Edgeworth

You know it's Fall when it's time for Tommy and Florence Wilson's famed Edgeworth Open trial.  This year the traditional trial field was recently seeded, so Tommy devised an equally tricky course on another portion of his beautiful central VA farm.  The outrun, though short at only 350yds, was very tricky with it's rolling terrain, and as a result, a very high percentage of dogs crossed over or ran out poorly on the first go.

Gabe was my first to run, and as he crested the first hill I gave him a security redirect to keep him out.  He took it perfectly and continued on to have a lovely outrun.  The middle part of the fetch was in a big dip, so it was blind to the handler at the post.  Gabe went in online and to my surprise emerged online!  We made the fetch panels and continued on with a nice pace.  His first leg of the drive was fine, it was that darn cross-drive where he boogered up a flank.  It took some effort to get things back together, but he was working well til he took a wrong flank at the cross-drive panel and we just missed them.  Decent return leg and onto the pen, where many teams failed to get the wily sheep in.  He was controlled and working very well for me and we managed a nice pen.  Plenty of time in the shed ring and we got a shed that I was quite happy with.  It was a respectable run score-wise and more importantly, I was really happy with his work.

 

Gabe on the first leg, Sue's cell phone pic

 

When I sent Spain, I'd already decided to give her a security redirect as well, and apparently that really blew her mind.  She took it well, but after that she was wound as tightly as could be, overflanking, running through my stops, taking wrong flanks...pretty much just plain ugliness.  I know we missed the fetch panels and I don't remember about the rest of the way around the course other than we were fighting.  She and I got our act together enough for a good pen and a poor, but accepted shed.  I can only remember one other time when she worked like that and coincidentally or not, it was when I'd given her a redirect on her outrun.  Hmm.

The second go included a dog-leg fetch followed by an interesting drive, a maltese cross (must get them all through) and pen.  Gabe ran out beautifully without the need for any security or other redirects, so I was really happy to see that.  He had trouble on the dog-leg (homework for us), and we didn't get them online til the fetch panels.  He had a good driveaway going, and yet AGAIN, messed up a flank about halfway across the cross-drive.  We got things straightened out and made the next panel and had a good flow coming to the cross.  We got them in the first chute but I'm not sure what happened and next thing I knew they'd turned and were headed down one of the cross alleys.  I had him pick them up again and we put them back through correctly this time.  He brought them nicely to the second mouth of the cross and we sent them through without much fuss.  I sent him to gather as I went to the pen, and he brought them nicely and in they went.  Woohoo!  I was SO proud of him, his at hand work was especially nice and workmanlike, we really only goofed on the dog-leg and the cross-drive.  I was quite happy with our run and again our score was probably about mid-pack.

 

Not me, just a course picture; sheep set to left, fetch gates in the middle of the picture,

drive away on the left, cross-drive out of sight to the right. Much of the fetch is actually out of sight of this pic, the terrain dips just beyond the fetch panels

 

Still not me, third drive leg to the cross, pen on the right

 

Spain ran near the end of the round at a time when the winds were coming up, which had me worried.  I sent her and kept my mouth shut as she ran out, trusting that she'd learned her lesson on the first outrun.  She did, and was nice and pliable at the top for the dog-leg.  She had her listening ears on, for sure, and did a lovely fetch straight to the fetch panels, turned, then straight to my feet.  Her sheep were a little heavy but she worked hard to push them around the course with precision.  I really didn't know where the cross-drive line was, I'd had no markers picked out since I missed the walk-through, so we just went for it and marched across the field.  Made the panels, good line to the cross.  We worked calmly and patiently to get them through, she had a nice tight turn to bring them back to the second entrance and through again.  I could feel the momentum of a good run, so I left her in a down to hold the sheep as I walked over to the pen.  She gathered them and we went on to have a slow and careful pen.  What a feeling closing that pen gate, I knew we'd had a smoking run and I was so proud of her!  Turned out that we tied for 3rd with Beverly on a 91, and though I didn't see the breakdown, we ended up 4th after the tie was broken.  What a thrilling experience!!

