Roundup Practice

A snippet from an Ohio paper. They said it was "Udder Chaos".
They really did.  I wouldn't "steer" you wrong. 

Since the invention of the barbed wire fence there hasn't been much use for cattle dogs. That's why I decided to become a blogger.

I saw in the news that a cattle truck crashed in Ohio and there were 70 cows on the loose. They were asking for help.

It got me thinking. That could happen here. So I thought I should keep my herding skills up to speed. I need to be ready.

My grandma doesn't have cattle but there are horses over there. I thought I could practice on them. If you are good at herding it doesn't matter if they are cows, horses, goats, sheep, or buffalo.

So I went over to do a little honing of my skills. Here is a short tutorial from the Coopster on herding.

1. Get the big picture. Take note of the terrain. Escape routes. Plan the path and direction you will be taking them.

First you have to get the big picture. The lay of the land. 

2. Study your client. Take your time. Watch their every move. Learn their tendencies. This may take a little time. Possibly 20 to 30 minutes.

It is a good idea to practice on only one client at a time in the beginning. 

3. Position yourself. Slowly circle and get the client between you and your desired destination.

Make very slow movements. You don't want to alarm your client. 

4. Always listen for your owner. And when he says "Get back here on this side of the fence" it is a really good idea to listen. That means practice is over for the day.

When your owner calls run back under the fence as fast as you can. 

Whew! I was getting really close to that white horse. I thought my owner guy was never going to call me back!