What They Remember (Gael Returns to Herding Sheep)

I was more anxious than the dog.

Last week, Gael, my 2-year-old Border collie, returned to working sheep after a 13-month layoff.

A freak accident (hitting a board fence while playing with other dogs) caused a broken femur and torn ACL late in 2018. After two surgeries and months of rehabilitation she was deemed ready to go back to herding.

Before her accident, Gael had about 6 weeks of herding training. She'd been introduced to sheep in a calm and quiet manner and learned how to do balance work and some small outruns.

Would she remember that training? Or, would she be wild and crazed about working sheep?

My friend, Kay, who had started Gael on sheep, put Gael on a long line, walked her toward the sheep and asked for a lie down. Gael faced the sheep and dropped.

I held my breath, and then relaxed as Gael thoughtfully circled the sheep and did some balance work. Later, in the big field, when the sheep escaped to the barn, she quietly gathered them and brought them back. She hadn't forgotten her training.

During my time working dogs in Texas and the long drive home, I thought a lot about what dogs remember.

Bubba, my open dog, was raised, trained and trialed by Kay. I've been working him since May--and he's working well for me. However, when I sent him on a long outrun to gather a group of sheep near Kay, his muscle memory said, "bring the sheep to Kay." When a friend visits, Bubba remembers all the treats that friend fed him as a puppy. He sits in front of her and awaits a treat. When it's dinner time, he runs to his old crate in Kay's kennel and awaits his meal.

When I train dogs later today and in the coming days, I will be more conscious of what I'm teaching the dogs and making sure those are memories I want them to keep for weeks and years to come.

Meanwhile on the farm:
While I was away in Texas, it rained and rained. The cracks in the pasture from this summer's drought are almost gone and we have the dreaded winter mud. If given the choice between 30 or 40-degree days, I'll choose the 30-degree days, frozen ground and no mud. However, since there is no snow covering the ground, the sheep are happily grazing the pastures. So, for now, I'm keeping the slogging through the mud to a minimum.

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