Trials...: Botanizing and the border collie

Friday, June 25, 2010

Botanizing and the border collie

We're off to the North Cascades Hannegan Pass trail to see the wildflowers. Rodeo loves to hike but isn't too excited about botanizing. This picture sums up his general attitude:

But occasionally a plant attracts his interest, like this ladyslipper orchid:

Ah, now he's seen it. The herding instinct has kicked in. Walk up! Walk up!

Uh oh. I think it's going to make a break for it. Cut it off! Cut it off!

Whew. That was close. Time to find some more wildflowers. A border collie's work is never done.

2 comments:

AnonymousJune 25, 2010 at 12:11 PM
Those ladyslippers can be unpredictable. Gotta watch out for them.
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Donna BrinkworthJune 27, 2010 at 8:59 AM
That made me laugh out loud at my computer! Great blog!
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Definitions

Gather: The dog goes out to the field and brings the sheep to the handler.

Outrun: The first part of the gather. The dog runs in a wide arc to the far side of the sheep.

Fetch: After the outrun, the dog brings the sheep to the handler, ideally in a straight line.

Drive: The dog pushes the sheep forward in a straight line, but not towards the handler.

Flank: Circling clockwise (come by) or counter-clockwise (away to me) around the sheep.

Balance Point: The point of maximum control over the sheep. Usually, the dog is on the opposite side of the sheep from the handler.

In-Balance Flank: A flank command that sends the dog towards the balance point, putting it in a better position to control the sheep.

Off-Balance Flank: A flank command that sends the dog away from the balance point. This is harder for the dog to accept because it must give up control.