Chunky is a good egg. At about 16 months of age she is really starting to come into her own presence and power. We have been working VERY hard on foundations (setting up for the gather, holding pressure in the corners of the pens). She has had a few experiences in a larger area on cows, and I as mentioned, on sheep, she hasn’t really had a ton of practice.
We started in a small pen, pushing them into the corners, and then bumped into a large pen to work on gathering, stopping, and backing her off if the sheep pass me. Pressure and release.
We then switched to working cows, shaping the same patterns, when we get to the back, you hold the cows between me and the dog, giving to pressure on the top and not running me over with the cows. This involves going between the cows and the fence. No excess biting (one to move, that is all).
She is learning to regulate her body language. We used the line some to work on inside flanks, but overall, she is understanding of the pressure. She has made a LOT of progress in the last two months.
Clarjo Farms 