Behaviors of a Dog Mom

Canadian Journey v2.0

2012-01-03T22:08:00.000-08:00

Last year in October I made a journey to Alberta for a little weekend conception mission. Also known as Canadian Journey on my blog. Success and 2 months later Rye and Co. were born!

This December, I made the journey again with a dear friend for a different purpose: Filming for Sheepdog Training Courses. When the need arose for a pinch-hitting camera woman, I felt very luck to be asked to go up to the frozen North for a week of adventure behind the lens.

Meeting in eastern WA, my friend picked me up in her big red truck and off we trekked to cold Alberta. I was glad to have been once before as the journey felt more familiar. Across the border and then across the Rockies, we found our destination warm and welcoming after a grueling day of travel in icy passes.

The first hints of sunrise at Alta Pete Farm

Each morning I would get up and walk dogs, then breakfast. The sunrise would evolve before my eyes in the quiet, wide open spaces.

The sunrise begins in earnest

Each day brought a new adventure. Sometimes blowing snow, other times clear and windy or a glorious crisp, calm sunny afternoon. One day we even filmed from under the protection of Jenny's bath towels -- snow suits for the cameras!

Me in 14 layers of clothes -- but WARM! Photo by Jenny Glen

Filming with Scott was a blast. His sense of humor and love for the dogs bring something truly special to his teaching.

Scott and Wynn between takes

In between filming I would snatch up my own camera or Lora's camera and snap a few photos here and there. I did manage to get a photo of what may be the only tree in New Dayton ;)

The one tree in New Dayton

Evenings brought beautiful moonscapes over the farm followed by good food and good companionship.

Moonrise over the farm

I really enjoyed this opportunity and am very excited to see the end product. It should be educational, entertaining and a whole heck of a lot of other goodness.

After a week of hard work and good company, we headed out before the sunrise to make the trek home. First, we fueled up with some traditional Canadian goodness. Honey crullers and hot chocolate. YUM.

YUM. Nuff said.

On the way home we crossed the passes in daylight and I was able to snap a few photos from the passenger seat. It was 21 F when we left Alberta. Through the Rockies it held around 20 F, as we passed by frozen Crowsnest Lake and another large lake I didn't see the name of.

Crowsnest Lake, Rocky Mountain pass near the Alberta/BC border

Lake in BC - possibly Moyie Lake?

We crossed the border at Eastbrook.

Eastbrook Border Crossing, US side

By the time we got to eastern WA it was a frigid 17 F and everything was coated in sparkling hoarfrost.

Hoarfrost between Spokane and Moses Lake, WA

I learned plenty about dogs, cameras, friends and myself. What a special trip. I feel blessed to have been invited. At the same time, like the end of any journey, the close of this one found not only myself but one of my copilots glad to be home again.

Remembering Paddy

2011-12-17T09:36:00.001-08:00

My dear Paddy dog has been gone from us a year today. She was a miraculous beast, really. I know that often the memory of a legend is inflated beyond truth, and I shall do my best to avoid that pitfall today.

Photo by Look Back Photography

Paddy was born on the Muckleshoot Reservation. Her mother was a feral ACD who had her pups under someone's porch and then declared it a "no entry" zone. Animal control came and collected mom and pups. Mom was euthanized because she was a danger to herself and others... the pups came home with me, hitchhikers on a cat shelter transport.

Photos by M. Feyrecilde

Fostering the puppies was fun, we spread them out among 3 different foster homes. Paddy was the only brown pup. There were 2 that looked exactly like mom, 1 that looked like a yellow lab, 2 that were black with tan points and smooth coats and then there was Paddy.

Photo by Salamandir

Failing fostering Paddy was not easy but it was my best failure to date! She developed pneumonia and required tube feeding and treatments every 2 hours. I became attached to her and eventually broke my lease, moving to a house where dogs were allowed so Paddy could live with us. I ended up being glad. When she was 7 months old Paddy bit a man on the leg who tried to steal my backpack downtown.

Our constant companion, Paddy came along on camping trips, our honeymoon and family vacations along with Allie. She was an easy puppy but a difficult adolescent. She had energy to spare and was destructive. She ate an entire tray of Costco muffins, innumerable sticks of butter, dug craters in the yard where the previous tenant's dalmatian had buried toys and bones. She peeled a square of linoleum off the kitchen floor and pulled down curtains.

Photo by M. Feyrecilde

In spite of this turbulent adolescence, Paddy grew into a stately and stable adult dog. She was bottle raised and yet had some of the finest dog communication skills I have ever seen. Because of this, Paddy became my demo and stimulus dog for teaching obedience classes and seeing private lessons for clients with reactive dogs.

Photo by Look Back Photography

Paddy was my heart dog. She knew my feelings and emotions. She was thoughtful and determined. Paddy had an independent streak that meant we often compromised. I feel lucky to have been able to understand her and trust her well enough to realize that compromise was not a failure of our relationship: it was simply what we did. When it was important, Paddy would do things my way. When it didn't matter, she did things partly her own way.

Photo by KMM Portraits

She was a dignified dog and did not particularly like to cuddle but loved to be stroked and to lay with her head on my lap or at the foot of the bed. She would sometimes creep between me and my husband on the bed, flip on her back and roll around with the joy of being the only dog on the bed. She liked to be touched but not held.

Photo by Salamandir

Paddy was an agility dog and an obedience dog. Agility was not her first love but she enjoyed it and did it for me because I enjoyed it. Yet another example of our many compromises. Demonstrating exercises and socializing (and disciplining) puppies during obedience classes was where she made many of her friends and fans. There was something stately about her lying on a down stay with her front paws crossed while I taught a class of hooligans. She could be trusted to stay indefinitely unless something required her intervention, such as a dog growling at me.
An excellent judge of character, Paddy could be trusted to be friendly to friends and those who were non-threatening and aloof to those who deserved it. She would defend me without question and I never worried about being in class or even going for a walk alone if Paddy was with me.

Photo by Tien Tran Photography

Paddy was a stimulus dog. She could make herself virtually invisible to other dogs by using non-confrontational body language, or she could act interested and friendly. She would stay for long periods without me while I helped a client do graduated approaches or approach-retreat sequences. A confident dog, she never reacted if a fearful dog put on a threat display and she did not require my assistance to behave appropriately. Paddy saved many dogs and repaired many dog-handler relationships in her work as a stimulus dog.

Photo by Salamandir

I could write for days the wonderful memories I have of Paddy. Paddy's favorite places were the beach and open fields with tall grass. She loved to run and chase our stunt kites as we flew them above the sand, eventually plopping down panting heavily with a big grin on her face. She never enjoyed swimming but would always wade in up to her chest. In tall grassy fields she would leap like a deer or get the zoomies and race around as quickly as possible, cutting swaths with her body between the stalks. We would play hide and seek in the head-high grass, I would sneak away and then call her and she would track and find me, overjoyed when she was successful.

Photo by M. Feyrecilde

As she aged and neared the end, Paddy developed seizures and anxiety. She became progressively more senile and it was terrible to see her in that state, sometimes lucid and very "Paddy," sometimes confused and worried when she used to be such a strong and immutably confident dog. When the end came, it broke my heart and my heart still aches for her absence. But in a small way it was a relief to let her go from her suffering of seizures and confusion.

Photo by Look Back Photography

A dignified soul with a joyful streak, Paddy taught me how to be patient and calm, the value of confidence, the absoluteness of consistency and the depth of friendship possible between a woman and a dog. Ultimately she has also taught me how to say goodbye and know that I can survive with a piece of my heart gone. These lessons will stay with me a lifetime and that is part of the legacy of Paddy.

Photo by Look Back Photography

I will always love her and she will always be with me in memory.

Ink by Ed Lott at Slave to the Needle Tattoo

Happy 1st Birthday, Rye!

2011-12-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

Photo by Look Back Photography
Editing that ruins Look Back's work by Monique

Today is Rye's (and Sagan's and Ben's and Reba's) first birthday.

Rye is a charming dog who is easy to live with. He is definitely becoming a teenager, testing my patience at times. Lora can tell you she has to remind me that "f*#&@r" is not a name or a command ;) He looks lovely on sheep and is now ready to work several times a week. He enjoys agility training for fun and I think he will be a great demo dog for obedience classes as he continues to mature.

I love my Rye. He is a neat blend of both his parents, athletic and affectionate, intense and calm, fun and serious. I am enjoying our journey together. Thanks Diane Pagel and Scott and Jenny Glen for helping me bring such a neat pup into the world.

So Happy Birthday, Rye. I am looking forward to many happy years for us together!

Small Favors

2011-11-17T11:40:00.001-08:00

Well, to all of our surprise, the ewe lamb continues to live. She is eating and drinking some, and we are going to start turning her out for short periods and see if she can act like a sheep a little at a time. She could still die any day, but I'm happily surprised she is hanging on for now.

The katahdin with the leg wounds is doing very well and turned back out with the rest of the flock.

Bad Neighbors

2011-11-12T17:33:00.000-08:00

Alas, we have a bad neighbor where our sheep live. She has allowed her dog to run loose and savage the sheep 3 days in a row. Two ewes are badly wounded, and one is looking like it might be a loss. Time will tell, the vet came out and said the ewe lamb deserves a chance to try and live, and so we are giving that to her. If we were running a larger commercial operation she would be an obvious cull, but she is well below finishing weight and with so few sheep we have the extra time to give her some special attention.

I hate the idea of killing dogs, but I'd have no compunction about shooting this one. The poor dog, it is not her fault that her owner is irresponsible and not keeping her safe. But my sheep do not deserve to be terrorized and I don't deserve the financial losses nor the sadness and disappointment.

Animal control is some help but not much, advising us to "take care of" the dog ourselves. I went to the field bright and early today ready to ambush the dog, but it stayed away. Hopefully the dog and her owner moved out today as was planned and the sheep will get some peace.

Lucy and I are on our way out for our evening vigil of pain medication and antibiotics by headlamp. Lucy is such a wonderful partner in all of this, I feel blessed as always to have her help (Thanks, Diane!)

I know it is just a sheep, but suffering is not meant for any animal and I hope she either improves swiftly or passes swiftly without a great deal of suffering in between.

Curmudgeonly

2011-10-14T22:31:00.000-07:00

I'm getting old, and that's a fact. I suppose there's no escaping it, though it might make sense for me to try and come to terms with my pathologic fear of death as it inches closer, a minute... an hour... a day at a time. I don't bounce as well as I once did, if I hurt myself it actually hurts. I have the feeling every day that life is short, and so I'd better spend each day doing something that is both important and useful to me at that moment.

cur·mudg·eon [ker-muhj-uhn] noun. a bad-tempered, difficult, cantankerous person.

I am stubborn, set in my ways. I feel like the world is traveling down a path I'm not interested in taking. I suppose this happens to everyone at one time in life, when the young people are harder to understand than the older ones. The things that bring me comfort are now passe, cliche or old-fashioned. My taste in movies is now "campy," my taste in music is now "oldies." Funny, I don't feel much different than I did at 17, except I'm a bit softer now. I think one of the secrets no one tells you as a kid is that once you get to your set point (a little different for every person, but I think it comes near the end of adolescence), you feel pretty much the same forever.

It is possible I feel the same since I've decided not to have kids, and so have not gone through that dramatic transition in life. That being said, I'm not ready to give that theory all that much credit since the quality of a person's personality and relationships is found to be the most salient predictor of their personality, behavior and relationship satisfaction after a child is born (Cowan & Cowan, 2000).

I like my life. I am grateful for technology and the many conveniences it affords. Without technology I would not be able to reach out (pathetic though it may be) in a blog, connect with old friends en masse via Facebook posts or contact 8 people at once to remind them of a team meeting. I would not be able to serve on a board of directors comprised of people from around the country and see and talk with them via Skype in real time. I would not be able to do all my shopping from home, have every bit of information imaginable right at my fingertips or stream content at a moment's notice. But this technology comes at a price in my mind. It has taken some of the intimacy out of my communication, some of the passion out of how I spend my time.

I miss "real" communication. Letters from a friend, written longhand. Going to the mailbox and finding an actual letter from a friend warms my heart. That small piece of paper scrawled in pencil or ink, posted across the country or around the world is a time capsule. It represents those few moments when my friend was thinking of me, caring about me and wanting to give me the gift of his or her time and thoughts. email is not the same as a letter. It is entirely utilitarian. Communicating by email allows me to keep in touch with friends when my life is too busy compared to what it ought to be. It allows customers to reach me and me to reply quickly even at hours that are entirely unreasonable. But it does not hold the same sentiment for me as a handwritten note.

Some of the many letters that live in a lovely cedar box full of memories

I'm finding as I talk to younger people that my sentimentality dates (and ages) me. Many would *rather* receive an email or a text than a letter. I suppose I have considered electronic communication a necessity but not a pleasure. This boggles my stubborn, cantankerous mind. It makes me think thoughts with short words.

I miss making art for the sake of doing so, and for the sake of making it a gift. Holding a pen, a paintbrush, a stick of chalk pastel in my hand and putting emotions onto paper. I often used to craft handmade greeting cards to give as boxed sets to friends. The market for such a gift is expired. No one sends letters anymore.

Some old samples of handmade greeting cards

The art store is one of my meccas, I can spend hours walking down the isles fondling the stock. I am particularly fond of handmade papers. I suppose that makes me old-fashioned, yet again. In this world, my "art" has become things created electronically. Websites, logos, digital imaging. The tangibility that satisfied my soul is somehow less with those forms of media. Yet the people who are young right now will know this as usual, and will be sated by it in a way I am not.

Yep, an old scholarship portfolio full of hardcopy work

I miss having a hard way to prove to myself I did work. Notebooks, papers corrected in red pen, pages of calculus homework meticulously drawn in 0.3mm mechanical drafting pencil. I have been back in college for quite some time now. The sum of my efforts could be reproduced a hundred times and stored on a microSD smaller the size of my thumbnail. The portability is wonderful, and certainly I can type more quickly than I can write in longhand. My laptop is my favorite friend. But there's something vague about words on a screen put through the "network of tubes." I don't feel as accomplished: because my ruler is so out of date. Yes.... I said "ruler." The evidence of my curmudgeonly ways mounts with every sentence.

Recently I acquired an eReader. It is ridiculously convenient, especially when I have numerous books required for school that are available cheaply and instantly on eReader. Yet there remains a special place in my black, cold and aged heart for paper books. The kind with worn covers and dog-eared pages that I've read a dozen times. The kind with dust in the binding and real glue binding the individually sewn signatures into a hard cover printed with gold foil. The kind that give old bookstores the wonderful musky smell of books and the people who love them. The very impracticality of my nostalgia about books should leave me aghast at myself. But I am not.

A few books read a few dozen times

I miss being unavailable, and being available for real communication. My smartphone makes my life more streamlined, and text messaging is convenient and very reinforcing. Every time we hear the beep-beep and it is followed by a few characters from a friend, we all get the ultimate tiny social version of click-treat. But I miss having the time for real conversations over coffee or sitting in the park. For talking my thoughts out beginning to end instead of being barraged by a series of half-thoughts and asinine abbreviations 165 characters or fewer. Yes, I like having text messaging, but I feel like texting has become the normative mode of communication for anyone younger than myself. Text allows a level of anonymity and social distance that can open people to say things they would not say in person. It accelerates a false sense of intimacy because accountability for statements is not required. Texting is a unilateral opportunity to throw thoughts and words at someone else without having to (or wanting to) see their reaction, or be accountable for the effects. I feel the same way about internet "dating."

In pixels on a screen, we can each create who we want other people to see. The screen is a shield behind which we can hide, and upon which we can scribble a caricature of ourselves. It can be false advertising.

The ultimate irony perhaps is the way I've delivered these thoughts. Electronically. Pixels on a screen. I feel somewhat better having written it down longhand first in my usual journal so my nostalgic self will have it forever, it can become dusty and musty with the rest of the paper trail of life I've left for myself. Now I've left little electronic breadcrumbs of my last few weeks' musings for the rest of you, as well.

Peace be with you.
Monique

Tell me... erm... heck what day is it again?

2011-09-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

Laura from Crooks and Crazies posts these fun lists of questions every Thursday. I'm experimenting with my first answer and it is even on the wrong day for extra points :)

1. If you're not at the 2011 Sheepdog finals this weekend what are you planning to do?

In between lamenting about how I am not at the finals and not watching the live feed of the finals or reading tweets of the finals or explaining to myself why I am not doing any of those things, I am running Zora in an agility trial, taking 2 exams, writing a paper, taking Lucy to sheep twice and cleaning house.

Of course, during all of those activities I will be obsessively refreshing the browser on my smartphone to read said tweets and yammering on to agility people who don't care about the contents of tweetdom...

2. One item you NEVER walk onto the trial field (any trial field, or training class will suffice) without?

Well, hopefully my dog? I would normally say my whistle, but I did forget my whistle whilst doing chores the other day. Interestingly I just whistled like I would ordinarily whistle a tune and Lucy somehow by divine providence understood what I meant and was a gem. I would like to learn to finger whistle, in which case I could successfully avoid going ANYWHERE without my whistle, barring any unforeseen amputation events.

3. Katy wants to know if you have a pre-run ritual that you observe?

Yes. I work my dog within 48 hours before the trial whenever possible. The day before the trial I make sure my dog gets a moderate exercise day. Once on the trial field, I try to attend the handler's meeting. If I've missed the meeting I find the course director first thing and ask the course. Then I will make sure the dogs are set up in the car with water and shade and go visit and chat for a while, just getting the lay of the land. I pick up a running order if I did not print one at home, then fold it into 6ths with the current runs showing. (Check run order every 5 minutes ad nauseum until returning home.)

