Lessons On Building Confidence

 When Diva I and I first went out into the pasture with the girls I had her on leash. It always hard when you are in a new place and with unbroke stock and even more so when the owners are standing there watching you to see how it goes ;). I had been told that a couple of the older cows in this group had once been worked by a dog but it had been years so my plan was to play it cautious and just feel things out. When Diva and I approached most of the cows moved off easily but there was one all black cow that turned and held her ground. Diva barked and as we walked up on her she backed up but it took her a while to turn away. As soon as she did I pulled diva back and we let them walk off. My hope was to reward the cows for moving and teach her the dog would release. We spent about 15 minutes of doing this and the cows were working great. The owners were satisfied that Diva and I weren't going to hurt anyone and they went back to the house. 


I decide to take Diva off her leash (safer that way) and just keep moving them around nice and easy. Diva was feeling pretty pumped since she hadn't seen cows in a couple of months so she went out ahead and started pushing. I learned a very important lesson in that moment about ear cows and their intelligence because that black cow noticed I was no longer close to the dog and she turned to Diva and gave chase. Diva barked and tried to hold but the cow didn't stop and Diva made a break back for me. I of course did what need to be done to salvage Diva's confidence. I went running towards the cows and turned her so that Diva could chase her back to the group. Everything needs to be a win for the dog if you want them to stay confident and what Diva needed at that moment was for me to have her back. She never got hurt but something passed between her and that cow that gave her cause to hesitate. We worked a little  bit longer because I wanted to end on a good note but I made sure to stay closer and get in there before the cow came forward. It wasn't the best of things to have happen but we worked through it. 


 Day 2 showed me that any hope that cow would reform over night and become a model citizen were wishful thinking ;). She had decide that Diva didn't have what it took to make her move and so the entire session was one of me having to get up there and make things positive for the dog and uncomfortable for the cow. I think when I left that day I was being to hard on Diva. My expectations of having a dog that would blaze in there and take charge were not helping and I was looking for something in Diva that she wasn't prepared to give. I took a small video that day to show the interaction between Diva and the cow. In truth Diva was doing an ok job.

The third time we went out to work Kelly was able to join me for a few minutes with Raven. I took Diva out on leash to watch Raven in hopes she would pick up on what was needed and get a little motivated. My other hope was that Raven would set that cow straight and I wouldn't have issues with her turning on Diva. Lesson #2: Ear cattle are smart and she was smart enough to know that Diva is not Raven ;). Raven of course had no issue. The cow turned, Raven hit, the cow decided that wasn't what she had in mind and then moved on. Watching Raven work is a thing of beauty for me. I could watch her all day long. Even when she is being naughty she is just so talented it makes me smile. Diva has a similar appreciation for Raven I think. She was certainly excited watching her work so I decided to let her off and see what happened. She was happy to go where Raven went and I think if Kelly had had more time that day we could have used that to our advantage. Without Raven she still was not willing to get very far from me or to go to the heads. I worked for a little while after Kelly left and made sure to end on a good note.


Day four was 2 days after our time out with Kelly and Raven. The difference in her confidence level was pretty obvious and we got a lot accomplished. Diva was able to hold some pressure and push forward to turn our nemesis cow and she was doing this at a pretty good distance from me. I have to smile at her as she uses her bark to make her point. She even does it with the stiff legged pounce and fluffs her hackles a little. Whatever it takes to make her feel confident! I put together a video of that session. You'll have to excuse my handler mistakes. I started to say a few things and then changed my mind. Mostly because she was pushing and going with the motion and I didn't want to stop her while she was feeling good. As her confidence grows we will gradually tighten down the rules. For now I am pleased to see that she is eager to keep working and having enough fun to blow me off.