The Plan

Four herding lessons done and what an improvement!! I am so much more relaxed with both Token and Mesa. And the dogs are more relaxed with me as well. I love it when a plan comes together. One more lesson (wish I could sneak a couple in) before the trials and Mesa hasn't worked in the large arena yet. But I think she can do it. I need to practice taking the sheep out of the pen before then; that's for sure. And I need a plan for moving the sheep through the obstacles without me going first. A steep learning curve for Mesa and for me. Thank goodness Louann will be home to guide me through this.

She and Jenny are off to do some competing themselves on an all girl holiday. Hope they have lots of laughs and some fine wins, too.

The kennel is full of very nice dogs. I love that. At Elite Boarding we are adamant that dogs need to be nice to stay here and it pays off for all the dogs. If we do happen to get a grump, it is easy to give it some space and a quiet corner run where it can relax without the play going on all around it. The wading pool is up and so far the only one to use it is my old dog Buschman, who plops down in it and stays there for a minute or two to cool down on a hot day. School is over for the summer and so I get to stay home and play with the dogs. What a treat.

Our entries have been accepted by AKC so we need to step up the program. There is a pups in the park day on Sunday at Henderson Lake Park and I think I will take Mesa, Token, Shaggy, and one of the boys to join the action. Tomorrow I am moving more pea gravel into the outdoor runs . And I suppose I will need to rescue the flowers from the weeds in their beds, too. For now, I will go and put the kennel dogs to bed and bring my own hooligans into the house for the night. Five o'clock comes early.

Talk later.

Judi