4 runs before mine, I take Lucy out and let her watch 2 lifts if I can. I used to do this only 2 runs in advance, but then one day the 2 dogs before mine never found the sheep. I, of course, went to the post wondering if I had my cell phone in my pocket to dial 911 before I died of heart palpitations. Lucy, cool as a cucumber in spite of my palpable insanity, ran out and found the sheep anyway. I did not allow her stellar performance to prevent me from developing a new obsessive habit of going out 4 runs in advance rather than 2. Between these spotting sessions I put Lucy back in her crate in the car if it is at all feasible. If that is not feasible, we go somewhere out of sight and quiet. After the last spotting session, I get out my crook and double check my whistle.

When we are just walking around relaxing and visiting, Lucy is generally off leash. When we are getting ready to spot and run, I leash her.

1 run before mine, we find a quiet place near the gate to sit and relax. I make a mental picture of how I want my run to go, and Lucy gets a neck massage.

4. How old were you when you had your first real kiss?

I was 5, my brand new dog was 2 ;)

5. Bonnie wants to know what you do for yard mud control during the winter?

We have a small potty yard for the dogs. There are 2 trails they tend to make it a habit to travel so we spread shavings on those trail areas from autumn through spring. There is an astroturf doormat outside the door and a heavy duty high-profile doormat inside the door which catches most dirt. If it is really horrible outside I also wipe paws.

USBCHA Finals DVDs

2011-09-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

There is a contest located HERE to enter to win the full set of DVDs from this year's USBCHA Sheepdog Finals. I entered and so should you! Well, maybe not all of you so I have a better chance to win ;)

Big shoes, and big hats....

2011-09-09T18:43:00.001-07:00

Rye's sire, Don, is owned by a "big hat" handler. Scott is truly a cut above - plus he is just an all around nice guy.

Rye's sire also has some pretty big shoes himself these days. I am looking forward to the day that Rye gets a chance to start getting his feet under him and testing out his own shoes for size. (It's a good thing I look terrible in hats as I'm pretty sure they don't make hats small enough for me.)

Rye in December, 2010 at 4 days of age

Congratulations, Scott and Don on your recent successes at the Canadian National, Soldier Hollow and the prelims at Meeker. One little red pup and his family are cheering for you!

Thanks, Full Tilt!

2011-08-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

Full Tilt Border Collies has a really fun blog. I really enjoy reading about their life training, trialing, raising sheep and freezing their a$$es off... ;)

Imagine my surprise to see this --

Full Tilt Border Collies sent me a blogging inspiration award. Super fun!!

I enjoy writing my blog, thanks Full Tilt for the kudos. Positive reinforcement works on people just like any other learners. This small recognition really made me smile. I wish I had more time to devote to my blog, but then again I'd so rather be out with the dogs (and now, the SHEEP!).

Part of the inspiration badge is to pass it on -- share with other bloggers who make a difference to you. Full Tilt and I seem to run in some of the same circles so there would be some overlap (Go Rocking Dawgs!) but here are my choices for INSPIRATIONAL blogs:

I am pretty sure most of these people don't read my blog -- but that's ok. It's the thought that counts, right?

The Pioneer Woman -- Ree Drummond. Love this blog!! What a fun life and a fun story.

Rocking Dog Ranch -- Insightful posts from a fellow over-thinker and dear friend.

Training Border Collies -- Candy's blog always teaches me something new, and often reminds me there is more than one "right" way to accomplish a goal.

Alta Pete Farm Tails -- Jenny is a crack-up. I love her photos and stories about life on the farm, on the road and holding down the fort.

eyeherdewe - KH posts incredibly witty, creative and sometimes painfully accurate, if sarcastic, bytes of life in the real world.

Delta Bluez Stockdogs -- Fun blog by my original sheepdoggin' friend!

BCxFour -- Posts are sometimes brutally honest, sometimes goofy and giddy, but always feature amazing photography.

Wootube! -- The Food Lady strikes with sardonic remarks about life with dogs and doing animal rescue, all punctuated by neat photos.

10-7 Ranch -- This is kind of like reading about Disneyland for me. Don't judge me! ;)

Cold Antler Farm -- Jenna is a young new homesteader. Her journey is so fun and very inspiring. Go slow food and novice sheepdogs!

Phantom Ridge Border Collies -- From home building to dog training, snow to hail to scorching heat and sangria -- fun abounds.

Thanks for writing blogs I learn from and enjoy. If you wish to participate in passing along the positive reinforcement to your friends, just follow these instructions --

Grab the badge, pass it on, but make sure to follow these simple rules as you do:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded this to you.

2. Link posts by you and ten fellow bloggers that you find inspirational.

3. Forward the award to those ten fellow bloggers.

A place of our own...

2011-07-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I've gone and done it. I have entered into a cooperative arrangement with a friend and leased pasture near home so we can have our own sheep. The pasture is about 15 minutes from my house, and what I save in gas alone will pay the pasture lease.

I never thought it would make "sense" to have my own sheep, but with an open dog and a pup who will benefit from frequent, short training sessions, it actually will save me a considerable sum each month to have my "own" flock.

This road won't be without bumps, but the journey promises to be fun. I went for my first work this morning with Lucy and everything went fine.

The field will be mowed tomorrow, so here are the before pictures.

Field looking West.

Use the pointy evergreen tree in the distance, just below the end of the
branch dropping into the photo from above as the "reference" point.

Field looking Southwest. Reference tree in the center,
it is about 2/3 of the way to opposite the corner of the field from this point.

Field looking south
Reference tree far out of frame to the right

Lucy driving the sheep toward the north edge of the field

Lucy lying down, holding sheep off the draw.
I love how her ears are cocked back listening for me.

Today I just went to see how the sorting goes (there is a guard llama to watch out for with the dog work), and get more acquainted with the field. I spent a good portion of the work just training the sheep a bit that they MUST move off of me, and that they must go through the gate from the night pasture to the work field. I suspect I will be spending my first several works just doing this, getting the sheep into the routine a bit. The sheep are all very nice for the dogs to work, but they are not accustomed to being pushed through gates or having their movements forced. It won't take long for them to get the idea.

The sheep belonging to the pasture owner are for sale, but still on the property (Let me know if you are interested. There are 10 ewes available, some are Romney, some are Rambouillet crosses). My co-op partner's 12 sheep are there, and my 8 sheep will be delivered in a few weeks, hopefully once the pasture owner's sheep are gone so the graze won't get depleted unnecessarily.

Tomorrow I will stop by to help finish shearing, install the tank I got today so the dogs have a watering place to dunk in and dress a few wounds on the pasture owner's ewes that were uncovered with shearing. Also tomorrow the field will get mowed, so look for some after photos later this weekend.

Overall it was a peaceful morning. I was able to go, sort, do some gate practice, work Lucy, practice Rye's recall and down, visit with the pasture owner and stop at the feed store on my way home -- all in less time than what I would have spent in the CAR before just to get to and from sheep! This is going to be terrific!

Lucy appeared to have a grand time, though she did get a little warm running through the high grass. However, that, like all problems, was easily solved with a little technology.

The dog dunk trough gets installed tomorrow.

Fortunately Lucy was clean when she hopped in so no mud in the sheep water :)
I am really looking forward to this process, and having the ability to work my dogs more often. Yes, the flock maintenance will mean some extra work, especially at lambing. However, I think the investment will be well worth it, and still be a significant savings of both time and money.

When the air is rare...

2011-07-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

For a long time I have been battling exhaustion. I simply could not get out of bed. 3 alarms were needed to get me up, and then I would drag through the routine of the day. I could never believe it was time to get up when the alarm went off. I chugged coffee by the pot to get my way through. I assumed this was all because I am a very busy person. I have 2 jobs, am in college and have a sweetie and 4 dogs, let alone the rest of the zoo to look after, resulting in an average of 5.5 hours of sleep a night, sometimes as little as 3 or as much as 7.

I was wrong.

In May, I went to the doctor. My exhaustion was going to get the better of me, my blood pressure was creeping up. I had headaches when I got out of bed and a sore throat every morning. My sweetie reported I've always snored, but that my snoring had gotten worse over the last 2 years and now I would sometimes cough or choke in my sleep.

The doctor referred me to a pulmonologist, who ordered 2 sleep studies to determine what was wrong with me and why I could not seem to get rested.

Well, long story short, I have sleep apnea. On average, my sleep was being interrupted 29 times per hour by respiratory arousals - meaning I would partially wake up due to difficulty breathing, but not awaken completely. She estimated in 8 hours of attempted sleep I was getting less than 1 hour of actual restful deep sleep.

I have obstructive sleep apnea. The doctor says this is partially because I have an "impressively long" soft palate combined with my obesity. I have a strong family history for sleep apnea as well, at least 2 generations that I know of.

Obstructive sleep apnea happens when you relax and go to sleep, and the soft parts of your throat that comprise the airway collapse on themselves, making it difficult for air to pass through. This results in snoring, coughing and lack of breathing. When a lack of breathing occurs, the brain tells the body to begin waking up to get AIR. All of this partial waking up disturbs the deep sleep that is needed for rest.

When awake, my airway is open, like this.

When asleep, my airway collapses, like this.

Sleep apnea is a serious condition worth diagnosing and treating, as I am learning. Based on my sleep study test, the pulmonologist prescribed a CPAP machine. This machine delivers air through a mask that seals over my nose. The pressure from the air through the mask into my airway keeps the soft tissues from collapsing, allowing me to breathe. When I exhale, the machine lowers the pressure automatically making it easy for me to push air out.

To calibrate the CPAP machine, the doctor ordered a second sleep study. During the study when I was connected to the CPAP, my respiratory arousals decreased to 0.4 per hour. Yep - less than ONE. Further, I achieved a plane of deep restful sleep within 5 minutes of going to sleep. In the previous study it took over 2 hours before my first restful sleep. I was shocked to get those results.

So, now I have this next to the bed:

And this strapped to my face while I sleep:

The CPAP is a smart little machine. It is also silent. The only noise sounds like my own breathing just a touch louder because of the amplification of the mask. It is a million times quieter than snoring, I am very sure. It stores all my sleep data and when I go back to the doctor they can see how many times I stop breathing, how much my mask leaks, and how many hours I sleep, as well as how many days I use the machine. I went back for my first checkup the other day and they were STUNNED to see I had 100% days in usage. Apparently this is surprising.

It did not surprise me at all. Because I have NEVER FELT BETTER. I no longer need coffee in the morning to function, I no longer need 3 alarms to awaken from sleep. I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to face the day. Am I tired sometimes? Yep. Getting too little sleep will do that to you. However, I am getting approximately 8x more sleep than I have been per night in years.

Because of my increased sleep and decreased caffeine use, my blood pressure has returned to normal. I feel like a new person. I can not overstate how much this little machine has changed my life. I've never even pulled the mask off while asleep. I look forward to putting it on, knowing how much better I will sleep.

If you have sleep problems, please go see the doctor. It is SO worth it.

Wessels' Dirt Blowing Trial - June 2011

2011-07-16T11:36:00.000-07:00

We went back to Archer Farms in beautiful Dayton, Washington for the Dirt Blowing SDT again this year. Last year at Dirt Blowing was my first time to ever really see commercial range ewes. I learned a lot in a short period of time, getting around the course with no pen that year.

This year we got around the course in much better stead, still no pen either day. Guess I have some work to do.

Judge Karen Child lived in the big red combine for the weekend, having an eagle-eye view of everything going on on the course.

The view toward Dayton

The view away from town.

Rolling wheat fields cut to stubble.

We ran on a rolling field with several hills and blind spots. The photos don't fully capture the terrain, but I tried with some captions to see if you could get an idea. I figure the outrun was around 450 yards, but did not get a measurement. The crossdrive was quite long.

The set-out was done from trailers and went very smoothly especially when contrasted against last year which was a struggle. The sheep were not easy, but got better with every passing day. I ran on Friday and Saturday, and had to come home to go to work on Sunday. My understanding is Sunday saw the best runs of the weekend.

Click the photo for a larger view to see more detail.

The running was tough. Many runs never got past the lift, with sets of sheep taking off into the high wheat and being tracked down on ATVs. Mutton-busting and roping were required to retrieve a number of sheep, and ranch hands carrying a ewe on the ATV was a common sight on Friday and early Saturday.

The set out point was on top of the knoll, with the fetch coming down through a blind gully. Just when the dogs would get the sheep off the draw of the trailers, they would disappear into the blind gully, leaving us handlers at the post holding our collective breath. The sheep were quick to run and quick to split, but could be worked with decent distance and if the dogs did not shut them down by catching the eye too much.

Interestingly, turning the post was one of the more difficult points on the course. The sheep were reluctant to go between the pen, the combine and the handler on the first day, with several runs stalling out at that point.

Both days I sent Lucy left. On Friday, she lifted beautifully, coming between the trailers and feeling the draw nicely. Once they got to the gully they ran for the protection of the tall wheat. It took quite a bit of work to get them back on line, as Lucy was worried they were escaping and reluctant to give me a nice open flank to pick them back up. We turned the post neatly and made all the drive panels. A little bit of fussing to get the shed and timed out walking to the pen. We had a score in the 50's.

J. Helsley at the post running "Cole"

On Saturday, I was bound and determined to fix the fetch, and not work hard for a tight turn at the post after watching runs stall there. Lucy ran out nice and deep and came in at 12 o'clock this time, feeling the sheep a bit differently at the top. She lifted them beautifully and then re-lifted them after preventing a break-away.

She gave me a nice open flank at the top of the fetch, I think having learned a bit on Friday. We split them through the fetch gates and turned the post smoothly but wide to allow the sheep to stay away from me and keep moving instead of turning to stall or fight. The drive was comprised of lovely lines and we made all of our gates with a nice consistent pace. One wobble on the third leg caused by me overflanking Lucy because I wanted a nice tight turn. I let her get just a bit too much of their eye and we had to fix that line a bit.

Her shed was the thing that impressed me the most, I think. I knew we were good on time, so I let the sheep settle. We stirred them around a bit to see if they would string out toward the draw, which they did not. That being the case, I left the draw side unprotected and put a bit of pressure on, calling Lucy up quietly a few steps. The ewes shifted without splitting, I called Lucy into a very small gap (perhaps 12 inches). Smaller than was prudent, but I could tell from the look on her face that she was ready to come in quickly and so I called her in for a lovely shed and hold. It took my breath away to watch her zip in and hold the 2 I asked with such authority.

We tried to regather them in the ring but still had 2 sets and they didn't really want to group back up. I knew at that point I was nearly out of dog, and Lucy was a risk to grip. Temperatures were in the 80's with the air being still and heavy. Lucy tolerates heat well but I knew she was close to done with these ewes. We worked a bit at the pen but I was not motivated to get it, rather was protecting against gripping off after what I thought was a very nice run. We were successful in not gripping off, and did not get them into the pen probably because I was mostly out of dog. If I put her back off them they would not move, and if I called her up close they would split instead of moving so I just kept things quiet. We ended up with a 75 I think, which was a very good score for Saturday but was buried by the sweet runs on Sunday which saw some scores in the 90's.

J. Helsley's "Cole"

I must say in my very limited experience I think this is one of the best trials in the Northwest. It is well-run and the hospitality is top-notch. The sheep are a challenge and a ton of fun, and many top hands put on a great show for me to learn from. I was very proud of Lucy for her good work and think we have come a long way as a team since our attempt at Dirt Blowing last year.

Many thanks to Sue Wessels and her whole crew for such a great weekend.

Boot straps...

2011-06-25T21:11:00.001-07:00

It has been a very rough week. Emotional and professional turmoil at the office, clients making me nutty or depressed. Extra hours and extra shifts covering vacations and emergencies as well as illnesses and turns out I'm a little off kilter after all that.

However, those are all just excuses, and they never get anyone anywhere. I need to pull myself up by my boot straps, get my head in the game and get to work handling my dog and my life. The last couple of times we have gone to the post I have failed to get my act together.

Last weekend was tough. The sheep were not easy, and Lucy got really engrossed in holding the pressure for the multiple draws on the field. In a way that was very unlike her, she was upsetting her sheep. Even if I had her way off and completely stopped, the sheep would run like heck. She was listening pretty well (twice she failed to do what I asked but that's pretty much it) -- but I could not help her to be successful. It was a disaster. Out of 4 panels we missed 3 and our lines were ragged. No shed, no pen. I came off the field laughing. If I'm going to go down, it might as well be in flames.

Sunday last we ended up missing the trial because I had a tire EXPLODE on the van on the way to the trial. Have you ever tried to buy tires at 6am on a Sunday? I have. It did not turn out well ;) So a call to AAA and a multi-hour trip to Costco resulted in 4 new tires and no run at the trial.

Today was a different day. I was actually really happy with our run and the crowd seemed to like it too. We had one bobble right when she left my feet, the exhaust sheep re-appeared and so I had to redirect her during the first 2 strides or so of the outrun. Our lines were very good, flow was good. Running on light hair sheep I do like to see calm quiet sheep and Lucy treated her sheep very well. Unlike last weekend, she had the sheep very happy and cooperative, and the difference in how smooth the run felt was enormous.

