Monday, December 27, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Bored
Ice everywhere. Been like this for the past week. It's treacherous just for the dogs to go out to the bathroom. Sheep are locked in the back field so that they have access to the barn, but I'd really like to get them out front where some of the field is bare and graze-able. Instead, they tip-toe to and from the round bale out back, nibble at the burn pile, and attempt to dig through the ice to get down to something edible. I tried to move them sans dog, verrry carefully across the ice and down the chute, but upon arrival at the entrance to the front field, I had bodies flying everywhere and panicked bleats for help; too steep, too slippery.
"Please help...can't walk!"
Bored.
Last year at this time we had a foot and a half of snow on the ground. Pretty sure I'd rather have snow than ice.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
They must really like being pregnant
It's been a week and no new lambs. There are some ewes that are gigantic and have udders like Jersey cows, plus we're in the midst of a winter storm coming through, so I would've sworn that at least ONE would go! But, no.
Only mom with the ram twin
Gabe on lambing watch
"What drop in barometric pressure? We're holding them in."
Monday, December 6, 2010
Lambing '10
Has started! Too bad I was expecting it to be "Lambing '11"...as I wasn't planning on babies until February or March. See, I purchased 20 ewes and ewe lambs from a friend, and based on when they've lambed previously, I didn't expect that things would be any different this year. I certainly don't blame her, she was gone for the whole summer, and apparently there was a ram breakout event in August that I wasn't aware of until...3 days ago.
Dad had been visiting for a couple weeks and had been doing a great job learning how to do sheep chores.
Dad had been visiting for a couple weeks and had been doing a great job learning how to do sheep chores.
He has to do things without a dog (for now!).
Well I didn't even think to have him look for big bellies and growing udders (considering I *thought* they had another month or two), and the day after he left, I went out in the morning to find twins!
I also found this:
You'd think lambing in December in VA wouldn't be such a bad idea.
I've been working like crazy rearranging e-net, waterers, feeders, and corral panels, making jugs, getting more feed, and ordering supplies. I'm an obsessive planner and had everything laid out beautifully in my mind...ultrasounding, trimming feet, crutching, vaccinating, conditioning...and now none of that has happened and I'm flying by the seat of my pants.
Oh well, here we go.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
We All Can Help The Fight
Here you can see Rae's surgeon, oncologists, and pathologist and learn more about a very cool program just getting underway at Penn Vet:
Penn Vet Shelter Canine Mammary Tumor Program
Penn Vet Shelter Canine Mammary Tumor Program
Thursday, November 25, 2010
The lump
While bed-ridden with the bug that took me down at the Watercress Trial, I happened upon a teeny tiny lump while giving my snuggle-buddy Rae a belly rub. I cried. Round, firm, felt like a BB sitting within her right 5th mammary gland. The next day I called the head oncologist at Penn Vet (my alma mater) to discuss our options. My biggest question was whether I could (in good conscience)wait another 4 weeks until the end of the trial season to surgically remove it, or if it needed to be dealt with ASAP. Of course I didn't want to put Rae's health in jeopardy, but I did want to continue running her if it wouldn't be a concern. Dr. Sorenmo assured me that it would be fine to wait another month based on what we know about canine mammary tumors in that they are slow-growing and that size is an important prognostic indicator. Dr. Sorenmo stressed that I send the mass to Penn's Dr. Goldschmidt in pathology, since he is supposed to be the best there is at accurately describing and classifying mammary tumors. Though we could do the surgery at my own clinic, I decided that I'd go ahead and take Rae up to Penn for the procedure and have it done by professionals. Dr. Holt was my top-choice, and after touching base with him, I made Rae's appointment for the week after our last trial of the season.
It was a ridiculously long trip that ended up totalling 23 hours of drive time round-trip. When we arrived at VHUP, I was pleasantly surprised that the parking attendent remembered me as a student!! Now, this is something special considering I spent only the bare minimum amount of time in the small animal hospital, but I did see him on my way to morning classes my first 2 1/2 years. Anyway, he made me smile. Dr. Holt looked at the bloodwork and 3-view chest radiographs that I brought and then examined Rae. I told him he may think I'm crazy and that it's too small to even worry about, but I'd rather have him and the oncologists make that decision instead of me-of-no-experience. He decided that the mass was "real" and that we indeed should remove it. Rae was also examined by an oncologist who was described as "having the magic fingers" to be sure there were no other masses needing attention. The next day she underwent her mastectomy and removal of the local lymph node. The procedure was uneventful and I picked her up the following day.
Then came the waiting. Since her surgery was on a Thursday, I had to wait until Monday for the histopath results to become available. Dr. Holt phoned that afternoon to relay the EXCELLENT news that her tumor was a benign mammary adenoma and the local lymph node was clear! What a major relief, I'd been waiting to hear that good news for the last month!
It has been one week since the surgery and Rae has been S-P-O-I-L-E-D to no end. Her incision had considerable brusing for the first 5 days which I managed with icing, but otherwise she has shown no indication that she's even gone under the knife. I see her little face pop up in the bedroom window when I'm out moving sheep, and everytime I go to the back door she's hopeful that she'll be called to go along. Out of all my dogs, I thought it would be easy to keep her quiet, but the little stinker is acting like a puppy again! I'm just glad she feels so good.
I used the trip to the city for some Livy-socializing. She was the only other dog who got to go along, and she thrived with her one-on-one time. Now, Philly is the country's 5th largest city, and Livy's not really had many worldly excursions in her short life. Poor country-girl thought her brain would explode when she first stepped foot on the West Philly sidewalks. We checked out my old digs:
Hard to imagine that me and Ella lived there for 2 1/2 years. Whoa.
Then we walked down to the undergrad campus on one of my many Ella-walking-routes. Ella and I used to walk miles and miles everyday all around West Philly, and now I'm realizing what a special accomplishment that was for Ella to be able to deal with all of that city craziness.
Lastly we went down to the City of Brotherly Love statue by the library for a quick photo. I have one of baby Ella at this very same place, almost 5 years ago.
It was a ridiculously long trip that ended up totalling 23 hours of drive time round-trip. When we arrived at VHUP, I was pleasantly surprised that the parking attendent remembered me as a student!! Now, this is something special considering I spent only the bare minimum amount of time in the small animal hospital, but I did see him on my way to morning classes my first 2 1/2 years. Anyway, he made me smile. Dr. Holt looked at the bloodwork and 3-view chest radiographs that I brought and then examined Rae. I told him he may think I'm crazy and that it's too small to even worry about, but I'd rather have him and the oncologists make that decision instead of me-of-no-experience. He decided that the mass was "real" and that we indeed should remove it. Rae was also examined by an oncologist who was described as "having the magic fingers" to be sure there were no other masses needing attention. The next day she underwent her mastectomy and removal of the local lymph node. The procedure was uneventful and I picked her up the following day.
Then came the waiting. Since her surgery was on a Thursday, I had to wait until Monday for the histopath results to become available. Dr. Holt phoned that afternoon to relay the EXCELLENT news that her tumor was a benign mammary adenoma and the local lymph node was clear! What a major relief, I'd been waiting to hear that good news for the last month!
It has been one week since the surgery and Rae has been S-P-O-I-L-E-D to no end. Her incision had considerable brusing for the first 5 days which I managed with icing, but otherwise she has shown no indication that she's even gone under the knife. I see her little face pop up in the bedroom window when I'm out moving sheep, and everytime I go to the back door she's hopeful that she'll be called to go along. Out of all my dogs, I thought it would be easy to keep her quiet, but the little stinker is acting like a puppy again! I'm just glad she feels so good.
I used the trip to the city for some Livy-socializing. She was the only other dog who got to go along, and she thrived with her one-on-one time. Now, Philly is the country's 5th largest city, and Livy's not really had many worldly excursions in her short life. Poor country-girl thought her brain would explode when she first stepped foot on the West Philly sidewalks. We checked out my old digs:
Hard to imagine that me and Ella lived there for 2 1/2 years. Whoa.Then we walked down to the undergrad campus on one of my many Ella-walking-routes. Ella and I used to walk miles and miles everyday all around West Philly, and now I'm realizing what a special accomplishment that was for Ella to be able to deal with all of that city craziness.
Lastly we went down to the City of Brotherly Love statue by the library for a quick photo. I have one of baby Ella at this very same place, almost 5 years ago.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Rural Hill SDT
Only a week after-the-fact!
Last weekend was the big Rural Hill Trial and festival down in Huntersville, NC. Nearly 100 Open dogs, first day of running was Friday and I missed it all due to work. Saturday I got up at 4am to get there just in time to check the field, see that Julie was already out for the first run, Scott was on deck, and I was to be in the hole. Ran back to get Rae, saw part of a run, then headed to the post. It was very challenging to see the sheep, they blended in very well with the house in the distance behind them. I doubted myself whether or not they were set, I told Rae to look but she never really saw them. I finally decided to send her when I saw both horses in position, Rae ran out without her usual gusto and was a little tight. She got out and around them once she spotted the horses, I let her have the top to get control of them and then got into her head early. Really, I didn't need to, she was on her best behavior. Her driveaway was quite nice, she took her time every time I asked for it, flanked freely, stopped when asked. Good turn, and I kinda had to wing it for the cross-drive. The only run I saw was very low, so other than knowing NOT to be there, I didn't know where the line was. All I could see was frost and some rolling terrain. It was a little wobbly but we made the panels and headed back to the shedding ring. I have a tendancy to forget to watch that last leg when it is to the ring instead of the panel, thankfully Rae takes care of me! Had a marked single and though we had to work at it, WE GOT IT! Timed out en route to the pen.
Sunday I got to sleep in til 4:30am, got there to run 7th-ish, after an hour or so of a fog delay. I was really nervous for this run and felt mentally sluggish. Rae ran out better knowing where her sheep were, but she was a little pushy down the fetch and not as in tuned to me. Were doing ok until right before the DA panel I blew the world's worst down whistle at a critical moment. We're talking a horrendously bad whistle. She flanked and we played rodeo for some time, missed the panel, rodeoed across the cross-drive and missed that panel, too. I was ready to walk, but we hung in there to get our split and pen. I was totally disappointed in myself, but Rae was such a good girl for me all weekend and I was so happy with her that I didn't feel quite so down.
