Mr. Fix-It

Duncan and I went to Pittsboro yesterday for another work-for-training session. Things started off a bit rocky, with Duncan grabbing at the sheep a lot more than he usually does. Claire watched us for a bit, and then said that part of what was causing us difficulties was Duncan’s need to fix everything he perceived as a problem (whether or not it actually was a problem). She said that every time I stumbled or got pushed by the sheep, Duncan tried to step in and correct the problem. Of course, what that usually ended doing was causing more trouble, because then the sheep would get agitated and bunch up around me, which meant I had more trouble walking, which meant Duncan would try to correct the problem, which agitated the sheep, and so on. There’s not much we can do to make Duncan less concerned, but its good for me to know more about what he’s thinking so that I have a slightly better chance of keeping the situation calm.

While we were there, we did some boundary work and some duck herding. Duncan is slowly getting the idea that ducks don’t herd like sheep. We also put Duncan through a farm chore - Claire had Duncan hold the flock of sheep while she trimmed their hooves. He wasn’t actually gripping the sheep, just keeping the flock in one area. If someone tried to wander off, he would herd them back to the rest of the flock. He was very stressed by this chore, because he had to sit and watch while sheep flailed and Claire worked (my job was making sure Duncan didn’t try to “help” Claire).

With the holidays coming, we’re going to take a break from herding until January. I doubt Duncan will mind the rest.