Last weekend we set sail on the maiden voyage of the new camper and went up to Dave Fetterman's Borders On Paradise trial. It was my first time and it was a success! A big entry of 91 dogs and some steep competition, my dogs worked well and made me very happy. Gabe's best finish was at 17th and Livy's was 35th. I made plenty of mistakes myself on those two runs; here's hoping that means it's easier to fix me than the dogs!
Details later...I'm off to Kentucky for the Bluegrass! Livy and Gabe both got in Open and I decided to play around with Lena in PN. Looking forward to it!
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Friday, March 28, 2014
Welcome, Rob!
My pseudo-puppy-raising project has officially turned into a permanent addition. I am certainly not dog-poor, but this little dude was not something I could pass on. For so many reasons.
So here is Stilhope Rob, son of Denise Wall's Mick and May. He very much wants to work now, but he's just too small to catch my flighty lambs. Rob will have to suffer through the boredom of being a spoiled puppy until he grows a little bigger.
So here is Stilhope Rob, son of Denise Wall's Mick and May. He very much wants to work now, but he's just too small to catch my flighty lambs. Rob will have to suffer through the boredom of being a spoiled puppy until he grows a little bigger.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Stuck at home
Well I was sure looking forward to returning to returning to Dawn's Lazy J February trial...but it just wasn't meant to be.
The week before the trial I sold all but 3 ewes because they were not up to my standards health or working wise. I kept the 3 best ones to leave me with something to train on before the trial and to hold me over until my lambs could work or I could buy new sheep. Two days after the culls left, I went to take the remaining ewes across the street to work. As soon as they saw Gabe they ran like they were feral and took off down the road. Gabe and I trailed them for a mile, but since the roads were so winding and narrow, I never could get to a place where I felt safe sending Gabe to head them. Eventually we lost their trail and had to go home. I searched all day on foot and in the car, even took the dogs with me to help look, and never saw them again.
The next morning a call came in to the clinic that some sheep were standing in someone's yard about 2 miles from my house. The woman was angry because I couldn't come to get them until my lunch break and ended up hanging up on me! Her attitude was surprising because it's the dead of winter, so no nice lawn or garden for them to destroy, and jeez, we live in the sticks! Since I had many surgeries to get to, I had two girls from work go put them up in the neighboring field that had sheep, cos, and a goat. At lunch time I took Gabe and a work friend to go catch them, and what a fun adventure that was! First we had to put the undogged cows up in a shed, and that was a chore because some were spoiled pets who had no manners or sense. The three of us finally got them up and then had to deal with the menagerie of sheep. My feral three were amongst about a dozen others that included aggressive suffolks, rams, a mom with her newborns, and even a neurological goat. There were no chutes, pens, or gates, so Gabe and I had to sort them in the open and then after much work, the three of us got mine loaded on my trailer and ready to go home. We were muddy, bloody, and sore, but we got it done!
The next couple days the dogs and I tried to settle the feral sheep at home in a small field, but they were just crazy. Even so, it was good preparation for the trial at Dawn's which can have some very light sheep. I was really looking forward to the trial and spending a weekend away from home in the camper, but it wasn't meant to be. On the way to the trial Friday night I was run off the interstate by a tractor trailer and the camper and Suburban slid jack-knifed down the grassy median. Long-story short, it was ridiculously scary but me and all 6 dogs were not injured. The camper ended up being a total loss and the Suburban has been undergoing repairs for what seems like forever, which means that we truly have been stuck at home since I don't have another vehicle that can transport all the dogs.
I've found another camper that I think I will like even better than the last one. I've put a deposit on it, have the insurance money from the old camper, so am just waiting for the Suburban to be fixed so I can pick it up! In the meantime I've worked a million hours at the day (and night and weekend) job and have just been lounging around at home doing minimal work with the dogs. It's nice to have some time off but I'm getting a little stir-crazy here, and I'm thinking they are, too.