Liver-puppy got to watch her parents run and see her sisters. She also had some practice watching agility, pumpkin-chucking, and other festival goings-on. Other than having endless energy, she was a good girl. Gabe thought every single person and dog there wanted to be his best friend, he was beside himself with excitement over the whole shebang. Told him he needs to get the sillies out because soon he'll be out on the trial field and I need him to have his mind in the right place. He is a high-energy type of worker, so I'm starting to get a little nervous about running him!
That was the end of the fall trial season. Rae has been running so very well for me and I think I've made some improvements myself. Trying hard to not get too frazzled when things don't go well and trying to use more efficient corrections. I can see major progress, but there's still room for more!
Time to focus on Gabe and get him trial-ready.
Last weekend was the big Rural Hill Trial and festival down in Huntersville, NC. Nearly 100 Open dogs, first day of running was Friday and I missed it all due to work. Saturday I got up at 4am to get there just in time to check the field, see that Julie was already out for the first run, Scott was on deck, and I was to be in the hole. Ran back to get Rae, saw part of a run, then headed to the post. It was very challenging to see the sheep, they blended in very well with the house in the distance behind them. I doubted myself whether or not they were set, I told Rae to look but she never really saw them. I finally decided to send her when I saw both horses in position, Rae ran out without her usual gusto and was a little tight. She got out and around them once she spotted the horses, I let her have the top to get control of them and then got into her head early. Really, I didn't need to, she was on her best behavior. Her driveaway was quite nice, she took her time every time I asked for it, flanked freely, stopped when asked. Good turn, and I kinda had to wing it for the cross-drive. The only run I saw was very low, so other than knowing NOT to be there, I didn't know where the line was. All I could see was frost and some rolling terrain. It was a little wobbly but we made the panels and headed back to the shedding ring. I have a tendancy to forget to watch that last leg when it is to the ring instead of the panel, thankfully Rae takes care of me! Had a marked single and though we had to work at it, WE GOT IT! Timed out en route to the pen.
Sunday I got to sleep in til 4:30am, got there to run 7th-ish, after an hour or so of a fog delay. I was really nervous for this run and felt mentally sluggish. Rae ran out better knowing where her sheep were, but she was a little pushy down the fetch and not as in tuned to me. Were doing ok until right before the DA panel I blew the world's worst down whistle at a critical moment. We're talking a horrendously bad whistle. She flanked and we played rodeo for some time, missed the panel, rodeoed across the cross-drive and missed that panel, too. I was ready to walk, but we hung in there to get our split and pen. I was totally disappointed in myself, but Rae was such a good girl for me all weekend and I was so happy with her that I didn't feel quite so down.
Liver-puppy got to watch her parents run and see her sisters. She also had some practice watching agility, pumpkin-chucking, and other festival goings-on. Other than having endless energy, she was a good girl. Gabe thought every single person and dog there wanted to be his best friend, he was beside himself with excitement over the whole shebang. Told him he needs to get the sillies out because soon he'll be out on the trial field and I need him to have his mind in the right place. He is a high-energy type of worker, so I'm starting to get a little nervous about running him!
That was the end of the fall trial season. Rae has been running so very well for me and I think I've made some improvements myself. Trying hard to not get too frazzled when things don't go well and trying to use more efficient corrections. I can see major progress, but there's still room for more!
Time to focus on Gabe and get him trial-ready.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Broken Back Ranch SDT
Geez, I'm always playing catch-up.
Two weeks ago we headed down to SC for the Broken Back Ranch Trial. I was up last and had to work until lunchtime, so hustled like mad to get there just in time, a mere 4 runs before I was up. The field was not large but had lots of draws, and the sheep were very challenging. Plenty of RTs for losing sheep to the woods. It was tricky to figure out how to handle them...sheep ran if your dog got too close, ran if your dog got too far off...ran ran ran! Had to find that sweet spot. I suffered the effects of a cold whistle for the first part of Sat's fetch (just under my jacket was NOT good enough, had to go down another layer!), we nearly found ourselves in the woods by the driveaway panel where you were to RT, but got things recovered. Good cross-drive line, made panel, split, timed out at pen (there were but a handful of pens).
Sunday she lifted like a mack truck (and they were on corn), so they shot off down the hill, catching me by surprise. Regained control but she took a wrong flank at the post and we had to unwind half (never did that before). Same course, better first drive leg, cross-drive dead on and made panel, this time pen before single. The only prayer you had at the pen was to get them stopped in the mouth and wait them out. We had 2 promising occasions but somebody decided to get a little slicey (I swear I kept my cool on my end!) and unsettled them. Timed out.
Livy came along to learn about "the business." Here she's learning about the business of king-sized hotel beds.
I was really pleased with our work even though the scores weren't great. We were able to clean up messes that previously would've resulted in RTs. Woohoo, progress!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Dog Trials and Cold Meds...
...don't mix well. Despite battling a killer bug, I decided to run down to lovely Water Cress Farm in TN yesterday for a quick go with Rae. Got there 4 dogs before my turn, saw a couple RTs and then sent my dog. Last year Rae stopped short on the left outrun, and probably since I was ready and expecting it this year, she chugged right on around and came in fine. These sheep really bring out her eye, so I had trouble getting her to flank freely on the fetch. We limped along just offline pretty much the whole way down. I didn't have much energy to fight her, so just kinda let her have her offline fetch. Slow and deliberate turn, got the drive going well until shortly in front of the panels when I know my whistles were bad. My head was really cloudy at this point, I know I was blowing late and big flanks, so we missed the panel but recovered for a good cross-drive leg, making those panels. Return leg to the shedding ring was probably sloppy, I don't really remember, I was too busy huffing and puffing to walk 15 yards out to the ring. We needed a split, but had a tough time with a ewe who kept wanting to break no matter where I put her. I was about zero help for Rae at this point, couldn't move enough to hold up my side, couldn't think enough to come up with a plan, but she hung in there and we eventually pulled out an 8 point split. Regathered with 8 seconds left, went all out for the pen and tried to shove them in, but the timer went off just as I was closing the door on one's butt.
Rae did so much more than her share of the work, and I really don't know how she understood my feeble whistles, but she even took her downs. I saw 2 runs after mine then hit the road, fighting off sleep the whole way. Slept for 14hrs and decided not to go back today. Bummer, because I was so looking forward to this trial. Ah well. I'm on-call about a gazillion times this next week and weekend, so resting up was the smart move. Sorry Rae.
Rae did so much more than her share of the work, and I really don't know how she understood my feeble whistles, but she even took her downs. I saw 2 runs after mine then hit the road, fighting off sleep the whole way. Slept for 14hrs and decided not to go back today. Bummer, because I was so looking forward to this trial. Ah well. I'm on-call about a gazillion times this next week and weekend, so resting up was the smart move. Sorry Rae.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Edgeworth '10
What a fun trial! Nice combo of my "northern" and "southern" friends, great weather, great site. I got off to a slow start and was running behind schedule Friday morning when my weekend's worth of dog water upset in my truck 1 mile from home. Stopped at the clinic to clean up and pick up a rescue dog to be dropped off in Christiansburg. I got as far as Charlottesville before realizing I forgot to pack all of my shirts...they were still hanging on the closet door! Quick detour to the Charlottesville mall, 3 new shirts later and I'm on the road again. Got there just in time to see the last 2 runs of the first day of Open, both RTs. Seeing as this was my first fall Open Edeworth experience, I was super bummed to miss an entire day's worth of runs.
We ran Saturday morning, quite near the end of the first go. Thinking I'd send Rae left (as Renee told me she'd always sent), we got to the post and Rae showed me right. I let her have right and she gave a picture perfect outrun all the way out (625? yards) over the hilly terrain. What a good girl! I had trouble getting her to flank off the pressure down the fetch line, but got it corrected before the panels, turn a little hiccup-y since I chose to use stops and small flanks to keep her in close for fear of her going wide to cover. We never got a good flow going down the driveaway, she either wasn't listening or couldn't hear me, and I wasn't handling well, so we ended up retiring. Blah. I know I sounded frantic and angry (which I was), but I need to at least pretend to be less rattled!
Sunday we ran around lunchtime, again sent her right...and this time she came in way too early and needed a redirect. That's not something I practice much with her, but she took it perfectly and got out to the top fine. I really reigned her in and handled her much more slowly down the fetch to make sure she was listening and felt in control of her sheep. Sheep drifted through the fetch panels, pretty good turn again keeping her in close, good start to the drive. About 2/3 down the driveaway I had a major brainfart and blew a wrong flank. That got me flustered and I proceeded to blow MORE wrong flanks. Things got hectic but finally we regained control, just in time to miss the panels wide. Got them on a good line for the cross-drive, which ended up being a sprint. After holding her back, I saw that relieving pressure was not going to slow them, so I hustled her on. I'm not used to handling sheep moving at a full run, but we had a good line and made the panel. Slowed everyone down on the return leg, then we were to put them through a chute, which was make or miss. Somehow I got lost in the moment and ended up farting around at the chute for way too long (I was really freaking determined to get them through!), so when we finally gave up, I had only 1:30 left to pen and shed. I had a high-headed ewe who wasn't keen to go through the chute or pen, and we ended up timing out at the pen. Rae was hot and tired so I didn't push her too much at that point. She ran so well for me and I was really quite pleased with our teamwork!
One of our biggest accomplishments was the successful use of the DOWN WHISTLE which has plagued me for over a year. She took most of her downs and I was unbelievably happy! Without my mental mistakes of blowing wrong flanks and being hyper-focused on the chute, we actually had a decent run going. I learned many lessons and hopefully won't make the same mistakes again, for the sake of my patient teacher Rae and my innocent young dogs!
Innocent young dog? HAH!
Gratuitous sibling photo of Liver-puppy with her studly bro Deuce.
We ran Saturday morning, quite near the end of the first go. Thinking I'd send Rae left (as Renee told me she'd always sent), we got to the post and Rae showed me right. I let her have right and she gave a picture perfect outrun all the way out (625? yards) over the hilly terrain. What a good girl! I had trouble getting her to flank off the pressure down the fetch line, but got it corrected before the panels, turn a little hiccup-y since I chose to use stops and small flanks to keep her in close for fear of her going wide to cover. We never got a good flow going down the driveaway, she either wasn't listening or couldn't hear me, and I wasn't handling well, so we ended up retiring. Blah. I know I sounded frantic and angry (which I was), but I need to at least pretend to be less rattled!
