Today, it’s all about the farm. I had a blog written about the effect of acoustic environments on us and our dogs, some new products available for us to use to calm our dogs, and some new results of “calming” music that Katie and I have seen with our dogs. And then I erased it all with one key stroke. I’m sure that has never happened to you….
So I’ll save that topic for later (and promise to catch up in the next month or so on other topics I’ve promised you, like exercises to calm the sympathetic nervous system, and the methods of the clicker versus no-clicker study ). Right now I have to get home to the dogs and work on the talk that Karen London and I are giving at the Interdisciplinary Forum on Applied Animal Behavior next week in Phoenix. So here’s the second half of the blog, which I somehow magically managed not to erase:
BEST. NEWS. EVER. Willie worked long and hard in an unplanned emergency sheep herding session at the UW Stock Pavilion last Tuesday, and he came out of it none the worse for wear. I’d been easing him back into herding with 3-4 minute sessions and easy work, but had to quit 2 weeks ago when I sprained my Achilles tendon and couldn’t get up my own hill to work sheep. I tried to find friends to help with the sheepdog demonstration I do for my University of Wisconsin class (“The Biology and Philosophy of Human/Animal Relationships”) but none could bring their own dogs. So I planned to do a shorter than usual demonstration with Willie to ensure that I wouldn’t set back a year’s investment in getting him sound again.
Everything went according to plan (famous last words) until it was time to put the sheep back in the truck. There’s no loading ramp, so this is not the easiest of maneuvers. You have to get the sheep right up to the truck bed while preventing them from going under the truck or squirting out the sides. A good number of students stayed to help, but I had put Willie in the truck to protect him from over-using his shoulder.
Long story short: After loading 2 of the larger ewes into the truck (not so easy without Willie to help), Rosebud and her lamb Oreo escaped between the fencing and the truck. Oh shoot. No way could we get her back without Willie, so I let him out and we set to work again. Even with him working hard, it wasn’t easy; Rosebud had little interest in coming back toward the truck and the students surrounding it. But finally we got her in the truck (I say “we” in the sense of nurses saying “It’s time for us to take our medicine again” — Jim and some very helpful students hefted her into the truck while I and my stupid ankle stood by uselessly). Whew, okay. Four down, one to go.
Now the only sheep left outside of the truck was Oreo, who promptly jumped the fence like a Dutch Warm Blood. And now I had a single, panicked ewe lamb in a dirt arena surrounded by cement bleachers. Not good. Single sheep are so frightened they are unmanageable; and it was clear that Oreo was considering a Mission Impossible suicide run up into the bleachers. I once watched a demonstration in which a single, panicked ewe died when she ran herself into a cement wall and broke her neck. Not a good image, but a good reminder to never, ever, ever try to work a single sheep who is truly panicked. Leave it alone, and go get the rest of the flock to pick her up like velcro.
With that in mind, Willie and I managed to cut off Oreo’s consideration of a Tom Cruise like escape, and keep her on solid ground. Once we had her stopped, I yelled to Jim and others to “Let Rosebud out of the truck.” Believe me, “Let Rosebud out of the truck” is a figure of speech. At this point Rosebud had no interest in leaving the rest of the flock, so after the understandably stunned reaction of “You want us to WHAT?”, Jim lept into the truck and pushed poor Rosebud back out. As expected, Oreo ran right to mom, and calmed down considerably. But it took a tremendous effort from Willie, who was then joined by Jim and students to get the two back toward the truck and back inside.
The entire time my heart was in my throat. If a sheep was badly injured or killed I’d probably never do the demo again, and the students tell me it’s a highlight of the course. I’d never forgive myself if a student was injured. But Willie? Willie was cutting right, cutting left, working like a quarter horse to keep Rosebud & Oreo coming toward the truck. They’d dash one way and he’d have to counter, none of the rest of us was fast enough to stop her. It seemed to go on and on… was all this work going to set him back? Once we finally got everyone loaded, I drove home with my stomach twisted into knots.
Willie, on the other hand, sat in his crate on the way home with what I can only describe as a face radiating joy. His tongue stayed bright red for an hour after we got home, but his happy, happy face stayed on all night long. And I won’t say all that hard work didn’t affect his shoulder: he was reluctant to do his stretching exercises that night. But no limp, no favoring, no hiking of his shoulder, and the next day he stretched his leg out like a gymnast. He looks great, strong and sound, and he’s never looked happier.
I’ve got my dog back. My dog has his life back. Happy Dance.
Here’s a photo that shows Willie and the Stock Pavilion. Class hadn’t started yet, Willie and I were putting the sheep into the pen for safe keeping.
The truck is out of sight to your right. When we went to load them up Jim backed the truck up to the pen’s opening. The fence that Oreo lept over was the back of the pen. She ran to the other side of the arena, and stood on the right, eyeing a break in the railing that led up to the bleachers. The railings weren’t a barrier anyway, she easily could have gone under them.
