It's winter here which means rain and more rain followed by flooding. About half of my field is under water so that cuts down on the training space. Plus it rained so hard that the grass is super soggy. Thank goodness I brought in lots of hog fuel so the critter pad is not muddy. The dogs don't mind and so we work sheep. The young pups don't get much time as their are still young and need to grow up. Then I tune up the seasoned Open dogs with lambing work and make sure the flanks are square. Nikki, my PN dog is starting to learn to work with me and I am taking my time with her. It's a slow progress and hampered by my inability to get her whistles down pat. So it is voice commands for the time being. She has a lot more eye than I am used to so I have to keep her free and on her feet. She is a nice dog and tries hard to please.
Lambing has started and we have about 12 lambs on the ground so far. I had reduced my flock way down from last year due to high hay prices and will keep the number below 40 or so. I used to keep 65-75 and now that hay has doubles, it is not feasible.
The newest member of the farm, Hebert (A-Bear) is learning the ropes. He is our Anatolian pup that rounds out the LGD team. Now the coyotes will think twice about having fresh lamb or chicken. The coyotes walk around the farm than through it which is a great relief.
Soon the weather will turn warmer and we can do more training. I look forward to it and with the recent time change, it has been much nicer to come home in daylight than darkness. Pretty quick the cold finger of winter will be gone and replaced by the warm rays of spring. I can't wait.
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