Chit Chatting Away

Karen helped me trim hooves today. It took longer than usual because they were overdue for a trim and much had to come off, but it was very pleasant.

I was dreading the chore because I tried last week. The hooves were so hard I gave up in frustration and thought maybe I just wasn't strong enough. Today, the hooves were softer and manageable. But something else was different too. This time Karen was helping and we were chit chatting. The sheep seemed to be more relaxed just hanging out eavesdropping on our conversation. We were talking about how animals read our emotions and know when we are not confident or know when we are afraid.

I went over to a friends house on Monday to watch a professional shear her sheep. This shearer flips the sheep and moves them around so easily that the sheep actually look like they are enjoying themselves. They are so calm and relaxed-- but so is he. When I flip sheep I get very anxious and so do they.

But the good news is, that by periodically watching a professional flip sheep one picks up some little tips that help. Today, I applied what I saw and it was definitely easier. We were even able to flip Mira! Then, with my good friend Karen there kissing them, they relaxed and I relaxed feeling confident. The rest was idol conversation, eavesdropping, and bits of hooves flying. Zora was so interested in what was going on, that she kept getting hit by flying hooves trimmings.

Kind of reminded me of Beau getting his hooves trimmed last Friday. Instead of the attention being focused on Beau, the vet and I chatted and took Beau's attention off himself.

Now if I can just get John to chit chat and kiss the sheep..........

Thanks Karen.