 

Edgeworth 2012

Virginia State Fair

Since I was unable to get off of work to go to the VBCA's major public outreach-type trial, at the last minute I decided to go up to the State Fair and run the dogs in their fun trial.  I'd never been to an arena trial and they were looking for entries, so why not?!  It was super fun!  Spain and Gabe got 2 runs in Open and Livy got 1 PN run and 2 Ranch runs.  This was a judged arena trial, not a time/points one, so that added an interesting twist to the course.  Spain ran very well for me, and I was very happy with Gabe even though our lines weren't great.  There's not much room to make adjustments after a wrong (and big, fast) flank, but he made the obstacles and was trying very hard.  He had a couple opportunities to lose his temper, and in the past he would've been quick to use his teeth, but he kept a cool head and I was very happy.  Liv came out like she was shot from a cannon, but she got better with each run.  Though she was fast, she listened great except for a couple wrong flanks and she was trying so hard to be my teammate.  Being in an arena, it was hard to get a good flow and just let her settle in, but there were a couple moments where she was able to fall in behind and relax. 

So the arena trial was very fun, and it was a good opportunity to work my dogs in a new place.  I was really happy to see Livy improve with each run, and her last run was a smoker.  Reinforced my belief that she just needs to burn off some excitement.  I saw some areas that need improvement on all of my dogs, so it was nice to come away feeling like we did well, but also found some homework.

 

Livy was watching the sheep in the arena

Spring Creek SDT

Last weekend we went to a new-to-me trial in Lebanon, TN at Spring Creek Farm.  The weather was wonderful and the field was great.  The course was very flat and the dorpers were set at about 450 yards.  Some groups were rather opinionated runners, though overall very consistent, and in general, they rewarded the strong-eyed dogs with smaller flanks and a slower pace (ie not Gabe!). 

 

Trial field

 

Gabe ran first for me and I was very pleased with him.  The lift was nice but shortly thereafter they bolted toward the right in the direction of the exhaust.  Instead of letting him cover, I downed him, because I'm so used to over-handling him at the top in order to keep him reigned in.  My mistake.  Shortly after the fetch panels we were finally able to bring them back online and get them settled, and he had a nice, controlled drive around the course except for a couple mixed up flanks.  Since these sheep were so touchy, a wrong flank was very costly for Gabe since he covers a lot of ground quickly, so our lines were not pretty, but he made his panels.  Over the weekend the sheep showed no problems penning, so after a quick pen we went out into the shedding ring with plenty of time.  These sheep were notoriously tricky to shed, so the judge allowed any single to be taken.  We worked for probably 1:30 trying to get a hole amongst sheep that wanted to alternate between putting their heads down and glom together and bolting.  But Gabe really helped to make the hole and I got him in cleanly!

 

Spain had a nice go during a spell when the sheep were feeling a little cranky.  She stopped short on her outrun, which I've not encountered before, and I whistled her on and gave up the points instead of waiting to see what she'd do.  She was a little speedy and the fetch had a couple minor wobbles, but her drive was quite nice and she was feeling them very well.  Into the pen and then to the ring.  I wasn't out there very long when a fortunate opening appeared, and wasn't sure whether to take it or re-gather and do it correctly, but since the judge had said "any sheep, anyway", I figured I'd better go for it, and Spain said OK.  Spain and I had lots of fans because this area was part of her old stomping grounds.  Her owner was even there to see us (well, and run his other dogs).  We got an 87 for our efforts, but the competition was outstanding, and we only landed in 16th place.

I ran Livy for her first time ever in the Pro-Novice.  Her work is above that level, but she is very excited at home, and even more excited away from home, so we may need to hang out in PN a little.  The PN outrun was 200 yards and the fetch was parallel to the exhaust.  That pressure didn't help her I'm-so-excited-I-want-to-run-tight outrun, so I had to stop and redirect her, and she got out there fine but I still would've liked to see her wider.  The sheep bolted and she covered well, but everyone was running.  I tried to get everyone settled at the post turn, but these sheep were determined to run.  Every time I flanked her to cut off their escape, they did a 180 and sprinted in the other direction.  She flanked to stop them, they ran away.  We just couldn't get a flow going.  There was a moment where I thought we'd gotten everyone settled and she was able to walk straight onto them, but that was quickly lost as the leader made a break for it.  I retired, but not too disappointed in her efforts.  She was excited but was listening and trying hard to do what I asked.  It was a situation we'd not been in before, so both of us were in over our heads.

