Samoyeds and Border Collies: My Life In Black And White

Weekend Update

2012-02-19T18:22:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't start their weekend with an oil change? While we were waiting, we went out to the vacant lot by the Jiffy Lube to play a little ball. The field was pretty muddy from the recent snow. After the game of ball, we went in to the lobby to wait. Jane was her usual charming self. The older couple who brought their early 90's Crown Vic (Bay 2, behind my dog hauling mini-van) immediately asked me if Jane was a working dog. I said yes, and as a matter of fact, we are on our way to a sheepdog trial in California just as soon as this oil change and fifty other errands are done. They thought that was really cool and told me they enjoy watching sheepdog trials on TV. Are we in England? Then, the cute little girl and her mother came in. Jane positively adores little girls. So they played and Jane got belly rubs and I had to talk to a child. It's probably good for me.

Finally, we headed over the hill and down south to Oakdale, California for one Novice/Novice run. Only four hours each way, this time. Better than 8 hours each way to Paso Robles. Though, with no friends with me, I didn't stop for any wine tasting.

All that ball playing in the muddy fieldleft Jane with hard, dry mudballs packed in her feet. So after we arrived at the well appointed Motel 6 (it has a BATHTUB!). . .no, actually, if you need to spend the night in Oakdale, CA, the Motel 6 is actually pretty nice. For a Motel 6. Anyway, Jane got to soak her feet in nice warm water. We got all the mudballs out. Visions of the trip to Paso Robles and her shredded pads danced in my head. I wanted her sound and able to run on Saturday. I did use my own towels. . . so no thin, scratchy motel towel was stained during this exercise.

When her tootsies were clean and dry, the favorite squirrel came in from the car for a game. That dog loves her squirrel! I looked it up at work recently. Since we got the computer system that tracks my purchases, which is maybe two years ago, I've bought 17 of these flying squirrels. ChuckIt TradeMark Brand, you are welcome!

We went to the trial. Meh. Nothing horrible happened on our run, but nothing great either. There was a ton of pressure on the field and Jane felt every bit of it, and I didn't know how to help her. Especially on the fetch. We lost all but one fetch point! It was all over the place and a fast, hot mess. I finally got her stopped and under control when the sheep made it to the post.


This is not at the trial. This was today, back in Nevada, working on our favorite field.

Our turn around the post was controlled, if wide. On the drive away (this is Novice/Novice class), I was able to keep her backed off somewhat, so while the line was non-existant in my head (you try running this dog, keeping her backed off, and think about lines!), we got the sheep to the panels and most of them went through. When I flanked her to turn them, she took a huge flank and put everyone back through the panel.

Sunday practice. Not at the trial.

On the cross drive, I did get her backed off and the sheep even stringed out a little bit and flowed through that panel. Stringed out? Really, Ann? They were walking nicely, not packed into a mad, panicked ball of wool. Got them to the pen. Had one chance to get them in, but never really settled them. But, we never allowed them to circle the pen. Timed out. Or, the judge got tired of watching us and called time. Didn't get video, so that's just my recollection of how it happened. I know from video evidence that I do not have a great ability to remember it accurately. So, anyone who was watching might have seen something completely different.

All the bad stuff was stuff we are working on. I didn't get any surprises. This is just where we are. Jane is trying. And I am trying. And here we are. I can't tell you how frustrating this is that it's taking so long to feel even a tiny bit accomplished. I have chosen a sport or past time or hobby or passion that takes years to learn, much less master.

The good stuff was I was out doing something with my dog. I reconnected with a couple wonderful friends. I made a couple new friends. I saw a part of the country I haven't seen before. Today, we came home and went back to practice. Had a really good practice. Reconnected with my training buddy. Made her laugh; she made me laugh. We had a beer. Spent most of the day outside with my dog. And, my dog is now asleep at my feet. It's good stuff.

TMT: Going Out For Sushi; Not Sure I'll Get Through This

2012-02-16T18:15:00.000-08:00

1. Jorgen would like to know what skill would you like to have that you don't currently have?
With the dogs, I'd like to learn to read the stock better and have better timing. I'd also like to be more convincing to my dogs when I whistle commands. Well, Jane. I haven't actually worked Pearl yet. . .I'm sure she is going to be just PERFECT!

2. If someone were going to play you in a movie, who do you think it would be?
I just asked my husband and his immediate response was Julia Roberts (for playing me, not him). I said, REALLY?? He said "no, Janeane Garofalo." Yeah, that's better. Paul Newman would play my husband.

3. Kelsey wants to know what is a quality that you admire in a dog but would never fit with you?
Kelsey knows Jane. And has seen me work her. I rest my case.


photos by Carolyn Harwell, Look Back Photography.

If the dog in Photo #2 isn't just as pleased as punch with herself, I don't know my own dog! I love that dog. And she's just what I wanted in my first Border Collie. But she is hard on my nerves and voice and heart at times!

4. If you had just enough money to pay someone to do one chore for you, what would it be?
Clean the F'in' house! Maybe I would end up like Katy, but I could really use some paid help to clean this house. I'd just tip extra big, and maybe half clean before they got there.

5. Are you a procrastinator, a doitnower (I made that word up), or something in between?
I can't answer this now. I have to find the perfect picture to accompany question #3. And, I have to meet Mary M. and Mary H. for sushi at 7-ish. At a huge casino. Mary M. likes sport, so she's not telling me where in the giant casino to meet them. I'm hoping there is only one place to buy and eat sushi at this casino. Maybe I should leave now, and not even find a balls to the wall, eyes bugging out of her head picture of Jane. It might take me a while to find them (the Marys). Well, that picture of Jane in the sidebar is a typical trial picture of her.

***And no, thanks for asking. We were not practicing shedding in those photographs!

Sundays = Favorite Days

2012-02-12T15:37:00.000-08:00

We went down to work in Gardnerville this morning. This is the ranch where Grace, Pogo, Jane and I all first started our herding careers. I haven't been there to work in some time, but I needed a new field and sheep today and Sandy was kind enough to rent me some sheep and the alfalfa field today. Jane definitely prefers a bigger field without fences, buildings, trees, or any other sort of pressure. I told her she had to deal with her pressure issues and enjoy the beautiful backdrop!

These sheep are school sheep for two trainers who primarily train upright, loose eyed dogs for arena work. So, Jane out in the field with her eye, was a little different for them. Jane was ecstatic to find water in the ditch! I think water in the ditch at the Haase ranch is a close second to sheep, on Jane's list of favorite things.

These sheep are knee knockers, compared to what we usually work. Which proved to be not very useful on the lift and fetch, but on the drive away, she really had to keep her cool and push, which she really likes! They also have a really strong pull to the end of the field, and I think covering the draw is second only to her love of the outrun. Jane was a really happy dog today!

It was a beautiful morning, and great to see some friends I haven't seen in some time. I hoped to get over to visit some other friends in the same area, but I ran out of time. Great weather, beautiful day!!

It's Friday Night . . .

2012-02-10T23:40:00.000-08:00

And I'm a wild and crazy guy!

TMT 2012 #6

2012-02-09T21:52:00.000-08:00

Let me just start by saying, if you have a cold/cough and you need me to mix up some custom cough syrup for you, I can do that. I knocked myself out last night and I might need a second dose tonight. I slept through the entire night, a first for me, in recent history. This cold is just about kicked, but the cough is clinging to life. For the nighttime cough, I can kill it with my concoction. Daytime cough, if you are driving or operating heavy equipment, I can't help you. Even light equipment.

1. Robin wants to know what your ideal number of dogs is?

My top is four. In my current housing/no livestock situation, four is the max. Two is ideal, I think. But, I like pairs, so three is tough for me. I get a new dog every four years, whether I need one or not. Give or take. If you compete in some venue with your dog, you usually have a retired dog, a seasoned dog, an up and comer and a puppy. Well, if you're me, that's about how it works out. I like that age spread, so you don't end up with everyone dying at the same time, hopefully. And you've got dogs to work with, and dogs you appreciate for what you've done with them. And, hope for the future. Given a different job, home, land, access to stock, my answer might be different. . .but four is my max for now.

2. Lora wants to know if you find that your dogs are better or worse after time off from training?

I think Jane would benefit from real work six or seven days a week. She's/I'm lucky if we get twice a week in. But, I think time off a couple times a year is good for everyone, no matter how much they love their job. After a little lay off, Jane usually hits hard right out of the truck, but settles in and does well. That said, the more I work her, given our availability to work stock, the more the better.

3. What is your favorite power tool? What power tool do you wish you had?

I love that power drill. I want a cordless drill and a cordless screwdriver. Table saws and etc. are excellent and dangerous and something that I like my friends to have and to love. Also, iPod and Droid Camera and iPad!

4. What did you want to be when you grew up?

The only thing I've ever known for sure I wanted to be when I grow up is a philanthropist. So far, don't have the budget for that. Aren't you surprised I didn't say veterinarian?

5. How many of your friends are not "dog people"?

Now with the whole Facebook thing, I have more "not dog people" in my life than ever (not that many, really. I'm being dramatic.). I have worked for twenty years to rid myself of them, and now they come clawing back. Thanks, Zuckerberg!

Having Pearl Home

2012-02-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

Pearl has been home for a week now.

It's been great to have her home. Everyone was very happy to see her.

She's been going to work with me every day and seeing her friends there. At home, she settled right in and seems to be surviving without sheep every day.

She's home for four more days, then her vacation is over and she goes back to work.

Urban Herding and Custom Collars

2012-01-31T21:35:00.000-08:00

My training partner, Mary, and I met Eric and Mia at sheep camp.

We all bunked together at Casa del Pato. Both Eric and Mia are talented photographers with a great eye for a shot. Eric makes super cool, custom collars at http://www.outrunnerdog.com. And, now this great video!

Texture Tuesday

2012-01-30T22:18:00.000-08:00

TMT #4: New Year's Resolution and Vision Boards

2012-01-26T08:01:00.000-08:00

1. How do you search for and then choose a trainer?

I started working with a local trainer who trials in arena trials. She's very good at what she does and very successful in trailing. Along the way, I heard about a clinic with a top USBCHA handler; I went to that clinic, liked the clinician very much. Went back for another clinic. When I decided that what I was interested in was USBCHA style trialing, I stopped going to the local trainer and started traveling for lessons and clinics with that clinician. . .oh, you all know I go to P*trick and DD.

At any rate, I liked the way they handled their dogs and themselves. I like the way they treat me, my dogs and my friends. I think it's important to find someone who has achieved success at the highest level to mentor or coach you.

This was true in agility, as well. It used to blow me away that I would see local people who were in the Open class giving lessons as a "trainer." If you haven't gone all the way, so to speak, you don't really know what the end result looks like, so you don't know if what you are doing in the Novice class is going to come back and bite you in the ass.

2. The dog world is small and... uh... talkative. After choosing a trainer how do you handle those people in your life who don't believe in that trainer/trainers methods and criticize them to you?

I've had a bit of pressure to go to a trainer who is closer to me than Idaho. I wouldn't say that people have been critical of the methods or trainers I use, but I've been pressed to go to someone closer. I just explain that I'm happy with where I'm at and let it go. I am limiting myself by this approach and things are taking longer, I think, than if I lived nearby and could take weekly lessons. But, to use the J-word, it's my journey and I'm taking it as fast or slow or long distance as I like!

3. Do you believe that a person's personal life should influence your choice of a trainer? (i.e do you believe a person's choice to be a party animal outside of work would affect your choice?)

If I'm getting results I like and I feel good about how I'm being treated and how my dogs are treated, I don't think it matters.

4. When you have a break through moment with your dog, do you feel that moment makes your connection stronger with that dog and makes the next step in training easier?

Yes. Until we backslide again.

5. Do you stick with just one trainer, or do you go to multiple sources for help?

Being so new to this, I've really tried to stay with just one or two trainers. If I was getting multiple, conflicting veiwpoints, my head would explode. As I said in #2, I've been invited to go to someone closer. I have really resisted that because I didn't want additional views. As I grow in this endeavor, I can see seeking out different methods or trainers, especially, if I was having a problem I couldn't fix. In October, I went to the Helsley/Shannahan sheep camp. That was my first time working with Don Helsley and I really enjoyed that. Both are great handlers and trainers. Helsley had a little different focus, which gave me more to think about.

I had a bit of an "ah-ha" moment with Jane yesterday. It has nothing to do with sheepdog training or DD or P*trick or Helsley. . .or does it?