The week before the trial I sold all but 3 ewes because they were not up to my standards health or working wise. I kept the 3 best ones to leave me with something to train on before the trial and to hold me over until my lambs could work or I could buy new sheep. Two days after the culls left, I went to take the remaining ewes across the street to work. As soon as they saw Gabe they ran like they were feral and took off down the road. Gabe and I trailed them for a mile, but since the roads were so winding and narrow, I never could get to a place where I felt safe sending Gabe to head them. Eventually we lost their trail and had to go home. I searched all day on foot and in the car, even took the dogs with me to help look, and never saw them again.
The next morning a call came in to the clinic that some sheep were standing in someone's yard about 2 miles from my house. The woman was angry because I couldn't come to get them until my lunch break and ended up hanging up on me! Her attitude was surprising because it's the dead of winter, so no nice lawn or garden for them to destroy, and jeez, we live in the sticks! Since I had many surgeries to get to, I had two girls from work go put them up in the neighboring field that had sheep, cos, and a goat. At lunch time I took Gabe and a work friend to go catch them, and what a fun adventure that was! First we had to put the undogged cows up in a shed, and that was a chore because some were spoiled pets who had no manners or sense. The three of us finally got them up and then had to deal with the menagerie of sheep. My feral three were amongst about a dozen others that included aggressive suffolks, rams, a mom with her newborns, and even a neurological goat. There were no chutes, pens, or gates, so Gabe and I had to sort them in the open and then after much work, the three of us got mine loaded on my trailer and ready to go home. We were muddy, bloody, and sore, but we got it done!
The next couple days the dogs and I tried to settle the feral sheep at home in a small field, but they were just crazy. Even so, it was good preparation for the trial at Dawn's which can have some very light sheep. I was really looking forward to the trial and spending a weekend away from home in the camper, but it wasn't meant to be. On the way to the trial Friday night I was run off the interstate by a tractor trailer and the camper and Suburban slid jack-knifed down the grassy median. Long-story short, it was ridiculously scary but me and all 6 dogs were not injured. The camper ended up being a total loss and the Suburban has been undergoing repairs for what seems like forever, which means that we truly have been stuck at home since I don't have another vehicle that can transport all the dogs.
I've found another camper that I think I will like even better than the last one. I've put a deposit on it, have the insurance money from the old camper, so am just waiting for the Suburban to be fixed so I can pick it up! In the meantime I've worked a million hours at the day (and night and weekend) job and have just been lounging around at home doing minimal work with the dogs. It's nice to have some time off but I'm getting a little stir-crazy here, and I'm thinking they are, too.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Lazy J January SDT
Always a good opportunity to spruce up our hair sheep handling at Dawn's winter trials. The dogs have been doing lambing work at home and none of us were very prepared for slipping into trial mode. The Open course this time was the front field run from the top of the hill (where the set out usually is) down over a ridge and crossing into the lower field. It really made for a difficult outrun. At the top of the ridge there had been cross fencing that separated the two fields. On the right the perimeter fence jutted in and the t posts from the cross fence were still in place along the top of the ridge the whole way across to the fetch panels. On the left side the cross fence was still in place from about 15ft away from the fetch panel to the perimeter fence, where there was an open gate for the dog to go through. On both outruns you couldn't see your dog to prevent a cross-over; on the away outrun the dogs also saw the set out pens across the field which was yet another thing to draw them in. When deciding which way to send, each side provided unique drawbacks. Saturday I chose to send both dogs right.
We were so far behind schedule due to bad weather that you got DQ'ed if you crossed. Gabe crossed below the ridge when he looked in and spotted the set out across the narrow field. Livy as I was told, tried to find her way thru the perimeter fence that stuck out but ended up crossing below the ridge as well. Luckily we were allowed to bring the sheep; Gabe started well but then singled one off with his eye near the post and wouldn't let go of it as it turned on him. I was not happy about that. Liv worked well but they drifted to my left after the fetch panel and when she flanked to cover she ended up on the far side of the cross fencing and the sheep on the near side!! So she had to run the length of the cross fence to the gate to get back to her sheep. In the meantime, our one black sheep left the white ones and got in the woods. I couldn't see to help her as that one completely blended in with the background. The helpful judge had walked out to tell me to just bring the two when suddenly Livy had the black one back with the others. She brought them nicely and did the first leg of the drive before we exhausted them. Really happy with her effort!