Sunday we ran around lunchtime, again sent her right...and this time she came in way too early and needed a redirect. That's not something I practice much with her, but she took it perfectly and got out to the top fine. I really reigned her in and handled her much more slowly down the fetch to make sure she was listening and felt in control of her sheep. Sheep drifted through the fetch panels, pretty good turn again keeping her in close, good start to the drive. About 2/3 down the driveaway I had a major brainfart and blew a wrong flank. That got me flustered and I proceeded to blow MORE wrong flanks. Things got hectic but finally we regained control, just in time to miss the panels wide. Got them on a good line for the cross-drive, which ended up being a sprint. After holding her back, I saw that relieving pressure was not going to slow them, so I hustled her on. I'm not used to handling sheep moving at a full run, but we had a good line and made the panel. Slowed everyone down on the return leg, then we were to put them through a chute, which was make or miss. Somehow I got lost in the moment and ended up farting around at the chute for way too long (I was really freaking determined to get them through!), so when we finally gave up, I had only 1:30 left to pen and shed. I had a high-headed ewe who wasn't keen to go through the chute or pen, and we ended up timing out at the pen. Rae was hot and tired so I didn't push her too much at that point. She ran so well for me and I was really quite pleased with our teamwork!
One of our biggest accomplishments was the successful use of the DOWN WHISTLE which has plagued me for over a year. She took most of her downs and I was unbelievably happy! Without my mental mistakes of blowing wrong flanks and being hyper-focused on the chute, we actually had a decent run going. I learned many lessons and hopefully won't make the same mistakes again, for the sake of my patient teacher Rae and my innocent young dogs!
Innocent young dog? HAH!Gratuitous sibling photo of Liver-puppy with her studly bro Deuce.Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Been Awhile
Oops, couple months went by. In that time, I bought a little "mini-farm" and have been super busy with a million projects to get it into working condition. Was hard to work dogs in the scorching temps that we had in the late summer, but now that fall's here, I'm getting to training on the young ones. Livy is KEENKEENKEEN and I'm liking her. Gabe hasn't seen much work, but is plugging away and maturing very nicely. I have another youngster who I've been putting some time into, and though he's not mine, I'm really enjoying him. Ella was re-injured (that darn neck popped out at C2-C3 AGAIN and also at the A-O this time), but a day trip up to the chiro and she's good as new. Rae hasn't been used much other than to settle the puppy sheep; I've mostly been trying to keep her fit and happy.
I have a new whistle, but the transition hasn't been easy for me or for Rae. When I first practiced with it (sans dog), I'd end up blowing spit all over myself like I'd never whistled before. I tried with Rae and she actually took her flanks backwards. We're making some progress, but I still don't feel totally comfortable with it and still have slobber sessions. However, Rae has shown me that she understands the stop whistle (when I blow it well) on the new titanium one vs. never on the old aluminum. And the only difference I've made is changing whistles...
We have Edgeworth this weekend. I don't feel as prepared as I'd hoped to be for the start of the fall trial season, but it is what it is. Unfortunately there are only so many hours in a day, and now the days are getting shorter and shorter...hate that.
I have a new whistle, but the transition hasn't been easy for me or for Rae. When I first practiced with it (sans dog), I'd end up blowing spit all over myself like I'd never whistled before. I tried with Rae and she actually took her flanks backwards. We're making some progress, but I still don't feel totally comfortable with it and still have slobber sessions. However, Rae has shown me that she understands the stop whistle (when I blow it well) on the new titanium one vs. never on the old aluminum. And the only difference I've made is changing whistles...
We have Edgeworth this weekend. I don't feel as prepared as I'd hoped to be for the start of the fall trial season, but it is what it is. Unfortunately there are only so many hours in a day, and now the days are getting shorter and shorter...hate that.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Fetch Gate Trial
They say it takes a year to really get with a new dog...we had a good reminder of that last weekend at Fetch Gate. I also learned that driving myself 10 hours for a weekend dog trial is just too much for me to handle, both physically and mentally. Temps were in the high 90s all weekend, making things that much more unpleasant. And I had a nice headache going from the time I pulled in Friday night til pulling out Sunday evening. Grr.
We drew up deep in the order both days, running in the 60s on Saturday and 59 Sunday. I need to learn how to stay focused for those late afternoon runs...I seem to have trouble with this and I'm finding that I'm exhausted by the time I even get on the field. Maybe it will be better when I have more than one dog to run.
Saturday I felt like a zombie at the post. My timing was off, and Rae was reacting by being slicey and over-flanking. I don't really remember the run, which is weird for me since I usually have quite the photographic memory. I think we saved the fetch in time for the panels, missed the driveaway, banana'ed the crossdrive to squeek through the panels, sloppy line to the pen but made it. We fooled around a little in the shedding ring before I called it quits. It was very tricky shedding, we ran a ewe and two lambs and ALL of them were totally glued to the person. Rae got wider and wider and hotter and hotter, so we gave up.
Sunday was better but I still feel like I handled very poorly. Missed the fetch panels, but had a perfect turn at the driveaway (looked like the sheep just pivoted around the inside panel!). Part way through the crossdrive I had a huge mental lapse and blew a down whistle for Rae. Doesn't sound so bad, except I know that 100% of the time in practice she takes it as a comebye instead of a down...so of course she took it as a comebye. That was at a critical moment and the mistake caused the sheep to run hard for the exhaust. Rae caught them, but it took a great deal of work to get them up and moving again. This is not one of Rae's strengths, and the ewe was very unimpressed by Rae's attempts to turn her. They were a good 150yds away from me, and I could see Rae looking to me for help. I cheered her on, flanked her, asked her up, working for maybe 30 seconds before she finally got that ewe turned. I tried to put them back on line, but too much precision took our momentum away, and they stopped again. So then I just had Rae bring sheep however she could, and that good girl did! We worked a bit at the pen, then headed to the shedding ring with about 40 seconds left. I fiddled around for a little setting it up, then threw out the Hail Mary by running straight at a lamb. Rae came flying in for an impressive full point shed with only a few seconds to spare.
I was less than happy with our performance for the weekend, most of it my fault, but I was very proud of Rae for hanging in there when she was having trouble. I was very close to giving up on her, but I'm so glad that we hung in there. And for her to keep her cool to get a difficult pen and shed made it all the sweeter. We had many compliments on our shed, as they were few and far between for the weekend, so I am super proud of that achievement.
I did get to visit with friends that I don't see often, so that was great. The rest of the trip wasn't so great, though. On Friday morning I met Sue at her field to work my young dogs before leaving for NY. I took a couple good hits when working Livy, one of them was quite spectacular, actually. I got hit on the side of the knee, went airborne, and rolled over one complete revolution before hitting the ground. I felt like a stuntman in a movie who gets hit by a car and rolls over the hood.
Somehow Gabe managed to put a gash in his leg, so I ended up at the vet clinic where I used to work getting it stapled. I'll need to add something to the first aid kit for lacerations, I didn't have anything to patch him up.
THEN when we got back to Dad's on Sunday night, the dogs got locked in the car with the windows up. Of course it was Sunday AND 4th of July. I hate the VUE and I don't know why it does this. I was literally walking around to let the dogs out when I heard it lock itself. We worked for awhile with a neighbor and finally got it opened by lasooing the lock with a twisted coat hanger.
THEN on the way from PA to VA I got pulled over for speeding. I was driving with the flow of traffic but happened to get singled out for being out-of-state. Ironic in that I've lived my whole life in PA til last fall. The rest of the trip was painfully long since I had to drive the speed limit.
It was good to finally get home after such a long weekend.
We drew up deep in the order both days, running in the 60s on Saturday and 59 Sunday. I need to learn how to stay focused for those late afternoon runs...I seem to have trouble with this and I'm finding that I'm exhausted by the time I even get on the field. Maybe it will be better when I have more than one dog to run.
Saturday I felt like a zombie at the post. My timing was off, and Rae was reacting by being slicey and over-flanking. I don't really remember the run, which is weird for me since I usually have quite the photographic memory. I think we saved the fetch in time for the panels, missed the driveaway, banana'ed the crossdrive to squeek through the panels, sloppy line to the pen but made it. We fooled around a little in the shedding ring before I called it quits. It was very tricky shedding, we ran a ewe and two lambs and ALL of them were totally glued to the person. Rae got wider and wider and hotter and hotter, so we gave up.
Sunday was better but I still feel like I handled very poorly. Missed the fetch panels, but had a perfect turn at the driveaway (looked like the sheep just pivoted around the inside panel!). Part way through the crossdrive I had a huge mental lapse and blew a down whistle for Rae. Doesn't sound so bad, except I know that 100% of the time in practice she takes it as a comebye instead of a down...so of course she took it as a comebye. That was at a critical moment and the mistake caused the sheep to run hard for the exhaust. Rae caught them, but it took a great deal of work to get them up and moving again. This is not one of Rae's strengths, and the ewe was very unimpressed by Rae's attempts to turn her. They were a good 150yds away from me, and I could see Rae looking to me for help. I cheered her on, flanked her, asked her up, working for maybe 30 seconds before she finally got that ewe turned. I tried to put them back on line, but too much precision took our momentum away, and they stopped again. So then I just had Rae bring sheep however she could, and that good girl did! We worked a bit at the pen, then headed to the shedding ring with about 40 seconds left. I fiddled around for a little setting it up, then threw out the Hail Mary by running straight at a lamb. Rae came flying in for an impressive full point shed with only a few seconds to spare.
I was less than happy with our performance for the weekend, most of it my fault, but I was very proud of Rae for hanging in there when she was having trouble. I was very close to giving up on her, but I'm so glad that we hung in there. And for her to keep her cool to get a difficult pen and shed made it all the sweeter. We had many compliments on our shed, as they were few and far between for the weekend, so I am super proud of that achievement.
I did get to visit with friends that I don't see often, so that was great. The rest of the trip wasn't so great, though. On Friday morning I met Sue at her field to work my young dogs before leaving for NY. I took a couple good hits when working Livy, one of them was quite spectacular, actually. I got hit on the side of the knee, went airborne, and rolled over one complete revolution before hitting the ground. I felt like a stuntman in a movie who gets hit by a car and rolls over the hood.