Sunday they changed the course just a little to add to degree of difficulty.  The sheep were set at the same distance, but made a left-hand dog-leg fetch to a barrel, then through the fetch panels, then turn at a bucket in front of the post.  This greatly changed the line to the driveaway panel and made it tough to pick out.  Gabe was the second dog to the post; the first run didn't go well.  It was very hard to see the top end due to the sun and haze, but he stopped right where I asked him to and nailed the dog-leg...actually, a little too well, as one of them slipped to the wrong side of the barrel.  I had trouble seeing and I knew we didn't have great precision anyway, so I wasn't disappointed in the least.  He fell in nicely on the left side of the sheep and had them coming very straight, but we were slightly offline.  I was afraid to flank him away to bump them back online for fear of them running down the right side of the field, since that was where we were beat Saturday.  So we skimmed the outside of the left fetch panel and continued to the post on about the same path.  I was being cautious, but happy with the flow, so just kept on.  He had another good drive and made both panels, but we had a spell of him taking a wrong whistle, me correcting him with a wrong verbal, and him taking the desired flank on the wrong verbal.  Groan.  Another easy pen, but I had some brain farts going from the pen to the ring and they scooted out of the ring before I got them settled.  We were in there for nearly another 2 minutes, and it was starting to look a little worrisome, but he continued to help me out and we got a great shed!  I was so happy with him, that was the hardest course we've ever been on and he did so well for me!

Spain started off on a bad note as she fought me for the dog-leg.  She'd pulled-up short Saturday and got whistled on, so this time when I stopped her short and downed her, she decided to continue on to balance.  I kept moving her back to the correct spot, and she kept righting herself.  So we lost a number of points there, but eventually did make the barrel.  The rest of the run was very nice, a little faster pace than most runs but the lines were nice, until my panel panic right before the cross-drive gates.  I could see that she wanted to turn them low, but I just couldn't think of what her away whistle was!  Ahh!  So I blanked out and sort of gave-up, letting her turn them just inside the panel.  Good pen, and this time she got her well-earned shed.  I could've kicked myself when I saw that we ended up 3 points out of the placings...way to throw away that panel.  But that's ok, I was happy with our work.  I didn't really think we'd had a chance since our lift was so poor, but lesson learned for me.

I actually didn't stay to run Liv in her second PN run.  I wanted to give her another chance, but the sheep were getting crankier and I was quite tired.  The trial was a time-zone behind me, so the 6-hour drive home became a 7-hour drive, and since I didn't have my usual Monday off of work, I decided to leave after running Spain.

This was a good trial for me.  I do not have enough experience on flat fields, and this was the biggest trial course that Gabe has encountered.  Spain got to run in front of her friends and she really worked well for me.  Liv got a taste of the action and showed some good stuff.

Pipedream Farm SDT

Last weekend we returned to Mark and Renee's for their Open trial.  The course was pretty much the same as the Ranch one from June, with the first day having a shed then pen, while the second day went pen-shed.  Two ewes and two lambs were run, and the sheep definitely kept the handlers on their toes.  Some wanted to be pretty touchy while others were a bit stodgy around the course.

Spain had just returned to action from being laid off for 3 weeks due to a minor surgery.  She had been on crate rest for the first 2 weeks, then I resumed some light exercise (leash walks and treadmill) before the trial.  I worked her for 5 minutes before leaving and she was wild, and of course she had to grab one of the lambs and totally rattle my confidence.  She drew up early on Saturday and ran like a wildwoman.  I'd previously over-handled her on these sheep, so I let her run through a few stops and overflank a little on the fetch, which was what I thought I had to do, but turned out to not work so well as she hustled them around the course.  I don't remember too much about the run other than I didn't like her attitude when we entered the shedding ring.  I had a couple decent holes, but I chickened out and never did call her in.  I disappointed myself there; I knew I couldn't be afraid to call her in or show any hesitation, but I had too much on my mind and over-thought things.  I think we probably finished mid-pack.

 

Gabe's turn

 

Gabe's sheep came off the top of the hill quickly and the lift was offline.  Since you cannot see the top of the outrun or the dog's approach to the sheep from the post, I'd figured he'd been too strong at the top.  I had waited an extra second from when my mental image of him running behind the hill told me to blow him down, and so figured that he'd turned on himself and didn't hitch up.  So I was mad at him and continued to run him mad.  I know better, I really do.  He is very in tune with my emotions and needs me to stay calm, and I let him down.  The run was not memorable, but looking back I think he was actually trying very hard.  We'd just gotten off to a bad start with the sheep and they never forgave him.  And I was angry.  When we got to the shed ring he became hesitant and didn't come in when I called.  I eventually retired because we just weren't together.  It was all my fault.