I had Jane at work with me, as usual. She was running around the store doing her thing. She started doing something I didn't like, so I told her to knock it off. She didn't. I sort of ignored it. I told her again, she ignored me. I ignored her bad behavior, she ignored me. Then I got mad and went to her and corrected her. I finished what I was doing, then called her to me and asked her just follow me around while I was helping customers. She stayed right at my heel without further correction.

This has been our struggle from day one. I am not consistent about getting what I want the first time I ask. When I do insist, she is happy to give me what I want. When I consistently insist, she is happier to give it to me and we are a happier team. There! My New Year's Resolution: Consistently insist! January 26, 2012.

At sheepcamp, I bemoaned the fact that Helsley wanted me to be more consistent. One of my fellow sheepcampers replied that he thought my dog probably wanted me to be more consistent.

I've heard lots of things about Jane over the last four years. . .she's not a team player. She wants to do things on her terms. She's flipping you the paw. Helsley told me, "She's not trying to be bad. She wants to be a good dog." I have taught her to blow me off, because I haven't always given her consequences. I've been terribly inconsistent. And they have all told me that. And, I've heard them. Yesterday, it was clear to me. Again.

OMG! Do I need to make a vision board about this, so I always am reminded of it? Craft project at Katy's this weekend? Glitter?

Hmmmm, Laura, what a can of worms you have opened here!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T19:47:00.000-08:00

Jaenne Wanted To Know. . .

2012-01-25T08:12:00.000-08:00

While everyone is waiting for TMT tomorrow, Jaenne was asking me about one of the dehydrated dog food diets. I don't have any of the one she was asking about, but my dogs did have Honest Kitchen Embark for breakfast this morning, so I took some pictures.

I'm not sure why the light in this picture is so bad. Well, this isn't art, so I'm not going to go back and take another. You get the idea! This four pound box retail at about $43, I think. The box says it makes 16 pounds of fresh food. The ten pound box retails at about $84-ish. The four pound box says it will last about eight days for one highly active medium (31 - 50 pound) dog or 16 days for a medium, average dog.

The zip top bag is new and a welcomed addition!

This is what it looks like right out of the box, dry.

Add some water and salmon oil. Wait five minutes. Try not to get frustrated with the dogs who think they ARE ABOUT TO DIE!!! Dogs. Starving. Right now. Right here.

It's sort of the texture of thick cream of wheat. The Honest Kitchen Zeal (grain free, white fish) is much different. . .not was creamy.Breakfast is served.

Gracie

2012-01-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

Our old Gracie. She is 12 1/2 years old. She'll be 13 in June. What a lot of fun I've had with this dog, and what a world of wonderful people she has introduced to me. Keep barking, Grace! As long as she's barking at me for cookies, and to fix her meals, I think she's doing ok!

An Inspiring Run?

2012-01-21T20:14:00.001-08:00

There have been so many. And many beautiful runs by people and dogs that I know. This is my favorite YouTube run to watch. The turn back. I catch my breath during the shed, every time. I just can't imagine. I hope. I dream. I watch the video again.

Laura Is On Top Of Her Game!

2012-01-19T20:35:00.000-08:00

Right on cue! TMT #3 for 2012.

1. What is one lesson you've learned this week?

I think the tv show Portlandia is hilarious! Really, though, on Saturday, I asked my dog to do something that was beyond her ability. As I sent her, I knew it was wrong to send her. It ended better than it could have, but it didn't go well. Minor injuries to dog and (one) sheep. Major worry to handler. I think it's good to push on the comfort zone and it's important to do so. But, it's also important to trust your gut and set your dog up for success. I think I let my dog down that day. I took her back out on Sunday and asked her to work some, even though I knew she was in a little pain, but felt it was more important to let her have success and feel like she was in control of her stock. I also wanted to make sure she was ok mentally. She was fine! We are learning!

***Tried to edit this post from my iPad and somehow deleted it. Was happy to find a copy emailed to one of my email accounts. I think the theme of my week is: "I'm Still Learning!"

Conveniently, when wrestling with text formatting, I "accidentally" deleted question #2. I didn't mean to, I SWEAR, Laura!

3. What unusual things do you like the smell of but don't usually admit?

Horse manure. It relaxes me. Whiskey. It relaxes me.

4. What are your thoughts on continuing on vs. retiring when a trial run is going badly? How do you decide? Where do you draw the line?

My inclination would be to retire ASAP! I don't think I have enough experience to really say. Right now, trialing Jane, I would retire if I could get her called off a bad situation. I would try to RT before a grip. If she was going to grip, it would have been bad long before the grip point. I think I would continue if I thought I could turn something positive in the run. I'm still at the point that my runs feel about 1000 times worse than they actually are, when I go back and watch the video.

5. This is a call for questions or subjects you'd like to talk about - I'd appreciate suggestions (and please come link up so that I'll be sure to see your post), so here's your chance!

The recipe exchange was good. I'd like more of those.
Are you ready for a fire? (Life in Reno, NV)
What's in your Go Bag?

Feel Like I'm Listening To A Tom Waits Song

2012-01-17T19:59:00.000-08:00

I'm loving the Snapseed app on my iPad. Playing with the landscape photos is great. I think people on Facebook thought the one I posted yesterday came straight out of the camera that way. I'm not solving world hunger or painting the Mona Lisa, but I like it!

Sunday

2012-01-15T16:54:00.000-08:00

We went out again today. Today, we went to the beautiful, familiar field. I had Pogo and Gracie with me. At 12 1/2 years old, Gracie didn't run with the pack, but Pogo had fun. Unsurprisingly, Tic was her favorite. . .being the only intact male in the group.

The dogs all worked well. Jane is sore from yesterday, and I discovered early this morning that she ripped a toenail off yesterday. She's feeling it now. A little rest this week, and an appointment with our favorite chiropracter next weekend and she should be good to go.

I really want precipitation, but I'm starting to worry about the weather for The Big Freeze SDT. More than the trial, I really want to get Pearl home. So anxious to start working with her. If the weather looks bad, I'll try to figure out some other time to go up and bring her home.

Saturday

2012-01-14T15:40:00.000-08:00

If you only do what you know you can do- you never do very much. ~Tom Krause

Today was about stepping out of our comfort zone and working in a new place. Things didn't go as planned. But in the end, everyone was okay and we went home with everyone we brought. One dog stepped up and really handled himself well. One dog got in over her head. One dog did just what she was asked. Two dogs stayed in the truck. Two handlers learned some things.

These are the tri-color buddies. Ben, Val and Jane. Jane had a bath last night.

Tell Me Friday

2012-01-13T09:03:00.000-08:00

I like the new look . . . the new black template, but I haven't mastered it, yet. This has led to frustration, bad formatting and deletion of posts. I'm working on it.

It's Crooks and Crazies day and I'm running late. But, the good news is that the washing machine is fixed (THANK YOU, Juan!).

1. Stopping your dog - what do you prefer? On their feet? On their belly? Some combination?

I have a choice in the matter? I can stop my dog? What is this, of which you speak, Laura??? Last weekend, I worked on getting Jane listening to me, then just telling her "there" or "walk up." She was really happy with that and it had some postitive effect on getting her to slow down and act a little thoughtful. We were working out in the desert, so the snake holes and the sage brush probably played a part in the slowing her down, too. I would like a stop on her feet as well as one on her belly, if I could rely on it. I think with a dog like Jane and her laser beam eyes, I need a lie thefuck down, to really take the pressure off the sheep, but I also think she would be happier if I left her on her feet more, because she can't bear the thought of losing her sheep.

I think Pearl will be entirely different.

Click on the image to really get the full effect.

2. At what point do you start teaching this?

Well, Jane turns four next week. Hopefully, DD has already started this with Pearl!

3. Do you have a favorite dog? I won't tell.

Of my four currently with me, Gracie was my favorite because we did all that fun agility together. Lots of traveling, lots of friends, lots of great times. Pogo is my husband's favorite. She's a spoiled brat. But, she is really cute and has the softest ears. Both Grace and Pogo brought me to my interest in sheepdogging. Jane is my favorite and I've created a pretty needy dog in her, I think. She has taken me to places I didn't know existed and to a whole new world and group of friends. I think Pearl will be my favorite sheepdog.

4. What is the #1 thing a dog can do to push your buttons?

I'm with Jorgen on the inane barking.

5. Brrrrr... it's winter. What is your favorite soup recipe?

I make this one pretty often. Stole the recipe off Allrecipes.com.

Easy Corn and Crab Chowder

1 russet potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can cream corn
1/3 C all-purpose flour
2 TBS butter
5 slices bacon, diced
1 (6 ounce) can crab meat, drained
1 1/2 C milk
1/4 C dry white wine
1 cube chicken bouillon
salt and pepper

Wrap potato cubes in plastic wrap, and microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside.
In a saute pan, cook bacon over medium heat until heated through, and add chopped onions. Cook and stir until onions are clear. Stir in crab meat and parsley flakes. Set aside.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a large stock pot over low heat. Whisk in flour until mixture becomes creamy and takes on a eggshell color. Continue to cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in wine. Dissolve chicken bouillon in milk; when the flour mixture is crumbly, slowly whisk in the milk. Mix well in order to eliminate all lumps.
When the mixture is creamy and hot, stir in bacon mixture, cubed potatoes, and creamed corn. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 10 minutes.

I add Tabasco and dried red pepper flakes. I don't always like the way the potato turns out with the microwave it in plastic method. If I have time, I'll bake a potato instead.

OR Pearl

2012-01-10T21:04:00.000-08:00

TMT 2012 #1: GO TEAM!

2012-01-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

1. What is your favorite new toy? I know you have one, so you might as well go on and fess up.

I didn't mean to, but I have a new iPad2. I kinda like it.

2. If you're going to be caught under the mistletoe, who would you LEAST like it to be with?

Gracie has really bad old lady dog breath. Just sayin'!

3. New Year's Resolutions - for your dogs - share!
4. New Year's Resolutions - for yourself - share!

Hope to have Jane in P/N for El Presidente. Not sure how realistic that is. Get Pearl home, see where she is and get going on that little gem! Find a house with land for dogs and sheep. Be authentic. Keep the good people close and the bad people at bay.

5. How did you handle the holiday food situation?

There was a holiday food situation? Oh, did you see my picture on Twitter? I was in the airport in Salt Lake City on Christmas morning. Early. I had nachos and a screwdriver for breakfast. Highly recommend.

Authentic

2012-01-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

au·then·tic

adj \ə-ˈthen-tik, ȯ-\

Definition of AUTHENTIC

1 obsolete : authoritative

2 a : worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact <paints an authentic picture of our society>
b : conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features <an authentic reproduction of a colonial farmhouse>
c : made or done the same way as an original <authentic Mexican fare>

3: not false or imitation : real, actual <an authentic cockney accent>

4 a of a church mode : ranging upward from the keynote — compare plagal 1
b of a cadence : progressing from the dominant chord to the tonic — compare plagal 2

5: true to one's own personality, spirit, or character

— au·then·ti·cal·ly adverb

— au·then·tic·i·ty noun

Happy New Year! Stay true to yourself.

Jorgen's got his nosey pants on again!

2011-12-31T08:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, that just sounds wrong, doesn't it? Sorry Jorgen. I was thinking about Pat's question and that's just what came out. Oh! Sorry!

~~What are you wearing…~~..What is your favorite clothing to wear?

I'm just a jeans and a t-shirt kinda gal. When it's cold, add a sweatshirt or dog hair-covered fleece pull over. At home, I favor flannel PJ pants with t-shirt and sweatshirt.

What do you think your dogs thinks about you?

In general, they think I am pretty cool. I got home yesterday afternoon from a week long trip and everyone was very happy to see me. While they think I'm cool, I do have my short comings:

Gracie thinks I don't feed her enough.
Pogo thinks I don't take her with me enough.
Jane thinks I don't take her to sheep often enough.
Pearl thinks. . .well, she doesn't think of me very often right now, because she is at the Double D Ranch and is very happy about it.

Are you happy about the past year trialing, do you think next year will be better?

Yes, I am pretty happy with my trialing and I've learned from it. I had some frustrations this year, and had to scale back my expectations for various reasons. I am really looking forward to this coming year. My immediate trial goal is to move from N/N to P/N with Jane; hope to move to P/N for El Presidente SDT. Later in the year, I look forward to running Pearl.

If you would ask a TMT question that you did not have to answer, what question would you ask?

I like Jorgen's, "Who is your favorite handler?" I am really hoping everyone answers Pat's question.

OR Pearl

2011-12-27T18:01:00.000-08:00

TMT: Why, Jorgen? Why?