Somehow Gabe managed to put a gash in his leg, so I ended up at the vet clinic where I used to work getting it stapled. I'll need to add something to the first aid kit for lacerations, I didn't have anything to patch him up.
THEN when we got back to Dad's on Sunday night, the dogs got locked in the car with the windows up. Of course it was Sunday AND 4th of July. I hate the VUE and I don't know why it does this. I was literally walking around to let the dogs out when I heard it lock itself. We worked for awhile with a neighbor and finally got it opened by lasooing the lock with a twisted coat hanger.
THEN on the way from PA to VA I got pulled over for speeding. I was driving with the flow of traffic but happened to get singled out for being out-of-state. Ironic in that I've lived my whole life in PA til last fall. The rest of the trip was painfully long since I had to drive the speed limit.
It was good to finally get home after such a long weekend.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The Good and The Bad
First, The Bad: Last weekend we were at Hop Bottom. Bad weekend on many levels. 'Nuff said.
The Good: This weekend we were back at Dr. Ben's for a Finals benefit trial. Freaking hot and humid (again). The first part of the course was the same as the Memorial Day trial, except we were running 5 sheep; 3 uncollared, 2 collared. Rae and I argued a little on the first part of the fetch, we got it together to make the panels and continue on line. Tight turn, good driveaway. Turn to set up the crossdrive was a little high, we got them back online without any sillyness (ie going into auto-pilot fetch mode). Finished up the drive well then into the shedding ring. We were to take to 2 uncollared sheep. Unfortunately we had 2 failed attempts. I had good holes for her, but she's was hot and tired (physically and mentally) and didn't come through. Instead she flanked around the whole group. She was showing me some wideness in the ring which tells me she was running out of gas. We got it together and she came in nicely on the third attempt. Regathered for a full point pen, but ran out of time trying to shed off a collared single. In retrospect, I should've run one off the front since we were short on time and I couldn't get it set up. The run was good enough for 6th place, but due to the heat, only 25 dogs ran, meaning that only 5 dogs pointed. Oh well, I was very, very happy with Rae.
Sunday's course was the same except for a reversed drive. At the Memorial Day trial we fell apart on the driveaway, so I was mentally prepared for it this time. Rae gave me a gorgeous OLF...0 points off!! We were cruising right along, had to fiddle with the line ever so slightly down the driveaway, super turn at the crossdrive, dead on crossdrive line. Crossdrive panel turn was slightly wide, probably lost a point there. I didn't pay close enough attention to the line to the shed ring, I was very concerned with getting some pace on her so that the sheep didn't run me over in the ring en route to the exhaust. It was very straight but a little off line. We only lost a total of 5 on the drive. Again in the ring we had some issues with taking 2 uncollareds, again 2 failed attempts. Got it on the third try and with about a minute left, I rushed the pen and put a little too much pressure on the sheep, forcing one to slip around. Rae was so tired, but she gave me her all, and we got them penned with less than 5 seconds left. I just let her lie down til we timed out.
That was some of our best work EVER! I was so so soooo proud of our teamwork and how well she listened to me. Looking back, I think what happened in the ring was this: I knew that she'd worked her butt off on the steep hill in the sweltering heat, so I did more than my fair share to hold her sheep to come in on. I know that Rae doesn't want to fly in if she feels that I'm crowding her, so that in combination with her physical and mental exhaustion likely caused the missed attempts. Frustrating as the holes were there, but regardless I'm so very happy with our weekend :)
In other news, Livy reached the 6 month milestone today. Yay, Liver!
The Good: This weekend we were back at Dr. Ben's for a Finals benefit trial. Freaking hot and humid (again). The first part of the course was the same as the Memorial Day trial, except we were running 5 sheep; 3 uncollared, 2 collared. Rae and I argued a little on the first part of the fetch, we got it together to make the panels and continue on line. Tight turn, good driveaway. Turn to set up the crossdrive was a little high, we got them back online without any sillyness (ie going into auto-pilot fetch mode). Finished up the drive well then into the shedding ring. We were to take to 2 uncollared sheep. Unfortunately we had 2 failed attempts. I had good holes for her, but she's was hot and tired (physically and mentally) and didn't come through. Instead she flanked around the whole group. She was showing me some wideness in the ring which tells me she was running out of gas. We got it together and she came in nicely on the third attempt. Regathered for a full point pen, but ran out of time trying to shed off a collared single. In retrospect, I should've run one off the front since we were short on time and I couldn't get it set up. The run was good enough for 6th place, but due to the heat, only 25 dogs ran, meaning that only 5 dogs pointed. Oh well, I was very, very happy with Rae.
Sunday's course was the same except for a reversed drive. At the Memorial Day trial we fell apart on the driveaway, so I was mentally prepared for it this time. Rae gave me a gorgeous OLF...0 points off!! We were cruising right along, had to fiddle with the line ever so slightly down the driveaway, super turn at the crossdrive, dead on crossdrive line. Crossdrive panel turn was slightly wide, probably lost a point there. I didn't pay close enough attention to the line to the shed ring, I was very concerned with getting some pace on her so that the sheep didn't run me over in the ring en route to the exhaust. It was very straight but a little off line. We only lost a total of 5 on the drive. Again in the ring we had some issues with taking 2 uncollareds, again 2 failed attempts. Got it on the third try and with about a minute left, I rushed the pen and put a little too much pressure on the sheep, forcing one to slip around. Rae was so tired, but she gave me her all, and we got them penned with less than 5 seconds left. I just let her lie down til we timed out.
That was some of our best work EVER! I was so so soooo proud of our teamwork and how well she listened to me. Looking back, I think what happened in the ring was this: I knew that she'd worked her butt off on the steep hill in the sweltering heat, so I did more than my fair share to hold her sheep to come in on. I know that Rae doesn't want to fly in if she feels that I'm crowding her, so that in combination with her physical and mental exhaustion likely caused the missed attempts. Frustrating as the holes were there, but regardless I'm so very happy with our weekend :)
In other news, Livy reached the 6 month milestone today. Yay, Liver!
Don't let this photo fool you, she is still a very bad puppy!!!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Whistle For A Cure
Last weekend we headed down to Robin's for her benefit trial in support of ovarian cancer research. One word: hot. We drew up early in the order Saturday and the field was wide open at the time. The sheep were tricky and the field is small with lots of pressure and difficult terrain. Rae gave me a gorgeous OLF, I barely said anything to her other than to adjust the line near a pond and to mind her manners around the post. Right hand drive headed toward the exhaust which housed the bawling, recently-weaned lambs. For whatever reason, I had a major brain fart and my handling went down the shitter. I had Rae guarding the pressure to the exhaust, but I kept downing her again and again and again. And for once, she took every single one. I don't know what I was thinking, maybe I was trying to place her so that we could let them drift down the line to the panel? Two went on ahead, and when I flanked her ever so slightly to get the slacker, the other two excused themselves toward the exhaust. I felt like it happened in slow motion. It was awfully stupid handling on my part. Rae was lying there and looked back at me like "Um, do you see they're getting away, dumbass?!" With such close quarters we weren't able to get them before the "out of bounds" area, so we were done. I was so freaking mad at myself. My dog was brilliant and I was a major sped. A number of other people had trouble and there were very few scores for the day, so we were not alone in the losing-your-sheep department. Still I was extremely disappointed in myself.
Sunday we drew up right before lunch. It was about 90 degrees and super humid then, I wasn't sure Rae would be physically able to finish. The course, including post and pen, was different. Rae again gave me a great outrun uphill and into the pressure (I'd practiced exactly that during the week), but something funny happened at the lift. The ewes were being held with grain, and Rae calmly walked into them and was eyeing them for a couple seconds while they had their heads down, stufing their faces. All of a sudden, 2 bolted downfield and Rae followed trying to cover. I did a double-take, doubting myself about a gazillion times, but there was still one ewe at the feed. I'm not sure if those 2 might have responded to the 4-wheeler that turned on just at the time or what, but she surely didn't goose them or do anything else I could see to make 2 take off. I got her downed and the 2 stopped about 1/3 way to the fetch panel. She refused a look-back, which was smart on her part because she knew that if she let up on the lead 2 that they'd be gone. I held her downed for maybe 10 seconds until all of a sudden the last ewe looked up from its buffet and realized it was alone...she scooted down the field to join the others. Made the fetch panels, good line, turn, one little bobble on the driveaway near a pond. One of our best turns ever at the crossdrive, nice line but a little slow. I held her back as the sheep really looked unsettled..at the post 2 of them were repeatedly head butting each other, on the crossdrive one started mounting the others (what the heck?!!). At the last minute 1 ewe drifted high towards setout, the other 2 low. I had to send her to save the single, but in the process we sacrificed putting the other 2 through the panel. Got it back together, good line to the pen despite a tricky draw toward the exhaust. Took some time penning...there was no gate and the pen was very small, you got to choose your side. Rae listened well but had a moment of wideness when she thought she was going to lose them to the exhuast. Finally got them penned. We were running groups that had a red collar, blue collar, and a naked ewe, and while penned we had to call out which we were going to single. We headed to the shed with about 40 seconds left, and the one I thought would lag behind ended up being stuck in the middle the whole time. This seemed to happen to everyone! We worked and worked and I finally called her through in desperation with just a few seconds left. It was a hideous setup for her, calling her in on the butt and asking her to give up the pressure toward the exhuast. I didn't really expect her to take it, but with an extra flank command she came through. GOOD GIRL RAE RAE!
Our score wasn't high enough to place (finished in about top 1/3) but I was very happy with our work. I'm sure the lift killed us. It was a trying course and we certainly held our own. Lots of teams lost their sheep, so I'm glad we got around once. Rae listened so well and I was so proud of her!
Next up is the PA State Champs this weekend. It sure would be nice if we got a break in the weather, this recent heat and humidity has been unbearable. Hard on the dogs, sheep, and handlers, too.