 

About to turn the post with Gabe

 

To make matters worse, I found out from the spotter that Gabe's group of sheep was an uncommonly unruly group that was difficult to bring out from the pens and then to keep settled at the top.  He actually was behaving himself and didn't crash into them as I suspected.  So I'd been mad at him for nothing.  Ugh.

 

Katahdins in the set-out pens

 

 

 

Mark taking a group out late Saturday

 

Sunday I decided I needed to get my head in the game better.  I got ahold of Spain early in her run and she was working much better.  We had a really nice go around the course and were looking good coming to the pen.  These sheep were not too keen on going in, and as we worked them around I thought we finally were in good shape with all 4 in the mouth.  A lamb caught me completely off-guard and decided to leap over me and the rope.  Spain was there to catch it, but the other 3 ran out in the meantime.  We never did get them back in, so timed out leaving 20 points on the field.  We scored a 72 and although I was super-bummed about the pen incident, I felt like we were on the same page around the course, so I was happy about that.

 

Sue captured the heartbreaking moment on her phone

 

Gabe was third to last to run and I was focused on keeping calm.  I whistled him down earlier than before, saw the sheeps' heads turn, downed him again, and saw sheep walk straight forward off the hill!  We had to adjust the fetch several times and in the last portion right before the post I settled for being slightly offline as he brought them to me.  I goofed at the turn and let him get too far to the heads, which turned them back toward the side they just came.  Got them righted and continued on down the driveaway with a good pace.  We had a bit of panel-panic and as we zig-zagged just in front of the panel, I eventually settled for turning just in front of the inside panel since he was lined up nicely for the cross-drive.  Going across the bowl-shaped field is quite deceptive, but I managed to hit my markers (with Gabe!!?) and keep a nice pace.  He took a wrong flank just in front of the panel, but I got it corrected in time and we made it through.  A little wobbly third leg was followed by a 10 point pen and a 10 point shed!  Our first completed Open course!!  It was such a wonderful feeling as I stood there watching him march the two split sheep out of the ring :D  We scored a 77 and finished 12th of 56 dogs.  Not bad for a team who's still trying to figure out this trialing gig.

Even though everyone else left, I stayed over that night and helped tend to some post-trialing needs the next morning: sorting sheep, moving rams, and doctoring some sheep who'd not been fit enough for the trial.  Liv got a decent work in before we hit the road for home.

 Not Livy, but her mom Bette en route to the pen

Sunview SDT

Labor Day weekend brought about a new trial run by Maggie Chambers up in Quakertown, PA.  It was a bit of a trip for me, but I got to stop by Dad's on the way there and he got to come see my runs!  And it was so fun to see my Northern friends that I miss so much!

The field was very tricky, being quite small and having lots of pressure.  The sheep were beautiful wool crosses that were quick to run to escape and happy to stand down a dog.  I had entered Gabe in both Ranch and Open because in NEBCA trials you can do that until your dog places in Open...only problem is that I have no more NEBCA trials scheduled for the fall, so now Gabe is stuck in Open for all the trials we'll be attending.  I was hoping Ranch would run first so I could get some nerves out of the way, but nope, Open first and Gabe was the 2nd dog to the post.  The first dog got stuck on the cross-drive when the sheep saw their buddies in the set-out only a short distance away...yikes!  I took a deep breath and sent him left.  I think he would've been fine but I gave him a safety redirect (never hurts to check in with him to be sure he's listening).  With the sun shining in my eyes and a dark treeline bordering the edge of the field, I couldn't see him at all, so who knows what he did at the top.  But when the sheep started moving I could figure out where he was and he seemed to be listening well.  We had a good fetch, had to work it but he was flanking and stopping well, tight turn and fair start to the drive.  Then it gets a little foggy...I think we missed our first panels and our cross-drive was quite scenic.  He was pacing and trying to listen, just taking some wrong whistles.  But I was OK with that.  We were far from being on line, but I was thrilled with his attitude and how he was handling the sheep, so I figured I might as well stay on the field and keep working through it.  After the cross-drive was what turned out to be, as the day wore on, a nearly impossible chute which you had to make before going to shed.  We timed out after a brief attempt since our drive was so time-consuming.  So that was Gabe's first Open run!!  Not really what I'd had in my mind...the outrun was short at less than 300yds, ugly drive, didn't get a chance to shed...but still, I was really pleased with our go.