Here’s the group during the demonstration: Rosebud is in the front, and her ewe lamb Oreo is the pinto in the middle, with the black forequarters and white hind. I’m thankful that they all seem none the worse for wear as well. They are all due to lamb at the end of March and early April, so I’m especially glad that they seem to be doing well once home and settled at the farm.
Pike says
Yay!! Very cool!
I am glad that all went well and that Willie is back to being himself – a wonderfully working sheepdog 🙂
Hope that now your ankle gets well fast, too.
Kat says
Happy dancing with you. What happy happy news!
Laurie says
All choked up reading that. Thanks for sharing. It is so wrenching when in the midst of a situation when you know the risks have upped and you need to keep your head together to keep your family, two and four legged, safe. So glad you are all ok!
Marcia in NorCal says
I love the “real” blogs, Patricia — I learn at least one little thing every single week — but with two BCs of my own, it’s hard to not be enchanted by Willie’s adventures. My dogs have never had the opportunity to work sheep, sad to say, although I suspect the younger one, Jesse James, might have done well if we’d had time and money to invest in his education. It is SUCH a pleasure to know that dogs like Willie are out there doing the things their hearts and minds love best, and in his case, obviously doing it pretty well! Willie’s a lucky, lucky boy to have ended up with you and Jim, and my hat is off to every owner of a working dog — herder, musher or whatever — who makes it possible for these amazing creatures to actually use those instincts as they are meant to be used.
(P.S. I have fallen in love with “Love Has No Age Limit” … I volunteer at my local SPCA and recommended it to the head of Adoptions, and now it’s in their gift shop. I just wish we could send a copy home with everyone who adopts one of our dogs!)
Mary McComb says
When I saw the blog title on FB I knew it was something great about Will–that he was back in action. I’m happy for you all!
Mary
Roberta Beach says
YIPPEE for you, Jim, the students and esp. WILLIE :)! You just dropped that “Dutch Warm Blood” in there – I read dogs, I read sheep but I haven’t read much here about horses. You jump, dressage, too? Renaissance woman.
Nancy Tanner says
loved this post… I love that total satiated look that a dog can only get from working from the inside out
mary says
Go Willie! I am so happy for you and Willie. After all of the hard work over the past year, this is wonderful news!
Rachel says
Way to go, Willie! Good boy! There is nothing like watching a border collie work sheep. I have a young border collie, he will be 2 years old in April, and he is the first that I have been learning to work sheep with. He never ceases to amaze me every time we go out to work. He can be such a wild, crazy young guy at home, playing with our other dogs, playing with us, going out for hikes. But when we get out there with the sheep, it’s all business.
Carla Karr says
Pardon my ignorance, but what is a Dutch Warm Blood?
trisha says
Sorry Carla, I got carried away. Dutch Warm Bloods are one of my favorite breeds of horses that are especially proficient at dressage and jumping. Roberta recognized the breed… do you jump and/or do dressage? I studied dressage for a few years, I adored it. I did a little bit of jumping but am basically lame at it. I considered a 3 foot jump a major accomplishment. No stadium jumping for Trisha! But dressage…? Mmmmm, love love love it.
And thanks to all of you for your cheers, I’m still grinning, and the demo was on Tuesday.
Kathy says
Glad all worked out well. I know that happy look you’re talking about on Willie’s face. When I took my BC Frank to his first herding class he came home so proud and happy it lasted several days.
Mary says
Great news about Willie! I’m having so much fun learning herding with my first BC, and would be crushed if he couldn’t do what he loves. See you at the Bluegrass Classic SDT???
True Dog says
Congrats to you and Willie! So happy he took the challenge in stride, and even better than no animals or people were injured.
This winter I was working my border collie on sheep with our trainer. Our lesson was over and I was loading up my pup when one of the rams jumped a pin similar to the one you have pictured. In our case, the ram actually managed hang himself upside with his hoof… This was a huge ram, probably 300lbs. My trainer asked me to calmly walk back to help her lift him. He was incredibly heavy and he really had wedged his hoof. My trainer spoke calmly and clearly telling me his leg may break at any moment and time was of an essence. Inside I was frantic, pleading mentally for leg to hold. The time we spent finagling and twisting the stuck hoof seemed like forever. After about several minutes of hard work of lifting the ram then working his stuck hoof, we released him from a certain death. We placed the big fella on the ground and he took off with rest of the flock. Last time we had a lesson the ram was moving around nicely. Although the ram wasn’t my own, the thought of his life being in danger while we were trying to help was gut wrenching. Glad Oreo and Rosebud made it safety back to the farm.
Alexandra says
I’m so glad this story had a happy ending! I used to study jumping & dressage, so immediately got the dutch warmblood reference. That is quite a visual!
FJM says
So glad Willie had such a wonderful time, and has suffered no ill effects. It is amazing how embedded the herding work is, when you think how long it is since he really worked sheep for real.
