We took Clover for her first intermediate-level training session tonight. I was a little worried about it: we’ve been neglecting her training, and I thought for the first few minutes that the Dog might not be up to par with the other students in terms of obedience. Once she calmed down a bit though — she’s always so excited around new dogs — she did just fine.

The trainer, who was a different young lady from the trainer who led us through the beginner training, mentioned that she used to train Border Collies almost exclusively. K and I looked at each other, knowing exactly what the other was thinking.

After class, we asked her about some of Clover’s issues, specifically her continued nipping. She explained that we needed to provide her with a way to exercise that instinct — she is a herding breed, after all — in play and not with us. She suggested using a yoga ball. “It’s too big for her to get her mouth around, so she can’t pop it. But it’s big enough that she can nose it around, which is what she needs.”

L just happens to have a yoga ball. It’s now Clover’s.

In short, she went wild. She pushed that silly ball all over the backyard, nipping at it, herding it.