Spain ran toward the end and we actually had a pretty tidy run except for a few costly mistakes on my end.  I turned just inside the drive away panel, got flustered and gave her the wrong flank (so she crossed her course), then turned AGAIN just inside the cross-drive panel!  We also timed out at the chute of doom.  This run made me realize that I need experience on flat fields because the depth perception was obviously an issue for me.

Gabe had his Ranch run in the heat of the day.  The outrun was slightly shorter and the chute was made wider and shorter to give us a fighting chance!  I decided to send him right this time and could actually see him to stop him at the top.  He listened well and brought them at a nice controlled pace right down the field.  All the runs blended together so I can't remember about the drive panels, and I know we got scenic again, but he was listening.  I do remember that he had one who kept wanting to leave and he handled it well.  We did get the chute and ended up 4th out of about 30 dogs.  The class wasn't the prettiest, but the Open teams had some difficulty as well, so it was understandable.

Rae got to work a little bit by taking a turn on the exhaust field.  Someone was taking sheep off the field and bumping them into the exhaust field for us to pick up and put away in the paddock.  It was very hot by then, the terrain was rough, and she was not in shape, so she was pretty tired when her turn was over.  But happy!

 

We could see just a tiny bit of the action from our post. 

This picture shows a rare moment with the sun behind the clouds!

Sunday I again ran Gabe first in the Open.  I sent him right, got him stopped and listening well down the fetch and around the post, but then misread the pressure on the driveaway.  I was protecting a previous draw toward the inside of the field (and setout) when these guys wanted to go toward the exhaust.  I flanked him to cover too late, and because of the fenceline jutting out into the field, he couldn't get to them in time before they were at the exhaust and slipping through the high-tensile.  I did check to be sure that he was behaving and not in chase mode, and I was reassured that he was trying to cover them :)  So that screw up was 100% my fault, which was disappointing, but acceptable.

 

My friend Barbara tries to shed, so hard when the sheep are glued to you!

Sunday was rainy.

 

Spain ran in the last third and we had a surprisingly good go!  The two of us worked that course about the best that we could, made the chute, and then got to the shedding ring.  Though everyone was getting the chute now that it had been adjusted, there were but a handful of sheds during the day because the sheep were very people friendly.  I didn't have much time because we were slow around the course, and as time was ticking down I pulled off a Hail Mary as I called her in on a ridiculously hard attempt...AND SHE CAME FLYING IN!!  YAY Spain!  She was just turning the single as the judge called time, and unfortunately we did not receive any shed points.  On one hand I was pretty bummed, and even though the peanut gallery protested for my points, the judge said nope!  But it was a huge moral victory for me and I couldn't have been happier with Spain's effort.  We ended up in 3rd out of 53 dogs, how cool is that?  Our 86 was just topped by two 87's, rats!

 

It was her owner's birthday, what a fun present! 

Cell phone picture courtesy of B. Levinson

 

Gabe had one more turn in Ranch and as a training experience I made him go left even though he really was set on going right for the 3rd time in a row.  He didn't need his redirect this time, so I was happy to see he remembered that.  A sweet fetch and good start to the drive, made the drive-away panels, crooked cross-drive, don't remember the second panels, and made the chute.  Good enough for 7th this time and another run that I was pleased with.

So that's Gabe's Open debut (and Spain's third Open trial).  He tried so hard to be a good boy and listen to me.  I only saw the breakdown of his Sunday scores, and he had a 19 point fetch and a 20 point fetch for those.  And we really had to work the fetch, the sheep did not just run straight down the field, so that made me quite happy.  His RT was my fault.  He took some wrong flanks, but that is not unexpected, just where we're at right now.  It was not that he was disobeying me or running over me like in the past.  And Spain sure tried her very best for me and it felt like we were on the same page.  So a good weekend for both dogs, though plenty of room for improvement!

Prelude to Fall

The Fall trials will bring about a big transition period for me: no more running the experienced and 100% reliable, I'll be bringing out the new team. 

