Finally, Some Ducks!

   After 8 long months I was finally was able to get Diva on some ducks today. The timing couldn't have been better since the BVASC trials are a week away! In those 8 months Diva has really started driving and gained some great experience on both sheep and cows so if push came to shove we would have gone out with no "practice" and trialed on ducks anyway. It's all a part of my "have faith in Diva" plan. Sometimes you have to trust your dog and trust the hours you have put into training to see you through. Diva did not disappoint me!

   Diva was calm, she was listening, she was walking or in an easy trot, and she  was flanking wide in both directions. I helped her a couple of times to pull them off the fence on the go bye side and after that she was able to do so on her own beautifully (away side was no problem to start). For the first time ever I actually was able to enjoy working ducks, and coming from me this says a lot, lol! I could appreciate the finesse and precision that ducks take and I was able to ask Diva to be correct. Things weren't going so fast that I was struggling to make adjustments in time. I think that during our first trip in the pen two things happened simultaneously. 1.) My heart grew with pride watching Diva and knowing that she and I have made it a long way. And, 2.) I let out this huge sigh of relief knowing that I hadn't misjudged our readiness to trial. 

   I once asked a question on a FB forum about how much people expected to translate from one stock to another when training their dogs and the responses were mixed. Most agreed that they didn't expect much. I don't know how to explain the change in Diva since we worked ducks at the AHBA trial but, from where I stood, it sure seemed like she was using everything she had picked up on sheep since then. I am not going to over think it though ;-). She did a fine job for me on those ducks and I was smiling like crazy. 

   That'll do, Diva!