Sunday I sent both dogs left and they both made it out through the gate on their own. Gabe didn't work well and after fighting to keep them together on the first half of the fetch, he decided to just brought me a single and wouldn't let go of it. We have been doing that sort of work at home. I was very disappointed because he knows better, but I can give him a break because he's been working lots of troublesome singles at home. Livy had sheep that went 2 and 1 around the course. We worked our butts off to get things under control for the first part of the fetch, she was listening well but I ended up letting her do it herself for the second half because I had trouble seeing. Sometimes she took the single to the others, sometimes she took the two to the single. I figured she knew better than me, anyway. Good first leg and decent cross drive but missed panels because of my poor judgement. Quick shed and pen...we had almost 4 minutes left! The run wasn't "trial pretty" but I was happy again. Found out later that we placed 10th of 51 dogs!! Yay Livy!!!! Our first Open placement :D
Lena got her first turn in the PN on a very tiny field. She didn't work nearly up to her potential, but I'm sure she'll get the hang of it soon. I don't want to crank on her too much because she is so young at 18 months. At home she can outrun 500 yards, drive, and shed a single. She wasn't quite ready to do that at the trial, but we did finish the course both days and she had nice pens, especially for a dog who has never seen a pen before!
Gabe and Lena may not have had a great trial, but Livy made me so happy! She was using her brain instead of just going through the motions at warp speed. As she matures she is becoming quite fun to work, it's just taken us awhile to get on the same page.
We were so far behind schedule due to bad weather that you got DQ'ed if you crossed. Gabe crossed below the ridge when he looked in and spotted the set out across the narrow field. Livy as I was told, tried to find her way thru the perimeter fence that stuck out but ended up crossing below the ridge as well. Luckily we were allowed to bring the sheep; Gabe started well but then singled one off with his eye near the post and wouldn't let go of it as it turned on him. I was not happy about that. Liv worked well but they drifted to my left after the fetch panel and when she flanked to cover she ended up on the far side of the cross fencing and the sheep on the near side!! So she had to run the length of the cross fence to the gate to get back to her sheep. In the meantime, our one black sheep left the white ones and got in the woods. I couldn't see to help her as that one completely blended in with the background. The helpful judge had walked out to tell me to just bring the two when suddenly Livy had the black one back with the others. She brought them nicely and did the first leg of the drive before we exhausted them. Really happy with her effort!
Sunday I sent both dogs left and they both made it out through the gate on their own. Gabe didn't work well and after fighting to keep them together on the first half of the fetch, he decided to just brought me a single and wouldn't let go of it. We have been doing that sort of work at home. I was very disappointed because he knows better, but I can give him a break because he's been working lots of troublesome singles at home. Livy had sheep that went 2 and 1 around the course. We worked our butts off to get things under control for the first part of the fetch, she was listening well but I ended up letting her do it herself for the second half because I had trouble seeing. Sometimes she took the single to the others, sometimes she took the two to the single. I figured she knew better than me, anyway. Good first leg and decent cross drive but missed panels because of my poor judgement. Quick shed and pen...we had almost 4 minutes left! The run wasn't "trial pretty" but I was happy again. Found out later that we placed 10th of 51 dogs!! Yay Livy!!!! Our first Open placement :D
Lena got her first turn in the PN on a very tiny field. She didn't work nearly up to her potential, but I'm sure she'll get the hang of it soon. I don't want to crank on her too much because she is so young at 18 months. At home she can outrun 500 yards, drive, and shed a single. She wasn't quite ready to do that at the trial, but we did finish the course both days and she had nice pens, especially for a dog who has never seen a pen before!
Lena starts the drive
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Bon Voyage, Spain!