Sunday we drew up right before lunch. It was about 90 degrees and super humid then, I wasn't sure Rae would be physically able to finish. The course, including post and pen, was different. Rae again gave me a great outrun uphill and into the pressure (I'd practiced exactly that during the week), but something funny happened at the lift. The ewes were being held with grain, and Rae calmly walked into them and was eyeing them for a couple seconds while they had their heads down, stufing their faces. All of a sudden, 2 bolted downfield and Rae followed trying to cover. I did a double-take, doubting myself about a gazillion times, but there was still one ewe at the feed. I'm not sure if those 2 might have responded to the 4-wheeler that turned on just at the time or what, but she surely didn't goose them or do anything else I could see to make 2 take off. I got her downed and the 2 stopped about 1/3 way to the fetch panel. She refused a look-back, which was smart on her part because she knew that if she let up on the lead 2 that they'd be gone. I held her downed for maybe 10 seconds until all of a sudden the last ewe looked up from its buffet and realized it was alone...she scooted down the field to join the others. Made the fetch panels, good line, turn, one little bobble on the driveaway near a pond. One of our best turns ever at the crossdrive, nice line but a little slow. I held her back as the sheep really looked unsettled..at the post 2 of them were repeatedly head butting each other, on the crossdrive one started mounting the others (what the heck?!!). At the last minute 1 ewe drifted high towards setout, the other 2 low. I had to send her to save the single, but in the process we sacrificed putting the other 2 through the panel. Got it back together, good line to the pen despite a tricky draw toward the exhaust. Took some time penning...there was no gate and the pen was very small, you got to choose your side. Rae listened well but had a moment of wideness when she thought she was going to lose them to the exhuast. Finally got them penned. We were running groups that had a red collar, blue collar, and a naked ewe, and while penned we had to call out which we were going to single. We headed to the shed with about 40 seconds left, and the one I thought would lag behind ended up being stuck in the middle the whole time. This seemed to happen to everyone! We worked and worked and I finally called her through in desperation with just a few seconds left. It was a hideous setup for her, calling her in on the butt and asking her to give up the pressure toward the exhuast. I didn't really expect her to take it, but with an extra flank command she came through. GOOD GIRL RAE RAE!
Our score wasn't high enough to place (finished in about top 1/3) but I was very happy with our work. I'm sure the lift killed us. It was a trying course and we certainly held our own. Lots of teams lost their sheep, so I'm glad we got around once. Rae listened so well and I was so proud of her!
Next up is the PA State Champs this weekend. It sure would be nice if we got a break in the weather, this recent heat and humidity has been unbearable. Hard on the dogs, sheep, and handlers, too.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Livy's keen!
It's official. My baby puppy had her first go with sheep yesterday at 5 1/2 months old. Well, her first legitimate session. She'd squeezed through the fence once when she was only about 12 weeks old, but that was because she was jealous of me working Ella, she showed no interest in the sheep at that time!
But as you can see in this most recent shot, she has some admirers.
Anyway, we had a group of ewes and lambs, maybe about a dozen in all, put up in the feedlot. I'm not skilled enough to work an experienced dog while trying to turn a pup on, so Christine was out with one of her youngsters who was more than willing to get in there and mix things up. First Liv sort of floated around the outskirts of the group, having a look, sniffing the ground, watching the dog, etc. We encouraged her for any sheep interaction, and then the funniest thing happened: she walked up to the group and started whining and dancing in place! I could see the wheels turning, she wanted to do SOMETHING, she just didn't quite know what. And just like that, she kicked into working mode. Tail down, eyes locked, and circling. She mostly preferred to go away but did manage to switch directions. There were times when things got a little yeehaw due to the other dog being super into the "lets jazz up the puppy game", but Liv showed no fear. If a lamb squirted off from the group, she got it and put it back in. If a ewe looked at her, she walked directly in and once even nipped one right on the nose! And when there was a lull in the action, she went looking for hocks to nip. She didn't show any inclination to dive in and bust them up, instead her main focus was to keep them together. I did nothing other than let her have fun, and boy did she have fun!
I wish I had some photos, but we weren't adequately prepared. Bummer.
But as you can see in this most recent shot, she has some admirers.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Gaby Baby
Is growing up!
I've recently realized that I've been slacking in his training. During the last couple months I've been very focused on getting together with Rae for the spring trials. Add to that the fact that I've had a major sheep makeover at home where I got rid of a few rotten apples and brought in undogged Katahdin ewes/lambs and undogged Suffolk yearlings. So I didn't really have anything appropriate to work him on at home. After the KY trials, a buddy came over to help break in the newbies, and after a bit of rodeo-ing that day, most of them have been working very nicely. Emphasis on most. So now I have fresh sheep for the boy dog! Time to get serious!
At the beginning of last week he was still in the very beginning stages of driving. He was fine as long as I was walking along beside him, though he still really wanted to get around to their heads. This week I started using him in "real" situations that I'd usually get Rae out just to get it done easily and quickly. One example: after sorting sheep in the barn, I need to move them from the small lower paddock to the big field on the hill. I startied using Gabe to push them across the paddock and up to the hill. He has no trouble wearing them up there since we've spent so much time doing walkabouts, so I decided to up the ante and use it as some driving experience. The first couple days I walked with him, but soon he caught on to the work and figured it out on his own. He doesn't really have any driving flanks, but he's fairly natural at holding a line, so he can get it done. All of a sudden he really seems to understand driving, and instead of being hesitant, he now takes charge of his sheep with confidence. He continues to push them for a good 50 yards before looking back to check in with me.
Our next step will be to put some driving flanks on him. With all this driving practice, I took him out yesterday to be sure his outrun wasn't broken. Well, it's not :) He is a little tight when he senses that the sheep may try to get away, but when there isn't much draw he is wide and deep, checking himself often on the way out. He comes in like a freight train at the top, but I'd rather have that than have him too hesitant. Today will be his third session picking up off someone. Unfortunately the "somone" is his former owner/trainer, so he's still a little unsure. Christine does such an excellent job setting with no movement on her or Bess' part, no talking, no eye contact, that I'm sure it won't take him long to get it.
Now that I've got my rear in gear, I plan on getting him out daily, sometimes twice daily, as he's showing me that he is ready to get going!
At the beginning of last week he was still in the very beginning stages of driving. He was fine as long as I was walking along beside him, though he still really wanted to get around to their heads. This week I started using him in "real" situations that I'd usually get Rae out just to get it done easily and quickly. One example: after sorting sheep in the barn, I need to move them from the small lower paddock to the big field on the hill. I startied using Gabe to push them across the paddock and up to the hill. He has no trouble wearing them up there since we've spent so much time doing walkabouts, so I decided to up the ante and use it as some driving experience. The first couple days I walked with him, but soon he caught on to the work and figured it out on his own. He doesn't really have any driving flanks, but he's fairly natural at holding a line, so he can get it done. All of a sudden he really seems to understand driving, and instead of being hesitant, he now takes charge of his sheep with confidence. He continues to push them for a good 50 yards before looking back to check in with me.
Our next step will be to put some driving flanks on him. With all this driving practice, I took him out yesterday to be sure his outrun wasn't broken. Well, it's not :) He is a little tight when he senses that the sheep may try to get away, but when there isn't much draw he is wide and deep, checking himself often on the way out. He comes in like a freight train at the top, but I'd rather have that than have him too hesitant. Today will be his third session picking up off someone. Unfortunately the "somone" is his former owner/trainer, so he's still a little unsure. Christine does such an excellent job setting with no movement on her or Bess' part, no talking, no eye contact, that I'm sure it won't take him long to get it.
Now that I've got my rear in gear, I plan on getting him out daily, sometimes twice daily, as he's showing me that he is ready to get going!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Dr. Ben's Trial
Due to the bad storms Friday night, I decided to get up super early Saturday morning to drive down. As in 3:30am early. Ugh. And as it turned out, we ran a whopping 1.5 dogs in the first hour of the trial due to a fog delay. I could've used that extra sleep!
Learning from past failures, I let Rae choose which way she wanted to run out. She decided she'd like to climb the multiple steep tiers on the right side of the field. Looked good to me, but ended up losing 3 on the outrun. She managed the top mostly on her own, partially because she was right, partially because one of my worst fears became reality: I COULDN'T BLOW MY STUPID WHISTLE! I was having serious problems getting the low tone of my away flank out. For a fleeting moment I contemplated going to verbals, but I stuck with whistles and somehow worked it out. Good fetch, slow but controlled turn around the post, good first leg of the right hand drive. I got her stopped after the turn to set up the crossdrive and got a good line going. For the first time EVER, I actually hit all of my field markers on the crossdrive. What has happened in the past is I either 1) am too worried about just getting across the field in a straightish line or 2) plan out all my markers and don't even get to them due to our recent trend of retiring. So we had a nice crossdrive, made the panel (I'm thinking OMG, this is only the second time we've made all 3 panels) and had a clean turn. I glanced at my watch (I'm doing much better at remembering to start it when I send my dog!) and saw I had 3:30 left. So I eased Rae up and let her walk them to the shedding ring. We were running 4 ewes and were to take the last 2 on the head before penning. We got set up in the ring and it seemed like within seconds a hole opened up and Rae came in like a champ for a full point shed. We regathered and I had Rae hold them as I went to the pen. I did keep her a little far off her sheep, which almost cost us. As she was bringing them, the first 3 walked right in, but the fourth one lagged behind trying to decided if it wanted to be a follower or a rebel. But Rae and I were really clicking, and the two of us worked as a team to get her in, good for full points.
I WAS THRILLED! Everyone cheered and I was met with hugs when we came off the field :) It felt so good to see our hard work pay off and to see all of the pieces fall into place in the same run! To my huge surprise, we hung on for 5th place out of 72 dogs with an 87. Mark and Peg took first with a 90, Mike Hanley and Streak had an 88 or 89, Christine and Bess and Polly Matzinger and James both had 87s but beat us on outwork. So that was our first Open placement, payback, and USBCHA points! Unbelievable!
Unfortunately, Sunday's run was bad on both our parts. Especially mine. It was hot as hell when we ran and Rae was really on edge before we even got to the field (I guess she was feeling REALLY good about the previous run!) Again I couldn't blow an away flank at the top, but this time it really hurt us. Finally recovered the line to make the panels, but Rae was running like she had dynamite up her butt. Her turn around the post looked like a barrel race. I was frazzled and let her get too high on their heads while trying to protect the strong draw to the exhaust on the first drive leg. It got ugly after that and we quit. She wasn't listening but it was my fault for causing it. I was hugely disappointed in myself which is a shame because I don't want it to overshadow our fabulous go the day before. So we'll just not think about it :P
I don't know what my deal was about not being able to whistle...I didn't think I was anymore nervous than I'd been at other trials. It was freaking hot, and I do often drink something or chew gum before going out there. Maybe that contributed. Dunno, but frustrating for sure.