2011-12-23T07:50:00.000-08:00

Jorgen asked:

Why do you like dogs?
Why do you compete?

Why do I like dogs?

As I was pondering how to respond to that, I got up and walked through the house to the kitchen, to refill my coffee cup. As I passed Pogo, lying at the end of the hallway, she lifted her head and gave me a little wag of her tail. Gracie, the old lady, was puttering around in the dining room. She stopped and made eye contact with me, and wagged her fluffy tail, as I reached down to touch her head. Jane remained parked under my chair at the desk. As I returned to the computer, she watched me, her gaze never wavering. She gave me a small flick of her white tipped tail, as I sat down. (If Pearl was home, I have no doubt that she would have looked deeply into my soul, and wagged her tail at me, too.)

Gracie, Pogo, Jane and Pearl.

Much has been written about the connection between dogs and people. I love the partnership. The history of work done together. Both of the breeds with which I have chosen to live have a rich and old history of hard work with humans in harsh conditions. I love the willingness, the drive to still do that work, though today, for my dogs at least, it is a hobby. . .not anything we have to do for our survival. . .it gives me a connection to people and places far away. It's also just nice to have someone who is ALWAYS happy to see me, even if I'm in a bad mood. It's nice to have someone who ALWAYS wants to do whatever I want to do.

Gracie's signature weave poles.

Why do I compete?

I think I like a challenge. I am competitive, but mainly I am competitive with myself. When I was showing horses as a kid, I didn't have a big fancy horse, or professional trainer, but I loved it. I always tried to be better than I was the last time. In agility, I didn't have the fastest dog, but she and I loved running together and we competed against the clock.

Jane's first and only agility trial.

I must like a challenge, because just as I was getting the agility thing figured out and got a dog that was going to be fast and furious, I switched sports to what some people say is the hardest thing you'll ever do: sheepdog trialing.

Walking to the post.

I love competing with my dogs. We work and train as a team, we have goals, we see progress. We regress, it's hard, it can be frustrating. There is personal growth and self reflection. There is satisfaction when we progress again. Competing at trials, at this point. . .while some day I would like to beat Jorgen in Open, at this point, we are competing against the course, against how we did at the last trial. We are working on that lift (HELLO! On the muscle!) We are working toward an unassisted drive. I am trying to learn about pressure, how to recognize it, how to help my dog work through it. If competing in Open is the goal, the getting there is the stuff I love. I'm not going to use the J-word. . .I like it about as much as everyone seems to like the OTM phrase. . .the places we see, the people we meet, the blogs we read. . .it's all part of what I love about being involved in a competitive sport.

Border Collies, Schmorder Collies!

2011-12-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

Blah, blah, Ann wants to know. . .

2011-12-19T21:58:00.000-08:00

So, I'm getting nosey lately. Nosey for nosey sake is just plain bullshit and gossip mongery. You know who you are. Nosey and sharing is interesting. And we can all learn. The other day, I asked a few questions about what kind of handler you are and what kind of dog you like.

I do like a dog with presence and power. I probably like more eye than I should. Maybe as I gain experience I will like less eye more. . .or I will more like less eye.

When running agility, I had a dog I really had to coax and cheerlead for speed, so now, I think I am in love with my super pushy dog, who really is on the muscle, if you define that by she will not lie the fuck down for me. . . but, at the same time, I hate that I can not stop her. . .So, I love my dogs who want and try, and would love to give Jane a small-ish dose of lie down and partner-up.

What Kind Of Handler Are You?

2011-12-18T19:14:00.000-08:00

What is your perfect dog?

Do you like a dog that is really on the muscle?
Do you like a dog that needs a steady stream of whistles?
Are you a maximal or minimal whistler?
Do you like a natural dog that feels the sheep and just needs a little direction here and there?
Do you like a dog that prefers certain type of sheep?
Do you like a dog that wants to partner up and be a really good team player?
Do you like a dog that really knows what s/he wants and you, as a handler really has to manage?
Do you want push?
Do you want a good listener?
Do you want try? (Not tri.)
Do you like a dog who gets the job done, no matter the sheep, but it’s a big job to get that dog listening?
Do you want it all?
Can you have it all?Since I don’t know enough to know what I don’t know, what do you want? What do you like?

At the top, I asked "What is your perfect dog?" How does your style as a handler select the style of dog you like?Questions for handlers who trial, who work home flocks, who work commercial flocks. Really interested in all responses.

Merry Christmas from the fam-o-lee!

2011-12-16T19:21:00.000-08:00

Did I Meet My Goals?

2011-12-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

Let's review:

Last week, I said my goals for the Sleddin' N Sheddin' trial were:

For me, my goal is to keep my cool and really work/help/trust my dog. For Jane, my goal is for her to listen to me and be a team member.

I tried to help my dog by doing an assisted outrun both days. Both days, she took my stop. Not perfectly, but good for as much as we have struggled on this. Everyone says the lift determines the rest of the run, so it has to be good. Our lifts weren't exactly what I'd like to see, but I think they are getting better. Our fetches were offline, but on Saturday, I did manage to get Jane slowed down some. Sunday, was pretty fast. Jane was trying to cover the very strong draw and I kept trying to slow her down. . .if I had let her get a little farther to the heads, she could have caught them, then maybe put them back online?

I couldn't get a drive going either day. The drive was into the magical invisible pressure, to which Jane is hypersensitive and to which I am oblivious. The same thing happened both days and it wasn't good. . .and I didn't learn from my mistake on Saturday. Penned on Saturday; timed out on the way to the pen Sunday. Finished with numbers both days.

I got a little mad at Jane while our drives were falling apart, but for the most part, kept it together. She was trying; I just didn't know how to help her.

So, yeah, I think we were respectable and met my goals. It is frustrating to me how long this is taking. Time and miles, I know, blah, blah, blah, more trips to the post, etc., etc., etc.

One fun thing about the weekend was visiting with Pearl. She was happy to see Jane and me. I had planned to bring her home for Dec./Jan., but after talking to DD, decided to leave her at Orchard Run to continue training. Pearl's "windows of opportunity" are open, so she stayed. But she hung out with us at Katy's for the weekend. When I dropped her back off at DD's on Sunday, she ran right into the kennel, said hi to her friends and went right to her kennel. So, I know she's happy there.

And of course it was great to hang out with so many sheepdog friends. Lavon does an excellent job prepping the Caronita bottles. Just sayin'.

Public safety tip: Next time you're coming into Winnemucca, slow it down!

Tell Me. . .Hump Day

2011-12-07T08:07:00.001-08:00

Soooo, all the cool kids are heading to Idaho for the famous Sleddin' N Sheddin' Sheepdog Trial this weekend.

In memory of Laura's Tell Me Thursday, I ask you:

What are your goals for yourself as a handler and for your dog(s) at the big trial this weekend?

For me, my goal is to keep my cool and really work/help/trust my dog. For Jane, my goal is for her to listen to me and be a team member.

Simple as that! You may have to remind me.

Jorgen wants to know. . .and I'ma gonna see him next weekend, so I better answer

2011-12-03T00:11:00.001-08:00

What handler do you strive to be like, or handlers if you have Schizophrenia?
How do you change your handling style depending on what dogs you trial?
How do you change your handling depending on what trial you are running at?

If only it were that simple. I strive to be like the handler who can stop their dog at the top. Really, that is all. If you press me for more examples of great handling, I attempt to emulate, I like the ones who have dogs who know and take inside flanks. Beyond that, as we enter dream land, I would love to copy handlers who have dogs who flank rather than come forward three feet (not steps, FEET!), when asked to flank. Then there is the shed. Something I have heard about in bedtime stories.

So far, I have only one dog to run, and one dog in training. They will be very different from one another and it will be very challenging for me.

How do I change, depending on the trial? So far, I yell and flail and PRAY, and I was raised Catholic, so I don't really like praying, but I try it. . .on the trial field.

So far, those are my strategies. I am hoping to get some better ones and with the post-Christmas sales this year, I might even go out early in the morning on the day after Christmas, to try to get some good bargains!

Why I Never. . .would name a dog THAT!!!

2011-12-01T19:44:00.001-08:00

Lora at Rocking Dog Ranch was asking what would you NEVER name your next dog. She had some good ones.

So, I started thinking about the dogs I have now and their names. Let the PICNIK session begin!

Then I got a Border Collie. And I wanted a traditional Border Collie name. Human name, one syllable. We live in the west and love it, and I love the notorious women of Western history.

Pearl Hart was the first woman stage coach robber in Arizona.

I think I might need a Bill next.

Or maybe a Doc. No Wyatt.

It's that kind of day. . .

2011-11-24T20:42:00.001-08:00

Really, I have incredible friends. Generous. Loyal. Funny. Thoughtful. Smart. OMG. Really good friends.

Same to be said for my family. I don't know why I deserve them or have them, but am so glad I do. Thank you one and all, who make me who I am, who make me laugh and cry and keep me sane.

Also, the dogs. And the friends who have given me the dogs and introduced me and helped me learn about all the things I have done with the dogs. I cannot imagine what or where I would be without the dogs. I think this started with my Grandmother. And my Dad. And that dog that took to roast off the window sill during WWII when there was rationing and not giving prime cuts of beef to random, neighborhood dogs.

A Quick Look At Sheep Camp

2011-11-23T07:31:00.001-08:00

Spotting Sheep

2011-11-21T20:24:00.001-08:00

She did spot them once they were set. The wind and the hills and the border collie and the sheep. . .

Rocky Road: 2011

2011-11-18T20:40:00.001-08:00

It's been a tough year in Northern Nevada. At least, the second half of the year has been pretty tough.

June 24, 2011 Trainv. Semi collision in Fallon. Six dead after a semi tractor-trailer slammed into an Amtrak train.
September 6, 2011 Ihop shooting in Carson. Five dead, seven wounded. Shooter turned gun on himself.
September 16, 2011. Air Races crash. Eleven dead; at least 69 injured.
September 24, 2011. Street Vibrations shooting. Rival motor cycle gangs add salt to Northern Nevada's wounds by shooting up a local casino. #Fuckers
November 18, 2011. CaughlinFire. Happening now. Effecting many friends.

Photos taken off various media websites. This one is amazing.

Winds today have been unreal. Calming down some tonight, with a steep drop in temperature. We can only hope this will help lay that fire down.

2012, are we there, yet?

Talkin' Tuesday Sh!t (edited title for the faint of George Carlin)

2011-11-15T18:44:00.001-08:00

Katy was wondering:

How has sheepdog work changed you as a person OUTSIDE of the work?

Oh, I dunno. Nothing really comes to mind. Just hanging out not doing much.

Katy and I have talked about this. And, I know it is a question she takes very seriously, so I feel like I need to treat it seriously, too.

But, I've been feeling kinda blue lately, and really, all I want to think about (and you already know this if you and I are FB Friends!) is puppies and cupcakes.

The news is so depressing. Gymnastics coaches, football coaches, and of course, the priests and the veryveryvery bad things they have done. The banks. The bad mortgage lenders. The congress. The banks. The coaches -- OMG!!! Puppies are so much better! And, cupcakes!

But, Katy asks a good question. And self reflection (not absorption) is a good thing. Look here!!! Puppies AND cupcakes all in one!!!

Personal changes outside of the sheepdog work? The sheepdogging is the hardest "sport" I've ever undertaken. It is unlike anything I've ever done. Prior to starting this, I had no knowledge or desire of knowledge of sheep. I grew up on the backs of 4-H horses with unruly pet dogs. At the 4-H show, I thought the livestock kids were weird.

My brother sent me a message last winter saying, "One Thing I Did Not Know About My Sister: She wears Carhartts." I do. And I like them.

The people I've met and the friends I've made are, I think, the some of the most real people I've ever met in my life. There is good and bad and weird and skinny and fat and healthy and not and angry and sad and drunk and insecure and bold and rich and poor. . .and we all come together and accept each other for what we are and look at the dog and the work each other does and there it is.

There are the whiners and the poor me's and the it's not fairs. And they are who they are. There are people who come because they are looking to belong to just SOMETHING, or the ones looking to have their egos stroked, or the ones who think if they hang out with the "cool kids," they will some how become cool. And they are who they are.

My commment to Katy's question on her blog today was that I think the sheepdoggers I've met and liked are some of the most honest people I know. This sport, this activity, kind of lays you bare and it's all there. Good, bad, ugly. There are people who see it. There are people who are too tied up in their own journey, who never see past their own nose. And, there are those people who are so tied up in *my* or *your* journey, that they will NEVER get it, they will never find peace or satisfaction because they have never examined their own journey and what it means.