My favorite part today was our drive. There were 3 drive panels (4 legs on the drive) and I think I blew maybe 7 flanks the entire drive. We completed the maltese cross as well, with correct entries both directions but one sheep squirting out the side each direction as well unfortunately. I came off the field smiling. Though I was very happy with the dog work I was a little disappointed in our score. We are 2 in a row near the bottom of the class for scores. I need to quit caring about scores. My dog sure as heck doesn't care about them!

I am a competitive person by nature. It can be a handicap in my mental game. I'm learning lessons every time I go to the post. Some top hands can adjust how they run based on what they know a judge is looking for. I'm NOT a top hand and not that adept. I need to stay true to how I like to run my dog and hope for the best. If I pick things apart or try to change my strategy each time I go to the post, it is not fair to myself or my dog. If I remember the importance of consistency I will see good dog work regardless of the scores.

This journey is made up of good days and bad days, and some days that are a bit of both. On the plus side, this trial is becoming a favorite of mine if for no reason other than the **awesome** potluck. Everyone brings terrific food and the trial hosts provide fresh from the sea clams and oysters as well as pork ribs and beef brisket on the barbeque. There is also a huge raffle and everyone has a terrific time in the evening. I really enjoyed my evening in spite of my disappointment in myself earlier in the day.

So tomorrow is a new day. I'm going to pick myself up by my boot straps, forget the last two trips to the post and live in the moment. My dog deserves it.

A Baker's Dozen

2011-06-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

Today is the 13th anniversary of my marriage.

We have been through a whole heck of a lot together in that short time. Here's to some quiet relaxation over these next few years together!

I love you, sweetie!

Key Pen Trial - Day 2

2011-05-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

Well, the weather held again. No rain and even a little sunburn. I am a bit worried about how my sunburn and my CPAP will get along tonight. I'll write more about the CPAP tomorrow. I got it on Friday.

Here are the Open score sheets:

I was very happy with Lucy all weekend. The only trouble we had either day really was at the blind drive panel. There were 3 drive panels, for a semi-square drive all weekend. Yesterday it was the first drive-away panel, today it was the panel turn for the final leg. With the terrain between the post and the panel, and a gully just past the panel, both sheep and dog are invisible in this area. It is a send-your-dog-and-hope type situation. Today, there was not a SINGLE run where all drive panels were made. Everyone (myself included) missed at least one. Lucy and I got the others, but missed the blind one today. Yesterday we hit them all but were off line in the blind area.

It was interesting to see how the dogs handled the blind area. If you closed your eyes as a spectator, you could tell from the handler's whistles when they could no longer see the sheep or the dog. There was either total silence, or frantic stops... little in between. I blew a flank and a couple steadies, and we just missed them to the inside. Most of the dogs refused to take flanks in that area due to a strong conflicting draw combined with the fact that we handlers were blind and could not correct if the dog failed to flank, since we didn't know it had happened! It was a very tricky test.

Of course, Judge Norman got to stand up in the truck bed on a hill behind us and got to see it all. I wished I was 7' tall today... just sayin'.

Overall the running was good. The sheep were honest but required a dog who is capable of gearing down appropriately to avoid startling hair sheep. For the dogs and hands who were able to accomplish this, good runs were to be had.

Instead of a pen and shed today, we had a maltese cross. Trying to shed these farm flock katahdins all day would have worn out the sheep to no good use, making them not as uniform for later runs and they had to be run for the whole day. Hence, the cross. With the cross, all 4 sheep had to be taken through the cross the first direction correctly before the 2nd direction could be attempted. Each direction was worth 10 points. In the underclasses, only the first direction was required for 10 points, instead of a pen.

I am very lucky to have such a good dog. Thanks again Diane, for selling her to me and trusting me with her. I feel like we are really starting to come into our own as a team this year.

I want to thank my friends and mentors (especially Scott Glen) for helping me along this journey. Without the help of good friends and mentors I would never be enjoying this dog or this degree of success. Words can not express how much I appreciate each of you.

After this weekend we have 13.6 finals points. How exciting!

Happy trails, everyone.

Key Pen Trial - Day 1

2011-05-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

* Reverse the 5th and 6th place Lucy and Kep tied with 85 points each, but the tie was broken incorrectly on this sheet.

I was very happy with Lucy's run today. In the morning, there were not many good runs to be had. We were 5th to the post. The sheep were swift and liked to split, as well as giving the set-out crew quite a bit of trouble holding them. The judge warned me while I was waiting to send my dog as soon as it seemed the sheep were even somewhat set as they would not stay put.

I am not sure why she was hit on her outrun/lift as it looked ok from the post but I didn't have the awesome elevated judging platform to watch from. :)

We had a missed attempt on the shed (I called her in when I should not have) but when we finally did shed, it was very nice with Lucy doing some fancy footwork to make a gap between two recalcitrant ewes.

Today was our first ever perfect-scoring fetch. It was quite a lovely fetch! We had a lot of fun today hanging out with the sheepdog crowd and shooting the breeze. The sun came out and I even had to use sunscreen for the 2nd time all year. Many thanks to Sue and George MacDonald for putting on a great trial. Today was also the debut of my new crook from George (I figured no better place) and for my new whistle lanyard I made.

Off to bed now for more fun tomorrow!

Happy Dog Bite Prevention Week!

2011-05-13T11:35:00.001-07:00

Rocky Ewe final winter series trials

2011-04-29T11:55:00.001-07:00

I was very proud of Lucy at this last winter series trial. She was in the points both days, with a 3rd place on Sunday (no shed, no pen either day).

I learned I really better practice freestanding pens from the post - my handling SUCKED. After the first 2 tries on Saturday I just got irritated and ran out the clock (as you can see from this video) -- 0-0-6-5-10-10 I think. I thought about not posting the video here, because of the botched pen. It is easy to see the many ways I blew this as a handler. However, there were many nice things about the run and it was my first time to hear my own whistles played back from farther away than my shirt pocket.

On Sunday, she had the nicest scoring fetch of the entire day! After a miss at the pen, I decided to just turn it into a training session practicing pen flanks and stops. Luckily there is not video of that, though I wish I had video of the coursework. 0-0-3-5-10-10

We are gearing up for Summer trials. I am planning on going to the local W. WA trials as well as Wessels, Lacamas, Oregon Wine Country, Lopez and Fire Ridge this year... doG help me.

The weekend... and then some

2011-04-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a little while. School, work and having a puppy has eaten up my time. I am "off the grid" in a big way. The next 10 days are finals, then I have 3 days off, then Summer semester begins.

This weekend we went to an agility trial, our first one since January. Zora did a terrific job, 7 Qs in 10 runs. The 3 NQs were one because of an off-course tunnel (I was taking a handling risk that did not pay off) and the other 2 were because I was trying the distance bonus lines and it didn't come quiet together perfectly. Both were still clean but over time.

Here is a nice video of Zora's second standard run on Sunday.

We also made some good progress toward her Versatility NATCH. I think we are down to 2 Q's for it.

Have a great week. I miss my friends. Sorry for being so unavailable everyone, and thanks for understanding.

Good news

2011-03-24T19:55:00.001-07:00

Magick's ultrasound shows her stomach wall has gone back down to a normal thickness. This suggests a bleeding ulcer which is healing. The other good news is she appears to be responding to the adjustment we made to her medications.

Keep paws crossed that she continues to do well and this scare was all something that will pass with time and medications.

Shakti Cove Cottages - A great place at the beach!

2011-03-20T22:02:00.000-07:00

Well, vacation is drawing to an end. We had a wonderful time at the ocean and wanted to share our experience staying in a super dog-friendly place.

We stayed at Shakti Cove Cottages in Ocean Park, WA. Ocean Park is on the Long Beach Peninsula about 10 miles north of the city of Long Beach. It is approximately 3 to 3.5 hours from Seattle. I spent many summer days at Ocean Park as a child and the LBP has a special place in my heart. I do love the dramatic Oregon coast for its gorgeous cliffs and many tidepools and niches to explore, but the wide open spaces of the Peninsula have their own special kind of fun as well.

Shakti Cove is a hippie hangout like you might expect from the name. The cottages are small and cozy. They are rustic and are NOT fancy. This was very much like staying at the used family beach cabin and not like staying at a hotel or resort. If you are looking for something upscale and fancy close to the beach, this is not the place. If you want to go to the beach and have somewhere nearby to stay that is cozy, clean, friendly but basically utilitarian, Shakti Cove will meet your needs.

The cottage had a kitchen with stove, oven, fridge, coffee maker, tea kettle, toaster and all the necessary cooking utensils/dishes etc to make home cooked meals. A bedroom was off the main living area (no door) and bathroom was neat and clean. There are shared laundry facilities and areas to hose off dogs if they get icky at the beach. We stayed in the "doggie cottage" - dog themed decor. There were many fun pictures on the walls of dogs at the beach or hanging out in the cottages.

Dogs are welcome in all the cottages except the Annex which is their newest cottage, larger and has a knotty pine interior. Dogs cost $10 per pet per night -- still cheaper than a dog sitter! The dogs were welcome guests -- they even provide tons of extra "dog towels" if you want them, covers for the sofa, etc. They are very good about telling everyone dogs must be leashed and to pick up after dogs. While we were there, I did not see a single dog stool that had not been picked up. I was very impressed with how dog friendly the place was.

I also enjoyed that it was private. They do not come in and do daily housekeeping so I did not have to worry someone would be going through my stuff, or try to be gone for the housekeeping staff to come. If you request housekeeping they will come and do it, but otherwise your cottage is just like your own private home for the duration of the stay.

The beach looking North toward Ocean Park and Leadbetter Point.

Looking South toward Long Beach. Cape Disappointment in the distance.

The beach was private as well. There are not a bunch of hotels in this area and only a few homes so the only passers-by were a few people driving from one beach access to the next. Dogs are welcome to be off-leash on the beach. In 4 days, I never saw another person walking on the beach. It is very important to remember that this stretch of beach is open for driving year-round and dogs should be under good voice control to keep them safe from traffic. It is difficult for cars to stop quickly on the beach: they will get buried in the sand. It is also difficult to hear the cars coming because of the noise of the surf. This is true along most of the peninsula.

The location was very quiet. No noise at night except the surf and frogs. The stars are brilliant and the walk to the beach is a few minutes along this private trail.

Halfway between the beach and the cabins, looking East toward the cabins
(they are in the trees behind those 2 homes)

Looking West from the same point toward the ocean

In short, Shakti Cove was perfect for what we were looking for. We are the type of people who like to go camping year-round and this was a nice treat -- soft beds, warm rooms, a full kitchen and nice HOT showers after getting home from the ocean. It might not be right for everyone, but I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great very dog friendly place at the beach that is rustic, cozy and very peaceful.

Shakti Cove Cottages

Pros:
Quiet and Peaceful
Private
Close to the beach, private beach access
Extremely dog friendly
Cozy and rustic
Kitchens
Pay for 2 nights get 1 free through March (this was a pleasant surprise to us!)

Cons:
More rustic than some guests might be looking for
Older rooms, cabins are small
Some noisy pipes in the kitchen
Muddy walkway in front of cabins meant lots of paw-wiping

Overall rating:
The dogs definitely gave it 16 paws up.

Vacation is the best...

2011-03-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

I have been in desperate need of a little time away. We are at the beach for 4 days, coming home tomorrow. Love this!

Here are some photos of our adventures.

For Rye photos, go HERE to his blog.

Miss Magick

2011-03-06T22:28:00.001-08:00

My dear Magick has been very sick. She vomited a ton of blood very suddenly Tuesday afternoon while we were at work.

Her bloodwork and x-rays were normal, but the ultrasound showed a thickening in her stomach. This is either a bleeding ulcer, a focal infection or possibly a small tumor/stomach cancer.

She is still taking medication 6x a day and being fed multiple small meals, but no more vomiting so far. For the last few weeks she has had a little soft cough, like a throat-clearing sound. Nothing on x-rays or bloodwork at that time, either, but now we are thinking she has esophagitis to go along with her other GI issues, which would explain the coughing/throat clearing. That means this has been cooking for several weeks. Poor Magick, I'm sorry I did not know what was going on. As usual, everyone thought I was being a pet hypochondriac by worrying about the cough, but something was just not right.

I am hoping she is ok. She is a bit lethargic, but she had to stop her arthritis medication because of the GI bleeding so I am thinking a little bit of that has to do with her stiffness/soreness not being controlled like it normally is. She seems cheerful, just a little slower than usual. She is feeling well enough to run around the house and bark in excitement from time to time, which I take as a positive sign.

Your positive thoughts for Magick are appreciated. With Paddy's passing still so fresh in my mind and heart, I can't really bear to think about what will happen if Magick has stomach cancer. Let's all keep paws crossed for something fixable.

Peaceful

2011-02-26T10:49:00.000-08:00

Well not much going on around here lately. School is taking up a LOT of my time and I should not even be writing this now... so I will make it brief :)

Last weekend I took Lucy down south to her first sheepdog trial back since pregnancy. She did a good job, we had a little trouble syncing up to get good lines. I knew I was in trouble on the sheep side when she checked her sheep on a decently wide outrun at about 9 o'clock and broke way wide and deep. Squirrelly sheep alert! She was right, we had 4 white high-headed ewes who were about done for the day. They were nice and honest sheep, just difficult to line out. Between that and running in high winds it was interesting. 0-1-2-17 (oops)-1-10 (timed out trying to shed).

I came away with a great sense of peace that day. Spending a day in the sun (and frigid wind - brrr!) with good people, sheep and dogs was just what I needed. Bring on the vitamin D!

Rye had a great time at the trial, which you can read about at his blog: The Rye Way

Yesterday I took Lucy and Rye down to Fido's. It was cold, in the 20's. (Yes, for HERE that's cold!) There was a blanket of snow on the ground but most of the roads were in good shape unlike to the north and east of here.

Lucy looked good on sheep, but we have lost some ground on shedding cleanly while she was off work. She clearly knows the job and is keen to come in, but wants to stop short on the correct group rather than flanking through the gap when asked. We did a little work on that, and will do a LOT more later, going back to the "X" shedding exercise for a while to clean things up. The good news is, I identified a problem and actually know how to fix it?

We had a nice time working sheep, chatting and then Rye got to play with a new puppy friend named Bea. They had a wonderful time!

Ok, that's it. I'm back to writing a paper now (and letting Rye in and out).
Thanks for reading.

Home-goings

2011-02-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

We are down to just one pup, Rye. I am starting to get very attached to him and he showed a bit of special loyalty himself today. He was loose in the house with my husband and the big dogs. Toys, cats, etc everywhere. I went into the bedroom to take a shower (bath off the master). There is a baby gate across the bedroom door. Rye got tired, so he went right up to that gate and curled up in a little ball, sleeping smashed up against the baby gate on the hard floor. He would rather be there than on the soft dog bed.

To get down to 1 pup, that means Sagan went home with Ross and Leanna on Tuesday.

Rave went home with new mom Diana on Friday.

Reba went to Diane's on Saturday

and got to meet Auntie Janet who will run her in Novice

The house is blissfully peaceful. I do not really miss the pups being at the house. They all got such wonderful homes it is easy to let them go. Plus it gives me special time to bond with Rye, which is treasured.

Oh, and the less-poop thing is AWESOME.

The Perfect Memento

2011-02-12T21:13:00.000-08:00

Some of you may remember this summer Lucy and I had our first Open win together. It was a major accomplishment and I don't think I will ever forget that run. Especially the shed was so amazing! It was also the first time we won enough money to do something special!

The special thing I decided to do with our winnings was to order a custom shepherd's crook from George MacDonald of The Shepherd's Crook and Ewesful Acres.

George is a well-respected stickmaker and I have yet to own a proper crook. He works on carving sticks during the winter months, and I was so excited to get the email that my crook was ready - and he sent photos!

MY new stick!

Yes, I am that excited about a stick.

Thank you, George. I am looking forward to picking up this treasure very soon - and it will always serve to remind me of Lucy and I, our partnership, and our first Open win together. I hope it was not our last!

Raising puppies: Looking back

2011-02-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

I feel tired today. In looking back at the last 8 weeks, I am starting to understand why! I take puppy raising very seriously. I have no way of knowing if what I do with these pups helps them get a better start in life, but at least I feel like I've done all I can.

Here is a basic summary of some of the things we did with the pups as they grew up, all in one place. I wrote this as a response to a post on our SVBT behavior question forum from someone who was asked to give a presentation to breeders.

------------------

1) The first 2 weeks: passive exposure and early neural stimulation. Here is an example: http://ahimsadogtraining.com/handouts/ea...ion_en.pdf

The puppies should be handled, gently, daily, and on all parts of their bodies until their eyes and ears open. Care should be taken to keep the puppies safe from disease, as puppies are not able to mount things like a fever response until 3 weeks of age, so a limitation on the numbers of people who handle them is key.

During the entirety of puppyhood, keep pups around normal household sounds like the TV, pots and pans, dishwasher, vacuum, etc. They should be protected enough that they can feel safe if they get alarmed, but exposed enough that they are habituated to these experiences by the time they go to new homes. I also bathe the pups and clip nails once a week.

2) Week 3 - 8: Active socialization.

Week 3: Real walking and attempts at play begin, usually starting with mouth-mouth biting. Since the puppies are now old enough to mount a fever response if they were exposed to something by accident, careful socialization with strangers is now permitted. I suggest exposure to walking practice on a variety of surfaces, temperatures, etc. Daily handling is still very important, but strangers may participate in handling as well. At our house, we have weekly "puppy potlucks" starting at age 3 weeks. We have 10-12 visitors come over and each bring something fun to do with the puppies involving sight, touch, smell, sound or taste.

