Driving…Drover’s Stock Dog Journal

YES!!!!
Okay… I know I have whined  and worried and worked and discussed driving till you all are like sick of it.
Well this morning I made some real driving work  for Drover and he HAD to drive. I did not revert to the okay you can gather the sheep (as in the past). I decided to drive the whole flock (30) now out of the pen they were in. (the pen had a small 3 foot gate to drive through into a  large holding area. Then  Drover had to drive the sheep down  the isle way of the small holding pens. (I had the gates tied open and the sheep knew it was a rub to get through the isle way and they did not want to go there) Thing is I stood about 30 feet from the gate to the isle way I wanted to drive the sheep into. That made the sheep (they are quite fetchy to me) have to be driven by Drover. Was it pretty? no ! But it was good honest work and effort and Drover did inside and outside flanks, he stopped, walked and waited!  It took several tries but I was consistent and did not allow him to fetch the sheep to me.
At the end of the isle way there is another holding pen. I have a small alley connecting it to the 50 foot round pen. We sorted at that gate and then drove the sheep into the round pen!
He did a fine job!
We can do it! I now know we can!
I will make some more of this type work preparing for the trial in Kentucky July 12 and 13!
We are entered level III HTAD and HRD!
Guess we best be practicing our free standing penning to 😉 not to mention the Y chute and  L chute (a foot bath in the HRD Class)
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