Yes, it was hard. I've never parted with a dog, but it was time for Spain to move on.
She was progressively showing me that she didn't want to trial in Open any longer. In fact, the last several trials she had to be on leash before our turn or she'd run off and not come to me. I have *never* treated her harshly in the least bit and really, didn't put much training pressure on her at all.
We had a long year of hitting a lot of trials. I gave her a couple months off. I checked her for tick diseases and have her on thyroid meds, but she just lost her spark when working. She was perfectly happy to be a pet and loved to race around with the other dogs, but I was worried she'd get lost in my pack and not get the attention she deserved. Whatever was going on, she wasn't happy working for me anymore, and she is still so young and talented that I thought if a suitable novice home presented itself, I'd place her. Several people were interested in her, but for various reasons I didn't find them to be the perfect match, and I wasn't going to settle for anything but the best for everyone involved.
It just sort of worked out that a friend who wasn't even looking for a dog was tempted enough to convince her husband to add a 3rd dog. Lynn has Gabe's younger brother and a puppy. She is thoughtful and compassionate, and understands Spain's needs as a working dog and pet. We talked a lot and decided it could be a good fit, so I decided this might be 'the one.'
The closer the time came to give her Spain, the more I felt sad about placing her. But it wasn't fair for her to stay with me and not get what she deserves, she is a special girl! My bitches were never mean to her, but she was low in status, didn't like all the activity in the house, and preferred to keep to herself. I could tell that she wanted to be a bigger part of my life, but was too intimidated by the rest of the pack.
Spain has now been in her new home for almost 2 weeks. She has opened up and sounds to be doing great, friendly with the other dogs, cat, and family members. Her new household is much quieter than mine and with 2 younger males as her housemates, she is experimenting with being the Top Dog! She even went to work for Lynn her first time out, which was something I worried (too much) about. Yay!!
All in all, I am happy, but it's still weird to see pictures of her on someone else's FB page! Lynn takes far better photos than I do, anyway.
She was progressively showing me that she didn't want to trial in Open any longer. In fact, the last several trials she had to be on leash before our turn or she'd run off and not come to me. I have *never* treated her harshly in the least bit and really, didn't put much training pressure on her at all.
We had a long year of hitting a lot of trials. I gave her a couple months off. I checked her for tick diseases and have her on thyroid meds, but she just lost her spark when working. She was perfectly happy to be a pet and loved to race around with the other dogs, but I was worried she'd get lost in my pack and not get the attention she deserved. Whatever was going on, she wasn't happy working for me anymore, and she is still so young and talented that I thought if a suitable novice home presented itself, I'd place her. Several people were interested in her, but for various reasons I didn't find them to be the perfect match, and I wasn't going to settle for anything but the best for everyone involved.
It just sort of worked out that a friend who wasn't even looking for a dog was tempted enough to convince her husband to add a 3rd dog. Lynn has Gabe's younger brother and a puppy. She is thoughtful and compassionate, and understands Spain's needs as a working dog and pet. We talked a lot and decided it could be a good fit, so I decided this might be 'the one.'
The closer the time came to give her Spain, the more I felt sad about placing her. But it wasn't fair for her to stay with me and not get what she deserves, she is a special girl! My bitches were never mean to her, but she was low in status, didn't like all the activity in the house, and preferred to keep to herself. I could tell that she wanted to be a bigger part of my life, but was too intimidated by the rest of the pack.
Spain has now been in her new home for almost 2 weeks. She has opened up and sounds to be doing great, friendly with the other dogs, cat, and family members. Her new household is much quieter than mine and with 2 younger males as her housemates, she is experimenting with being the Top Dog! She even went to work for Lynn her first time out, which was something I worried (too much) about. Yay!!
All in all, I am happy, but it's still weird to see pictures of her on someone else's FB page! Lynn takes far better photos than I do, anyway.
At Rural Hill, our last trial
2013 USBCHA Finals
Thanks for the fun, Spainie! Love you!
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