The long answer here, is that for myself, sheepdogging, has helped me learn more about myself than I knew before. I have had to be more honest with myself. Some of the stuff I'm learning I like, some I don't like. Now, I have to learn how to fix the stuff I don't like. . .and be happy with the stuff I do. But really, I'd love to have a nice fat cupcake right now. . .actually, I think there is a piece of pumpkin pie in the fridge! That might work!

Tell Me #15

2011-11-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

1. What are you thankful for this week?
I'm thankful that I had the opporunity to go to Shannahan/Helsley Sheepcamp. I'm thankful that things didn't end worse in the desert. I'm thankful for the trust my friends have in me.

2. How do you deal with a squeaker/shrieker/noisy dog?
Cover my head with a pillow and scream.

3. Barbara wants to know: what would you say is ONE skill or attribute needed to be successful?
You have to believe in yourself. If you don't believe you can succeed, you won't.

4. Pippin wants to know: what are your favorite games?
Living with Samoyeds, Reindeer Games are our favorites!

5. What are some of your strategies for dealing with winter?
I love winter! You know, you lose 80% of your body heat through your head. Put a hat on. The key is layering. At the end of last winter, I bought a pair of Bogs Cow Print boots. Can't wait to try these out this year.

Meg

2011-11-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

Meg (Peg x Fame)

Who Dat?????

2011-11-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

Nothing To See Here

2011-10-31T22:03:00.000-07:00

La la la! La la laaaaaa la la! Nothing going on. Nothing new to report. La la laaaa. Blah blah blah. Boring. Boring. Your dog training is probably more exciting than mine. I have nothing new to say. La la la!

Orchard Run Pearl

2011-10-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

Pearl the sheepdog

2011-10-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

Pearl has been in Idaho for three weeks now. I'm looking forward to seeing her on Wednesday. Here are a couple pictures from her first day at Dianne's.

Pearl was a little zippy at first.

Then she got her head and showed nice shape,
feel of her sheep, and nautral pace.

The Detroit Tigers are out and TMT #14

2011-10-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

This week on TMT, Laura wants to know: What obstacles have you overcome this week, and what did you learn from them?

We had lessons with Dianne Deal this past weekend. After what started out to be kind of a rough summer for Jane and me, in our training, we are loving what's happening this fall! I feel like we're making small steps every time we work.

One thing we've been working on recently is picking up sheep off a set out person. Jane is so sensitive to pressure, and while it seems like no big deal to me, she really feels the pressure of the set out person and set out dog. So, she was really busting through and zinging off the pressure. With Dianne, we worked through that. We also worked on really calling Jane into pressure and having her lie in it and let her know it was okay.

Jane working on fetching through the pressure.

We have new homework for inside flanks. This made so much sense to me and I think it will progress pretty quickly. I had been calling Jane to get her attention, then flanking her. Now, Dianne wants me to flank first, then correct. Big correction for any forward movement. Soft correction for taking the wrong flank.

By the end of the weekend, Dianne and I were just trying not to laugh. Jane was trying so hard and she is so serious. Stuff we've been struggling with for three years was just happening. Pace. Nice soft walk up. Stops. It was definitely a weekend that showed me that all the hard work is worth it. There will be more hard work and more struggling, but this weekend was one of those glimpses of what it can be like.

On a personal note, I was nice, well polite anyway, to someone who likes to gossip about me.

And darn it if I didn't buy the hat, and the Tigers lost anyway!

Next week, Sheepcamp: two days with Don Helsley and two days with Patrick Shannahan! Can't wait. It should be the perfect kick off to the winter trials in Idaho. It looks like it's cooling down in Idaho this week, so this weekend will be a good time to look through my cold weather gear and get that organized.

Stellar Weekend

2011-10-17T08:23:00.000-07:00


It was a beautiful weekend in Northern Nevada.

I am very lucky to have generous friends. We had a beautiful weekend with Dianne Deal coming down to Nevada for lessons. One friend hosted Dianne and me at her house. Another friend hosted about twenty or more of us at her house for lessons.

Both days were packed with people and dogs all at different levels of skill and talent. There were several puppies tested and started. One very Hallmark team that made us all smile. A boy and his (VERY NICE) dog.

I was really pleased with how Jane worked all weekend, and how she progressed. By Sunday morning, Dianne and I had to keep stopping and laughing. Stuff I have been struggling with for three years with this dog was just happening. It felt great. I have new homework for inside flanks. Which is not to say we didn't have a few exciting moments. . .but over all, we turned in some nice work. Our plan/goal is to be ready for Pro/Novice in the spring, or, hopefully one of the later winter trials in Idaho.

One thing I still have trouble remembering and doing is to get angry in the correction, not the command. And to soften my corrections when I see that she is really trying. A new focus for me is to really correct any forward movement on flanks, and smaller corrections if she just chooses the wrong direction.

Also, talked my way out of a speeding ticket! It was the first time I've been pulled over in about 12 years. So, I was very relieved not to get a ticket. Even if Officer Sarcasm was getting on my nerves, I was happy he let me go.

TMT #13, and a pair of pointy boots!

2011-10-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

Just hit play and keep it rolling while you read the rest of the post.(Little Debbie mention at 2:17).

It's Thursday, and Laura wants to know (and, FYI, not sure I'm answering them all this week. . .I've forgotten the questions.)

1. What is your favorite Little Debbie snack? If you hate Little Debbie then I bow down to your greatness. (I suppose you can include some other favorite snack. Maybe it'll inspire me to get over LD for today.)

We had Little Debbie, Little Debbie when I was a kid. Little chocolate covered cakes with a cream-like filling. My fave. I still love sweets and desserts, but try to do healthy versions of that, like Ben & Jerry's or wine.

2. What do you use for laundry detergent?

My husband does our shopping and he likes his coupons. So, I have no idea! I use whatever is in the laundry room.

3. Tighty Whities or Boxers? (this, obviously, is open for interpretation)

On myself or someone else? Definitely depends. Not Depends.

4. Dogs: On the bed? In the house? On the furniture? Never? What are your rules?

Dogs on bed. In house. On couch. Discouraged from dining room table/chairs.

5. Favorite dog-related website (aside from my blog, obviously har har har)? Favorite NON-dog related website? Can be blogs, or whatever.

Ok. This is the one I'm not answering. Too exhausted from today. Super excited for this weekend!!! Dianne Deal is coming to town to give lessons. Will get a detailed report on how Pearl is doing at sheepcamp! Txt msgs are that she is improving all the time. And, Jane and I will get a tune up right before Shannahan/Helsley sheepcamp.

Tell Me Friday

2011-10-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

1. If you won the lottery (a big one... I'm talking stupid muchos cash) what would you do with the money? 2. After winning the lottery would you work a day job? If so, what would you do?

If I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you a green dress
(But not a real green dress, that's cruel)
And if I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you some art
(A Picasso or a Garfunkel)
If I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you a monkey
(Haven't you always wanted a monkey)

No, I haven't always wanted a monkey. Monkeys freak me out! Monkeys are creepy and dirty. I would definitely NOT BUY A MONKEY!! Nor, would I receive one as a gift. Monkeys belong on a different continent and/or in zoos. Away from me.

My current bajillion dollar windfall fantasy goes kind of like Jaenne's. . .minus the agility building. Or, I would move to Ireland and live in a castle and have a shepherd (and house keeping staff! Also, a cook from New Mexico and a sommelier) to do the dirty work, but have lovely land and hills and mist and sheep for Jane and Pearl. And Pogo and Gracie would lie by the fire and take long walks and look amazing against the bright green of the Irish country side.

3. Do you have any auxiliary dogs? Auxiliary dogs are dogs that are not essential to your main purpose (usually tiny, but not always). If you don't have an auxiliary dog what might you choose?

Currently, no. I have two retired dogs and two dogs in training. In the future, I see another Pomeranian or five. See above!

4. Do you have a favorite crock pot recipe (or other recipe) you can share?
I like that Six Guns Chili mix, then I add lots of stuff to it. Also, Tia Rita's Green Chile Stew Mix.

Sheep Camp: Day One

2011-10-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

I took Pearl up to Idaho this past weekend. She is at sheepcamp for an undetermined length of time. I was there for her first two lessons, before I had to head back home. All reports are that she has settled in like a pro and is doing very well with the change in her routine and training. I am not surprised. Pearl has been a very easy puppy (first birthday on 10/10) who adjusts to everything with ease.

I got to see her work twice and am really very excited about her potential! Even though people were telling me to buy a trained dog, I think I did the right thing in getting a puppy from this breeding (Bett x Riggs). I'm doing things the slow way, but I love the two Border Collies I have and am excited about the progress we are making.

I took Jane for a lesson with Dianne Deal. Jane worked really well for me and I was pleased to show some of the progress we've made. My Idaho friends are so supportive . . . I always come home feeling good about where I am with the dogs. I really appreciate the support I get from those Idaho gals!

Looking forward to lessons with Dianne here in Nevada in a couple weeks. Then the Idaho Winter trials! Can't wait to see what progress Pearl has made by then!

My Weekend Theme Song

2011-09-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

Robert Earl! Robert Earl!This is my song for the weekend. The only thing that would make it better is if Mary was along for the ride. She had a previous committment, and she is good on her word, so we'll have to be feelin' good again for her!

Thursday and Katy is Doggin' Me???

2011-09-29T19:39:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm her houseguest on Saturday night (invited myself, even!) and we'll wait till she drifts into peaceful slumber, and I'm totally pulling that hand in the warm water thing on her!

But, enough about Katy! Let's talk about Laura!

1. What movie do you love but are too embarrassed to admit you love it?Does Fast Times At Ridgemont High count?

2. Ann wants to know: How far do you drive/travel to attend trials, clinics, lessons? How far is too far?I only ask because last weekend, I drove 15 hours, round trip, for about five minutes of a Nov/Nov trial, before my one dog hurt herself and we had to retire.

3. What is your theme song (circa Ally McBeal)?
NEVER EVEN ONCE watched Ally McBeal. I hear a lot of Rolling Stones and Todd Snider in my head. Also, Sublime.

4. Laura S wants to know: If you had to choose a new dog activity, one that you had never done before, what would you choose?
I wanted to do dock jumping with Jane because she is crazy for her toy and she loves to run on the beach, but she refuses to swim. I'm with Jorgen, in that I can picture myself dogsledding. I love to follow the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest, but I am not nearly as tough as Karen Ramstead is. I think I'm only tough enough to be an arm chair musher.

5. What would your dog choose (or scribe, if you're Pippin)?
Gracie: FOOD! New show for the Travel Channel: Dog vs. Food!
Pogo: The Mirror! Aren't I cute? Don't you love how cute I am?
Jane: Sheep. If I can't have sheep, I will do flyball even if you hate the barking. I must have my ball.
Pearl: Total Recall. Just call, I will come running. No matter what. No matter where. I want to come running every time you say my name!

Gotta run! The new PS video just arrived and I have to go watch it so I can look all cool this weekend, quoting it and you know, shit.

Paso Robles Fun Trial

2011-09-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

We went to a fun trial in Paso Robles, CA this weekend. I was a little worried about two things: it was a small field and the ground cover was DG. But, it was an opportunity to trial in a new place with sheep we didn't know and people we didn't know. Also, wine.

Walking to the post.

I haven't worked Jane in a small area in quite some time. While she has been working really well for me in big fields, I wasn't sure how she'd handle the pressure of being in a small space with lots of fences. There was a huge draw to the exhaust and the sheep were a mixture of hair sheep from a few different flocks. The visiting sheep had been on the property for about a week.

Jane on the fetch.

I sent her come bye. She went tight. I tried to give her a correction to push her out, but she didn't take it. She came behind them a little fast, but not too bad. I forgot about the whistle hanging around my neck and told her to lie down. She DID! I let her up and she got up pretty nicely (above). I flanked her and gave her another down to slow the sheep (below). It was a very short fetch, and the sheep were moving faster than I would have liked, but I felt pretty good about the gather.

Jane on the fetch.

The pen was also the handler's post. I got a turn around the post that wasn't too bad. It was great. . .I felt like I had control over my dog! We started the drive. . .I decided to walk with her. Our inside flanks aren't really solid, so I feel better if I'm in a position to help her.

Turn around the post.

I think the line on the drive was pretty decent. The turn back to the pen wasn't great. . .we lost them a little bit, but got them back.

The drive away.

