Dog Training during a Pandemic

Frost practices penning over the weekend.

When I receive the Outlook calendar notifications, I'm reminded of where I planned to be this spring: at dog trials in Virginia, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Colorado.

Instead, I'm at home, training dogs and discovering some truths about myself, my dogs and training.

1. I like training and working dogs. Some love competition above all else. Others prefer to train. Others just love the farm work. The absence of competition made me realize that while I like the competitions, I also like working my dogs. With no competitions in the near future, I could stay inside when the cold wind blows (which it's been doing a lot this spring), but nearly every day I'm working the dogs. Even when moving the sheep to pastures, I find myself throwing in a little drive or flank work with the dogs.

2. Dog training has become more thoughtful and less stressful. Instead of reacting to a recent trial or preparing for the next one, I focus on what I, or the dog, need to work on. With my older dog Bubba, I've been playing around with shedding and penning, paying attention to where he is and where I am, and how we can impact the sheep. With my young dog Frost, we continue to work on driving, but throw in other exercises. This past weekend, we worked on penning and started some shedding training. If something's not working, I stop, think about what I can change and try again the next day. She's relaxed and eager to work every day.

3. More time means the young dog gets more practical farm work. If I have to move or sort sheep, and I'm in a hurry, I use an experienced dog. With more time, I can set up the situation where the young dog is likely to be successful. So Frost has helped move ewes and lambs, drive groups into the barn and other tasks.

But training in pandemic time has its downsides, too.

1. Staying at home doesn't put the needed miles on the dog. I still need to get Frosty out to new places where the terrain and the sheep are different.

2. Clinics or observations from experienced handlers are lacking. I tend to a wishful observer and benefit from professional input. While videoing a session helps, it's not the same as in-person observations.

3. It can be lonely. Sheepdog training has its highs and lows, and it's always more fun to have people to commiserate with and laugh about it.

Eventually my Outlook calendar will stop reminding me about canceled events, and eventually the dogs and I will get out and about again. I'm hopeful that we have benefited from pandemic time training.

Seeds of Hope

I sowed pea and lettuce seeds on Sunday, March 8.

It was sunny and sweatshirt weather. Coronavirus was in the news, but people were still moving about--and my parents, including my father who is assisted living, came out to the farm for dinner.

Before planting, I looked on the seed packets for the days to maturity. Sometime in May, I should be eating peas and lettuce. I'll have to harvest them between dog trials, I thought, noting my busy spring sheepdog trial schedule.

Temperatures dropped and rains came after that initial planting. For days, the soil looked as barren as it did on that early March day.

On Wednesday, March 18, I sowed more peas, lettuce, onions and radish seed in what I now called my Victory Garden.

The coronavirus was spreading, and the Ohio governor had ordered the closing of schools and restaurants. The primary election was postponed. I could no longer visit my father. 

Each day, I checked for a sign of green in the garden. Each day, I found none.

On Friday, March 27, I again sowed onions, peas, lettuce and spinach seeds. Ohio residents were now under a Stay at Home order as the coronavirus pandemic spread around the United States and the world. The week's news was filled with stories about the nosediving stock market, the trillion dollar stimulus package, record unemployment and lack of medical supplies. Flattening the curve and social distancing were now part of my vocabulary. Early spring sheepdog trials were canceled.

The rains came Friday afternoon, and sprouts from those seeds from the March 8 and March 18 plantings peeked through the soil.

I don't know what the coming weeks and months will bring, but I have seeds and I have a garden, and when the sun shines, I will continue sowing seeds and looking for those glimmers of green.