At 11 years old I have decided to retire Rae.  She is in good health and her hearing seems fine, but she's lost a step.  Her flanks have become a little slicey, especially at the pen (fatigue?), and her outrun is occasionally not as big as it used to be.  She asks for more input from me, which is a little strange since we've gotten to the point where I could either shush her or say her name to get most jobs done around the farm.  So, with these subtle signs popping up in the last several months, I decided to retire her from competition and let her do whatever she wants to on the farm.  It will be strange to not run her at a trial.  The one big thing she gave me was confidence.  I knew we wouldn't get into trouble out there, I knew she'd pick up my slack and carry me around the course, and the two of us knew how to work with each other.  It was comfortable running her, and I will miss that immensely.  But I want her to retire with dignity and not be seen as an old dog struggling to get around.  At first I was conflicted with the decision, but now I am comfortable and even somewhat relieved by it. 

 

Rae spots sheep at the handler's meeting, Shoofly Farm SDT; photo by M. Dobbs

 

Since I won't be running Rae, that means that Spain and Gabe will need to step up with Livy on deck.

I got Spain last Spring as a loaner dog in hopes of being able to run her in Open.  She was a seasoned Open Ranch dog who hadn't been moved up in part because of her Achilles' heel: the shed.  (Her owner also has 2 very successful Open dogs he is running).  Historically, she had a lot of tension at the shed and was very grippy.  The two of us took some time to figure each other out, and we spent a lot of time and patience trying to re-teach the shed.  I had been pleased with our progress, but what really turned a corner for us was a lesson with Lyle.  She showed me a whole new approach to shedding, and Spain took to it like a fish to water!  So we've put some more time in practicing the shed and I'm really excited about what she's showing me!  Spain's main strength on the field is that she is a very obedient dog and a good listener.  Though she's been around many courses, she's not experienced some of the big outruns that Open can offer.  And of course, competition shedding.

 

Spain at Pipedream Farm SDT; photo by L. Roberts

Gabe is about as opposite from Spain as you can get.  I've put a lot of work into him and he is definitely maturing with age, but he is still a handful!  He is his father's son (Christine Koval's late Tweed).  Gabe is a very talented dog, but he is NOT easy to run around a course!  He's like a bull in a china shop when he's on light sheep (ie, most of the trials around here).  He is a big, fast dog and even when he is doing nothing wrong, taking every down, flanking cleanly, and walking, he has so much presence and forward motion that he scares the crap out of the sheep.  In the past I've tried keeping him way back off the sheep, but that makes it ridiculously hard to steer around a course.  I now have him working closer to his sheep (though mentally he is often bullying them), but he still needs to be run stop and go because he is so hyper-focused on the sheep that he will miss a flank and keep marching forward.  He may mature into a dog I can keep on his feet, but that's not where we're at right now.  He has been trying very hard to be a good boy and not running over me like he once did.  I don't think he was ever being dishonest, he has just been so wound up and SO KEEN that he couldn't help himself.  There is plenty of enthusiasm in his lines, so it shouldn't be surprising to me.  Most of last year was outrun-lift-grip (or outrun-no lie down-retire), so we haven't had much trial experience at all.  He is a very task-oriented dog who wants to do what he thinks we are trying to accomplish, which still equates to wrong flanks on his whistles.  But he is trying to do what I want and not free-lancing with a bad attitude, so I don't mind the wrong flanks for now.

I've found that although Gabe is an excellent shedder at home, we run into trouble away from home because of his presence. He needs to stay off of them to keep them settled, but then is very far away when I need to call him in. Additionally, after scaring them around the course, they stick like glue to each other and it can be hard to create a hole. I'm trying to figure out how best to deal with this. All in all, he's a heavy sheep kind of dog, whereas Spain is a light sheep girl.

Gabe at Keepstone Farm SDT; photo by L. Roberts

 



Livy is becoming quite the sheepdog!  Due to a number of situations beyond my control, I didn't get to work her much at all after she returned home from Lyle's.  Talk about frustrating!  When I did get back to working her, we suffered the inevitable back-slide that I feared, but with a few trips to OH, KY, and MD, I think we are back on the right track.  She is still very excited to work and as a result, oftentimes that first outrun is too tight.  She has tremendous balance and stock sense, and is a great listener.  She really wants to please.  Livy is great at settling wild sheep as well as convincing heavy sheep.  I've changed her away whistle a little and we are still getting our teamwork back together (mostly me getting my timing right), but I am quite excited about her.  I will start running her this fall in the novice classes.  She's got the training, we just need to team up.