Puppies should be handled and kept under threshold. Puppies who seem afraid or upset should not be handled "through" this - the handling should be decreased in intensity but increased in frequency to help the pups be successful. Flooding at this age can have lifelong consequences.

The puppies can also start introduction to solid food this week and it is a good opportunity to introduce hand feeding. I feed 3 meals a day (30 minutes each) starting at 21 days of age and continuing until the puppies leave.

Weather permitting, I have the pups start spending time outdoors for supervised play on week 3.

Week 4: Play begins in earnest. The pups should be given opportunities to play with adult dogs that are GOOD WITH PUPPIES if possible. By good with puppies, I mean the dogs are gentle and tolerate, but engaging and will stop play if it gets too rough. Play with toys should be encouraged. I also introduce potty pads at this age and begin gently placing the pups on the pad when I suspect they will eliminate. Continued hand feeding and begin luring into a sit is a great thing to start.

Puppy potluck: I have each person spend time tugging with and/or hand feeding a puppy so the puppies learn to play with a variety of different people (with different skill levels) and get classical conditioning as well to the presence of strangers.

A balance board can be introduced now so the puppies can learn to manipulate moving surfaces. This may help with future experiences in sports like agility, or with things like learning stairs, traveling in elevators, etc.

Week 5: The week of OUCH. This is the week puppies usually start using their teeth pretty hard, but they are a little young yet to learn inhibition with people. Learning inhibition with other dogs seemed to start at this age with all the litters I have raised previously (all medium size herding breeds. Smaller dogs and neotenous breeds develop more slowly).

Continue allowing play with household dogs who are good with puppies. Still no strange dogs allowed due to disease risks. Continue luring into the sit. I introduce the clicker just to charge it this week.

Collars: I introduce wearing collars under supervision this week and continue until the pups go home. I do not leave collars on unsupervised pups.

Puppy potluck topics: Brushing, gentle restraint and active tugging. Remind puppy potluck goers that the puppies are very bitey right now and they MUST always use a toy during play. I also start doing gentle restraint (body hugs like for a cephalic catheter, gently holding on my lap on their side like for an ortho exam, sitting with head held gently like for a jugular blood draw) and demonstrate it for the puppy potluck people if they are interested. Once the puppies are getting sleepy, we practice this type of handling. If the pups struggle, we hold them gently and talk softly to them. Usually in a few seconds they stop and then we release the hold. Because our puppy potlucks were so big with this litter, I did most of the brushing and restraint myself rather than in a group to make it easier/less chaotic on the pups.

If the pups are worried about restraint, counter conditioning should be used - this should now be EASY since the puppies are already accustomed to being hand fed by a variety of people.

WEEK 6: Bite inhibition learning continues with other dogs, and begins with people. At this age I begin giving feedback to the puppies (cease play and say "ouch") when they bite hard. Every few days, I respond to softer and softer bites. This allows the pups to learn what hurts and cases play to stop, and what level of contact is allowed. Dr. Ian Dunbar has a nice protocol published for this - I just start younger since I have the opportunity.

The adult dogs may begin correcting the puppies with snaps, muzzle grasps, growling, etc for hard biting. This is normal and should be permitted as long as the adult dogs do not scare the puppies too much nor injure them.

Puppy potluck: Same as last week, but introduce hand targeting and sit cue during the luring exercise while people are doing hand feeding if the puppies are hungry. This was foiled for my litter this year because the pups weren't that interested in food on the week 6 potluck.

I also have the mother dog sleep separately from the puppies starting this week (in a different room).

WEEK 7: Housetraining begins. I take the puppies out every 30 minutes when they are awake, and separate them into individual crates to sleep at night. This is NOT FUN but I believe it is exceptionally useful. This allows the stress of being separated from littermates to be experienced in small doses in a familiar environment before the puppies go to their new homes (another major stressor during puppyhood).

Learning to sleep separately for a week or 10 days before going to a new home I think makes it easier for the pups and easier for the new owner, as a familiar routine is already in place. Fewer things being changed when the transition to a new home occurs, the better as far as I am concerned.

I make it a point to take the pups on several car rides this week as well, and they usually have their CERF and vet exam this week. Take plenty of treats and favorite toys along for the vet visits and spend some time playing in the exam room before and after. The vet staff will usually be happy to help

WEEK 8: Puppies can begin going home. You will be sending home puppies who know how to play with puppies, adult dogs, toys, a variety of people, are comfortable around all sorts of noises, surfaces, smells, sights. They know what the clicker is, how to follow a lure, take treats, how to do hand targeting and are learning how to inhibit their bite with people and other dogs. They know how to wear a collar, ride in the car and visit new places. They can sleep in their crates and have a very elementary introduction to house training.

I think these skills help puppies and their owners stay happier together and bond more quickly with less stress on both ends of the leash. I have done this for 6 litters in a variety of formats over the years with excellent success.

Heart trouble

2011-02-09T19:46:00.000-08:00

So I have this trouble with my heart. It aches and stabs. The ache is so deep I can't even cry most of the time.

I really miss Paddy. I have sat down to write her memorial a number of times and can never get past the first few words. She was such a part of who I am, it is hard to re-learn to be me without her.

I feel badly for Rye because I want to be fully emotionally available to him, but I sense that absence in myself and then the guilt follows.

I suppose time will cure it, but this heart trouble... we had too short a time together, that dog and I.

Photo by Look Back Photography

A blog just for Rye

2011-02-08T21:14:00.001-08:00

http://theryeway.blogspot.com

Feel free to stop by and watch him grow!

Lucy's pups - 8th week of life

2011-02-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

Well, Lucy's puppies are now 7 and 1/2 weeks old. Next week they go to their new homes.

Sagan will go home with Ross and Leanna on Tuesday.

Photo by Nancy

Rave goes home with Diana on Friday.

That can't be comfortable?

Reba goes to Diane, but I am not sure what day.

We will be down to a blissfully small number of puppies: ONE. Rye. Good boy.

Yes, I did say BLISS.

This week the puppies have spent a fair bit more time outside. They are doing about 70% of their bathroom duty outside, but that still means errant puddles and piles here and there. They will go up and down the deck stairs with encouragement, stay awake for hours at a time playing and are now sleeping INDIVIDUALLY in separate crates for about 7 hours a night.

They had their first vet checkup (all good news), microchipping and CERF exams (also all good news). Along with those came the first car ride. There was some howling and some vomiting, but it wasn't too terribly bad overall.

The puppies continue to mature into more and more rough play. Lucy continues to play with them frequently as well as Magick. Lucy will still let them nurse if we don't stop her. Sometimes a bitch can be a little too tolerant. I have been intervening whenever she lets them nurse. She will only tell them off very seldom. I predict a sleepover in Rye's future or a t-shirt in Lucy's if she doesn't start putting an end to nursing.

We had our final puppy potluck yesterday, and everyone had a nice time visiting, eating and most importantly playing with puppies!

Since Diana was home sick with the flu, Nancy acted as a stand-in as Rave's mama

This nearly gave her husband Scott heart failure. Here is what he had to say to me about it

Greta came up from Portland to visit the puppies one last time. She will get to see Rave all the time, but Sagan was her favorite to play with

Even though he does things like this!

And I sat back to relax, and reflected on the week past.

Magick and Rye devised a clever little game called "I'll bite your foot, now you thump me on the head with your foot." They did it enough times consistently that I actually got this picture.

Lucy got in on the tugging action with the puppies for multi-player tugging fun.

But at 42 lb total weight, they have her over-matched! Watch out mama... of course, you are rolling around on your back ;)

And Rye continues making inroads with our adult dogs. Zora often licks his nose when she is sitting on the chair or sofa.

Photo by Nancy

And Rye ended the evening by dreaming of sheep to come...

I hope they were good dreams, buddy... and that you will enjoy our journey together as a team.

Rob has been placed

2011-02-01T00:32:00.003-08:00

Great news - Rob has found a home!

Have a wonderful week, everyone.

Lucy's pups week 7: Rob is available

2011-01-30T13:12:00.001-08:00

Rob is still available to the right home. He has a lot of toy drive, is a charming and a quick learner. He is intense and should succeed at any sport his new owner chooses. He is a people-person and would really like to be a housedog, close to his people. Here are some 6 week photos of Rob. His ticking is coming in nicely and he is really a striking, flashy little dog.

Rob play-bowing to me.

Rob doing his "innocent" act.

In other news:
Another week has passed, and the pups continue to grow. Each pup is 6 lbs or so by my estimate. They are 6 and 1/2 weeks old now. They play vigorously and are now awake for hours at a time. They are running, climbing and generally chaotic in their joy for life.

I introduced the clicker as a marker for behavior this week, rather than just charging it. Pups are learning to sit automatically for a treat (dog kibble) and to do nose touches.

Rob imitating the puppy to my left (the one I was actually working with)
wondering just how this whole sit = treat thing works.

They figured out how to do stairs this week and love running around in the yard. On Tuesday, I will separate them for sleeping so they have a week of sleeping individually before they go to new homes. Rye will move into our bedroom for sleep and everyone else will sleep in side-by-side crates. Yes, I have earplugs.

Also, Rye has started doing Lucy's happy grin!! I have not captured it on film yet. All 5 of her previous pups do it, so I imagine these pups are likely to as well.

Rave and Rob tugging.

Rob narrowly avoiding the slashing jaws of Magick ;)

Magick and Rob playing.

Rye and Rob making faces during play.

Good thing puppies are cute.... Sheesh, Reba!

Magick continues to be the best nanny dog ever.

I decided to try and get some basic headshots of the pups as well. Here is the result. I am satisfied with 2 and not with the other 2. Will get some better ones when the weather is nicer and we can get good lighting outdoors I hope.

Rob

Reba

Rave

Rye

And what happens after a puppy potluck: zzzzzzzzzz. even our toes are sleepy!

Lucy's pups week 6: Rob is now available

2011-01-26T22:40:00.000-08:00

Lucy's pups were 6 weeks old yesterday. Here are some photos from last week. Sorry for the late posting, but I wanted Zora's victory to have the blog for the weekend.

In other news, Rob is now available to the right home. He is red and white with heavy ticking in all of his white. He will have a smooth coat.

Rob is a little freckled devil with a sparkling personality. Very loving and playful, Rob is equally happy to be snuggled and held or to tug like a fiend on his favorite toy (or pantleg).

Rob should be well-suited to a working or trial home in stockdog work or any canine performance sport. My first priority is a pup having a forever home whenever possible. If you would like to know more about Rob, email me 77dogma@gmail.com

The pups will be ready to go to their forever homes 2/8/2011.

Rob is rakishly handsome!

He has a special expression and is very people oriented.

With plenty of toy drive since just 4 weeks old,
Rob is showing signs of being an enthusiastic partner.

Rave is going to live just outside Portland, OR with his new mom Diana.

Here he is, resting between play sessions during the potluck on Saturday.

And here he is after everyone has gone home. Zzzzzz.
He has a white stripe on his ear just like his grandma, "Star."

Reba will be going home with Diane at 8 weeks old.
She is a toy-hound.

She is a PRINCESS.

She is also a redhead and has a wild streak.
YES THAT IS MY CAMERA STRAP.
Reba, It is NOT A TOY. Thank you.

In other news, Rye is definitely the pup staying here forever.

HI MOM HI MOM HI MOM HI MOM HI MOM!!!!

Not to be outdone, he will both sit on a toy and carry one in his mouth.
Two-fer-one toys.

And in between his wild extra happy moments, he continues his campaign
of making sure I understand he belongs with us.

Lastly, here is the video from last week. CAUTION: This video contains extreme cuteness previously unrecorded.

Announcing NATCH2 Zora

2011-01-24T16:17:00.000-08:00

Photo by Carolynn Harwell -- Look Back Photography

We had a wonderful weekend of agility on Saturday and Sunday. Miss Zora earned 10/12 qualifying rounds and earned her NATCH2 (NADAC Agility Trial Champion level 2). Since we only trial about 5 times a year, I am very proud of her. She earned her first NATCH in late 2009.

In addition, she completed a distance bonus in Elite tunnelers on Sunday as well as nearly completing a distance bonus in Elite jumpers (I had to step over the line for 2 obstacles to assist her).

She finished her NATCH2 yesterday by completing a very difficult round of Elite Chances. Only 6 dogs in the Elite class qualified on that course. I am perhaps more proud than anything of the fact that 2 of the other 5 people were MY STUDENTS!!! I am so proud of them.

But I will take a moment to appreciate my own success as well. I think I have one of the finest 8" distance dogs in the country.

Congratulations, Zora! I am proud to call you my partner.

Love you.

Lucy's pups - 5th week of life

2011-01-16T22:58:00.000-08:00

More fun for the puppies this week. They are playing vigorously with one another and the adult dogs. Magick and Lucy have formed a puppy care coalition and often rescue one another if all 4 pups decide to go for a single adult dog. Teamwork!

We introduced potty pads this week and the pups are about 70% on using them on their own. WOO.

Aunt Lora sent a fun cow toy and a balance board. The pups race across the balance board - agility is in your future!

It finally warmed up enough for the pups to go outside, so they are spending some outside time each day. The first day they were a little overwhelmed during the first 2 minutes or so. Now they are trying to figure out how to get up and down the big step in and out the door. Also, they can RUN now.

Another puppy potluck gave the pups a chance to visit with new people, and the owners of the pups to see their babies again this week. I think the new owners really enjoy getting to visit the litter.

Without further ado: This week's installment of photos and a nice 3 minute video of PLAY-PLAY-PLAY!! If you have time, watch the video all the way to the end. Magick employs an ingenious trap for one of the pups. She will be 12-years-old in April and I am so grateful to be getting all this video of her playing with the puppies. Recent events have taught me how much I will treasure those videos one day....

Rob says, "I did not do it. I did not chew the blanket..."

Rob: If I can not reach the toys, I will just chew through the metal bucket!

Rob making sexy ears with Magick

Reba rearing up to a play-bowing Magick

Magick and Rave going in circles

Magick swallows Rye's head... nom nom nom nom

Rye and Rave using the balance board. Thank you Aunt Lora!!

This is why we call him Robert The Savage!

Rye offers to help: Here, let me fix your desk.... Um, thanks.

Reba playing with the GIRL toy.
(a gift to the butterfly dog Zora when she was a pup, almost 7 years ago)

What happens after a puppy potluck?
Rob falls asleep in the leftovers.

This made my entire day. It's not in focus, it's a terrible photo.
But it *IS* Rye (33 days) and Magick (11 3/4 years) play bowing about 6' apart.

What happens after all that play?
Rye needs a soft pillow.

Can you guess which puppy wants to stay with us?

Here is your puppy porn for the week:

Lucy's pups - 4th week of life

2011-01-08T20:56:00.000-08:00

Lucy's pups are 25 days old today, and we had our first puppy potluck tonight. I think everyone enjoyed playing with the puppies, and they got to meet all sorts of new people and have new experiences.

Here are a few pictures and a couple of videos from this week.

Highlights from this week:
- first time meeting strangers
- second bath
- second nail clipping
- first real play with Lucy and with Magick
- first real play with toys
- increasingly vigorous play with littermates
- visual tracking is improving (toys, littermates, adult dogs)
- outgrew the whelping box
- exploring a fleece play tunnel
- investigating a cat (Gershwin)

Aftermath of second bath

Reba trying out a toy

Rye trying out a toy

Rave killing the orange hedgehog

Rye playing with Lucy

Lucy and Reba playing

Lucy and Reba

Rave and Lucy playing

Lucy chewing Rye's leg off ;)

Rave testing out a toy

Wonder what color Rob's eyes will be?
His are different from all the other pups.

Potluck aftermath: SLEEPY puppies.

Rye behind bars

Puppy pile. Clockwise from top: Rye, Reba (upside-down), Rob, Rave

Reba sacked out

Crashed out in a crack.

Rave sleeping with his eyes open.

Reba snoozing in the tunnel

First time with solid food:

Play and hijinx -- 23 days old:

Lucy's pups - 3rd week of life

2011-01-01T17:52:00.000-08:00

Well all the pups managed to open their eyes this week, and they are having a good time trying to figure out things like walking, climbing and playing. They do growl and bark on purpose now which is hilarious.

Enjoy a few photos and especially the video.

Maybe I should have named Rave "Mickey" ??

Still we spend a large majority of our time sleeping. Sometimes with our tongues out...

But sometimes we do wake up... HI!!!

Reba experiments with sitting

New camera = new pictures

2010-12-28T22:27:00.000-08:00

A well-meaning friend accidentally dropped and stepped on my old camera. So I bit the bullet and bought myself a new, affordable camera today. Here are my experiments for the evening just checking out the basics. I am sure the pictures will get so much better one I know the camera a bit more thoroughly, but for now you'll get the idea.

Stanley's face

Stanley checking out the camera

Also, the puppies had their first real bath with soap tonight, so here are some more puppy pictures.

Rave sleeping squished between his brothers

Ticking is appearing on Rye's toes

More ticking, this time on Rob's toes

Reba sleeping on my knee

Rave's eyes are open

Lucy's pups - Week 2

2010-12-25T22:14:00.000-08:00

The pups continue to grow at an alarming rate! Here they are today, 11 days old, with Lucy for size comparison.

