As she nears 6 1/2 months old, Belladonna’s training continues and bonding with the flock grows.  She still has a little too much unrestrained enthusiasm to be left with the ewes unsupervised, so weather permitting she spends much of the day in the corral.  There, woven wire fence allows her to interact with the ewes but does not allow her to cause them any anxiety.  She patrols her perimeter, barking loudly at any perceived threat.  She also enjoys bringing her chew toys over to show her buddies.  We divide a couple bales of hay and feed them leaning up against the fence to force encourage the ewes to spend most of their time near Bella.  For her part, Bella has developed her very own method of gaining sheep trust by pulling through and chewing on the odd bit of hay; thus establishing her spot in the flock.