Steady

A little story about a farm dog who has had some beginning training as an agility dog, and how the teamwork that both of us have learned paid off, in a normal farm job... a chicken round-up as a huge storm rolled in.

Steady is our first dog to take classes in Tricks, and then Agility. It's mainly so that I have something different than "just" farm work for him, sort of an enrichment class for him and for me to enjoy together. We get to bond as a team while we work through an activity that is unique to him and not the others. It's new to me, and fun, and is introducing both of us to something that we would not try otherwise.

Well, some of that agility work (the "working as a team" and the listening part!) really paid off as a tornado watch, complete with plummeting temperatures, black clouds, wind velocity and pelting raindrops threatened our little farm last week.

The chickens were still out pecking and scratching as the black clouds rolled in, and thunder rumbled.

Steady is not bothered by thunder, and he has been fairly level headed when I might be feeling stressed, so he was the chosen ES to do the job with me. (Chickens sometimes need a bit of help in choosing when it's best to run for cover...)

Usually, Steady is boisterous, energetic, and quick to run toward chickens but not really do a "job"... just circling them or trying to force them out of the pig pens. Sometimes singling one out to trot determinedly after, until he is scolded to "Leave it!" and he trots away as if he was doing nothing wrong. LOL... That's confidence for you!

This day, though, it was him and me, and the storm was rolling in. I opened the gate for chickens to move through, and said at the same time "Steady, WAIT!". Instead of busting through and going on a full speed tour of the back acre, he waited and was patient.

All of the bird-brains clucked their way through the gate and moved along the fence by the sheep pen, looking for worms.

"Steady, SLOW"! And he walked next to me instead of dashing ahead of the chickens, or scattering them.

With a hand motion, I slowed him the next time as he stepped ahead of me toward a rooster who was showing off about a big worm he had found. He fell back to heel position and watched for what was next.

Steady waited on cue at the next gate as the chickens scattered to squeeze through the fence. Then, "wait" again while I opened the gate for the two of us, and then he was able to circle around the flock to bring them toward the open barn door at the south end.

A hen and a rooster squawked and flapped their way out of the circle, and back through the gate. Steady made to run after them, but he stopped and looked at me.

At heel position, he stepped through the gate next to me and we both waited for the two chickens to realize that the flock went IN, not OUT. And both birds predictably headed toward where their feeble-minded friends had disappeared into the barn.

When it was clear the 2 escapees were heading in the right direction, I let Steady finish the job and “bring them in”.

Almost at the worst moment, he impulsively leaped through the barn door, toward the flock of chickens who still weren't sure about losing daylight hours by staying in the barn...

But on calling "Puppy! Out!", he leaped right back out and no chickens escaped.

One on one was the key. Such great focus, and I was glad of all the class hours that we've put in, to learn how to move through an agility course together.

If other dogs had been outside with us and the birds had scattered, it could have been a lost cause, and the whole flock could have been drenched in the sudden downpour.

If Sunni had been out with us, the competition between the two to run the fastest or make the most fun for each other would have defeated the purpose.

This was a great moment for me and for Steady, because... out of all the ES here, he is the one who I trusted around chickens ***the least***. Up until a couple of months ago, I expected to still need to monitor whether he was going to chase, pin, or corner a chicken as he practiced rounding them up and moving them.

And now, here he was, acting all grown up and responsible, waiting for direction, and behaving like a VERY GOOD BOY.

Way to go, Steady!