11 days old having "Christmas dinner"

Reba

Rye and Rave snoozing on the sofa

So I admit it, I have a small preoccupation (or maybe, addiction) to puppy paws.

Rye's back paws

Rob's back paws

Reba's front paw - ticking on toe

Well this week the pups have been up to all sorts of things. Today they started walking instead of just crawling, and Rave is working on opening his eyes. With my mom in town, we are taking plenty of photos. She brought them pink and blue baby blankets for Christmas.

Rye

Rob

Reba

Rave

Perhaps inspired by their gift, one thing the pups decided this week is they enjoy using their crate pad as a blanket. First they tunnel under, then they keep going until only their heads are peeking out and fall sound asleep.

Rave sleeping under the crate mat

Rob sleeping under the crate mat

Also, they all had their nails clipped for the first time. I'm fairly certain Lucy reckoned that to be my Christmas present to her (or at least to her teats).

First nail trim

The pups are also doing quite a lot of experimental barking and growling, and Stanley continues to make puppy noises back to them.

Stanley

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Merry Christmas, Rye!

Merry Christmas, Rob!

Merry Christmas, Rave!

Merry Christmas, Reba!

Introducing Lucy's Pups

2010-12-19T00:34:00.000-08:00

Deltabluez Lucy X Scott Glen's Don
Born 12/14/2010
3 males, 1 female

We always give our puppies litter names so they are easier to tell apart and we can quickly reference each pup for weights, etc.

Once a week I will update their blog with new photos and sometimes videos so you can see their progress.

"Rob"
Red Male

"Reba"
Red Female

"Rave"
Black Male

"Rye"
Red Male

Forever Remembered

2010-12-17T16:05:00.000-08:00

Paddy
Forever Remembered

11/4/1997 - 12/17/2010

I will write Paddy a proper tribute when the emotions have stabilized a little. Never have I had a dog with so many friends and fans. In a major way, Paddy has made me the person I am today.

Her passing was peaceful. I will miss her terribly.

Stanley amazes me every day

2010-12-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

So I find myself often amazed by Stanley and his speech and vocabulary. While I always expected him to pick up new words, phrases and sounds and use them liberally, I underestimated his ability to understand and devise provisional constructs that demonstrate alarming clarity.

For instance, he appears to have a good understanding of names.
He knows:
Stanley
Kappy (previous companion bird)
Trevor (previous owner)
Paddy
Zora
Lucy
Sweetie
Dog
Doggies

And he knows a great deal of action phrases and questions:
Want some water?
Are you out of water?
Want to take a bath?
Step up.
Where are you?
Want to step up?
Want to go outside?
Want to come inside?
What time is it?
Quiet, shhhh.
Want a bite?
Want to pet?
Want to try it?
Want a scritch?
No bite. (came with that one)
Lie down.
Come here.
Come over here.
Come see me.
See you then.
See you later.
I'll be back.
Be home soon.
See you soon.
Then there are action words:
Bark, barking
Jump (no idea, did not learn that here)
Step up
Bedtime
Where is...?

He knows negative modifiers:

No
Stop

Locations:
Here
There

And exclamations:
Good boy!! (tweet!)
mmmm it's good!
Wow!
Sweet!
Neat!
Dude!
Awesome!
What?!

And a variety of other phrases:
Uh-huh
Hello
Alright
There you go
Don't worry
It's fine
You're fine
Pick up
Have fun with that
Hi
Yep
Not sure
Sure
Bye
Oh, ok
(at least 10 different laughter sounds)
Sounds good

And dozens upon dozens of beeps, water drips, animal noises, whistles, video game noises, etc etc.

He could certainly learn all of these things through mimicry. The strange thing is that once he learns a phrase, he deconstructs and reconstructs the constituent parts into new phrases we have never said. Phrases that make perfect sense from a grammar perspective.

For instance, he will add names to almost any phrase, in an appropriate way.
He already knew how to say "Stanley, step up" when he arrived here. He quickly learned Zora, Paddy, Lucy and "Sweetie" (what Bruce and I call one another) when he moved here.

He then began constructing new phrases, such as "Lucy, step up." We would never say step up to Lucy, she is not a bird. He just substituted the name in. Why not substitute another word, like "Water, step up?" I was completely astonished the first time I heard him say this. He does this all the time.

Another example: in the evening, we have to encourage Paddy to go outside as she is night-blind and does not like it. So while the rest of the dogs go out on their own, we have to ask her "Come on, Paddy, time to go outside."

Stanley soon began saying that. But what came next was very interesting: "Come on, Sweetie," and "Zora, time to go outside." Neither of these phrases are things we say at home. They are constructs Stanley made substituting names and other parts of speech appropriately into new language.

Another example: Lucy is often told to lie down if she is bothering the bird. Stanley quickly learned to say "Lucy, lie down." (which she ignores) But our other dogs are all trained to the word "Drop" for lying down. Stanley quickly began saying things we never say, such as"Zora, lie down" and "Paddy, lie down," and even, "Stanley, lie down."

For goodness sake, that sounds like demonstrated understanding of names to me... While it is clear he does not know what lie down means, it is clear he realizes combining the generalized concept of a name with it is correct. Intense.

However, there are some things he definitely learns by association. Magick went through a phase where she was very worried about Stanley. She still worries about him some when he does his crazy bird routine flapping and crashing his toys around with glee. When he would flap and crash, we would say to Magick, "It's alright, don't worry." Pretty soon, Stanley would say, "It's alright. You're fine, don't worry." right before he began his flapping routine.

So what? Well, he began communicating to us that he intended to begin his flapping routine. But even more, he added the central part of the phrase - you're fine - all on his own. He knew how to say "You're fine" separately, but we did not use that sentence in total. He constructed it, with correct context, all on his own.

In a separate example, he extracts meaning from listening to us talk. For instance, if Magick is barking at something I don't see, I will commonly ask my husband "What is she barking at?" To which he is almost always forced to reply "I dunno." ::snicker:: Then we will both often say, "Magick, quiet."

The other day, Magick barked and Stanley said, "Dogs, no bark!" We have never used that phrase, nor even the phrase "no bark" in our house. Mind boggling. Worse yet, he recently began making barking noises himself, followed by "Quiet! Shhh!" And perhaps worst of all, he will occasionally make a noise that never fails to make Magick bark. He has taken to saying, "No bark!" and then making the infuriating beep. Of course, Magick then barks. Holy cow.

I could go on and on and on about how much this bird amazes me, but you'd all be bored to tears. Suffice it to say I am really glad he does not have thumbs!

While I do not think he comprehends a majority of the speech around him, I am consistently astonished by the way he picks out meaning from everyday language, and then reconstructs what words he does have into phrases that largely make sense. Phrases he has never heard before.

Smart bird. Except when he tries to remove the buttons from the remote.

A Dog Without Faults...

2010-11-27T16:30:00.000-08:00

All photos in this post by T. Graham, edited by D. Pagel

Faults are in the eye of the beholder, it seems to me. If your dog (or bitch) has no faults, I feel confident he or she is the first of a kind! I'd like to talk a little bit about how people describe stockdogs, what it could mean and what I think is sometimes between the lines. The content of this post is not meant to reflect any particular person or dog except me :)

Everyone prefers different strengths in a dog. Some like a dog with a "lot of forward" or "plenty of power."

Lucy lifting at Island Crossing

So what does that mean? Does it mean the dog can effortlessly move any kind of sheep, regardless of how tough those sheep are? Well what about wild Barbs or Katahdins? Will the dog who excels on Meeker range sheep be the same dog who does terrific on East coast Cheviots, West coast fine wool range lambs and dog-broke farm flock hair sheep? Is there such a thing as "too much" forward?

Well, I am a sheepdogging novice and in my eyes there is such a thing as too much forward - a dog who runs through the bit. Also too much forward for me is a dog who terrifies sheep and the sheep can not settle. I always wonder when people say they have a dog with "plenty of forward" does it mean the dog is quietly confident, or does it mean the dog moves sheep at MACH2 through the course without regard for the handler? When the dog is so intent on moving sheep that he or she can not work with the handler unless the handler is a singularly top hand, is that the right dog for most people?

Lucy on the fetch at Island Crossing

Some people like a dog who is fearless. Does fearless mean the same thing as "grippy"? Well, it can - depending on the dog and the hand. Again, fearless can mean quietly powerful and unafraid to walk into anything. Or it can mean tense, fast and will always move the sheep, but does the dog have to grip to do so? I wonder how fearless a grippy dog is. So many dogs grip out of uncertainty, lack of confidence, frustration, tension. How do we tell the difference? Experience and honesty.

One thing I really like in a dog is biddability and good listening. This should surprise no one who knows how much I love Lucy. However, I often hear biddable used to describe dogs who are, in fact, weak or frightened of sheep. If the dog listens too well because he is afraid to get into trouble, or worse, afraid to be on contact with sheep and so the handler need not compete with instinct, that can be a fault. Is my dog weak? She can be. However, 95 times or more out of 100 we will get the job done. Will she find the odd sheep she struggles to move at trial? Yes. Have I ever seen her fail to move something as a farm dog doing chores? Absolutely not.

So what about a dog who has a "lot" of eye? This could mean a dog who is straight as an arrow when it comes to lines and uses a method with a lot of eye. Or it can mean a dog who is sticky, clappy, falls into flanks or can't move freely behind its sheep. Then there is the "loose eyed" dog. Does a dog have to have a great deal of eye to get the job done? No. Is moderate eye helpful? Yep.

Lucy crossdriving at Island Crossing

Then there is the "natural outrunner." This is a thing of beauty to witness when it is accurate. Nothing nicer than seeing a naturally good outrunner grow into maturity. But is this a young dog who is actually too wide and will run fences by 3 years old? It could be either, or both.

The natural outrunner is often also described as having naturally square flanks. Is this a dog who stays off contact and just gets wider and wider if the sheep lean on them a little, or if the dog doesn't understand what the handler wants? Does the dog flank square in neutral positions, but naturally negative flank when pressure is increased slightly? These are important questions.

Then there is the dog with "plenty of feel." A dog with natural feel who can rate a variety of different stocks well and a dog who is liked by a wide variety of stock is a great thing. I love seeing a dog who can treat a wide variety of sheep with keenness and sensitivity in equal balance to produce a good working relationship with stock. But can "plenty of feel" sometimes mean a dog who is weak? Yes. If a dog has too much feel certainly that dog can end up being weak, concerned about pushing too hard on sheep, and certainly can be a dog the sheep stop easily.

Setting up to shed at Island Crossing

So what is my perfect dog? My perfect dog would have quiet power on a variety of stock without being frantic or difficult to control. The dog should be willing and happy to listen, but able to (and ALLOWED to... separate soapbox) make decisions on his or her own. Moderate eye, enough feel to be sensible without being weak. Stamina is also incredibly important - both physical and mental stamina to the task and unlimited willingness to try a task even when it is frustrating. The dog should be compact and athletic. I'd like a dog who can work all day, but be just as happy to relax in the house as needed. It is worthwhile to note I mention very little about conformation: that is because I do believe in form following function. If the dog can do everything I've mentioned here, it will be sound of body and mind.

So how do I get such a dog? First, choosing carefully. Second, taking the time to develop a meaningful relationship with the dog. I really do think this matters, and I know some will argue me about it. I'm not interested in arguing, but I am entitled to my opinion.

How is such a dog made? Well breeding is a big part of it, or so it seems. A trend I see in breeding is people breeding to a dog with "opposite faults." This means breed a weak dog to a very strong dog, or a loose-eyed dog to a dog with a lot of eye, a dog who, a dog who is a little too good to a dog who is a little too bad. I sometimes wonder at the wisdom here. It seems to me genetics is a lot more like painting stripes than mixing paint. I feel like I see individual traits of each parent come out in pups, rather than muted/combined versions of these traits that are new and unique to the pup. If we have a can of red paint and a can of white paint, we could paint red and white stripes along the walls, or we can mix the cans together and paint everything swirls of pink. It seems to me a I see a whole lot more striped dogs than pink dogs ;) While that can, and does, happen, it just seems more common that a pup will express a unique combination of traits similar to each parent. Again, my experience here is limited, but I have been paying close attention and trying hard to learn. This is where I am today. I wonder if it makes sense to double up on strengths in more moderate dogs? I don't know the right answer.

So why am I concerned? Well, with Lucy's puppies on the way, all of these things are worrisome to me. Ultimately, I hope to produce some quality sheepdogs but also dogs with a generally excellent temperament who are healthy, sound, well-built and good family pets. It will be interesting to see how they turn out - perhaps they will prove me wrong! Luckily it will take a few years to know, and by then this post will be ancient history.

I would be interested in your comments and feedback about how people describe dogs, or a description of your perfect dog.

Snow Day

2010-11-23T20:57:00.000-08:00

Canadian Journey

2010-11-14T20:36:00.000-08:00

In the middle of October I ventured north to Canada, making an epic drive to Alberta and back with dogs as my copilots. It was a relaxing and fun trip, and I did stop and take a few pictures along the way.

By the time we got home, we had logged over 1600 miles, and crossed the Rockies 4 times in 1 month!

We drove through FLAT Eastern Washington...

We crossed the border at Eastbrook. This is the scenic loop lookout on the US side of the border crossing. The border guards were confused by my license plate, and gave me trouble heading both directions over it.

With Sandpoint and Eastbrook behind me, and Moyie, Fernie and Cranbrook ahead, I set my eyes on the km/hr gauge and drove on.

We started climbing into the mountains...

And we passed through numerous small and not-so-small towns along the way.

And crossed the Rocky Mountain summit at Crowsnest Pass. Crowsnest lake is very beautiful and we stopped to go for a walk at the rest area each direction.

We began dropping down into Alberta, and were rewarded with views behind us of Crowsnest Peak.

Soon we passed a MASSIVE rock slide called the Frank Slide. The Frank Slide occurred in 1903 and dammed the Crowsnest River, as well as destroying a mine, most of the mining town and taking a number of lives. The slide is really stunning in its magnitude. You can learn more about the Frank Slide including seeing some amazing panoramic photos here.

Once in Alberta, we discovered that just like the US East of the Rockies, it is FLAT. This is the view of the Rockies from the Alberta side.

I consulted the directions in my pocket and finally turned off the highway 13 hours later onto a winding, gravel road...

And arrived at my destination... the intersection of several gravel roads in the middle of the flatness. The stars were amazing here...

And we saw the friend we had come to visit:

Photo by Jenny Glen

We hoped to return with some precious cargo, and indeed a different kind of photo was taken 2 days ago to find out if we had.

I am pleased to report we are expecting a litter out of Lucy, by Scott Glen's outstanding male Don. Her ultrasound confirmed her pregnancy is progressing normally so far. The puppies are due 12.14.2010. Keep paws and fingers crossed for a healthy pregnancy for Lucy and the safe arrival of beautiful babies before Christmas!

Conforming.... to WHAT?

2010-11-12T16:48:00.000-08:00

Normally I blog about my own dogs, trialing, training and school. This post may seem a little out of character, but I was so troubled by this video I could not help myself.

I am a fancier of purebred dogs. I own 3 of them, as well as a mixed breed dog. My double digit dogs are largely sound with the occasional stiffness. My almost 14-year-old mixed breed is definitely in her golden years, even having had an OCD lesion in the hock as a pup.

Videos like this make me so very sad. Yes, "slo-mo" might change the way things look. Yes, restrained forehand movement due to the leashwork could change the way things look. But nothing... nothing... can make the dog at 2:53 look like he will be sound for a long day's work... or even alive as a 12-year-old.

Conformation standards have a place. My purebred dogs have been selected for temperament, soundness and health. I looked at many, many dogs before buying my dogs. Perhaps I've just been lucky. But if this is what happens to a breed when a written conformation standard guides breeders to select for THIS... and judges to put it up... I'm speechless. I'm sad. And I now better understand why some people are ready to attack me when they realize I have purebred dogs I paid for, while other dogs died in shelters.

Vashon and Island Crossing

2010-11-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

Well Lucy and I have been to 2 trials since I last posted. The Vashon Island Sheepdog Classic is a great trial and I would highly recommend it. Very well organized, tough field and beautiful location. We were running on Eric Harlow's fine wool range sheep and they can read a dog like a book.

When I first got Lucy, she would often unwind off the pressure and struggled to walk into the heads of the sheep consistently. Well, we have come a long way since then.

Lucy is not the strongest dog in the world, but she is strong enough to get most anything done, and has enough finesse to move even the touchiest hair sheep calmly. On Saturday, we had a tough go of it. I was quite worried about the outrun as it is over and around a variety of hills and blind at a number of points along the way. I think I counted 5 spots where the dogs were blind, and 4 where they could actually check and see where the sheep were.

Lucy and I were running 7th. I took her up to the blind to spot nice and early for one run, I think it was the 2nd run of the day? I am very glad I did. I got her out 2 dogs ahead of my run and took her to spot. Neither dog found its sheep. Now my nerves were strung tight. I feared a re-run of Lacamas where she got lost on the outrun. I need not have worried.