The pen is where it fell apart. The pressure was getting to Jane and she was losing patience. It got a little western and the sheep circled the pen a few times. Jane gripped a few times. I tried slowing things down, but as soon as Jane took the pressure off the sheep, they would run, rather than settle. I finally stopped her and the sheep were trying to decide what to do. I let her up and she took a big limp step, so I knew she had torn a pad again. I laid her down, thanked the judge, closed the pen and exhausted the sheep. The sheep thought that was my best move all day.

My primary goal for the weekend was to have control of my dog and get a stop at the top. I was very pleased with how things went and that Jane kept her cool up until the pen. This is a big improvement from where we were just a month or so ago. I was bummed she was hurt and that we couldn't run on Sunday, but really, I got what I wanted out of the trial and more.

Quick stop at Vina Robles.

What would a trip to Paso Robles be without a stop at a winery? On Sunday, I went back to the trial to watch my friend run, then I had to get to Cambria to pick up my friend who was riding with me to get home at a decent hour. But, we wanted to get in a quick visit to at least one winery. Vina Robles is BEAUTIFUL!! And, they open at 10am! We did a quick tasting, loved their 2008 Cab., bought a couple bottles, snapped a couple photos, and hit the road.

It was a great weekend, bookended by LOTS of driving! Thanks to Ben, Lily, Val, Pearl, Jane, and of course Kristi, Mary and Debbie for making it fun!

TMT: ON Thursday??

2011-09-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

Goal setting has never been a strength of mine.

But, Laura wants to know: Going forward over the next six months, what are your goals?

She wants to know goals for myself, goals for my dogs, goals for my house. . .I don't know. Seems like she is a little goal crazy! Not my forte, AT ALL, which is why I just continue to float along, from one thing, to the next, like a bubble, in the gentle river. And then one day, I hit the rapids and I am screwed!!!

1. Get that 5K down to 30 minutes or less.
2. Lose a pants size or two.
3. Get my house cleaned up a bit.
4. Maybe rip out the horrible carpet and put in a good hard floor?
5. Be better about thank you notes and gifts.

For the dogs:

1. Pearl goes off to start her training next weekend. Super excited to see what she's got.
2. Get Jane running in ProNovice.
3. Get myself comfortable in ProNovice.
4. Get my whistles consistent.
5. Start thinking about shedding.

That's it, Laura. That's all I got. Maybe you will hold me accountable and I'll get some stuff done?!!!

Monday: It must be time for Tell Me Thursday!

2011-09-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

Last week was a little crazy for me. I went to Las Vegas for the biggest pet industry trade show in the west, Super Zoo. And it was. And Wednesday night found me at a night club called Eye Candy at The Mandalay Bay, doing tequila shots (it was Patron!) until 3am, with a breakfast date at 8am, with my boss. I don't even remember the last time I did anything like that! I made it through the rest of the week at work. On the weekend, worked Jane both days, tried to follow the Finals. Today, had two very bad pieces of news. . . oh yeah, and you all heard about the horrible plane crash at the Reno Air Races, right?

I think I need a little Crooks and Crazies for sanity tonight!

1. If you're not at the 2011 Sheepdog finals this weekend what are you planning to do?
I took Jane to my friend's ranch to work both Saturday and Sunday mornings. We have a N/N trial this coming weekend. While I have been very pleased with Jane's work and listening lately, I had to be sure it was staying with us. I said on Facebook that the preemptive "Come To Jesus" meetings are working. As long as I give her a ton of rules/expectations and give her consequences for not following them, her listening on the field is very much improved, so her work is good and I am happy and she is happy.

2. One item you NEVER walk onto the trial field (any trial field, or training class will suffice) without?
My dog and a plan. I try to have a plan B and a plan C, sometimes even plan A!

3. Katy wants to know if you have a pre-run ritual that you observe?
In agility, I had a very set pre-run ritual for Gracie, which was potty the dog, play with the dog a little, run the perfect run in my head, get the dog out and walk, then play, get to the ring with two dogs in front of me running. If they were fast dogs, I let my dog watch (she needed to be hyped up). If they were slow dogs, I played games with her to get her focus on me and her motivation up.

4. How old were you when you had your first real kiss?
Really? I guess 15. And he friended me on FB last year. And he's a good guy and a good dad and he works hard for his family. I guess I wasn't too far off!

5. Bonnie wants to know what you do for yard mud control during the winter?
Lots of towels by the back door. But we usually have a pretty cold, dry winter with a few snows. So the grass in the back yard keeps it down somewhat. I try and catch the rest. Bought a steam cleaner this year! Bring it on, Winter!

Tuff Nin' Up

2011-09-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

We received our shipment very promptly from Vickie Close, in spite of the fact that she is on a road trip to the three major sheepdog trials in the western states this year. She ran a dog at Soldier Hollow, shipped me the stuff, then ran at Meeker, and after this weekend will be on her way to the National Finals. THANKS, Vickie!

Today was day two of application. Picture tomorrow.

They Love Me In Japan

2011-09-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

At work, we have a great customer who always has questions for me. She wants to do the best for her dogs, wants them to be well trained and active. We've spent a lot of time talking about various activities for the dogs, how to contact trainers, etc. One day, she came in and told me that her friend in Japan thought it was great that I was helping her so much, and would like a picture of me with Pearl. Being a typical American, I thought this was a little odd, but I like this customer, and her little dog Kuma is super cute. So I rolled with it. Let her take some pix of Pearl and me to send to her friend in Japan.

She told me that her friend makes little figures of dogs and she would like to make one of Pearl. I had no idea what they were like, but said ok. So, that was a while ago and I kind of forgot about it. Today she came in with these little beauties! Her friend had knit or crocheted or some kinda fiber art'd a little Pearl and two sheep (the sheep are from Alpaca yarn and oh, so soft!).

She even sent a little display box to put them in. Perfect for dusty Nevada! Isn't this just the cutest thing? I'm so honored that she wanted to make these for us. She even got Pearls little frills under her chin!

Thank you, Japan!!! I love you, too!

Tell Me Thursday

2011-09-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

1. What is the biggest thing that grossed you out over the past week?
I can't think of anything especially gross. I haven't had to touch chicken legs, and like Katy, Jane is in full blown heat right now. Pearl was last week. When you live with three intact bitches, that happens. So there's that to contend with.

2. What do you feed your dogs?
Primarily I feed a raw diet. I use Sojo's dehydrated fruit/veggie mix and add some meat grind (muscle meat and organ meat) that I get from a local vendor. Lamb or beef. . .nice pasture raised, local meat. Or sometimes I use a turkey grind made from Diestel turkey. . .that includes bone. I like the Acana kibble, and use that here and there. I'll send Pearl with Acana Grasslands when she goes for training next month. The Great Life grain/potato free food is good, too. I get that once in a while. . .and Nature's Variety Instinct. And then I will also try out new foods (part of my job) when vendors comp me free bags.

3. If you could move anywhere where would you live?
I love Santa Fe. I think I would love Ireland.

4. What is the funniest thought that occurred to you (or thing that happened to you) this week?
I think this would have been funnier if I wasn't so cranky last night. A last minute customer at work was having a bad day and decided to take it out on me. I believe she actually shrieked at me! Plus, all the hot lesbian dog action that's happening every time I try to walk down the hallway.

5. If you couldn't have your breed of choice what would be next on your list?
I have my two current favorite breeds, Samoyeds and Border Collies. I've always wanted an Alaskan Malamute, but since the Border Collies arrived, my ideal climate/location has changed a bit. I did have a Pomeranian, and I'm sure I will have more Poms in the future. The one sight hound that I really like and would consider is the Whippet. . .but I do like having dogs who can handle their own climate control. If I had a dog that I *HAD* to dress, I might not like it so much.

Tuff Enuff?

2011-09-06T20:21:00.000-07:00

Sunday evening I noticed that Jane was limping on her left front. Here's what I found. She cut up her feet pretty badly earlier in the summer and they haven't really recovered from that. I worked her on Sunday, but it was on grass pasture. . .then I remembered having taken her and Pearl out to run up and down a gravel road, and for a run in an alfalfa pasture. Undoubtedly, this foot was still not totally healed from the earlier event.

This picture was taken two days after running on the gravel road. That night, it was a little red and swollen. Starting to look good today. Since I plan to run her in two sheepdog trials at the end of this month and the first part of next month, and we have a four day clinic at the end of October, I want to be sure she has enough foot to work for me. So, I ordered some of the Handhills Tuff N Up. I knew that the Close's were out traveling at Soldier Hollow, then Meeker, then to the Finals, so I wasn't sure if I'd get it in time. Vickie was right on it! She priority mailed my order from Utah this morning, so I should get it tomorrow or the next day. She asked for my feedback, so I thought I'd put it on the blog and post photos to see how it goes.

I am putting Toes Butter, a pad conditioner, on it while I wait for the Tuff N Up to arrive. I'd like to get it healed a little before I start putting an alcohol based product on it.

Pillow, thy name is Jane.

2011-09-05T09:24:00.001-07:00

We all have our own goals. . .

2011-09-02T21:45:00.000-07:00

but this is what any of us would love to take home at the end of the summer.

The dogs are amazing.

Dog Food: Artisan by Grandma Lucy

2011-09-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about my job is that I get to try out new products, often for cheap or free. If you've been reading for long, you know I'm a dog food nerd. I keep trying to get my boss to get me a shirt that identifies me as such. I like to know about dog food. But, I am also a snob and most of it just doesn't interest me. I really don't care what is in Pu*ina or Ped$gree. There are several brands available at big box stores that I don't even want to look at.

But, I like to look at new products and if they are a truly new and unique product that meets my base standard, I like to try them on my dogs. Especially if the vendor gives them to me for free. :)

Last week, we tried the Merrick BG Pork (0 Poultry; Grain Free). I feed kibble once or twice a week. Oh, and what's up with this? My favorite vendor sales rep and I paid for my bag?? I need to talk to him about that! Anyway, the dogs loved it. Good stools. Etc. Same as always. My dogs all eat just about anything. One dog doesn't eat chicken or lamb, and I don't like grains for them, except maybe in the winter.

Anyway, the new try this week is Grandma Lucy's Freeze Dried Pork. Grain free. It's Pork and potato.

It sure looks like instant mashed potato flakes!

Nice big chunks of freeze dried pork.

That was a two pound bag. I gave the Sams (both 45-55lbs and senior) one cup for their evening meal, with 1 1/4 c warm water. I gave the BCs (both 40-43lbs and active) 1 1/2 cup with 2 cups warm water.

So that was about 1/3 of the bag for my four dogs for one meal. I don't know about the pork (forgot to check), but the bison bag of that same size retails for about $35.

Gracie likes it!

Pogo likes it.

Jane likes it.

Pearl likes it!

Tell Me Thursday

2011-09-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

Come, sit for a spell on my porch and tell me about your Thursday.

1. What five things can't you live without?

a. Definitely my dogs.
b. I feel like I'm copying Laura. . .my smart phone (which really means internet and camera).
c. Hair clips.
d. See, copying Laura: coffee and wine.
e. Currently am enjoying coffee while writing my blogpost (internet), with dogs lolling at my feet. Those must be my top three.

2. How do you transport your dogs? This question suggested by several peeps, including Mara.

I drive a 2006 Kia Sedona (minivan). It has 107000 miles on it. I recently got it totally pimped out for Hot August nights. My dad sent me these valve stem covers because I live in Nevada. He was coming for a visit and Hot August nights was happening, so here you go:

I took the middle seats out, dropped the back seats into the floor, and had a platform built. The platform is for the middle section. Two wire crates sit on that, facing out the side door. Then I can put two crates facing out the back, on the floor. The slope of the ceiling didn't allow room for the back crates to be elevated, too. So, I have some storage under the middle crates. I put my cooler and my bag on the passenger seat. . .it's a one person/four dog vehicle.

That said, I do suffer from truck envy. Nothing fancy, but I sure would like a Ford truck.

3. What role does obedience play in your training or running of your dog(s)?
4. At what point do you start putting commands on your dogs?

I don't think I'm qualified to answer either of those questions. With Pearl, I have taught her to lie down and come when called. We are still working on the loose leash/get behind walking. My co-workers have taught her some tricks. The flank commands will come later. . .in October, when she goes away for training.

5. Do you talk to strangers in elevators? Question posted by Laura #1

I use elevator time to determine whether I need a new pair of shoes. I feel lucky that it is a very rare opportunity for me to do this. I encounter very few elevators in my life.

Dog Days Of Summer

2011-08-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

Jane and I went to Washoe Lake this morning for a little one on one time. It pretty much looked like this for an hour and a half.

Puppies!!!