Livy got to play with her sisters, but it was SO HOT (have I mentioned that?) that even very bad 5 month old puppies didn't want to play as much as they have in the past.
Even hot and tired puppies do not make for an easy photo:
Fail 
1 out of 3 
Getting better 
We'll take it!
Learning from past failures, I let Rae choose which way she wanted to run out. She decided she'd like to climb the multiple steep tiers on the right side of the field. Looked good to me, but ended up losing 3 on the outrun. She managed the top mostly on her own, partially because she was right, partially because one of my worst fears became reality: I COULDN'T BLOW MY STUPID WHISTLE! I was having serious problems getting the low tone of my away flank out. For a fleeting moment I contemplated going to verbals, but I stuck with whistles and somehow worked it out. Good fetch, slow but controlled turn around the post, good first leg of the right hand drive. I got her stopped after the turn to set up the crossdrive and got a good line going. For the first time EVER, I actually hit all of my field markers on the crossdrive. What has happened in the past is I either 1) am too worried about just getting across the field in a straightish line or 2) plan out all my markers and don't even get to them due to our recent trend of retiring. So we had a nice crossdrive, made the panel (I'm thinking OMG, this is only the second time we've made all 3 panels) and had a clean turn. I glanced at my watch (I'm doing much better at remembering to start it when I send my dog!) and saw I had 3:30 left. So I eased Rae up and let her walk them to the shedding ring. We were running 4 ewes and were to take the last 2 on the head before penning. We got set up in the ring and it seemed like within seconds a hole opened up and Rae came in like a champ for a full point shed. We regathered and I had Rae hold them as I went to the pen. I did keep her a little far off her sheep, which almost cost us. As she was bringing them, the first 3 walked right in, but the fourth one lagged behind trying to decided if it wanted to be a follower or a rebel. But Rae and I were really clicking, and the two of us worked as a team to get her in, good for full points.
I WAS THRILLED! Everyone cheered and I was met with hugs when we came off the field :) It felt so good to see our hard work pay off and to see all of the pieces fall into place in the same run! To my huge surprise, we hung on for 5th place out of 72 dogs with an 87. Mark and Peg took first with a 90, Mike Hanley and Streak had an 88 or 89, Christine and Bess and Polly Matzinger and James both had 87s but beat us on outwork. So that was our first Open placement, payback, and USBCHA points! Unbelievable!
Unfortunately, Sunday's run was bad on both our parts. Especially mine. It was hot as hell when we ran and Rae was really on edge before we even got to the field (I guess she was feeling REALLY good about the previous run!) Again I couldn't blow an away flank at the top, but this time it really hurt us. Finally recovered the line to make the panels, but Rae was running like she had dynamite up her butt. Her turn around the post looked like a barrel race. I was frazzled and let her get too high on their heads while trying to protect the strong draw to the exhaust on the first drive leg. It got ugly after that and we quit. She wasn't listening but it was my fault for causing it. I was hugely disappointed in myself which is a shame because I don't want it to overshadow our fabulous go the day before. So we'll just not think about it :P
I don't know what my deal was about not being able to whistle...I didn't think I was anymore nervous than I'd been at other trials. It was freaking hot, and I do often drink something or chew gum before going out there. Maybe that contributed. Dunno, but frustrating for sure.
Livy got to play with her sisters, but it was SO HOT (have I mentioned that?) that even very bad 5 month old puppies didn't want to play as much as they have in the past.
Even hot and tired puppies do not make for an easy photo:
Fail1 out of 3Getting better We'll take it!Thursday, May 27, 2010
On The Road Again
Headed out to Dr. Ben's trial tomorrow evening. I was actually scheduled to be on call tomorrow night, but since I drew up so early Saturday morning, I had to switch nights. Thankfully my coworkers are so flexible! Looking forward to it, though the weather looks a little iffy. I haven't gotten to work Rae much since the BG but oh well. I'll be especially nervous to run her in front of Renee for the first time! Eeek!
Livy will get to see her sisters and maybe I'll even pull her out to see mama dukes run. The Squirt turned 5 months old this week, woohoo! Maybe another month yet til I'll give her a go on sheep. I don't really have appropriate stock for her right now, so we'll see.
Livy will get to see her sisters and maybe I'll even pull her out to see mama dukes run. The Squirt turned 5 months old this week, woohoo! Maybe another month yet til I'll give her a go on sheep. I don't really have appropriate stock for her right now, so we'll see.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
BG Lessons
Lesson 1. Do not get stuck in a porta potty during a thunderstorm. Very. Scary.
Lesson 2. Take plenty of dog water in case you accidentally back over your supply. There's no where to fill up on site.
Lesson 3. Merlefriends should NOT be in sight of the shedding ring. Things are WAY too chaotic at that point with plenty of spectacular DQs.
Lesson 4. Getting sheep down the field is no small accomplishment!!!!!
Lesson 5. Boy scouts make great pancakes on the weekend!
Lesson 6. Arm chair handling essentials include all varieties of alcohol and junk food. Never leave home without a solo cup, cork screw, or bottle opener.
Lesson 7. The dog-friendly hotel is cheap for a reason: no hairdryer, iron, or fridge. Limited cable, but at least you can take the whole crew inside. Wifi is also big plus.
Lesson 8. Take time to see the sites. Didn't make it to the horse park, but did make it to the stud farm tour, fiber festival, and top of the field.
Lesson 9. There are good people and good dogs everywhere. Enjoy the opportunity to see some good dog work and hang out with fun people from across the country.
Lesson 1o. Remember to take your dog ties OFF your truck before driving 6 miles back to the hotel.
Lesson 11. Watching Tommy and Alasdair in the International Shed is a clinic in and of itself.
Lesson 12. If you have a puppy, everyone will know you. If you're a vet, everyone will know you.
Lesson 13. I really need to get my alternative medicine certifications. The chiro was charging $45 "a pop" (haha I'm so funny). Chiro, acupuncture, and massage are must haves for me.
Speaking of puppies, here are some photos of Livy and her brother Deuce playing on the Novice field.
Lesson 2. Take plenty of dog water in case you accidentally back over your supply. There's no where to fill up on site.
Lesson 3. Merlefriends should NOT be in sight of the shedding ring. Things are WAY too chaotic at that point with plenty of spectacular DQs.
Lesson 4. Getting sheep down the field is no small accomplishment!!!!!
Lesson 5. Boy scouts make great pancakes on the weekend!
Lesson 6. Arm chair handling essentials include all varieties of alcohol and junk food. Never leave home without a solo cup, cork screw, or bottle opener.
Lesson 7. The dog-friendly hotel is cheap for a reason: no hairdryer, iron, or fridge. Limited cable, but at least you can take the whole crew inside. Wifi is also big plus.
Lesson 8. Take time to see the sites. Didn't make it to the horse park, but did make it to the stud farm tour, fiber festival, and top of the field.
Lesson 9. There are good people and good dogs everywhere. Enjoy the opportunity to see some good dog work and hang out with fun people from across the country.
Lesson 1o. Remember to take your dog ties OFF your truck before driving 6 miles back to the hotel.
Lesson 11. Watching Tommy and Alasdair in the International Shed is a clinic in and of itself.
Lesson 12. If you have a puppy, everyone will know you. If you're a vet, everyone will know you.
Lesson 13. I really need to get my alternative medicine certifications. The chiro was charging $45 "a pop" (haha I'm so funny). Chiro, acupuncture, and massage are must haves for me.
Speaking of puppies, here are some photos of Livy and her brother Deuce playing on the Novice field.
Thanks for the fun, BG!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
BG Day 4
Didn't catch too many of the morning runs. Saw Joni run Lew for the last time, bless that old dog's heart. He certainly did respectably for a dog who can't see well. They were hanging on to the Top 20 board for a good part of the day. Robin and Zac had a good run going right up til the last second when he had quite the impressive grip! Bummer. Anet timed out with Dod within mere seconds of closing the pen door :( Peggy Wilkinson and Liz (Rae half-sister) had a really successful trial, managing to get around the course both runs! I'm so excited for her! Chris Chambers had another nice run with Molly, he's holding tight at the bottom of the board tied with Cheryl Jagger-Williams. Scott and Don and Tommy and Sly looked sharp, of course. I liked Chuck Dimit and Luke, also making it through. Alasdair had an extremely tough group but worked them beautifully with Star. Someone said how enjoyable it is to watch a "bad" run of his, you see the amazing handling skills and dog skills that much more clearly.
I ran Rae right before lunch, when the sheep were working well and the temps were decent. She gave me a nice (right-hand) outrun, she managed the top well with only a little input from me, but she wouldn't move off the pressure on the first part of the fetch in order to correct the line. This has always been a major weakness for us. Managed to make the fetch panels, good turn, but then she got really hesitant to walk into her sheep about halfway down the driveaway. I think it was a combo of old dog already with eye, getting more eye as she ages, and getting tired. She didn't listen several times in a row and I couldn't get them settled to set up a good line for the cross drive, so I called it quits. I really, really wanted to get to that shedding ring, but oh well.
This trial was a lot to ask of Rae and she certainly did her best for me. I wish we would've made it further around, but all things considered, it was a very good experience for us. She certainly gave me her all. Heck yesterday we had a decent score going: 19.5, 9.5, 13 before retiring in the vicinty of the driveaway panel.
It is hard to imgaine that one year ago today I went to the post with her for the very first time at Mary Brighoff's fun trial. What a dog to take me from complete beginner to Open at the Bluegrass in a year. I owe so much to her (and Renee!) and am having so much fun trialing that I don't want to think of her getting old on me. We'll get back to work once we get home, and I'm sure things will be just fine at the local trials with non-BG sheep and non-BG-sized fields!
Off to the Double Lift.