 

 Liv from last year; photo by D. Wall

It's taken me all summer to figure out that none of my dogs are like Rae and I need to stop trying to make them INTO Rae.  I need to learn to handle them as individuals, so that's where I'm trying to improve.  This fall will be quite the learning experience for all of us!

And Ella is still here keeping the household in check!

VBCA Summer Trial

Playing catch up as always, the first weekend in July was the VBCA's Summer Trial held at Barbara Ray's beautiful farm.  It was ridiculously hot that weekend with predicted temps over 100, so numerous adjustments were made to make it more amenable for all involved.  The Open outrun was shortened to 350 yards and we started Friday evening to run a few Open dogs.  Rae and I ran third on a course that I hadn't seen because I'd been the one who walked it for the others.  It was still in the high 90s and very humid out there.  We had a nice and smooth run, she handled well and was clean and steady around the course.  The sheep were tricky to pen but we had a 10 point pen followed by a low-stress 10 point shed.  After running maybe 8 dogs, the trial was called as an impending storm rolled in.  That storm ended up being the famous "derecho" that laid down a massive path of destruction across the midwest and mid-Atlantic.  With no other options, the 5 dogs and I braved the storm in my Suburban and waited anxiously for it to pass.  I've never seen such an odd storm.  The wind was indescribable, plenty of thunder and lightning, but little rain.  I don't know if I've been that scared of the weather before, and though damage was sustained on the farm and to some campers, everyone came away unharmed.

 

Saturday morning at Big Bend Farm

 

The next morning we got started early to get going before the heat returned.  We started with the Novice classes before resuming the Open.  Rae and I worked up top doing set out and pushing out for PN.  I came down to run Gabe in the Ranch, and we didn't do too badly.  I wasn't happy with his top end, but otherwise he listened well.  He ended up in 4th.  Then I ran Spain in Open, poorly, because for half of her run I was giving her Rae's whistles!!  Rae and I went back up to help push out for the rest of Open.  We came back down the field to find that we had tied for first with an 86!  So we had a run-off against Dee Penatzer.  Since it was unbearably hot at this time, we ended up doing just a gather, but not a silent one.  I had to go first, and Rae was great.  It took her awhile to get out to her sheep, and she may have come in just a tad early up top, but otherwise she was right on.  It was just beautiful to be there at the post seeing my 11 year old dog doing her best for me even though she was exhausted.  The fetch was right down the pike until the very last second when we had a minor bobble in front of the post.  One ewe scooted offline and we had to put her back just as they arrived at my feet.  According to judge Tom Wilson, that was where we lost the run-off...by a single point.  Oh well, I knew we nailed that run and in my mind we won it :)

 

Rae in the golf cart going upfield

 

Spain ended up 6th in the Open, I'm not sure how that happened considering I did SO terribly.  We took a mid-day break while the heat was at it's worst and had a VBCA meeting with a phenomenal potluck lunch.  Later in the afternoon we drove across the farm to run a second round of novice classes on a different field.  They were unbroke lambs on a very small field with lots of pressure and few dogs were able to get them under control.  Gabe came on to them too strongly and scared the heck out of them.  I ended up retiring him on the cross-drive because I thought he was building a little too much steam.

Sunday I started with Gabe's Ranch run on the regular trial field with the 300yd outrun.  He listened SO WELL and ended up winning the class.  Our first Ranch win!!  I scratched Rae's run and so went to work up at the top end with her.  I ran Spain at the end of the class and we didn't really have it together.  When we went over to the small field I made sure to really keep my thumb on Gabe.  He listened very well and was one of very few dogs to be able to control those lambs.  The turn at the post was the downfall for most runs, as the lambs went in 3 directions to break over the dog.  Gabe worked his heart out to cover and contain them, and then was able to push them correctly to get them moving on without continuing to split.  I was tremendously pleased with his work and we got all the way to the pen, but after ringing the pen 2 or 3 times with no hope of getting them settled, I called it quits.  Very pleased with his effort, though.

 

Rae bringing the next Open set

 

Even though the weather was about as terrible as you can imagine for a summer trial, everyone pitched in to make it an enjoyable experience.  We had a very nice time, but were definitely happy to get out of the heat back home.

 

Gabe and Livy swimming in the Cowpasture River

 

Spain couldn't be convinced to get in, but still had fun