encouraging. Moss is getting more confident with his outrun (or maybe I'm getting more confident about it? LOL) and his driving and inside flanks were a LOT crisper after yesterday's training session. I worked on trusting him to do his job, and being as clear as possible in my commands and expectations. We had some lovely moments where it all came together and felt smooth and easy.

But still, I am plagued with self-doubt. Herding is not a great sport for the ego.

It's been a bit frustrating for me because I am still new to herding and am not the most confident person to begin with. I also have not been able to work him on a consistent basis for about a year. A lot of the time when he's being "bad," I don't know whether to correct him or help him, or even how. And yes, I know that the only thing that can fix that particular issue is more miles LOL. I guess I just need to learn to let go of the past, embrace the future, and plan better :-P

One think I really need to do is to sit down and think about what exactly I want to accomplish with Moss in herding. Then, I can figure out the best way to accomplish those goals. I feel sort of directionless right now, which is a bad mindset to be in when I'm trying to train myself and my young, talented and enthusiastic boy dog, hehe.

Above all, this year, I am going to try harder to just relax and enjoy the ride. A lot of the time, I take things way too seriously. In case you haven't noticed by now :)