I ran Rae right before lunch, when the sheep were working well and the temps were decent. She gave me a nice (right-hand) outrun, she managed the top well with only a little input from me, but she wouldn't move off the pressure on the first part of the fetch in order to correct the line. This has always been a major weakness for us. Managed to make the fetch panels, good turn, but then she got really hesitant to walk into her sheep about halfway down the driveaway. I think it was a combo of old dog already with eye, getting more eye as she ages, and getting tired. She didn't listen several times in a row and I couldn't get them settled to set up a good line for the cross drive, so I called it quits. I really, really wanted to get to that shedding ring, but oh well.
This trial was a lot to ask of Rae and she certainly did her best for me. I wish we would've made it further around, but all things considered, it was a very good experience for us. She certainly gave me her all. Heck yesterday we had a decent score going: 19.5, 9.5, 13 before retiring in the vicinty of the driveaway panel.
It is hard to imgaine that one year ago today I went to the post with her for the very first time at Mary Brighoff's fun trial. What a dog to take me from complete beginner to Open at the Bluegrass in a year. I owe so much to her (and Renee!) and am having so much fun trialing that I don't want to think of her getting old on me. We'll get back to work once we get home, and I'm sure things will be just fine at the local trials with non-BG sheep and non-BG-sized fields!
Off to the Double Lift.
Friday, May 14, 2010
BG Day 3
Another ridiculously hot and humid day. The weather has been taking a toll on the dogs and sheep, and a number of good dogs went down today in a blaze of gripping glory. Mike Neary and Bob Washer both had really nice runs going, not to mention that they had great first round runs...unfortunately both dogs lost their cool and body slammed a lamb after the shed. Really a shame. Don Whittington had a nice run with Fionn and I'm pretty sure he's in the lead going into tomorrow. Annie Palmer did really well with Dot and is likely to make the finals. I missed her run but she said how shocked and excited she was since she'd come down here with no thoughts of placing. Joni Swanke's Lew son Griz had another good go; I've enjoyed watching him run because he looks VERY similar to Livy, and I'd be quite happy if she grows up to look like him out on the field! Christine had a decent run with Tweed, though both runs were not as smooth as we'd all hoped for. She's got an outside chance of making the finals, depending on how things go tomorrow. A number of the leaders from Round 1 either had poor runs or DQ/RTs, so it looks like those who can get 2 respectable scores on the board will make it through.
A few of us took a little tour of the local thoroughbred farms. We saw WinStar Farm, home of Derby winner Super Saver. At Ashford Stud Farm we got to walk around the breeding shed and barns since Bob used to work as a stallion handler there. We saw Tail of the Cat cover a mare (yay Storm Cat progeny!) and I got to touch Giant's Causeway and Dunkirk. What's Lexington without some thoroughbred action, right?
Rae and I run again tomorrow. I hope the humidity holds off, that's really what's making it so miserable here weather-wise. We'll give it our best shot!
A few of us took a little tour of the local thoroughbred farms. We saw WinStar Farm, home of Derby winner Super Saver. At Ashford Stud Farm we got to walk around the breeding shed and barns since Bob used to work as a stallion handler there. We saw Tail of the Cat cover a mare (yay Storm Cat progeny!) and I got to touch Giant's Causeway and Dunkirk. What's Lexington without some thoroughbred action, right?
Rae and I run again tomorrow. I hope the humidity holds off, that's really what's making it so miserable here weather-wise. We'll give it our best shot!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
BG Day 2
Another tough day here in Lexington. Lots of trouble at the top, and after seeing so many good dogs unable to bring sheep down the field, I feel very fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to join in the fun even with our abbreviated run! Around lunch time a terrible storm came up out of nowhere. The air sirens went off and everyone ran to their campers/cars/whatevers to hunker down. After the storm was over the heat and humidity came back with a vengence. At this point the sheep were wet AND hot, and just didn't plain feel like moving. I think there was something like 8 runs in a row where the dog didn't get sheep down the field.
There were some nice runs today despite the challenges. Looking at the scores doesn't always reflect the quality of work...there have been some very nice dogs who handled difficult situations very well. Lyle and Shep's run from yesterday held on to win Round 1, with several others close behind with scores in the 80s. We got behind schedule again today due to the storm, so the handlers meeting was bumped from tonight to tomorrow morning. Reversed course is expected.
Livy got to see her sister Floss today. Floss is nearly twice the size of her, she really looks like a dog who's a good month older than she is! And she's got tons of coat! Floss hated her and tried to eat her. Oh well.
There were some nice runs today despite the challenges. Looking at the scores doesn't always reflect the quality of work...there have been some very nice dogs who handled difficult situations very well. Lyle and Shep's run from yesterday held on to win Round 1, with several others close behind with scores in the 80s. We got behind schedule again today due to the storm, so the handlers meeting was bumped from tonight to tomorrow morning. Reversed course is expected.
Livy got to see her sister Floss today. Floss is nearly twice the size of her, she really looks like a dog who's a good month older than she is! And she's got tons of coat! Floss hated her and tried to eat her. Oh well.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Blue Grass Day 1
It's been a rrreally long day so I'll try to give a quick report. Sheep set 450+ yards on horseback, running 3 5-month-old Sufolk/Rambouillet lambs from a flock out of Texas. Right hand drive, single, then pen. The lambs were essentially feral this morning for many of the runs, spooked by both dog and person. Set out had lots of trouble settling them. During most of the morning runs the sheep were wild and uncontrollable. Then some hideous storms rolled in, with the worst thunder and lightning I've seen in a long time. Rae was a nervous wreck! Finally the storms moved on and we got back to running dogs. At this time the sun came out and the temps skyrocketed, as did the humidity. The sheep became very heavy, but were pissy if you pushed on them too much. Rae's tongue was dragging before we even got onto the field.
For the last 2 weeks I planned to send left. She fought me the whole way out to the post to go right. I finally got her to give in to me and sent her. She had run out about 75yds when I saw her head turn in. Not like her wide-running self at all. I waited a second for her to fix herself, and when she didn't, I downed her and re-flanked her. Which she did, til she turned in again after about 50 yards. Downed, corrected her, re-flanked. Turned in again, corrected her, gave her a get out. Next time she turned in I gave in and just let her have her right hand outrun. Turned out beautifully, and even though I lost sight of her for a bit and she lost sight of her sheep for a bit, she came in just where she needed to be. The set out person didn't back her horse out of the way as is usually done, she just sat there with the horse right on top of the sheep. So Rae was juking and jiving around the horse trying to get control of her sheep who were glued to the horse. It took a lot of work but she finally got control of them and brought them down the field, listening pretty well to me. Missed the fetch panels but I was OK with that since we had decent control of the sheep at that time. Finally started to get into a groove after making the driveaway panel when she just ran out of juice. The sheep stalled right behind the panel and Rae couldn't get them going again. I whistled her up, called her up, shouted encouragements, flanked her on either side of the panel, flanked her to the top side of the field...and she just couldn't do it. So we retired. Rats. The exhaust dog had a tough time getting them off the field and had to bite.
A big highlight of the day was seeing Livy's dad lay down a smokin run. He had some sweet moves at the pen on some very challenging sheep. And Denise's young dog May ran her heart out for her and really did a nice job.
We don't run again til Saturday, so the next 2 days will be spent socializing and enjoying the runs :)
For the last 2 weeks I planned to send left. She fought me the whole way out to the post to go right. I finally got her to give in to me and sent her. She had run out about 75yds when I saw her head turn in. Not like her wide-running self at all. I waited a second for her to fix herself, and when she didn't, I downed her and re-flanked her. Which she did, til she turned in again after about 50 yards. Downed, corrected her, re-flanked. Turned in again, corrected her, gave her a get out. Next time she turned in I gave in and just let her have her right hand outrun. Turned out beautifully, and even though I lost sight of her for a bit and she lost sight of her sheep for a bit, she came in just where she needed to be. The set out person didn't back her horse out of the way as is usually done, she just sat there with the horse right on top of the sheep. So Rae was juking and jiving around the horse trying to get control of her sheep who were glued to the horse. It took a lot of work but she finally got control of them and brought them down the field, listening pretty well to me. Missed the fetch panels but I was OK with that since we had decent control of the sheep at that time. Finally started to get into a groove after making the driveaway panel when she just ran out of juice. The sheep stalled right behind the panel and Rae couldn't get them going again. I whistled her up, called her up, shouted encouragements, flanked her on either side of the panel, flanked her to the top side of the field...and she just couldn't do it. So we retired. Rats. The exhaust dog had a tough time getting them off the field and had to bite.
A big highlight of the day was seeing Livy's dad lay down a smokin run. He had some sweet moves at the pen on some very challenging sheep. And Denise's young dog May ran her heart out for her and really did a nice job.
We don't run again til Saturday, so the next 2 days will be spent socializing and enjoying the runs :)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Happy Bluegrass Eve!
Yeah I haven't been very up to date with blogging...quick catch up before bed: Rae and I trialed at Twin Oaks in Murfreesboro, TN last month, then last weekend we were at the Hanley's in Lexington, KY for Chinquapinwood. At Twin Oaks I retired the first day because she wasn't listening to me AT ALL, which is a problem we've been having of late. We did respectably the second day, though still encountered some selective hearing, but we held it together to finish and even got our shed.
Chinquapinwood day 1 she listened very well and I was super pleased. The cross drive was unbelievably difficult, you lost sight of your dog and sheep through a good portion of it, and it was always a surprise to see where the sheep would emerge after coming out of "The Bermuda Triangle." I didn't have her push on the sheep enough (figured this out after the fact), which resulted in the sheep stringing themselves out. It was a tricky situation as the lead ewe wanted to bolt but the trailing ewe wanted to poke around. We timed out at the pen, but managed a 62 (without a pen or shed). For day 2 we had our most excellent outwork EVER! She listened beautifully on the fetch, and it was our nicest display of teamwork at a trial. The fetch line, turn around the post, and driveaway was going phenomenally until we got a little boogered right at the panel. We both have panel panic, and I was getting excited about how well the run was going! She got squirrelly, wouldn't take her downs and grossly overflanked 3 times in a row, so I RT'ed and ran down the field to remind her what lie down means. Ah well, I was super duper happy about our performance up til that point. And it was my fault for causing it to begin with.
Livy got to play with her brother Deuce. They look so much alike! He's such a sweet boy.
