We have been attending a dog school near Bungendore for the last year to improve our dog skills. It is easy to own a working dog but not so easy to get the best from it. When "Roy" came back to us he had been trained in regular obedience but not in stock work. So, off to dog school and the general comment was that he is a dog with heaps of positive potential. Now after helping out at the Bungendore Trans Tasman Dog Trials last month, we have decided to attempt to train him to a level that we can enter him in the trail next year. Very challenging, the dog has heaps of instinct and natural talent. The handler needs to learn everything. Now I am reading everything on trialling, dog training, practicing and listening. I am finding the main problem I am having is getting the practice right. I think I need to make sure the training set up such that I never lose control of the lesson. Every lesson sure teaches me something and Roy remains keen despite losing all the sheep in the tussock. 

The break from major sheep work is over, the ewes are due to start lambing at the end of August. So we need to bring them in to be drenched (depending on worm counts), vaccinated with 6 in 1,give them a general check over and we will number the backs of the Stud ewes to help with mothering up and stud records. Then let them into a better paddock with plenty of shelter for lambing. We will also start fox baiting with 1080 to reduce numbers and predation before they start. A bit of fox spotlighting should also improve the effectiveness of the fox lights. Hopefully, those cranky llamas will be on guard as well now they have their own babies. As attractive as they are they haven't fully convinced us that they are effective.

Hard to believe we have been off the air for a couple of weeks. We have been busy getting ready, then cleaning up from the family gathering. As we have seven adult children between us and they have partners and children we have decided to abandon trying for a family Christmas. Instead, we have now decided on the mid year family gathering as an alternative. The important thing being getting together and reconnecting at least once a year. This was the first one and it was great, only change is next year we will try for Autumn instead of the heart of winter.