Photo by D. Pagel

I thought she got a good look at the sheep from the post. I sent right and she ran a little narrow until the first hill, which she automatically ran out and around. I think I held my breath until she finally got about 80% of the way up the field and got a good look at the sheep. She kicked herself out wide and picked them up. She was not as deep as she could have been on top, but I left her go since she is usually quite responsible at the lift. Our fetch was acceptable but a little wavy as the sheep had Lucy's number. She was a bit too polite to them on the lift and they were leaning hard to get back to the set-out. They had been standing to graze through 2 dogs trying to find them and had no interest in running for this dog who did. That being said, everything went fine for the rest of the fetch. We split them through the panel and turned the post well. The first leg of the drive was straight and I was very pleased with how she walked into her sheep.

Photo by D. Pagel

There had been one particularly high-headed fast running ewe since the lift. She decided this was her big chance. The drive-away panel was perched on the side of a steep knoll. The runner got out ahead and Lucy was behind the group of 3. I was completely at a loss as far as the right way to handle so I kept Lucy on the 3 and pushed them through the panel. By this time my single runner had crested the top of the knoll and realized she had the highest ground. Note to self: Range sheep who live in very flat areas are shocked and amazed by the power of having the high ground. The 3 joined the one and I flanked Lucy around to start the cross drive. The lead ewe had no intention of giving up the hill.

Can you pick out the "troublemaker" ?
Photo by D. Pagel

She stomped at Lucy and lowered her head, charging a couple of times. Lucy did not give up any ground, but neither did she move the sheep off the hill. Finally I asked her for a grip so she ran at the sheep with great intent. I gave a hard down to prevent an actual bite, but now the sheep were moving! She completed the cross drive and we timed out on the 3rd leg.

This was an example to me of how improved Lucy's confidence is. A year ago I'm fairly certain that ewe could have run Lucy off, or at least gained a yard of ground. I was quite pleased that Lucy held her ground.

Photo by D. Pagel

Sunday was much better. Lucy ran out knowing that her lift would need to be harder, and so it was. The fetch was pretty straight, made the panels. Turned the post and the draw to the exhaust (behind the handler and off to the left, with a left hand drive) was very strong. She got them past the exhaust but the high-ground game started again around the drive-away panel. This time Lucy was wise to them and maneuvered the sheep smartly through the panel. A wide turn and then the cross drive started well. Part of the cross drive (like over 1/3 of it) was blind. I sent her into the blind and she did not come out as quickly as I might have hoped. When I could finally see the sheeps' ears they were facing in 2 different directions. I flanked the direction I thought would help but apparently I picked the ears of the sheep that had been facing her instead of moving off her so they turned back. I retired and walked down to the blind to help Lucy understand what I wanted. I was very happy with this run. Lucy demonstrated a much better understanding of her sheep and I wanted to retire before using up my dog completely on a run that would not win.

After those runs, I was glad to have my lesson last week with Scott Glen. He gave me some good pointers for teaching a bold approach when whistled to do so, and how to change Lucy's intent when needed so it is perfectly clear to the sheep without an actual grip.

Yesterday we ran at Island Crossing. Joe and Heather Haynes are so nice and they always put on good trials. I missed the last one so I was glad to make it to this one. Lucy and I were 20th to the post. Many dogs were having trouble keeping a good lift and early fetch as the draw to the setout was intense. I sent Lucy left, between the set out and the sheep. She got to about 11 o'clock and slowed way down, lifting from the side. I gave her a pretty stiff walk-up whistle and she lifted them expertly. I was very pleased with this. The fetch was good. For 10-15 seconds in the middle, the fetch on this field is blind. They went into the blind on-line but came out just a touch off-line as Lucy had moved to cover the draw side just a little too much. (Read: Lucy chose to stay on the pressure - GOOD GIRL) but the second half of the fetch was offline to my right. There were no fetch panels, and it was my first time to run without fetch panels. I looked over the sheep's backs about 3/4 of the way through the fetch and realized they were off-line but it was too late to do much about it. Bad handling!!

A nice tight turn at the post and first leg of the drive was uneventful. Many dogs were losing their sheep/creating runners through the drive panel back to the set-out pens. I was very pleased with Lucy as we had geared down the sheep a fair bit to keep them from running. The draw is tricky as there is a strong draw to the right (exhaust) and ahead (set-out). It took several flanks to get Lucy to let go of the exhaust pressure and flank around to begin the first half of the cross drive. The turn was a little wide, but the first half of the cross drive was just peachy. I had an elaborate strategy that is not worth sharing here. Suffice it to say it worked, and I was pleased to see it work! The draws switch about 6 different times during a run on this field.

At the cross drive panels, I knew the sheep were a little high but Lucy did not want to take the necessary come-bye flank to let them go through the panel because it opened up the escape route to the exhaust. Probably half of the dogs lost their sheep onto the exhaust, with a number of them bouncing sheep off the fences at the exhaust. While we skimmed the cross drive panels high, we got a beautiful turn and the sheep never even believed they could get to the exhaust. I was very pleased, though it probably cost me 10 points between missing the panels and being high on the second half of the cross drive. Lucy is choosing to stay in the pressure consistently. This is a thing of beauty. She also maintained control of her sheep through the run and never lost them to the set-out or exhaust. GO RED DOG!

The third leg was a Herculean effort on my part to salvage points. We walked into the shedding ring and magic happened! Grouped the sheep, I pushed them onto Lucy a few steps, I looked at her between 2 sheep and she made the gap. I called her in and the sheep split around me, as one might predict for a farm flock. But all our practice has been paying off -- she stayed in the gap and held the shed. We regathered them in the ring before they could think about the exhaust.

Last was the pen and it was a surprise to me. I think this was only our 2nd time to make it to the pen and not complete it (first time was at Wessels). I had one very quick Cheviot(?) cross who wanted nothing to do with the pen, one very slow agreeable Clun and 2 middle of the road Cluns. The draw to the exhaust was heavy and Lucy was a bit tight and slicing her flanks at the pen because she could feel the draw. I allowed it thinking it would help convince the sheep that the draw was not an option. After a bit of mussing around, I nearly retired. Instead I decided to train a bit and cleaned up her flanks. We had 2 sheep into the pen and 2 nearly. I had just started moving the gate when time was called. It likely did not affect our score very much because I had wasted most of my pen points anyway with mussing around.

All in all, I was very pleased with this run. Lucy kept control of her sheep through the entire course (even too much control in 2 places!) Her sheep were happy and calm everywhere but at the pen where the Cheviot cross was a little rattled. At the end of the day, this sport, for me, is supposed to represent what a real shepherd and his dog are capable of. I like to see sheep looking as calm as they can and still moving efficiently, because to me, that translates into big, healthy tasty lambs and hardy, excellent mothers.

What do you like to see on the trial field?

Congratulations, Lora and Sally

2010-10-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

I want to wish sincere congratulations to my dear friend Lora Withnell and her charming little bitch Sally on their first Open WIN!! They laid down a smoker at the District 1 Regionals today. First team to the post and their score held all day!

Lora was so excited for me and just wonderful when I was so happy about Lucy's first win and I really treasured that moment. Here's a little celebration for Lora and Sally in return: YOU GO GIRLS!

We are all very proud of you.

Zora goes to NADAC Championships 2010

2010-10-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of C. Harwell

Well this was my first time competing in a national championship for any sport, and it was a major thrill to do so with Zora. She was a terrific partner. Every mistake was mine. She ran clean in 6 of the 8 regular rounds, with both course faults being mine.

NADAC Championships were at the CamPlex in Gillette, Wyoming this year. The drive was long but easy, and Courtney and Logan came long, so Courtney shared the driving duties. I think that was the farthest she has ever driven in one sitting! The first 800 miles of the drive are actually fairly interesting and beautiful. The last 300 are monotonous and can't end soon enough. Especially the last 70 miles getting to Gillette really had us feeling grouchy.

I was a bit leery going into the event. I had heard plenty of horror stories about how disorganized the event would be, how exhibitors never knew what to expect because the running order was changing all the time, etc. I am pleased to say none of those things were problems at all. The running order was the same every day, and with the exception of day 1, the days ended at a reasonable time (before midnight). The live feed on http://www.agilityvision.com was a great feature. Then if people left to take a break, get a nap at the hotel or the Stakes people needed to know when to show up, they could just log on and get a LIVE update on where we were in the running order. I think that really simplified things for everyone.

Zora ran great. After round 5, I felt very certain we would be out of the finals. I made a critical handling error and was a half-second late realizing it, resulting in 10 course faults. Imagine my surprise on Sunday when they announced our names to run in the final. I was very excited!! Zora's final run was lovely and I am very proud of her. She really peaked at the right time. We had a detailed training plan in the 3 months leading up to Champs, and I think it really paid off. We focused on a different training goal every session, and progressively longer courses until Zora and I were both comfortable doing about 50 obstacle courses.

She was the smallest dog in her scoring group, and ended up coming 4th place overall. She was only 0.76 of a point behind the 3rd place dog (a small margin given that the cumulative scores were in the 700s by that point in competition).

Looking back, it was a very fun experience. Everyone was very supportive, the friendship and cheering were really amazing for every dog. It was exhausting: a mental marathon for me and my dog, especially with going home and doing homework every night. Without the homework it would have been MUCH easier! That being said, I think it was a fun thing to do once, but I don't know if I would go again. It was a ton of work and a ton of fun, but maybe not something to do on a regular basis!

Here are the videos of our runs (even the bad ones).
You can also view the videos bigger on my YouTube channel.

Round 1 was divided into 2 courses with a 45 second break between them. Zora ran both halves clean and earned 1st place.

Round 2, also a double - clean.

Round 3 - one fault (early turn away to cue the close obstacle of the discrimination resulted in her aborting the lead change)

Round 4 - clean

Round 5 - one fault (I realized too late she had not taken my come-in after the tunnel, so my hand to begin the front cross looked like a support to her resulting in the dogwalk fault)

Round 6 - clean

Round 7 - clean

FINALS - clean

Shedding: Not just for trials.

2010-09-06T22:48:00.000-07:00

Pleased to say we Lucy and I had a very nice day today.

Diane had her 20 acre field mowed so it is just great for longer work right now. Lucy drove the full length of the field 4 times and did 4 big outruns. Her outruns were spot-on. No redirects required. I think that was very good for her confidence. I sent her from different/odd locations in the field, and in between setting the sheep took her to the holding area and worked her on a separate flock in between to diminish her memory of where the sheep were set.

We also practiced dog-leg fetches on both sides and she did just great. I was really expecting a tough practice today but Lucy was right on. Her confidence is coming back and it was really nice to have my regular partner again.

Just as we were finishing, the neighbor hollered over the fence...

Neighbor: "Hey... can you help me?"
Me: "Sure, what do you need?"
Neighbor: "Just need some sheep moved up the road."
Me: "Yes, I can do that. Which sheep are they?"

[Neighbor points down into his pasture.]

Neighbor: "The big white ones."

[I look down and frown. There are 40 or so sheep down there... and about 10 "big white ones"]

Me: "Oh, so you need those sheep sorted off of your other sheep, and then moved down the road....?"
Neighbor: "Yes. Thanks."

[I frown... thinking this might not go well.]

Me: "Um. Ok..."

I walk down into the pasture and have Lucy gather the sheep. Fortunately for me, the sheep he needs sorted off are from a separate flock, so they are a bit easier to shed off than they might be if all of the sheep were flockmates. (Is flockmates a word? Spell check says no.) There are no pens or gates to sort with in that pasture, so I maneuvered around a bit and decided to do an international style shed and hope to sort them in the middle of the field.

As I got to moving the sheep around, I had all the ones I wanted plus about 15 extra, so called Lucy in for a first cut. We then proceeded to sort off all the correct sheep on the first try! I am sure my smile was huge, I was beaming with pride for my little red dog.

Once we had the sheep sorted off, I drove off the flock that was staying into a corner, then we took the misfits up out of the pasture, down the road and to a new field. The whole process took perhaps 10 minutes.

Best part of the day:

(astonished) Neighbor: "How did you do that?!"
Me: "I have a really good dog."

Treasure each day you have together, friends.
Thanks for reading.

Update

2010-09-04T23:04:00.000-07:00

Well, school is back in session. I'm still getting into the swing even though it's week 2, as my classes this semester have different weekly due days than previous semesters. I've spent a couple of days restructuring to figure out exactly how school will shake out.

On the dog trial front, Lacamas bested me. On Thursday I sent Lucy blind as she did not spot the sheep from the post. She got a bit lost on her outrun and rather than limp her along I decided to RT. If I had invested a few more minutes I could likely have gotten her to the sheep, but given that the trial was already 2 hours behind schedule and my dog was really listening well, I decided to call the run and left the post. She was quite happy when it was time to exhaust and she finally got some sheep time.

On Saturday, I got Lucy to her sheep. She still required redirection on the outrun as she was getting lost in the terrain. On either side of the outrun the dogs had to run a series of ridges and swales. Lucy got lost in the 3rd swale. I blew her out, which she took, went quite wide but not deep enough and obviously still did not know where to find her sheep. Finally I stopped her under the sheep and gave a look back. She saw the sheep, kicked herself out both wide and deep and lifted smartly. The sheep had been leaning hard on the dogs all afternoon and Lucy was no exception. I had used up a lot of dog during the outrun with the redirects. Her confidence was pretty much shot. I tried to stop her and open her up on the fetch to help her get better control of the sheep, but she ran through my stops. This is very unlike Lucy, so I just blew flanks on the fetch to keep her from unwinding and completely losing her sheep over the hill. Though it was quite offline she did get the sheep to my feet. Turning the post, she had 2 groups of sheep, and 1 particularly grouchy ewe lamb. She backed that ewe up 2 times, then the 3rd time she finally gripped so we were excused. I think Dee Marroni got the whole sequence on film.

So, Lacamas was Lucy's first RT and first DQ. Sheep 2, Monique 0. I have some new training goals. Our next trials are Vashon and Fire Ridge.

Terrain on outruns longer than about 400yds is a training hole for Lucy and I intend to close that hole as soon as possible. (She also struggled with running from bright sun into dark shade at the handling clinic.) It is a difficult hole to close in the places we have to train. Lucy has been sent 700yds with terrific outruns in the past, but never so far over terrain where the dog is blind several different times. Its a skill lacking but one I believe she can learn. She is normally a very good outrunner so this shook my confidence as well as hers.

On a positive note, Jorgen and I took our dogs to help a friend who needed to work his 1200 recalcitrant Romneys through the chutes for treatment. Lucy and Merckx thoroughly enjoyed themselves and it was good, practical, confidence building work for both of them.

Looking ahead, I have a trip to Las Vegas next weekend to give lectures at the SVBT CE Conference. Then 2 weeks later, a long trip to NADAC Championships with Zora. Lucy will ride along, as well as a friend and her Border collie.

So, that's what you missed. Nothing to write home about. Just a lot of work to be done.

Gems from the Scott Glen Clinic

2010-08-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

(photos by C. Harwell at a separate event, photos were not taken at the clinic)

The 4 day open handlers clinic at Fido's Farm with Scott Glen was a great experience. I really enjoyed having a chance to get feedback about me and my dog and to watch the other teams make such great progress over the 4 days.

I know that I am my dog's biggest liability. Anyone who reads this blog is familiar with that. As my dog's biggest liability, I took the time to take about 13 pages of notes during the clinic. While I don't intend to get into deep detail here (if you want that, sign up for a clinic!!), I figured I'd pass along some of the gems from the weekend. Scott has a lot of helpful one-liners and brief quips that we can all learn from, if we just remember them. Some of them are, of course, things well all know but forget!

Many thanks to Scott for permission to post these, and to Fido's Farm for hosting this great clinic.

Lucy penning sheep who have never been in the pen before

Gems from Scott

"You don't have to stop your dog, you just have to be ABLE to stop your dog." (We've all heard that one, I bet)

"If a whistle will keep points, then use it. If it wont, be quiet."

"If you're going to talk to your dog, then you'd better talk sense."

"We (handlers/trainers) have the responsibility to make a dog better, and the ability to make him worse."

"Make sure you are able to be helpful to your dog."

"The opposite of mechanical is zero commands."

"When walking the course, look for lines, draws, blind spots and geographical landmarks. Devise a strategy for each."

"A young dog should have to be controlled so they don't learn too much caution."

"You'll have 3 stops: the normal/quiet stop, a medium stop and a hard, emergency stop. Use them accordingly."

"The best runs are when the dog is off the sheep as much as possible while remaining in contact, not the runs where the dog is as close as possible without splitting the sheep."

"Flow must come before line. You can't make a line out of something that's not moving."

"At the end of the fetch, pay attention to where you put your dog to plan a good turn well in advance."

"Don't bother to keep blowing walk-ups the dog isn't taking."

"Don't bother to keep blowing stops the dog isn't taking."

"You can't fix a broken stop on the drive, fix it on the fetch."

"Constant whistling should reserved for times you need it to keep points or keep the sheep happy."

"Balance is where the dog is most comfortable. The closer they are to it, the more attractive it becomes."

"Stay calm when you can, be loud when you need to ... soft whistles leave room for louder ones if needed."

"A dog unwinding a flank has too much freedom to be wrong."

"If you have the opportunity to keep the dog out of trouble with a command, then do so, before he gets into trouble on his own."

"Stop and take time to observe the effects of every whistle."

"Don't let inside flanks sound angry."

"Sheep who are spread out and knocking into one another is always a symptom of too much pressure."

"Work less keen dogs at dusk, it can keen them up."

"Look back means let go of the sheep you have, not go to the sheep you don't."

"A lively set of sheep will not fix itself."

"The handler stopping the dog allows development of a more powerful dog. The sheep stopping the dog weakens it."