Now we've moved on down the road to The Bluegrass. Handlers meeting was tonight and the course is set after much discussion on pen placement. I'm up mid-day tomorrow for the first go round. I AM SO FREAKING NERVOUS! My 4th open trial is the BG? What was I thinking?! I have to remind myself I'm here for the experience and so there's no need for all this pressure I put on myself. It WILL be fun! About a gazillion of Livy's relatives will be running, so I can't wait to see them in action!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Happy Belated Easter
I was on-call for Easter weekend, which would make me grumpy since I worked the last holiday, except that working lots of weekends in April = going to lots of trials in May. Dad came to visit me and we had a very nice time and got lots done. Saturday was hideous, I worked from 8am-12:30am with only a half hour break at 9pm for dinner. Calls included a choked horse, down cow, calf with sloughed hoof, colic mare, and parvo puppy to name a few. Oy. Luckily Dad was here to entertain the dogs; the big girls got to go on a very nice hike and Livy got to play in the yard. Sunday we had time to sit down for a turkey dinner between caring for the sickies in the intensive care unit. (No, we don't have an intensive care unit per se, just some patients requiring intensive care). Livy got to go for a big girl hike all by herself, while the others burned off a little energy playing frisbee.
"I may look like a big girl..."
"But I'm still a crazy puppy!"Dad got to meet Jethro, my one and only lamb. I'd sent 2 ewes who have become absolutely rotten up to the sales at New Holland. Funny how I've moved 3 states away and the 430 mile trailer ride back home still makes up for prices around here. The girls sold very well and I'm quite pleased. Anyhow, I'm down to a momma ewe and Jethro, an open ewe, a wether yearling, and a ewe yearling. Instead of waiting for "the real" shearer to come in May, I sheared them myself. Ohhh home-hair-cut-disaster! At least no bowls were used, and they're all much cooler now, which was really all I was going for.
Jethro dozing in the afternoon sunWe got to Christine's and Rae, Gabe, and even Ella worked. This was Ella's first 5 minutes out since being laid up last November. We were all very pleasantly surprised! She nearly took up right where she left off last fall, which is amazing considering how excited she was to get a turn! Keeping her head is not one of Ella's strengths :P I'll be watching her like a hawk these next couple days to be sure she doesn't become sore.
PS I can't figure out the stupid formatting problems that I have in Blogger. I want to center the captions and only the captions, and to have appropriate spaces in between paragraphs. No matter what it looks like in the "compose" window, when it comes time to "preview" or "view post," everything's all boogered up. Have yet to get this straightened out. I hate to center the whole entry, but it's the best I can do right now. How frustrating.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
The New Guy
There's another new addition to the family:
Fieldstone Gabe
Gabe was bred and started by my friend Christine Henry. He is 1 1/2 years old, out of her good dogs Bess and Tweed. This winter, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to bring Gabe home with me for a couple months to gain some experience bringing along a young dog. She was feeling over-dogged, and since Ella was on the disabled list, I jumped at the chance to work with another dog.
Gabe working at home
Gabe was raised in the kennel and was not used to living in the house. He was a little unsettled at first, but always re-oriented to me when he was feeling uneasy. From day 1 the dog wanted nothing more than to please me. On sheep, he was pushy but very responsive. He got some good grips in early on, as in the take-sheep-down and-chew-on-them variety. Yet he never completely lost his head and always called off without much trouble.
Within no time he fit right in to the routine here. He visited the clinic, rode to town for errands, traveled with me and the girls, and played with his girlfriend Ella. At night, if he was crated anywhere *other* than right next to my bed, he howled all.night.long. He needed to be a part of the family.
Play time with his Merlefriend
Before the terrible snows came, we were lucky to be able to train just about every day. During my lunch I'd take him and Rae over to the sheep and each would get two turns. I was able to put some good mileage on him, and he was really coming on strong.
After a couple months I decided to send Gabe back to Christine. The only thing I didn't like about him was that he was not for sale. I had been looking for a youngster to train and trial while waiting for Livy to grow up, and one became available to me. As it turned out, that dog and I just didn't click. And I was sorely missing Gabe. While he was with me, I tried so hard to not become too attached to him. I always reminded myself that he was not my dog but I was just borrowing him. In the days following his return to Fieldstone Farm, I was surprised to find out how badly I missed that dog. I really had a tough time. Somewhere along the way that big hunk of a dog weasled his way deep into my heart.
"You know you love me"After the other dog didn't work out, Christine suggested I take him back to work with again. I desperately wanted to, but baby Livy had just come home and I needed to devote myself 100% to her. Well, to make a long story not *as* long, fast-forward a couple weeks and Christine found herself spread too thin amongst young dogs, and she reluctantly decided to offer him to me permanently!! It was a no-brainer...of course I wanted that dog!
So that is the story of Gaby Baby. He has the sweetest personality and is just what I'm looking for in a trial dog. Not to mention that he and Ella are bestest friends and Rae doesn't try to bite him. Gabe is still with Christine while I get Livy settled in, but I'm really looking forward to bringing him home again, this time as a new family member!
YAY!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Big Bend Trial: First Open Run
Last weekend Rae returned to the Open field as I made my Open debut at Barbara Ray's trial. Due to terrible rain and flooding in the days prior to the trial, a number of handlers didn't show up, leaving me there with literally not a single person that I knew! Dan evenutally did come for his run, but his was a few hours after mine had finished.
The field was tough and the sheep were tricky (ewes who had been weaned within the last couple days). We were up 12th, and when I went to the post, there had been only 1 complete run! Sheep left for the set out pens, wouldn't lift, broke apart and squirted everywhere, or headed for the river. If you pushed too hard, sheep were gone; not enough and they turned to face the dog. A few dogs stalled out, a few gripped off. A vast majority sent left, but I sent right along the river to prevent her from running too wide, and she ran out very well. I gave her the top to manage on her own, since everyone before me tried to micromanage it and ended up in big trouble. Took her downs well on the fetch but didn't flank as freely as I'd like. Got a little off-line but corrected after a bit of an effort convincing the sheep to move. Just missed the panels. Clockwise turn around the post was wide...she took off and was going to run way wide, I was a second late in noticing it before reigning her in. I didn't expect her to run wide there and wasn't ready for it. Good first leg with one of our best turns to start the cross drive...I managed it with downs instead of "theres" since she hasn't snapped into place as neatly as I'd like on her "theres". A little bobble on the cross-drive where we got high, but we got them back online WITHOUT her going into fetch mode! They stalled once, but she got them going again. Made the second panels, but I flanked her too late and they thought they'd head up field. She got them stopped, but then I needed her to take a difficult away flank that she just wouldn't give me. It was at a tough spot on the field due to the draws upfield, to the exhaust, and to the river. I tried and tried, but she eventually went come bye and thus we crossed our course. We were having trouble settling the sheep and regaining control, but I didn't want to give up. Eventually I stopped whistling and just encouraged her to bring me sheep any way she could. They were facing her and standing her down, but she hung in there and was very brave and got them to me at the pen. They tried to bolt once at the mouth, but she had a clean and calm flank to stop them. We had to really work for it, but got them in for a 9 point pen.
At this point I realized I forgot to set my watch (I'd never worn one before), so had no idea how much time I had left. I was SO EXCITED to get to the shedding ring, I momentarily forgot my flanks! I had to shush Rae to send her for them! I regained my composure and we worked for maybe 10 seconds before I had them lined out. There wasn't a hole, but just as I was about to call her in anyhow, the sheep rearranged themselves. We gathered them up and started over, I got a hole and she came right in! She was funny, I had to call her off quickly because it looked like she was going to take that single down! Good enough for an 8 point shed...I'm not sure if I lost points on our scenic route from the pen to the ring, or from the shed itself. But I was SO HAPPY!!
Rae is happy, too
Sunday I again sent right, she looked even nicer than yesterday at the top, but then didn't cover as I'd liked. She never flanked enough to turn them, just sort of rode them down the fetch off-line and eventually to the river fence, which wasn't that far off-line, but you were called off there due to sheep jumping the fence and falling in the river (no joke, lots of handlers got called off in this exact scenario, and there were a number of sheep that needed to be retrieved downstream on the opposite bank). I tried long flanks, short flanks, verbals, LOTS OF CORRECTIONS, even tried to down her, but nothing worked. Another handler told me the sheep were just faster than my dog, I thought she was not taking her flanks. Too bad there's no video.
One thing that was very cool was that I could see where our work has paid off. Her downs were pretty good, her flanks at the pen and shed were very nice. When the sheep stalled, she hung in there, and I was so proud that she got them up when they turned to face her. We have worked specifically on all of those skills. Need to keep on top of these things, get the shed solid, and really get her freely flanking...but we're getting there!
Our run Saturday was good enough for 12th place out of 39 dogs. Sunday we joined some good company on the DQ list. Disappointing, but I am super happy to have gotten around one day, especially on such a difficult field. I haven't seen the official results, but there easily could've been a 50% DQ/RT rate.
Not from the trial, just a random Rae picture by the river at homeSo all things considered, a great weekend for us! I learned a lot and had lots of fun!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
She's here!
I've been busy lately...with this little squirt:
Meet Liv, Renee Billadeau's Bette x Lyle Lad's Shep. Right now she's a fluffy bundle of good looks and teeth, but I'm sure hoping she turns out to be my next great trial dog. I'd been wanting a relation to Joni Swanke's Lew dog for years, and I've admired Bette since I first saw her on the trial field a couple years ago. Coincidentally, that was the first I saw Rae, and she and Renee won that day :) Anyhow, Bette is a Lew daughter, and not only is she a very talented dog, she's as sweet as can be. I've not seen Shep in person, but word is he's a fine trial dog. I have seen 2 of his pups work. Both Bette and Shep ran in the Nursery and Open Finals as 3 year olds, so I'm hoping that means that Livy will be ready to start sooner rather than later. For now, she gets to enjoy being a puppy while learning how to be a good girl. I met Livy the day after she was born, but I didn't know that she would be the one coming home with me until she was 8 weeks old. Here are some photos (a few by Mark):
Happy Birthday!
The 9 of them at 1 day old
The females, day 1
Livy, day 1
Livy at 4 weeks during my visit
5 weeks
7 weeks, Livy on the left, Mark's Eve on the right, and Renee's Tally in the back
Livy and Tally
10 weeks
She's a spitfire, for sure, and I just love her. We're off to the Big Bend trial this weekend. More on Livy later!
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