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Chapter Five Again during the break between classes the weather again is not good for practicing with Dixie, it been raining and one day of snow, but we’ll get going soon. I got a E-mail today it read “Thanks for your message. I'll be looking for your herding test entry. See you on the 5th, Jane”. We have been watching for this one, I hope we’re ready. Next week Dixie and I will get our first try in the pen with the Sheep. This is our test to see if she has a natural instinct to herd, if she dose then we can enroll in Sheep Herding School. I have no idea what I doing, but I believe Dixie well and have fun doing it. Regular Novice classes started to day and Dixie did good. We had gotten back to practicing every day with the better weather and it paid off. She did have some little run in with the new dog, but not bad. Any is too many. Later today she goes to take her herding instinct test and I’m looking forward to the new experience and to see what happens. I hear good Things and that I well be surprised at what I see. I also heard some funny and some bad story’s too. We’re back from her Test, and wouldn’t you know she past. She now has her first leg for Herding Instinct. She did beautiful, I was surprised, she started in like she knew there was something to do. Didn’t know quite what to do, but she started doing this and that. I was afraid that she would just run in and Bite the sheep or hurt them because of her aggressive nature that we’ve been trying to help her over come, but she did just fine. I just had no idea what she would do off lead with strange new animals in a strange new place. She make me proud today, yes she did.
It’s Three weeks in to the new classes and Dixie is working good. She will stand for exam with the instructor, but not stand still. I guess this is an improvement. She is a lot better around the house now, she still barks along the fence line when stranger and other dog walk by, but for a shorter time and not as aggressive as in the past. Small children and dog are what bother her the most if their close to the fence. Today we got an E-mail saying she can go to sheep herding school, there is three openings for the beginners class which start in three week. I guess well give it a try and step out into a new world and see what’s there. I have no way of knowing if she or I could ever be good enough to be in a Sheep herding trial, we’ll just wait and see. It’s along drive and gas is at an all time high. The enrollment fee is a lot higher than obedience classes, But hay, you can’t put a price on love. This doesn’t mean I giving up on her obedience training. I still hope to go on to more advanced things like Open and Agility something so she can keep up her interaction with people and dogs.
Today is April 15th , no not tax day but Dixie’s 2nd Birthday, we had her a little party and I eat the cup cakes. I made a her a new front tag for my old Van.
In her obedience class to day she wiggled while she stood for exam, But they were able to touch her with out any trouble from her head, down across her back and tail. I know not just anyone could do that, but it was the first an instructor has. We’re half way though with classes now and if she keeps improving and if the new herding classes help with her confident’s maybe she will pass Novice II classes this time. This has been a disappointing day today, it the first day of herding classes and it wasn’t the heat, but the rain and lighting that make them cancel for the day. They train in the rain but not the lighting. An open field is not a good place to be on a day like today. Oklahoma is known for its thunder storms and Tornados. Last week had it down side with the herding classes canceled and Dixie snapping at her favorite instructor for the first time, why I don’t know. I think it had to with the instructor reached down and flicked off a piece of lent or hair stuck to Dixie eye and it caught Dixie by surprise. Week 6 is coming up, so Novice II classes are over half way done now. We had a good week so far. Dixie let the instructor touch her while she stood for Exam and she stay in one place the whole time till I returned. I also was talking to the Open instructor in the ring next to our, she the other instructor Dixie likes that I have spoke of before. I told her Dixie and I had been practicing her taking a piece of dowel rod when I ask, just like she told me to a few week ago and that she been doing good although she doesn’t want to hole it very long. The instructor had been giving Dixie treats while we were talking and getting along good. She told me to let her try and she got a real dumb bell and ask Dixie to take it and she did and she walked around with it in her mouth. I was surprised and glad. She them says to Dixie give it and I begin to worry as she reach down to take it away and said maybe I had better take it. She says no, let me get it and she ask Dixie again to give it and she let go with out any resentments. My instructor say she thinks Dixie is very smart and fast. She feel she would be great at Agility and that she going to get Dixie to be able to get though Novice II class so she can advance to start Agility. The Open instructor says she wants Dixie to come to her class. I just want Dixie to be happy and friendly to all, anything else will be a lucky strike extra.
A big day got here today, the first day of herding school. I wish I could say the skies were blue and weather great, but no believe it or not a week later and it’s still raining. With no Storms or lighting the class went on and there was plenty of mud and pools of water everywhere. You feet stuck to the ground as you tried to walk and not slip, you walk backwards a lot I found out. Dixie loved it. She likes to slide on the mud and splash in the water at a hard run. What a mess me and her have become. We leaned a few basics today like how to enter the sheep pen, pressure on the sheep to move them, to stop moving them when told. She did really well not prefect, but more behaved than I thought she would be. She dose seam to know there is a way to do this and she is tying to figure it out. Time has been going by quickly. My youngest daughter has move to LA to seek her fame and fortune in the big city, and daughter number two got married. What a month this has been, It’s now week 8 coming up in obedience classes and we’re half way thought the first of Dixie’s sheep herding classes. We did hear about another Training place for Agility that would take us with out passing the Novice II classes. I heard it was a good place with real nice instructors, I guess I’ll check it out just in case. One interesting thing that happen this week was at sheep herding class I meet a man that I wrote about earlier which I meet last year when I took Dixie to watch a Herding Instinct test for the first time. He had tried seeing how close he could come by us with out Dixie getting upset. On that day he said it was about 6 feet. I told him who we were and that the problem was still there but it was getting better and I thought he could get as closes as 2 or 3 feet. He laughed and said good. I new he would try and he did. He came on over about 2 feet from where she was laying down and stop with out any problem. He them knead down and when he did Dixie stood up watching him. He them put out his hand (He knew what was coming) and it did, Dixie lunged forward and grabbed his hand and let go. He did it two or three time with the same results. He laughed again and said she is getting better and she not biting me just grabbing. Most people would not know that because of the bark and look. Well that not good enough but it is a lot of improvement over the last year. Maybe there still hope. Hope is running thin, two weeks to go and she still will not let the instructor touch her pass her head with out starting to show signs of resistant and it doesn’t feel like she going to pass this class for the third time and go on to anything else. It been a long two year and I’ve done all I can to help her, but it looks like the end is near for further training.
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They
Email me today and Dixie has gotten in to herding class, they start
in two weeks. They are every Saturday afternoon for the next couple
of months. I think she going to have a real fun time. The only thing
they said we needed to do before it start is to teach her how to lay
down in a children baby pool, so she can cool off when she not in
the sheep pen. It is that time of year and well be getting hot out.