"Remember, the pulls on course can change at any time. Pay attention!"

And, again, the one that bears repeating over and over...
"If you're going to talk to your dog, then you'd better talk sense."

I always learn so much from Scott. Sometimes it is confirmation of what I already know but can't express so succinctly. Other times it's completely new information. Either way, lessons and clinics with Scott always end with me a better handler than I was at the start.

Enjoy your journey: no one else can take your journey for you.

On the road again

2010-08-18T22:50:00.001-07:00

Leaving 6am tomorrow morning for the Lacamas Valley Stock Dog Trial. This will be the largest sheepdog trial I have attended or run in by far. 100 dogs will run in Open. The largest group I've run in til tomorrow was 64.

While I always hope to do well when I go to the post with my dog, I am really looking forward to watching some of the top teams in the region and in North America. It will be a learning experience and I plan to take lots of notes!

For those who are going, see ya tomorrow.

Lucy's Portrait

2010-08-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

For my birthday this year, Diane of DeltaBluez Stockdogs gave me a gift certificate for Patrice Palmer to do a portrait of Lucy.

Then Carolynn Harwell of BCxFour took this awesome headshot of Lucy for me:

I sent the head shot to Patrice for the portrait, and here is the gorgeous result!

I feel like she captured Lucy's personality perfectly.

For more examples of Patrice's talents: www.austinanimalart.com

Many thanks to Di for such a great gift!!

Airs above the ground

2010-08-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

Had a nice day working dogs today, although the weather didn't cooperate. It was clear when I left home, and pouring by the time I got to Carnation. I ended up soaked to the skin.

Had 2 nice lessons; a GSD who was having his second lesson, and a BC who had been on stock perhaps 4 times before. Both dogs were easy to school and have handlers who are dedicated to learning.

I had a chance to work dogs so put some time on Ben, Nan (visiting), Faye, Tess (because she was pouting) and of course my Lucy.

All the dogs worked nicely. Ben struggles with being relaxed and thoughtful enough to find balance. He would rather close his eyes and just flank-like-hell. While he is nice and square, that won't get the job completed ;) We worked in the lower pasture on being more natural and feeling balance. I kept him off his sheep enough so that he was starting to use a bit more method and eye rather than wanting to wear. It was a good work.

Nan is progressing. She would really rather go on the bye side than anything else. We worked in the lower pasture on going both directions. When she is focused, she has nice feel and she is naturally square. I pushed her out of her comfort zone a bit and it paid off with her going nicely both directions and switching from the bye side to the away side without a swallowtail.

Faye and Tess are easy to work and both listened well.

Lucy was working nicely, thoughtful and quite a bit of come forward. After some course work and sorting for lessons, we worked a bit on shedding. With so many farm flocks to trial on around here, sometimes the dog must come in on a gap that is tiny, or doesn't really exist. Lucy was doing terrific. She was holding one particularly tough shed and ewe #6 (white #6) decided she was NOT playing along and launched straight into the air to jump OVER the dog. This was a mistake on the part of #6. Lucy met her in the air, gripping the belly (meep). She then dove in front of #6 who was now reconsidering her escape and turned her neatly back onto me. After our work I did clean up a small slice (2") on #6's belly. I think she will be just fine.

I SO wish I'd had a video or a picture of that. It was truly spectacular. I am always amazed at how fearless these dogs can be sometimes. I'm fairly certain that if someone 5x my size was launching in mid-air over me, I wouldn't be brave enough to meet them in the air.

Diane's new horse is obsessed with Lucy. She would not leave her alone. I could not leave her tied to the fence, I had to tie her outside the pasture to a separate part of the fence as Maggie was sniffing, nibbling and nearly stepping on Lucy. Maggie also tried to step on Lucy through the fence when she was tethered on the other side as well as reaching her head waaaay over the fence to try and get in a nibble. I am not sure what this is all about. Maggie was very sweet to me and very obedient about everything except leaving the dog alone. Any ideas?

The little things...

2010-07-24T15:42:00.001-07:00

The last time I took Lucy to the post, something amazing happened.

Lucy is the dog who has been criticized for being "too good" or "too obedient" at times. So we have spent a lot of effort getting her to take initiative and actually think rather than just following instructions.

At the last trial Lucy's sheep were excruciatingly heavy. Many dogs were struggling to shove them around the course. We had a good run going but it was exhausting. After a nice straight line to the drive-away panel I gave Lucy a wrong flank right at the panel in a moment of brainless ineptitude.

Instead of taking it, she turned and looked at me with an expression that said "Have you lost your f^&#*$g mind??!!" She then put her head down and did the CORRECT flank to push the sheep gently through the panel.

It was all I could do not to laugh and cry. That one look, that one moment of intelligent disobedience, meant everything to me. It confirmed my Lucy was thinking about the job at hand rather than just listening. She did what I meant instead of what I said. While a steady diet of disobedience isn't good, that was a victory for us. Win or lose, at the end of the day those are the moments that have me coming back for more...

Lucy in the Water
Originally uploaded by BCxFour

Off the Grid.

2010-07-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

To all my dear friends and family.

The next 2 weeks are critically important to my personal and professional success. The demands on my time are very high. I am barely keeping it together.

So please consider me off the grid. I am not ignoring you, I love you! But I am turning inward to try and do my best on my AVBT exam and my final exams for this semester at WSU.

I am not good at saying no. Perhaps that's why so many people are happy to ask me.

And I'm not saying "No," now. I'm just saying "In 2 weeks."

Ah good. While I was typing this one of my dogs had a seizure-like episode. So yes, I'm definitely off the grid.

Thank you for understanding.

The melodrama of youth

2010-07-11T00:19:00.000-07:00

I was digging through some boxes and found some old poems from my tragic youth. (In truth my youth was somewhat tragic, but it seems I turned out ok in the end.)
This one was from my Teenage Girl Shel Silverstein on Crack period.

Good for a laugh :)

---

Silence

From far away friends
far away planets
and far away stars
silence comes.

From sleeping minds
and the stiffly terrified
the other end of the telephone line
and the frozen mouths
of photographed souls,
from the ears of the deaf,
silence comes.

From pockets,
lockets,
shirtcuffs and pantlegs,
from inside my shoes
between my toes,
empty boxes
and empty corners,
from the insides of p's and q's and o's
silence comes.

From stopped watches
and stopped tides
saddened hearts
and their owners,
from skeletons in closets
and the lips of boys
who wouldn't cry,
silence comes.

From the heads of fools
and the hearts of foes
comes silence, just the same.

But from the ones we love
comes the silence
that hurts the most.

---

Don't you just want to open a vein?

Reflections

2010-07-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

Monique & Lucy
Originally uploaded by BCxFour

A fellow handler wrote a nice blog about learning to train and run her dog. I posted the following comment on her blog:

"Something that really helped me was to realize a few things after many lessons with people who actually know what they are doing... (unlike me):

1) It's my dog's job to stop when told. It's my job to teach her that.

2) It's my job to let my dog get up on her own.

3) It's my dog's job to be thoughtful when she gets up.

4) It's my job to recognize how she gets up, and stop her again immediately if she is not thoughtful when she gets up.

5) It's my job to KNOW how she is going to get up, and hit her with a steady when she gets to her feet if she needs it, to remind her to be thoughtful out of the stop. Teamwork is key. It is easy to take the sheep away. It is easy to expect my dog to think. It can be hard for me to remember to HELP my dog think so that she can have her sheep.

Not sure if that made any sense..."

Making that posting led to me reflecting on what I've learned over the past 3 years.

Lucy is the perfect dog for me. I know that I will probably never find this perfect blend again. At least that's what everyone keeps telling me: that I'll only ever have this once... so I'd better make the most of it.

Like every dog and every person, Lucy has strengths and weaknesses. My job as a trainer is to be attentive at identifying those weaknesses and devising strategies to help my dog improve her skills and confidence, minimizing weaknesses wherever I can through training and experience. My job as a handler is to always be cognizant of both my dog's strengths and her weaknesses, helping her to work to her best possible advantage without getting in her way. A trainer and a handler are not always the same thing, but it seems the best of the best are good at both.

There are times on the trial field when I have consciously left points on the field because I felt that the training opportunity (or the risk of damaging training through desperate handling) was worth the loss. There are times when I accidentally left points on the field through inexperience and poor handling. It happens, and I am learning.

Some people assume that I bought Lucy as a fully-trained Open dog so that I could step onto the field and not have to struggle. Or that I don't have the patience, skill or time to train my own dog. Or that I am a new kid with an "already-trained" dog and so I don't deserve any credit for the accomplishments Lucy and I have enjoyed this trial season so far. It really hurts my feelings when I hear things like that.

I have built the friendship I have with Lucy over a period of years. I have taken part in her training, taken lessons with her and watched her grow, guided by the work of more than one top trainer and handler. I would like to think that while greater minds than mine have trained Lucy, I've also contributed to making her the dog she is today. That may be egotistical, but its how I feel. We've walked many miles together, that red bitch and I, even long before she was my dog for keeps. I'll never forget the day I called her to my side and had her walk behind her sheep, driving for the first time.

I'd like to take a moment and say that I feel like I've worked pretty hard at this to get where I am now (which is not much of anyplace). I don't have my own sheep. I have to drive a minimum of 1 hour each way to sheep. I generally do so twice a week. I did that for 3 years without even owning my own sheepdog, working dogs Diane would loan me because she is generous and believed in me. She felt sorry for me I think when I had to retire my old dog after only a few lessons because her body couldn't stand up to the work.

I've spent many hundreds of hours learning to handle sheep, without and with a dog. I've wormed, trimmed hooves, vaccinated, sorted, pulled lambs, weaned, moved sheep up and down the road and sorted hundreds of sets for lessons both with green dogs that were just learning chores and with borrowed seasoned dogs.

I've gone to clinics, lessons and more lessons, always taking notes. I have 2 notebooks full already! I'll need another shelf soon :) I sit and watch the runs of handlers I respect, taking notes about how they work with their own dogs as well.

The best piece of training advice I've ever gotten came from Scott Glen. I walked off the field in tears that day, but I also think I DID SOMETHING about it... Lucy had been out for training with Scott for a few months to get polished for her Open debut, and I had picked her up for Diane 1 day before my lesson. I was getting back into the rhythm of working during my lesson. Scott stepped in and started whistling to my dog because I was doing a poor job. He turned to me, and said in a serious voice, "You know this dog better than I do. You know her heart. But I know this dog better on sheep. No one should ever know your dog better than you do, and until you learn that you won't succeed." He then said to me, "Your job is to always know where your dog's mind is, and be able to anticipate her next step at any instant during work. It's your responsibility to be one step ahead of the dog at all times."

It would have been easy to say "well, it's not my dog," or "that's not fair, you've had her for 3 months..." That wasn't the point. The point was I needed to step up my game, regardless of who the dog was, or who the dog belonged to.

Those 2 statements are in my mind every time I walk onto the field. I will never be able to thank Scott enough for that. He pushed me, and I think he knew he was pushing me. I cried that day, feeling like a failure for not knowing my dog. In retrospect, what I didn't know was not about my dog, but about sheep and sheepdogs in general. The more I learn about sheep and what correct work should be, as well as how the work feels from the dog's perspective, the better I've been able to know my dog and anticipate her movements.

After that day, I spent a period of time every session letting Lucy work for a brief period, staying quiet and simply studying my dog. I would either video or take notes. I took the time to learn this dog, even before I owned her.

Knowing what she will do next allows me to leave the right alone. Let my dog stay right when she is, and step in to help when she needs it.

It may sound crazy to quietly study a dog at work. Handlers are always quick to step in, assuming we know better than the dog how a situation should be handled. And we may! But until we know our dog's natural inclination in that situation, we do not know precisely the kind of help that will be best. Studying the dog at work may sound like something that only applies to a trained dog and a novice handler, but after working a fair number of young and green dogs, I'd say it applies for any dog, not just a trained dog.

So thanks for reading my rant. If you've gotten this far, you're braver than most. It really does hurt when people accuse me of buying an open dog out of laziness. However, it also lifts my heart when my true friends and supporters are excited for my successes.

Thank you.

My wee red bitch...

2010-06-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

... has a huge heart and proved it today. She laid down an amazing run at the Whidbey Island Classic this morning. I knew it was amazing while it was happening, my heart was pounding the whole time. She gave me everything she had.

I had to leave right after our run to get to work. I just made it with 5 minutes to spare because of ferry traffic.

What I didn't know is that Lucy's run was this good:

Photo from Jorgen Persson

So congratulations, Lucy, on your first ever Open WIN. Thank you for letting me come on that journey with you.

Thank you to Diane for taking the time to teach me and mentor me, and for selling me such an awesome dog. Thank you to Diane and Scott Glen for training Lucy (and letting me help train her.) Thank you to Scott for support, advice and excellent lessons and to Jenny Glen for her support and advice as well. Thank you also to Derek Fisher and Pat Shannahan for awesome lessons!

Thank you to my true stockdogging friends (you know who you are!) for believing in me and supporting me.

This day belongs to the people who got Lucy and I to the place we are today.

Sincerest thanks and gratitude to you all.

Dirt Blowing Trial

2010-06-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

Photo provided by Diane Pagel

Well, our first time on range ewes went just great.

Aside from some handler errors (I am still learning what kind of flanks to use in what situations, and was getting a crash course in range sheep) I was very happy with our run.

Lucy cast out wide and very deep, lifting her sheep cleanly. Full points for her outrun and lift. About 10 yards after the lift, the sheep broke hard toward the set-out trailer. The sheep were tricky because the dog had to be kept way off, but still have plenty of authority. A difficult combination. We cleaned up the break-away to the set-out, skimming the fetch panels.

A tight turn at the post followed by making all of our drive panels (WOW). We had a nice pace going. Many runs the sheep would go through the panels at a good clip and then RACE for the set out. We tried to gear down the sheep a bit before pushing them through the panels. I stopped Lucy on her feet to let the sheep consider the panels and we were able to get tight turns after our panels. The sheep were walking or trotting for the first 2 legs of the drive. I was very happy with the pace and the line.

On the return leg of the drive, the sheep tried to break to the exhaust. REALLY tried. I could have helped Lucy with a wide flank there, and didn't. Live and learn. She got the sheep to me fine, but they were a bit low - to the edge of the shedding ring instead of the center. We lost 10 points on the drive and I figure they were likely all on that return leg.

We got a shed accomplished, last 2 sheep on the head. The sheep were squirelly and Lucy was wound up after the fight on the return leg. We had a near grip (or maybe a full grip, I couldn't see what happened and we didn't get thanked so not sure) keeping the sheep in the ring and were hit hard on points for the shed. I did get her settled quickly, and the sheep also, and then the shed was very straightforward. How different these sheep were than our "home" trial sheep!

After that we made a valiant effort at the pen and had plenty of time. We got 4 sheep into the pen but one was insistent on trying to stand down the dog in the mouth. When I would push a little to try and help, that ewe would try to bolt. If I held off the dog a bit to give her a chance to turn, she would just gain ground on the dog. Tricky situation. We kept backing her in and backing her in but never got the job completed so timed out at the pen. Another 10 seconds or so may have gotten it done.

It was a great learning experience. I am still very excited we went, even for one day. I was bummed to have to come back home for work and miss the second day, I really wanted another try! It was a pleasure meeting so many of the other handlers and getting to know folks better. Everyone was very nice to me after my run and said lovely things about my dog. (Fine dog, shame about the handler...)

11 hours of driving, rain, hail, mud, dirt, dust, sunburn and stepping in a pile of dog poop are a SMALL price to have paid to realize how much more my dog and I are capable of. We are really partnering up and it was a great experience.

Waxing poetic

2010-06-11T22:32:00.000-07:00

Gift

Journeying
learning our way to the destination.
Curled content together
sleep visits beneath
gauzy billows of Milky Way.

Crimson blaze rips
the sky into day.
A silent moment
alone with morning.

I smile at you
and you at me, a knowing gaze.
We touch affectionately
then you leave me,
stealing my breath.

In suspended animation
I freeze.

You always return,
though your route varies,
sparkling eyes igniting
love in my heart.

You bring back my breath,
my heart,
and the most poignant gift:
Awe.

Uncharacteristic anxiety

2010-06-08T23:41:00.001-07:00

Lucy
Originally uploaded by BCxFour

Ok, 5 ways to describe Monique, quick!!

1. Bossy
2. Confident
3. Covered in dog hair
4. Insane
5. Hardworking

Notice "anxious" is not on the list. Anxiety is not something I am accustomed to. It's very rare for anything to make me nervous. Well I've been having a minor panic attack about going to my next trial. Lucy has been working well and I have been working well with her. We are teaming up nicely for the season so far. I am really looking forward to this opportunity, and my nerves caught me by surprise.

This will be the biggest trial I have entered so far (yes, I'm small potatoes), and on sheep and a field that are completely foreign to me. Because of my work schedule, I was only able to enter 1 day so I am driving 10 hours for 1 round in Open.

Yes, I'm nuts. I just hope I'm nuts and less terrified by the time I get home!

PS: Thanks to my friends for putting up with my 24-hour panic attack. I've taken your good advice and I am telling myself I feel better.

Why I am careful what my dogs chew...

2010-06-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

It is not uncommon for dog-people I like, respect, love and consider friends to criticize me for failing to feed my dogs bones. While I understand many dogs have no problems with bones, I see this kind of thing at least 3 times a week... Maybe this will help you see why bones may be right for some, but aren't right for me.