2011-08-28T15:08:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love puppies? I had the opportunity to go play with a litter of five week old Border Collies yesterday. I snapped a few photos with my phone. For more info on the litter, go to Morgen's website.

Thirsty Thursday!

2011-08-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

1. How do you teach recalls to your dogs?

I don't do anything unusual or revolutionary. Just the usual. . .give them a good reason to come to me. With the two BCs, I, for the first time in my life, have dogs who want to come to me because I asked them to. A lifetime of Samoyeds (and one Pomeranian), who come if they want, but are more than happy to take off on an adventure/expedition, if I don't have the proper treat at the moment, this whole recall thing is rather new and foreign to me. I quite like it.

2. What is your favorite Restaurant or type of food? Clearly I have food on the brain much of the time.

In Reno, I really like Cafe de Thai. I think it would be misleading to say I love Thai food. I love green curry with beef, yellow curry with chicken, and just about anything with peanut sauce. I don't know that I've tried anything more than those things in any Thai restaurant.

I like most shell fish in hot butter. I also like popcorn in hot butter. There is a story about me as a kid. . .summer camp, my parents counselors, taps/flag ceremony before the meal. . .me nowhere to be found. . .later found eating a stick of butter off one of the tables in the mess hall. Straight butter. Uh-huh!

3. What is your favorite interest outside of dogs/livestock/sports?

I just started that running thing. Sometimes I take a dog with me. Cleaning the house is not a favorite interest of mine. I wonder if there is a way I could make it more motivating for me? Click and butter? I really like this song:

4. Describe your path from where you started out to where you are now! (For example, how did you get from Novice to Open? How long did it take? Train dogs? Buy dogs? I'll take answers for any sort of discipline, or even how did you go from wild dog that didn't listen to well behaved dog - interpret this however you like.) This question was suggested by Pippin.

I started with Samoyeds in Obedience. . .time and many events passed. Ended up with a Border Collie puppy (from English hill lines), planning to do agility and arena trials with her. Started all the tugging, revving up games for agility and started her in an arena on sheep. . .like for a year, or two! Then, saw a USBCHA Open trial. Agility and arenas went out the window. That dog is now three. . .USBCHA trials/trainers are pretty hard to come by in our neck of the woods. Our progress has been slow. Sent my dog off for a couple months of training, we did a couple novice trials. . .and we have a couple more planned for the fall. We're making our way, if slowly. I have two really good dogs (this three year old, and my 10 month old puppy). . .I think we can all make it to Open some time. . .but not any time soon.

5. Is there a dog that you raised that, if you knew then what you know now, you would have raised them differently? Question posed by Jodi.

See #4. If I had known then what I know now, I never would have put that agility foundation on Jane. I would have been more consistent with rules and boundaries (BCs love those more than Samoyeds do, it turns out!) I wouldn't have kept Jane working/fighting me in an arena for two years. Etc., etc. I think that if you aren't changing the way you raise each puppy, you either aren't paying attention, or you've already reached the top of your game. I think most of us keep striving to improve, so we learn from the previous dogs and improve on the new one. At work, I teach people each day, new and different ways to live with their dogs. It might be nutrition, it might be training, it might be grooming. . .whatever it is, we can always learn more.

A Rare Moment

2011-08-23T07:46:00.001-07:00

Friday Favorites

2011-08-18T21:02:00.001-07:00

Tell Me, Tell Me! It's Thursday!

2011-08-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday again! It occurs to me that I shouldn't try to do this so early in the morning. But, I think I'm going to play with puppies after work tonight, so I best do it now. Besides, I didn't go running this morning, as was my plan, so I should something productive. This is productive, right?

1. Who is your newest dog? Where is he/she from, and why did you choose this particular dog/breeding? This question posted by Jodi.

That is Orchard Run Pearl. She was bred by Dianne Deal, from last October's Riggs x Bett litter. And, I was on the list for the litter before Riggs won the Finals last year! I met Dianne and Patrick Shannahan about two and a half years ago, when I took Jane up to Patrick's young dog clinic when she was just a year old. I went back a year later for another young dog clinic, then to a Novice Handler clinic, then started going to Dianne for lessons, etc. In this time, I came to really admire their dogs. I saw Riggs on several occasions and saw Patrick run both Riggs and Bett at the '09 Finals in Klamath Falls. It was at the 2010 Novice Handler's clinic that I really saw Dianne's Fame (from the first Riggs x Bett litter) for the first time. At the end of that weekend, I asked Dianne to be put on the list if she were to repeat that breeding. On 10-10-10, Pearl's litter was born.

2. What traits drew you to this dog or breeding? (also by Jodi)

Look at that face! You have to ask? Being so new to the world of sheepdogging, I wanted to be as sure as I could that the dog would work. I know I could have bought a trained dog, but I like to raise puppies. So getting a puppy from two proven dogs who had pups on the ground who were working well made the most sense to me. Both Riggs and Bett have certainly proven themselves as work dogs, trial dogs and dogs who produce good working dogs.

If you know me at all, you know how much I love my Jane dog. But, she is not easy. As a novice handler, she has been a good challenge for me. I love her work ethic, her power, her style, her desire to run big, her intensity. For my second dog, I was hoping for some of those same things, and a dog who is more of a team player. I didn't want a soft dog, but bidability was very important to me. And, because my dogs are really my pets first and recreational sheepdogs second, this dog had to be an easy dog to live with. Everything I'd heard about the other Riggs x Bett puppies and about the parents made me think this would be a good match for me.

We're still working on whether we think it is a good thing to roll in cow manure or not. . .haven't totally partnered up on that yet, but I have seen some very nice things in Pearl the few times she has been on sheep. NATURAL PACE???? Oh Yeah!!!

3. What's on your feet right now?

Jane, dog hair and some bronzy toe nail polish.

4. What are you reading right now?

I just finished The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt. I really enjoyed that. Currently, I'm catching up on some Border Collie reading. I have just opened The Dog Wars by Donald McCaig, am about half-way through Nine Secrets of Perfect Horsemanship by Don Blazer, and working on Chi Running by Danny Dreyer. I don't usually have multiple books going. . .but for some reason, I do now.

5. What upcoming trials are you looking forward to? If you don't trial dogs I'll take whatever activity that you're looking forward to.

I am planning to go down to Paso Robles for a N/N fun trial in September. After taking some time off this summer, Jane and I had a good work on Sunday, so I'm vaguely optimistic. I'm very much looking forward to Sheep Camp in October with Patrick Shannahan and Don Hesley.

Channel Your Inner Wolf

2011-08-16T20:17:00.001-07:00

Ok, yeah. She still looks cute and not at all Hungry Like The Wolf for this plastic bone-ish toy. In spite of my mad photog skillz. Right?!

Wordless Wednesday: Multi-Media Herding

2011-08-16T20:11:00.001-07:00

My dog is back! And so is her handler!

2011-08-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

We aren't brilliant or anything, but we worked today and it was good. No fighting. No threats. Just a good dog and a struggling handler, trying to figure this stuff out.

Outruns were nice and wide and except for a very few exceptions, equally deep on the top. Jane was in contact with her sheep more than she wasn't. The sheep were FANTASTIC! She took her stops more than she didn't. We ended the day quite successfully with some short, inside flanks and got the stops on those about 98%.

It was almost like it was winter again!

More Running

2011-08-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

I ran another 5K race this morning. Today, my friend JoAnn, from Arizona, ran with me. They made an impromptu trip to N. NV. for a high school reunion and quick vacay. She started running about the same time I did. Except she is thin and in shape. Lucky girl.

We started out together and ran the first mile together. I had a coughing fit that was going to involve puking, if I didn't get my phlegm under control, so I fell back and sent her on.

I walked a bit on the second mile, then vowed to run the whole third mile, but ended up walking some. Walking just enough to get my breathing under control. Huge issue for me. Right at the end, JoAnn's husband who doesn't run and had a toddler in a stroller crept up on me. "We have this!" he told me. So I ran it in. About the same pace as last weekend.

I have some new things to focus on with the ChiRunning book I'm reading, and I hope to make it to a ChiRunning workshop.

Really excited to go work Jane tomorrow. She's been doing some great stuff around the house and I'm hopeful that she will listen to me tomorrow.

Thursday Talk

2011-08-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

Thursday comes again. . .let me tell you about it!

1. In sheepdog training (or lets call it *any* type of training), how do you keep from taking yourself, your dog, your lack of progress too seriously? posed by Ann.

I posed this question, so clearly I have an issue with it! I decided to take a little time off with Jane this summer. I'm looking forward to starting to work her again this weekend. We've been working on some things away from stock and I hope the improvements I've seen there will carry over.

It really helps me to talk to more experienced handlers and listen them laugh at the train wrecks they've seen, caused, been a part of. Those of you who have helped me in that way, THANK YOU!

I also like to take pictures of my cute puppy.

2. How many crates do you have? For reals.

Nine and two ex-pens? Something like that. I like to have one for each dog in the house and one for each dog in the car. . .that's my baseline.

3. How do you keep your dogs in shape?

They do alot of keeping each other in shape. I recently started running three days a week. I take Jane with me sometimes. . .though I'm not sure that she gets much from it. I like for them to free run whenever possible. The foxtails and cheat grass have been awful this year, so we haven't done as much of that as I'd like.

4. Who is your favorite movie/tv star eye candy at the moment?

Mmmmm. . . I dunno.

5. What is your livestock situation? Have your own? Borrow? Herd the cats? (You can subsitute other equipment for livestock if you don't work stock with your dogs).

I was just starting to collect enough agility equipment to really train my dogs at home when I decided to get out of agility. I bought two lambs, who live at my friend's house. Borrow and beg.

5K: Did it!

2011-08-09T20:11:00.001-07:00

At the beginning of June, I started the Couch to 5K running program. That first day, it almost killed me to walk for five minutes, then run for 60 seconds. Saturday, I started Week 9 (it's a nine week program to get you literally off the couch and up and running for 30 minutes without stop) by running a 5k race with my brother who is about six months ahead of me in running (not to mention, he's always been in better shape than me). He's running a half marathon two weeks from now.

But we ran the little 5k (3.1 miles) on Saturday. It was a fast pace for me. I heaved and gasped for breath. He trotted along beside me, supportive and quizzical, keeping his running pace slow, if his conversation pace was far beyond my limitations. Which dog do you run with? Why not the others? {gasp} [SPUTTER] (heave) Repeat. . .my response.

We finished. Good friends, my parents and husband were there to cheer me on. The day after my big birthday. Half way to ninety, my brother pointed out!

I am entered in another 5k race this coming weekend. I will have some other friends showing up to run with me and to cheer me on from the sidelines.

I'm still not good at it, I still don't love it, but I love that I'm doing it. Proud of how far I've come. The biggest hightlight from next weekend, I hope, will be working my dog again and finding that this time off did us both good.

Tell Me Thursday

2011-08-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

It's the new game that all the cool kids are playing! Laura from Crooks and Crazies wants you to tell all on Thursdays! Well, not all, just whatever she asks. Here's my first go.

(1) How did you get into border collies (or whatever your dogs of choice are)? What started it all?
I started with Samoyeds as family dogs. When I got married and wanted to get my own dog, I thought about other breeds, but was drawn back to Samoyeds. I trained and showed them in obedience and conformation, eventually falling in love with agility. Which is when I met my first Border Collies. I started running some of my friends BCs in agility and really liked the speed and the drive. About the same time, I started taking my current two Sams to herding lessons. I really dug that and decided to jump in with both feet. Along came Jane, and more recently Pearl.

(2) How many dogs do you have? All dog math variations accepted.
Four. Gracie is 12. Pogo is nearly 8. Jane is 3. And Pearl is 10 months.

(3) What do you do for a day job?
I work in a specialty dog food store. The best part of my day is doing nutrition consults and helping people make better decisions about how to feed and care for their dogs, to make the lives of the dogs better.

(4) What questions would you like to answer (or ask)?
In sheepdog training, how do you keep from taking yourself, your dog, your lack of progress too seriously? I mean, besides reading Katy's blog for inspiration.

(5) What was for dinner last night?
Last night was a working dinner. Every month or two, one of the sales reps. from one of the dog food companies we work with will take our stores' staff out to dinner for a training seminar. Last night was pizza with April from Natural Balance.

Not much happening

2011-07-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

We're hitting a lull this summer. I don't do well in the heat, so I haven't been very motivated to work Jane. With as cranky as I get in the summer, and our recent come-to-Jesus sessions, I haven't really wanted to go there. I am making her more accountable than ever (really!) around the house and out running for listening to me and doing what I tell her.

