Dogs with jobs

During this morning’s (before sunrise) sheep check I found a new set of twins and a single. I was able to lure the mother of the twins into a pen without a dog. When I picked up the single and held it out to lure the mother she ran off and would not come back to her lamb even after I set it down and backed away. Fortunately we locked all the sheep in the barnyard so she could only go so far. I got Lee to help. Goal was to get the mother and some other sheep into a large stall in which I could catch the mother and lead her through the barn into a pen. She would not go into a stall not even with some of the other sheep. I grabbed a crook, had Lee bring her with some of the other sheep into a corner of the barnyard. As she ran past me I hooked her neck with the crook and then grabbed her. I picked up het front legs and walked her into a large stall and locked her in. I then put her lamb in a pen and the Lee and I pushed her from the stall, through the barn into the pen with her lamb.

Sheep hate night herding; as prey animals this is when they are the most vulnerable and fearful (panicky). The sheep’s panicky reaction often makes the dogs excited which the sheep sense increasing their anxiety.