Jennifer says
Delightful news! Willie has his mojo back 🙂
D says
YIPEEEE for Willie and hooray for you!
There’s only one thing that makes my working dog happier than going out to practice herding, and that’s having a real job to do with sheep, then knowing he’s done it well.
Liz M. says
I am so thrilled for you and Willie. I love when my dogs have their happy contented faces after a nice work session.
I hope you are soon healed and can work sheep soundly, with Willie.
Wishing you only good things,
Liz
em says
Yay Willie!!!!! That really IS great news!
Linda says
Wonderful news!!
Monique Feyrecilde says
Hooray for great news. I know the joy both of having a dog come sound again after a long recovery and having your heart sing with a good sheepdog at your side. You’ve got both, and Willie has his joy back as well.
What a wonderful, happy accident. Thank you for sharing!
glauber says
Wow!
JJ says
I’m so happy for you both! I’ll keep my fingers cross that it is all smooth sailing from here on out.
Julie Rice says
I cried when I read about how happy Willie was after his marathon sheep herding session. I have aBC, too, and I know exactly the expression you described. The big smile, the light in the eyes. It’s a beautiful thing to see a BC, or any dog, that happy.
Beth says
Go Willie!!!! It’s been a long time coming, but you did it! What a gooooooddddd boy! Your mom and Jim and all of us are soooo proud of you!
Lisa W says
We all gave a little jump for Willie! What a good story and what a lucky dog, sheep and students.
When you casually mentioned spraining your Achilles tendon, it brought to mind a saying an elderly neighbor taught me several years ago: “If it’s not one thing, it’s two others.”
I don’t know how you do it, but you seem to manage with grace and style.
P.S. How’s Tootsie?
LaDonna King says
The next time you have wriiten something and it mysteriously disappears (how annoying is that?), hit your control button and the letter Z at the same time. It will reappear. I have used that method many times and am always amazed.
Congrats on Willie’s progress. Go Willie!
trisha says
LaDonna: No kidding? What a great tip. Now I just have to remember it! And Lisa W, Tootsie is GREAT!
chloe De Segonzac says
I’m thrilled with the good news; Willie ready to work.
It is one of my great pleasure to be out and about with my dogs in the fresh air watching their happiness to be running and sniffing and rolling in mud. Yey for you both!
Looking forward to reading about highly sound sensitive dogs. It really breaks my heart sometimes to see my girl not able to calm down because of wind/or storm etc. Why so much in the BC breed???
Alexandra says
Chloe, I’ve noticed the same thing. My new BC pup is not fearful of sounds, but he is VERY aware of them and certainly takes note of any new sound. My guess is that the herding function has selected for a dog that is very aware of small changes in the movement of livestock, and ready to make split-second decisions based on that and handler direction which sometimes only arrives as a faint whistle from a half a mile away. I think that genetic package can get out of balance very easily, so you have some BCs that are very prone to noise phobias. Plus, the working lines of BCs have lot of drive and I think that makes a dog a bit “hot” (that’s a horse term for high-strung) in it’s reactions.
trisha says
Re BCs, sound sensitivity and Chloe’s good question: I agree with Alexandra, at least that is my guess: Select for a dog who is highly reactive AND willing to listen while chasing prey animals 2/3 of a mile away from you and voila! You have a dog who is a couple of standard deviations out of normal on the “sound sensitivity” scale. And given normal genetic variation, some of them are simply so sensitive that they have trouble coping with a normal environment.
Cindy says
Stosh [my gsd] and I have been herding for about a year now and while he does a fine job of gathering there’s nothing like the genetics of a bc. I’m sure Willie had sweet dreams that night!
Gin Gin Bon Bon says
you’re so amazing. I feel truly blessed that the internet has allowed me to read about your very interesting life.
chloe De Segonzac says
She is 100% from working stock, cattle from her American side; sheep from her Welch side!! + an isolated first 2 months in a barn snowed in. 2 pups died etc etc….We do okay, but we’ll try new things.
Thank you Trisha and Alexandra for responding.
Annie R says
Trisha, this story was the best entertainment I’ve had since the latest George Clooney movie! I laughed, I cried, and now I’m all worn out and going to bed! But just gotta say, Yah Willie, Yah Willie, woot-woot!
Tina says
Hooray for Willie, your story put a smile on my face!
Patrice says
Congrats for Willie’s doing well. I know about that happy face — I see it whenever my dog does his field work.
I am really sorry about the loss of the blog about calming products and music. I could really use that right away, so I’ll be looking forward to your post on that topic.
Dena (Izzee's Mom) says
Trisha, I’m doing a mental butt-wag at you, Willie, and the sheep!
And, yes, Ctrl-z (undo) can be your best friend at the keyboard!
Laura says
GO wWILLIE!
I’m so happy to see that he’s better.