Ridgetop
Herd Master
Good thing you have enough water. Water is life.
High Desert Cowboy- How far is it up north?
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Bruce
Herd Master
I imagine there are going to be some overworked water well drillers in your area.
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- #323
High Desert Cowboy
True BYH Addict
Extremely overworked. I’ve got friends who put a down payment to drill their well deeper back in February and it’s looking like it won’t be done for a couple more months.
Baymule
Herd Master
I hope the new meds work well for your wife and that life smoothes out for you both. Fires and drought are not on anybody's bucket list, hope you get relief soon.
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- #325
High Desert Cowboy
True BYH Addict
We’ve had beautiful blessed rain for the last two days. It wasn’t for very long but I’ll take every ounce I can get. It also cooled us down from the 100+ temps we were seeing last week. Our lambs are fat little beggars and growing well. With them getting bigger I’ve been working the sheep with the dogs a little more, and little Bella has now been uninvited from the sheep enclosure for the time being. She would come in with me and Kya and it was the cutest thing to watch her watch Kya. She’d sit at my feet and watch Kya’s every move as she’d group up the sheep and start bringing them back to me, her little head on a swivel as she watched Kya run back and forth. She’s been doing this for a little over a week now. Yesterday my one ornery problem ewe decided to cause some grief and Bella suddenly popped up and tried giving that ewe the eye! The ewe wasn’t impressed and tried to run that little pup over until Bella bit her and would not let go! I called Bella off, she ignores me until I grabbed her and got her off. Put her down she bites again. Got her off she bites down again so I had to pick her up tell her good job but that’ll do and remove her from the pen. So she’s grounded until I can get a better recall on her. But that ewe did learn new respect for the little red and white creature and that was the first time she’s ever stood still and let me grab her. I haven’t been able to lay a hand on that ewe since the day I brought her home.
Baymule
Herd Master
A rather ewe-nique training method, but hey, whatever works! 
Baymule
Herd Master
We got 2" of rain Saturday! We were so excited! Glad you got rain and got cooled off.
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- #328
High Desert Cowboy
True BYH Addict
So I was talking to a friend of mine who raises stock dogs and explaining how Bella was grounded from the sheep pen for grabbing hold and not listening and letting go. He made the point that she might see that as punishment and turn her off of stock. So I gave her another shot and as you can see she’s on her best behavior. Kya was cooling off in the trough so Bella sat to watch the sheep for her.
Mike CHS
Herd Master
My Border Collie is so intense that he will nip at the sheep if he thinks they aren't going right but that's our fault for not working him enough. When he does that I pull out the long lead line and in just a few minutes, it all comes back to him. I agree with your friend that they don't forget and if they perceive they are being punished it can backfire.
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Ridgetop
Herd Master
I am so glad that you got the info about her behavior from another herder. Working dogs are bred for generations with certain things in their brains. Herding dogs and livestock guardians are a perfect example of 2 separate types with inbred behaviors that can be mistaken for something wrong. Instinctual behaviors in working dog are to pen the sheep and hold them with their eyes - your picture shows that behavior perfectly. The sheep are watching her for a clue to what she wants them to do next. Some herding breeds were developed for work on cattle. and can be a little more aggressive which is necessary for working cattle. Guardian dogs have instinctual behaviors too, such as ignoring a recall when they are checking out danger in a far pasture. Some breeds are instinctually inclined to work farther from the flock, others close in. Once we understand those behaviors, and how to work with them, we have a perfect working companion! And of course, we have to get the right dog for the type of work we need!
You are so lucky to have great dogs and great advice on herding dogs from experts. We would love to have a herding dog when our sheep won't come out of the gully! But at other times we don't have enough work for them since the sheep are trained to come in at night for a grain feed. Like Mike CHS pointed out they can get unhappy if they are not working.
You are so lucky to have great dogs and great advice on herding dogs from experts. We would love to have a herding dog when our sheep won't come out of the gully! But at other times we don't have enough work for them since the sheep are trained to come in at night for a grain feed. Like Mike CHS pointed out they can get unhappy if they are not working.