I took the afternoon off work to go work her, but it was just too hot, so we bagged it and came home to make green chile enchiladas. . .not really a great choice for a hot afternoon. . .but they were good.

I'm making my fall plans. Going to Soldier Hollow to watch for a couple days.

Did you know that it's all the rage today to post this clip? It is! I've seen it everywhere. Nice music!

"They" are making a movie about some of the top handlers and their prep for Soldier Hollow this year. Filmmakers. The movie is called Away To Me. Those are Jane's very favorite words that I sometimes say to her. I usually only get "Awaa" out and she's gone and out of distance where she can hear me. Her favorite partial word.

In mid-October, I'm going to Dayton, NV so that I may travel to Yearington, NV to take lessons from Pearl's breeder. Then in late October, I'm traveling to Idaho to attend the famous, infamous and very popular Sheep Camp.

I hope that the winter weather will cooperate and let me attend the winter Idaho trials. . .and allow me a Christmas trip to Michigan.

See??? This summer heat forces me indoors to dream to cold, crisp fall days, gray skies, snow, wind and ice. My Carhartt bibs stand at the ready!

December. It was a happier time!

And I don't even live in the parts of the country that had the horrible heat wave this summer. I just had normal, regular, SHORTER THAN USUAL Nevada summer.

Downtown Reno. July, 2011

2011-07-17T14:02:00.001-07:00

We went downtown yesterday to see some Artown stuff and do the wine walk. The river is running fast and high.

Some really cool pieces in the NadaDada show.

West Street Market has looked like it's dying, but rumor has it two high end restaurants are moving in soon. I love the bike rack.

Roller Derby seems like a perfect fit for Reno!

At the wine walk, participating merchants decorate wine glasses.

I don't know if you can tell from the picture, mine had stones and feathers. Chris went for the googly eyes.

It was a beautiful day! I miss some of those characters you only meet downtown. Sortof. Now that I work in the old money part of Reno, I don't see those folks. But, I kind of like my rich ladies. . .they tend to smell better.

Got My Run On

2011-07-15T08:06:00.000-07:00

A little later than usual, Jane and I loaded up and made the quick drive over to the Marina for our thrice weekly run. I should probably run in different places, but I like the Marina and it's pretty flat. Hills are too mentally challenging for me at this stage of the game.

In our Couch To 5K program, we are at Week 6, Day 2. (The royal we: my good dog Jane and me.) Today was a five minute warm up walk, ten minute jog, three minute walk, ten minute jog, and a five minute cool down walk. It went well, though I walked a few steps here and there. I know that is also a mental thing for me, because I wasn't terribly winded or gasping for breath like I sometimes am, and I didn't feel fatigued until the very end of the last run. Today, however, I did feel sore when I got out of the car at home. . .something I haven't felt since week two.

With the help of a friend who is a trainer/nutritionist, I'm changing my pre- and post-run eating/drinking/supplement habits. Looking forward to seeing some changes with that.

Three weeks till my first 5K! I'm really looking forward to it!

Friday

2011-07-14T07:51:00.001-07:00

Therapy

2011-07-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

I abandoned my pity party of last week and headed to Idaho with my two good dogs. (I left two good dogs home, too!) It was a bit of an unusual weekend in Caldwell, in that many of the "Idaho gals" were off at a trial. DD's kids were out of town, so I had a huge morning Saturday of private lessons. It was very intense for Jane and Pearl. Friday night, DD and I had a long talk about my "issues" and concerns about where Jane and I are and what's happening. We had some DD winecoolers (Fresca and Chardonnay -- quite tasty!).

Saturday morning we got up, had coffee, fed dogs, I went for a run along the ditch bank with Jane, and DD hit the treadmill. Our friend PS was braver and stronger and was out doing a half marathon. I think the "runners" call it a "half." Whatever you want to call it, color me impressed!

After the morning running, the texts started zinging in. DD was getting texts from everyone at the Athena trial. I was getting texts from MM on the progress of her trip and her roadkill count. We worked dogs.

Pearl was the main focus of the weekend. She is nine months old and has seen sheep a handful of times. She is extremely keen, shows some style and moderate eye. But, she's also a puppy and is just plain crazy for the sheep. She worked several times, improving her thoughtfulness each time. I'll plan to take her back once or twice before leaving her with DD for a few months training in October. I'm pretty excited about what I see in her. She's going to be fun!

With Jane, we worked in a small space to reinforce that she has to listen to me no matter what, and she has to figure out for herself when to stop and how to nicely get up and walk onto her stock. She got some time out in the bigger pasture, but she had a lot of work in the small yard, and learned (I hope) how to deal with the pressure and know that she will live, even if she is in trouble and there are fences.

Saturday night was a great dinner party with friends and family. Good music, conversation, friends, wine. Even a little roping. I won't post those pictures. Somethings don't belong on a blog!

Sunday morning, we worked the dogs again and then it was time for Jane, Pearl and me to head home. I don't know about Jane and Pearl, but I had a lot to think about on that long drive. I have some changes to make in how I handle my dogs and already, I'm seeing an improvement. I need to raise the bar of my expectations in a very big way. With Pearl, I'm not to really do anything with her, other than work on some manners things. With Jane, I have a lot of work. I got called on the carpet about some of the things I do that sabotage us. It was good. Stuff I kinda knew, but nobody ever said anything to me about.

On that long drive home, I thought about what I had heard/learned over the two days as I dodged pieces of tire all the way. These are good people and I'm honored to be traveling and studying with them. And, I have so much to learn!

Also, saw a bi-plane crop duster at work. Cool. Hope I won't die because of whatever he was dumping!

Taking Off For The Weekend

2011-07-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

It will be good to get out of town this weekend. Heading up to Idaho, of course! I was having a little pity party yesterday morning and almost canceled my trip and sent my puppy on without me for a couple lessons.

Through the late spring and into this summer, I have been pretty disappointed in the lack of progress and even regression that Jane and I are experienc i bbbbv g bb (Pearl was helping me type!) experiencing. We just aren't where we were back in March. I really had hoped to be trialing in Novice this summer and ready for P/N in the fall. It's not happening.

So, yesterday I thought I'd avoid my problems, and not go show off to my coach how bad we are! As I thought about it all day, I realized that taking it to my coach is exactly what I need to do. I need a little pep talk and some direction.

I also realized that one of the things I like best about my Idaho friends is how they just take you for what you are. And for the most part they like you the way you are. It'll do me good to go spend some time with them. A little sheepdoggin', some food, red wine, lots of laughing and maybe even a little running.

See you next week!

Cowshit.

2011-07-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Do the best with what you know, when you know it.

2011-06-30T20:32:00.001-07:00

Then, you hopefully keep learning and keep applying the new knowledge. . .and you are gentle with yourself and not too harsh for not knowing then, what you know now. Or, wouldn't it be nice if that's the way it always went?!

When I started thinking that I needed to get a Border Collie, I was seeing the end of Gracie's agility career on the horizon. I was looking for my next agility dog. I had also started thinking about the whole herding or sheepdog thing, and was taking Pogo to some herding lessons and thinking that whole dance was pretty cool. So, what better to take "my game" to the next level. . .get me a Border Collie and voila (insert proper French punctuation marks for yourself): I'm a genius!

I got myself a pretty little black tri pup with some fancy dogs in her pedigree. I gathered up some of the latest and greatest agility dog training videos and articles and I studied them. I started taking my friend's Border Collie to herding lessons.

I started Jane on the tug toys and retrieving and crate games and really loving her toys and tugging and retrieving and doing it all AS*FAST*AS*POSSIBLE!!!!! She was intense! I knew I had a good dog. Border Collie is FAST=Good Agility Dog. Four months came and she had her first look at sheep and that was GOOD! I AM a genius!

We started the Susan Salo jumping program! Beautiful, thoughtful jumping dog. We started the Susan Garrett 2x2 weave pole program! Brilliant way to teach your dog the weave poles! My puppy is a star. On sheep, she is tight and fast. But goddamn! She is one driven young dog.

About the time Jane was a year old, a friend took me to a USBCHA Open sheepdog trial. That is where it all changed. I’d never seen a dog run out 400, 500 yards, who knows how far and gather, then do drives of a few hundred yards. Working so far away, the dog was just a black speck and the sheep blended in with the color of the dead grass, but the dogs found them anyway, and brought them.

When Jane was a year and a half old, I put her in her first agility trial. I hadn’t trained her on contact equipment, but we did the Jumpers class and smoked it both days with first places and beating the second place dog by at least ten seconds or more. And, that was her last agility trial. I was bitten by that sheepdog bug and bitten bad.

I started traveling to Idaho to work with trainers up there. I made new friends. I met new dogs. And I became focused on running USBCHA trials with Jane. And then I saw some dogs I liked very much and asked to be put on a puppy list.

Then, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. This trainer, that trainer, seminars, lessons, etc.

Fast forward to this most recent spring, April, I think. Jane and I are doing great(-ish, by our standards). Making progress with what we have, with what time we have. I’m sitting in a seminar with A Big Hat giving the seminar. A California agility trainer is there with her sheepdog as a seminar attendee. I know who she is because I used to do agility in California. Nobody else there knows who she is. She asks about doing agility with sheepdogs and vice versa. Here we go. Listen to this:

Big Hat says, do agility with your sheepdogs, if you want, but start them on sheep before you start agility. If you start them with agility, they learn that your relationship is about adrenaline and going fast. And pretty soon, everything you do together is about adrenaline and going fast. And when you introduce them to sheep, which are inherently exciting to young Border Collies, it’s all about adrenaline and going fast. He doesn’t say it quite like that, but that’s what I took away from it. I filed that back in the back of my little brain and went back to work on the problem I have with Jane working sheep: She brings them so damn fast, doesn’t want to stop, and I end up beside myself because she won’t listen to me. I get stressed and frustrated. She gets stressed and frustrated. Etc.

NOW, fast forward to this morning, June 29, while I’m in the shower: I did agility foundation work with Jane for a year and a half, building her speed and drive and enthusiasm. I wanted a fast dog. I wanted a driven dog. I wanted a dog who lived to do her job. And that is the dog I have. The dog, to whatever extent, I created.

It wasn’t until this morning that I put all of that together and see what a huge part of this problem I have been. I may have realized parts of it on some level, because with Pearl, I have rewarded her daily for lying quietly at my feet. I’ve done some tugging with her, and we play with toys some, but nothing like I did with Jane. Pearl shows great promise on sheep, and some very exciting things that are clearly just natural for her. But, she is also quiet and calm and is happy to chill out.

I’ll never know what part of each dog is nature vs. nurture. Both dogs have natural talent with the sheep and both are quite driven to work. I’ll never know what I would have from Jane as a natural sheepdog, if I hadn’t done all the agility foundation work with her. And that’s ok. But, I do wonder, and my mind wanders that way. That’s where we were then, and this is where we are now. Our journey. Learning to be gentle with ourselves as we travel. . .

I bought the cutest little bowls. . .

2011-06-29T19:32:00.001-07:00

Way Out West

2011-06-27T08:08:00.000-07:00

Virginia City, NV

2011-06-25T16:01:00.001-07:00

I packed up the Border Collies this morning and pointed the trusty mini-van at Virginia City. We volunteered our assistance to our friends at BAA (Bowden & Atwater) who give sheepdog demonstrations. It sounded like a full weekend for them (two days to demos at the VC Pet Expo), so I offered an extra dog and took Pearl along for the ride.

As is my habit, we were early. Which was perfect because I had plenty of time to shoot some photos of the local scenery. In the photo above, the black horse with her head up turns out to have possibly the ugliest head I've ever seen on a horse. Below, you can judge for yourself!

The mustangs were quite comfortable walking around town, grazing some breakfast. These colts were beyond cute and obliged me over and over for photos!

The pet expo seemed to be quite large. We were down the hill a bit in an arena to be shared with some of the horse demos. There was a huge breakdown or just epic fail in communication between organizers and demonstrators. Eventually, things were worked out, people were flexible and most expo attendees watched us from up on top of the hill.

I had a beautiful drive to and from VC. Jane worked her paw pads off. Pearl was excellent, as always. And I think everyone learned how to do it better next year. Or tomorrow, but we're staying home, since Jane has only one good foot left.

Vacation Photos

2011-06-23T20:38:00.001-07:00

Three Weeks Running (and Walking)

2011-06-21T16:07:00.001-07:00

This morning I completed my C25K Week 3, Day 3! It feels great to have done this much. I won't say I'm good at it, or that I love doing it, but I love that I've done it. Next week looks tough to me and I think it will be more of a mental challenge than a physical one. I struggled with week 3, but have been encouraged to keep moving on, rather than repeat the week.

