Fate was busting a gut to get out the door and to the sheep – we have started every morning that way for months – and she was giving me the most piercing looks.  Even Red was unusually restless, eager to get out there, as we always do first thing. This is a bad idea, I thought, I don’t want her busting any stitches, but why not bring her out to the pasture with Red, let’s see if her training holds and she will stay still?

I wouldn’t have been surprised if she pushed open a window, climbed out and dug a hole under the gate.

So against my better judgement, I went out and opened the gate and let her and Red walk through. “Walk up,” was the command, and I knew Red would follow it, and so did Fate, a bit to my surprise. But not so much. We have been working together for a long while, and she does listen to me, at least about some things.

We saw Maria, the sheep and Chloe out in the back pasture and we walked about 100 yards to the top of the hill. “Stand,” I said, giving the command we have been working on to stand still. They did. Maria brought the sheep all the way back to us, and I called them off, “that’ll do,” and both dogs turned and walked out of the pasture with me.

Fate was transformed, she settled, sat peacefully in the house resting all morning. I was right I think, although I wouldn’t recommend walking out into the pasture with a border collie 48 hours after being spayed. But you know what?, my training philosophy is this: give them a chance to succeed, not to fail. And with a good working dog who trusts you, that will work.

Fate does trust me, and I am learning to trust her. She needed to get out there, and yes, of course, she would have survived if she had not gone out there for a few days, but I took a dubious moment and it was transformed into something about trust and obedience and understanding. Now I know I can trust her to stand when I tell her to stand, that was a tough thing for her to do.

Fate and I are learning to talk to one another, as Red and I have learned to do.

Instead of being bottled up in a crate for days with a big cone around her head – I dislike those cones, she did something equally healing. She was reassured about who she was, and what she does. This is her identity.

Give them a chance to succeed. Give me a chance too. Fate looked but did not herd.