This was first posted June 8, 2010.
A day not spent on horseback.Victoria and I made some lists and plans for the wedding… and gathered up some of the ribbons and decorations we’ve purchased along the way… We still need to make some arrangements and go up to the site and make some more lists. We talked cake, how much, and how to decorate it… There’s not a lot left to go over, she’s very organized, but a few things need to be worked out.Then, this afternoon dried out the grass from the rain yesterday, so Daniel repaired my lawnmower and Victoria mowed my lawn! It looks very good, and I got to clean up the dog kennel, put up a tarp over the top for summer shade, and reorganize. I disassembled Elsa’s puppy kennel and cleaned up that area finally. I felt like I accomplished something around the house for once!I know, not very “ranch-like”… but hey, I have houses to take care of too! Here’s a little story for you…We had a few yellow tagged cows to take out to the Richie pasture the other day… and somehow ended up with all the dogs with us. Johnny’s Sam, Victoria’s Jazz, and my four. Heavens! I figured it was a good time to work on down/stay and releases…We’d head out and I’d let Jazz, Sam, and Boomer have their fun… while I’d slow down and control my Shepherds.
Down.
Yup. They’ve got that! Dally drops like a rock, usually Lucas takes the longest… I’ve babied him too much with his bad hips… he wants to make sure I mean what I say.;)
Now, here a stay doesn’t have to be strict… I’d just as soon see them shade up and cool down if necessary…. but stay back!They’d keep an eye on me and I’d ride away.NOW.A pat on my thigh… and look what happens!
GOOD DOGS.This was hard for them to do… leave the cattle… down/stay… and then release. Hard because they were together which doesn’t happen often. I can do this one at a time, but three of them together… I had to refresh their memories once or twice on the rules! Overall, they did do well though! Elsa is the one that thinks she has to be *at my feet*… and can’t bear to watch me ride away! Lucas trusts that I’ll remember him and is content to rest up. Dally will go where Elsa goes…I should do this more… reinforce the rules… too many times while working cattle I can’t take the time to do it correctly, but this was a perfect situation. Take some time tomorrow and brush up on your dog training… it’s so easy to let it slide!
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Do nice to see this TBT set of pictures from the “3 Amigos”!!! I remember them well since I’ve been a follower of your blog since 2010…each with different markings and personalities. Thanks for the memory. 🙂 🙂 🙂