I have had some great supporters with this and am so grateful to them all. Reading my friends' workouts on Daily Mile has been inspirational! I've really enjoyed some of the other online support as well, especially the C25K Beginners group on Facebook. Last week when I was on vacation, I ran/walked a 5k with my mom, sister, brother-in-law, brother, sister-in-law, and five nephews and a niece. That was really fun! I hope to run the whole 5k in August.

Except for the week I was on vacation, Jane has been with me on every run. I think she's still very bored with it, although as the run/jog time has increased, so has her focus. On the walk intervals, she is all over the place, looking for something to chase or sniff; on the jog intervals, she trots a nice straight line. She still isn't panting much, but at least she isn't still looking over her shoulder at me to see if I'm about to drop dead, like she did in the first week.

Sleeping Like Logs

2011-06-19T15:00:00.001-07:00

So log-like in their sleeping, they have grown tree bark.

Reno Rodeo Cow Dog Trial

2011-06-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I'm so behind on blog posts. Vacation will do that to you.

C25K W1D2

2011-06-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

Day two was better than day one. I was so sore from day one that I wasn't sure I could do day two. But half way into my five minute warm up walk, I felt fairly decent. I ran at a relatively flat city park, rather than my hilly neighborhood. Between runs six and seven, I saw a couple friends, so stopped to chat for a few minutes then picked up again. I finished stronger than day one. Maybe my short break and lack of hills helped me there.

After my run yesterday, I was so sore. . .really, really sore. This morning, I'm surprised at how not sore I am. Progress. Tomorrow, I finish W1!

The Desert

2011-06-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

The other day I left work early and headed out to meet a friend to work dogs. It was a fairly calm afternoon, especially when compared to all the wind we've had this spring. I've been out at this place plenty of times in the morning, but never in the afternoon. I loved the light.

As much as I hate cheatgrass, it did look beautiful against the sky, clouds and sun.

This area we take the dogs and sheep to work is so big and free of sage brush. I appreciate all the public land our state has.

Oh yeah. . .we worked dogs. I'm still working on this new program of taking pressure off Jane and helping her stay in closer and on contact with her sheep. It was interesting to see her reaction. . .with the few things I'm doing differently, she is not blowing out so wide that I lose sight of her, she is checking in to see where her sheep are occasionally, she seems to be listening more. But, it's a struggle. It's very different than what my reaction is and I'm using a different guage on when to get after her. She seems very happy with this change and I like the improvements I'm seeing, though we are still very far from where I think we were several months ago. I will continue on this path and see where we are in a couple of weeks.

I see my relationship with Jane changing as she matures. Very subtle stuff, but I like it!

My Running Partner!

2011-06-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

So, imagine you have decided to take up running as a new hobby, a stress remedy, a new fitness goal. And you're in your mid-40s and not in shape at all.

This is the partner you have chosen as your exercise buddy. So it is, with me. I know she doesn't mean it, but she wonders at my ability. She adapts her pace to mine constantly. She wonders how she will ever stay in shape, with me as her running partner. But, Jane is a team player and she has agreed to take one for the team and babysit me as I chug my way to 5K greatness. . .or at least the ability to run a mile without embarrassment.

Thanks, Jane. You're the best. Thanks to Carolynn Harwell at Look Back Photography for the great shots of my inspiration!

Is Running The New Yoga?

2011-06-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about this for some time, and just recently committed to try the Couch To 5K running program. Yesterday I bought running shoes, a new sports bra, some special running socks, a running shirt. . .a running shirt? Yes, it was a shirt that was in the Women's Running section of Scheels, so yes, I guess, a running shirt. I had some "workout pants" that I've used previously to let my neighbors think I work out. I thought they would work. Oh, and I also installed my first paid app. on my Droid X. $1.99 for the C25K Pro app. seemed like a good idea.

Last night, I loaded some up-tempo songs onto Mr. X, laid out my "outfit", secured some ear buds and went to bed expecting to wake up a runner.

I woke up in a fog, on a mission. Got dressed, brushed my teeth, got my dog (Jane is my chosen running partner) and off we went on a brisk five minute warm up walk.

The last time I participated in any sort of fitness program was about seven years ago. . .seven plus a few months. I practiced Bikram Yoga. I loved it. I felt great. At my peak, I was going four or five times a week. Then I stopped. I'm not sure why. And since then, nothing.

Until today. W1D1 is in the bag. Jane tried to keep from looking bored as I chugged along. She didn't want me to feel too bad, so she did pant a little toward the end of this morning's workout. Unintentionally I've started this program so that I should graduate and be ready to run a 5K right around my 45th birthday. I'm gonna give it a go!

May, not much better than April

2011-05-30T16:21:00.000-07:00

So, I didn't write more blog posts in May than I did in April. I thought I would, but it just didn't happen. So, here's what's up:

I think I'm working dogs more. Dog, really. Jane is getting sheep twice a week. My goal is to get her on stock three times a week. As daylight and weather improve, that might be possible. This week I'm trying a different tactic with her. I'm pretty much leaving her alone to figure it out on her own. From day one, she's been a sledge hammer and I've tried to control it, so she's almost always in trouble because I'm trying to micromanage her. I'm seeing sometimes that if I leave her alone, she has a nice soft touch. So, my plan this week has been to have her figure out what to do, without being told, and see if she can do it more softly. We've had some success with that and some rodeo. I want to give it a little more time and see how she comes. If I can communicate with her and not fight, I know things will be easier. When she and I fight, she takes it out on the sheep. So, I'm trying to develop a communication with her that is soft and quiet. . . and then, some day when I need a sledge hammer, I hope to be able to call on it.

Pearl is just as keen as they come. Last weekend when we had the lesson with Bill Slaven, she was quite wild. I hadn't intended to work her, but he wanted to see her. She put two over the fence (in perfect somersault form, landing on their feet and walking off) by the time we got her stopped. So, Bill recommended walking her, on lead, around the stock and downing her and stopping her and asking her to listen. That's exactly what we did today. And I got to see her power and style and instinct. It's pretty exciting!!! And, she listened, most of the time, and took her commands. She has nice, natural square flanks. Eight months in a week. Super excited about her!
I head back east for a family vacation in a few days. Thinking about taking up that C25K program. Need to buy some running shoes this week. Jane will be my eager partner in that. I put the app on my phone, so I guess it's all but official.

And with that, I say, Bring On June!

Sharing The Desert

2011-05-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

This morning we hauled Morgen's sheep out to the desert in Hungry Valley to work dogs. We weren't out as early as we used to go out, so we had to share the desert. First were the skeet shooters set up right in the place we usually park. Said hi to them and changed plans. Started working dogs and these guys came whizzing by. Didn't seem to disturb the sheep or the dogs.

This was the first time for these sheep to haul out to this place. Morgen practiced "penning" them in the trailer a few times. They needed a little convincing to get in. Tick got it done.
Tick is a pretty intense dog. I like to watch him work.

And, the sheep did great. My main goal with working today was to get Jane to stop on the top. I don't know if I made my "bubble" too big, which is something I've been working on, but Jane ran so wide that she was not in contact with the sheep. I had a hard time stopping her, but did have success in calling her in, when she was out too far, with a recall whistle, walking her up on the stock, then reflanking (WITH A WHISTLE!) and felt successful on that exercise. I've seen Dianne Deal work that with a couple of other wide running dogs. I was just shocked I remembered it, did it, and it worked!

Pearl went along with us, just for the chance to run before and after we worked. I am very pleased with how she likes to check in with me after she's out running, and how well she responds to the recall whistle.

More Pearl

2011-05-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

My coworker has been working on a few tricks with Pearl. Pearl refuses to learn shake or high five (which is making Kristi crazy), but she loves this one!

Orchard Run Pearl

2011-05-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

So, Pearl. In the picture above, she's seven month old. Lots of style there. She's a Riggs x Bett puppy born 10-10-10. Being my second Border Collie (both from working lines ), I thought she'd be like Jane to raise as a puppy. I've come to the conclusion that nobody is like Jane. Jane is amazing and nobody else is like her.

Pearl is so soft, sweet and less intense and not Jane-like at all. Which is not to say that Pearl is a piece of cake. She's just not .. . .Jane.

Pearl has the sweetest face ever. She worries if I'm mad. She worries if she's doing the wrong thing. She firmly believes that if she's wrong, she can apologize and everything will be ok. I don't know anything about judging how a puppy will come on to sheep, but I know that Pearl has the keenness for a thousand puppies! Whether the style, power, finesse will be there, I don' t know; but I do know that she is keen. And keen like Jane.

Patrick and Pearl got a pen. When she slows down and puts her baby brain in gear, we are seeing some pretty nice stuff! Can't wait to see that grown up dog.

In the meantime, she is damn cute!

Seven Months Old

2011-05-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

Novice Handler's Clinic, 2011

2011-05-10T09:31:00.001-07:00

For the second year in a row, we went up to Caldwell, Idaho to attend the Novice Handler's clinic with Dianne Deal and Patrick Shannahan. I felt better prepared this year.

We arrived Thursday afternoon and stopped at Dianne's place to work dogs a bit and say hi to everyone. Pearl and Jane traveled well. They get along well with Mary's girls, Lily and Val, which is great because sharing cost on hotel rooms really helps!

The first morning was spent in lecture going over the points available for each part of the trial course, trial etiquette, how to find a mentor, what to do the morning of a trial, and all other manner of detail related to sheepdog trialing.

In the afternoon, each dog and handler team worked on a novice or pro/novice course, or worked a bit to show the clinicians where they are in their training. This was a bit frustrating for me because Jane and I are stuck at the top of her outrun/lift because she will not lie down for me reliably. I feel like I've been working on this for two years. . .and I've lost other things and haven't gained this stop. On the occasion that she will take that stop, her lift is very soft and nice. If I have to fight her at the top, she takes it out on the sheep. So, we continue to work on it. . .After the first day of the clinic, the dogs were ready for a good night's sleep.

Saturday was just beautiful! In the morning, we worked on a pen exercise that I really like. The sheep are penned and we just practice small and large flanks. "way" is small, short flank. "AWAAAAY to me" is a long flank. "Come bye" vs. "come." Also worked on bringing the dog in close and sending them back out. I remember this exercise last year, with Jane, was quite animated and we worked hard to get her out. This year, her farther out work was really nice, but in close is uncomfortable for her, so that's when she gets slicey. Will have to work on that.

Jane had a very nice time. She and Pearl had some time to just run in the big field. Sunday was a short day, with people ready to get on the road for home. It was cold and rainy in the morning. We had a trial with P/N, N/N, and a pre-novice course.

After most everyone left, those of us who were staying an extra night went out to lunch. Patrick very generously offered to work Pearl for me. He took her out to work in his big field, with his Rose to offer assistance. Pearl was very excited and got pretty out of control.

When she finally recognized that Patrick was there, she calmed down and got her brain in gear. She showed us some very nice things. She even had an opportunity to split one off and chase it, but put the group back together and took them to Patrick. I'm very excited about her potential.

She is seven months old today, and this was her fourth time on sheep. Now, we'll just let her grow up and be a puppy. I plan to take her up to Dianne's to start her training in October.

One of the highlights from Saturday came after lunch. Some of the work sheep had gotten into the big flock and needed to be sorted back out. Patrick, Dianne, Riggs and Fame came out and pushed the whole flock out into the pasture, then into the round pen. It was pretty cool to watch. . .just another day on the farm.

Monday morning, we headed back to Patrick's to buy some lambs. I wrote my first check to buy sheep. I hope to be doing some more of that in the future! Jane is super bummed that they aren't going to live with us. We went back to Dianne's and hung out for a while talking about future plans, training plans, dogs, and Dianne's International Shed iPod play list. It was time for me to hit the road and come home. Mary stayed a while longer to work her new dog.

As always, it was a great weekend. I didn't want to come home in some ways. In others, I wanted to get home so I can practice more. I learned more this year and really enjoyed myself. I didn't think I showed my dog's abilities as well as I would have liked. We're kind of on a plateau right now, or even on a slow back slide and that is really frustrating for me. I know in the past we have been better than what we were able to show at the clinic. . .so, it's time to put my nose to the grindstone and work past it. And, I think it's time to break my goals down into smaller goals that are more reachable in the short term. Nobody said this was going to be easy!

Other People's Blogs

2011-05-02T22:38:00.000-07:00

Do you ever read about yourself in other people's blogs? Almost never is that a problem for me! Today, I did! And I liked it!

Plus, this beer is very tasty. Just sayin'.