Dog #1 came in because of her facial swelling and refusing to eat for 2 days.

Here is what her tooth looked like: small chip fracture with formerly open pulp chamber.

Here is what her xray showed: tooth root abscess caused the facial swelling.

Culprit: Raw knuckle.

Dog #2 came in for refusing her food for 3 days.

Here is what her tooth looked like once she was anesthetized and we could touch it without her feeling pain: massive open slab fracture.

Here is her xray showing the break.

Culprit: Frozen chicken back.

Maybe all the dogs I see at work just have bad teeth. There is plenty of natural variation there. I just figure I'd be one of the unlucky ones with a dog with bad teeth. So I hide behind my softer chews and a toothbrush.

First attempt at training with Stanley

2010-05-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

There are some problems, but a success overall I think!

Stanley and the Clicker

2010-05-22T23:07:00.000-07:00

Good news: Stanley is no longer afraid of the clicker. He is responding to every click by reaching toward the food, so it seems he has worked out that the click predicts a treat. Looks like we are ready to start training. Tomorrow I'll set up the video camera for our first try at my AVBT video.

Wish us luck!

Training 5/16/2010

2010-05-16T21:18:00.001-07:00

Today we went to Fido's in the morning. I busted ass yesterday to get my homework done "enough" to have time this morning to take Lucy to sheep. It's only 35 miles to Fido's and 52 miles to Diane's. We were short on time and took the quicker option.

First I got rejected by the "parking nazis." There was an agility event as well as a Rhodesian Ridgeback fun day going on, and the parking people wouldn't let me park for herding. They sent me across the road where my car bottomed out. Sylvia came to the rescue and made the parking people let me park at the barn where I normally park for herding (along with the other few people there for sheepdog reasons).

Since there were a bunch of people at Fido's and Ken and Sandy were working in Clover, Sylvia sent me back to Trillium. I've never worked in Trillium before... where has this been all my life! Sheesh! I love Trillium!

First we had to find the sheep. They were in a holding area and hidden in the blackberries. It was a group of 12, so we shed off 6 to take into the big work area. (Note to self: being able to say "we shed off 6 to take..." and having done so as a matter of routine = major progress for Lucy and I)

Trillium is great because it has some terrain. It is an odd shaped field and has several knolls and gullies, plus some of the grass is tall right now. This allowed me to stash Lucy's sheep out of sight in several different places on the field and practice blind outruns as well as some blind driving.

First I set the sheep, then walked all the way to the top of a small knoll. There was a shallow gully between us and the sheep, and they were hidden from Lucy's view by terrain/grass but I could see the tops of their backs. I sent her right and she cast out, then was drawn in by the gully. *Bingo* this is exactly what we need to practice. I stopped her, nicely, and whistled her out. She bent, but not as wide as I wanted, so I stopped her harder and whistled her out again. She bent off hard this time and cast out, coming in deep behind her sheep. A nice fetch, turn and a little driving to a different area of the field to re-set.

This time I put the sheep in a gully between two knolls. If the gully drew her in, she would be right on top of the sheep. I was curious to see how she would handle this. I sent her left and she cast out very wide and deep from the start. I figured she had my number. While she ran out, I climbed to the highest spot near me so I could see her. She came into the gully and checked her sheep. She seemed quite surprised to see them there and bent way out, casting behind the next knoll and coming in nicely. I was not able to see her when she got behind the knoll, but when she appeared she was at balance, just a touch to the draw side. It was a thing of beauty.

On the fetch, she went into the gully and I knew she wouldn't be able to see me. I wondered what would happen to the fetch line, so just stayed quiet to study Lucy's response. As I suspected, when she crested the next rise she had pushed the sheep away from the draw side off-line for a crooked fetch. I blew a little steady and she realized where I was, then fixed the line. We shed them twice for practice (hooray, her stop is still good without pressure from me), and again did some relaxed driving to set the sheep in another new spot on the field.

We set the sheep in another gully to practice the blind outrun and out-of-sight start to the fetch again. Then I took Lucy to water and insisted she rest for a few minutes. I walked to another new spot in a low area, sent her right and then climbed up to a higher vantage point to watch her outrun. She was definitely with the "blind outrun" program at this point. She leaned in a little early, drawn in by the terrain, but just as I drew a breath to blow her out, she bent off on her own casting out wide. Again I lost sight of her but the sheep lifted straight. This time right before she would lose sight of me, I blew a little steady and waved my crook above my head gently as if to say "hey, remember *this* spot." She came out of the blind gully with the sheep nicely on line and had not pushed too hard on the draw side.

I was astonished. I mean, I know I am super lucky to have an amazingly well-trained dog and I have it easy because everyone else did the work for me before I got Lucy, but this was a new situation for her and I could see the wheels turning from one repetition to the next.

After this fetch, I had her bring the sheep to me, turn and then begin a drive. When she got near the gully that blinded part of the fetch, I flanked her to start a crossdrive, knowing she would have to take the terrain at a different angle and the sheep would not want to climb the hill but rather run the gully. Lucy did great, keeping a nice pace. I could see neither her nor the sheep for a short period (something I wanted to practice because I anticipate seeing it in an upcoming trial) but when both reappeared they were on the same line I had originally set. I was incredibly happy.

Again, we shed twice for practice, then drove the sheep to a new place for a final outrun. This time I set the sheep on top of one of the small knolls so that she would be able to see them when I sent her, but would have to run into the gully (agreeing to have them be out of sight) to get behind them properly at the top. I sent her left and she made it look easy. All I had to do was stand and watch in awe. A little more practice turning the post to set up the drive and a bit more shedding and we both quit on a good note.

Lucy is an amazing dog. I feel lucky to learn from her. Her confidence keeps growing and growing, and I see her method developing as she gains confidence in her work. She did some of the nicest, most consistent shedding I've seen her do today, even when the sheep were hot and she had 2 stompy ones.

Lastly, it was really good for me to work on lines when I can see the sheep but not my dog (tall grass, terrain). It was a good reminder for me to pay closer attention to my sheep to maintain lines. Patrick suggested this during my lesson with him and he was right.

Let's hope all the things I am excited about in training come out on the trial field in 2 weeks!

My first "real" trial season

2010-05-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

Well, Lucy and I have been working together, tuning up for trialing. We've been doing approximately equal parts chores/backup/at-hand work and trial/panel/line work. There has been the occasional issue but overall I am very happy with our ability to team up and with the effort Lucy puts forth in spite of my steep learning curve.

I am a sheepdogging neophyte. I'm at the stage where I don't know enough to realize what I'm missing, what I need to train, what I don't really know. But I'm learning. I'm learning to read my sheep better, to plan for some give-and-take on the trial course, learning to recognize quality work in my dog. Lucy can still take my breath away with a big outrun. Seeing her check her sheep, then bend off and accelerate fills me with the joy I imagine she takes in doing it.

My mission for my first real trial season (meaning Spring/Summer bigger trials with my OWN dog) is to get my feet wet, step to the post as a team, come off the field as a team, reflecting first on my successes, second on my mistakes: learning from both.

I'll be trialing on 2 familiar fields and several new ones, with familiar sheep and new sheep. My first experience with range ewes is coming! (though Lucy has seen some before)

This will be a busy summer. Between taking my AVBT exam, a 3/4 college load, 2 jobs, trialing Lucy and planning to go to the agility national championships with Zora, I'm wondering right about now what the HELL I am thinking.

At the same time, I'm loving every minute of it. I reckon life is short, I'd better use the time I have doing things I love. And let me tell you, I love being Lucy's partner.

Training 4/17/2010

2010-04-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Fido's for a change of pace (and sheep). I needed to work on opening up Lucy's inside Come bye flank. Her away remained nice and square on the inside, not sure what that is about but I think it has to do with the draw on our usual field. There is no draw on the come bye side when driving, and a heavy draw on the away side. I think the sheep are drawing her in on that side. Also our shedding was getting a little sloppy, as Lucy was wanting to cheat her down before the shed.

We selected a set of 4 yearlings in an L-shaped field. After setting the sheep, I sent Lucy for an outrun, dogleg fetch and then drove some to see what her flanks were looking like. Her come bye was only square if she was covering the draw.

I had Lucy fetch the sheep back to me, and went back to basics. Walking with her, I did some triangle driving to ensure I could influence her flanks and make sure they were square. At first, even though she knew I was there she still wanted to slice. This surprised me, and demonstrated that this habit is unconscious. I made myself more obvious and continued on, using my crook as a visual aid that I wanted a square flank (quietly flicked/waved it at her eye when giving the flank command).

A square flank resulted in me shhhing her all the way around the sheep to fetch. Sliced flank resulted in a hard lie down. Interestingly, her away inside remained square through this entire process. Pleasantly, her come bye became square after just a few repetitions. I began fading back, letting her drive the sheep away a bit before asking for another come bye on the inside. She took one step into her sheep and just as I was going to open my mouth, corrected herself and flanked nice and square.

Yay!

Also we needed to practice some proper shedding. Shedding on a farm flock all the time has allowed us to develop some bad habits. I will often call Lucy into a gap on the fly just to get the job done for the sake of time and progress. Also, she is starting to anticipate and get very excited during shedding, looking at me between the sheep when before she required a large gap to look at me through the sheep. This is good and bad! It is good because it shows me she is truly learning the job of shedding and has generalized the task. It is bad because she is now inclined to cheat her stop, taking a couple of steps forward before lying down as we are setting up the shed.

Cheating the stop has big consequences when shedding difficult sheep or light sheep in small numbers. A little cheating doesn't matter if I'm working on 30 sheep, but with 3 hair sheep that have fought us through the whole course, one extra step when she is asked to stop ruins an opportunity for a gap. We started with the same 4 yearlings and split them into 2s. Predictably, Lucy wanted to cheat her stop, as she saw me and a gap and was quick to want to rush in. Fortunately, I was prepared. Stepping at her with intent, I asked firmly for a stop, ignoring the sheep completely. Lucy was very surprised! We then progressed to set up a series of slow, mechanical and predictable sheds. The sheep were easy to split but would run off if given the chance. Every time we maneuvered a gap, I would flank Lucy to hold the remaining sheep across from me, and ask for a stop while putting a touch of pressure on her to guarantee she would not cheat the stop. This was very successful, and resulted in cleaner, more relaxed sheds. I was happy to see her tension diminished and a serious method replacing some of her excitement/anticipation.

After our first work, we ran into Chris who suggested we work on the 30 or so wethers in the big field. I sent Lucy to the right and she scooped the field, requiring one redirect to pick up a sheep behind the water trough on the fence. She then fetched the mob and we began by dividing it roughly in half to set up a draw to shed into smaller numbers. The farm flock training has been helpful here because I can now call Lucy into a flock even when there is no gap and she will move in with confidence, allowing a rough cut.

Once the sheep were divided, we let the sheep go in singles or pairs, until we had shed off a group of 4. We then regathered the mob and repeated this process twice, assuring good solid stops and focusing on the quality of the work rather than just getting the job done. Finally, when we got down to 5 sheep, we then took that packet of 5 and had Lucy drive them away, crossdrive for a bit and then fetch them to me at the pen. The sloughed sheep were about 40 yards away and I opened the pen gate, asking Lucy to pen them. She looked at me with disbelief at first, and kept glancing toward the sloughed sheep that were so close. A couple of quick flanks helped her understand what we were working toward though and she got to work, seriously focused on penning the 5 we had been working. With only one escape attempt (and I was proud, the escapee got more than halfway to the sloughed group and she brought it back without bringing the whole bunch!) we were able to pen them with the sloughed group quite near. This was a really good learning experience for both of us. Lucy needs the confidence to trust me and to begin understanding that sometimes we are working with every sheep in the field, and sometimes we are only working with a small subgroup, and I am here to help her figure out the difference.

All in all, it was an excellent training session with work toward both of the things I wanted to accomplish: opening up her come bye inside flank and correcting the cheated stop while setting up the shed.

Also, the sun was out :) Afterward Lucy had a bath (with shampoo!) and I went home for a shower and 8 hours of cooking.

So question: what is one detail you are working on with your dog right now? How are you approaching it?

Lucy - Photos by Diane Pagel

2010-04-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

We went to Fido's for the Scott Glen clinic a few weekends ago. The weather was just gorgeous and Diane has a super fancy new lens for her camera, so she took these terrific photos of Lucy.

Thanks, Diane!!

Principles of Learning - A New Class from Monique

2010-02-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

Principles of Learning

A 7-week series presented by Monique Feyrecilde, LVT
for Seattle Agility Center
Topics include:

* Terminology
* Operant conditioning
* Reinforcement vs. Punishment
* Learning in all species
* Clickers, bridges and communication
* Recognizing “learning to learn”
* Creating behavior chains
* Learning gone right
* Learning gone wrong
* Fixing mistakes
* Modifying behavior to solve problems
* Making a training plan

Format:

The first 3 weeks will be lecture, videos, question-answer and group discussion. For each of the last 4 weeks, 5 handlers will bring a dog and we will work as a group to analyze the interactions between handler and dog. Open to all levels, but dogs must be appropriate around both dogs and people. (If you have a dog who is not appropriate for class but would like to audit, please email us)

Classes will be held at the SAC Obedience Studio on
Sunday evenings 3/14-5/2 (skipping 4/25), from 7:15 to 8:15 pm
To register, email Diana caninefun@aol.com or call 425 271-5433.
Series is limited to 20 handlers. Cost is 135.00, payable when registering. Your space will not be held unless you have prepaid.

A birthday wish… that came true.

2010-01-21T09:46:00.001-08:00

I’m sitting at my computer alone in a foreign house. In Florida, 3500 miles from home. I look out the window and the skies are gray and dull, rain pouring from open seams in the clouds. The wind is whipping the trees making them moan, and 3 dogs who are strangers to me are sprawled out around my feet. It seemed today on my birthday, there was no better time to sit down and recount the story of Lucy.

In August, 2006 I met Diane. I had brought my Aussie, Magick, to do some herding with her. Magick had plenty of talent, but at 8 years old with 2 rebuilt knees, her stamina was not terrific. I really enjoyed working with Magick and our already deep partnership developed a new dimension. As the months went by, Magick would come up lame after herding but not after any other kind of work. She could still do obedience, agility, Frisbee and go to the dogpark while remaining sound. She really enjoyed stock work but it was not the best thing for her health. So I made the decision to retire Magick from stock and continue enjoying our other time together.

While I was learning to handle Magick, Diane was also teaching me to sort sheep using her more experienced dogs so that I would have sheep for my lessons. First I learned with Tess. Tess would work for me, but only because she had to. I tried using Scott but he had no interest in listening to me at all. So Tess it was. Tess taught me my flanks, the value of having gears on a dog, and the value of a seasoned professional partner. I subsequently entered a few trials with Tess just to see what trials were about. About this time I retired Magick, and was left without a dog to work.

Diane showed me how to start a puppy, and I helped to start a few of her young dogs at the time. All the while I had my eye on a small red bitch of Diane’s called Lucy. I really liked what I saw in her. Her personality and willingness were wonderful and she would try all day long to please. She was a young dog, just learning how to drive when I began working with her. One day I needed to sort sheep and Tess was recovering from an injury. Scott and Roo were both too much dog for me, so I asked Diane if I could use Lucy. “Sure,” she replied. “Just make sure her flanks are square.” I let Lucy out of her kennel and we walked through the gate together. I sent her to pick up the flock and she sliced the top off her outrun. I stopped her, called her back and went to the flock myself. Then the circle drill began to fix the top of her outrun. After only a few repetitions, I pulled her off the sheep and took her back to the barn. I sent her from my feet to gather the flock. She was sporty and fast but cast wide and deep, landing at balance behind her sheep. And I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Working Lucy was like putting on my favorite pair of jeans. We understood one another better than any dog had understood me on stock before. It was a special moment.

As the months progressed Diane allowed me to borrow Lucy so I could my first lesson from Scott Glen. That was the lesson where Scott showed me the basics of a good foundation in driving. I walked miles and miles with Lucy behind her sheep in the following weeks. Lucy would come spend weekends with me sometimes for bonding so we could work better together. I also got to take Lucy to the post in Nursery once when Diane couldn’t run her. Then Lucy was sent out for training. I was heartsick. During the months she was away, I worked another dog – Ray. Ray is a very sweet male, biddable and willing to please. But he wasn’t Lucy. We didn’t find that connection. I took a lesson from Scott with Ray as well while Lucy was away.

Lucy returned from training and we were very excited to see one another. The first time I worked her when she came home, we needed to retrieve 2 cows that had gotten across the marsh and fence at Diane’s. It was a terribly difficult task – the cattle did not want to jump the fence, nor wade the chest-deep water to get back home. I sent Lucy, took my crook and hat to those cattle. That brave little bitch looked me in the eye when I sent her… she did her very best for me. That was one of the formative moments for my understanding about what it means to have a stockdog as a partner. Lucy trusted me. She had to take the Spring off that year and spent the Spring at my house. That experience really cemented the bond between Lucy and I. I told Diane I wished I could buy Lucy but that without my own sheep it seemed unfair. She said not to worry that Lucy wasn’t for sale.

Time went on, Diane continued to let me use Lucy for chores and put training on her. Diane worked her during the week and ran her and did very well with her in trials. I did not to ask to run her in trials because I knew my handling wasn’t up to snuff and that I didn’t want to hold a good dog back with poor handling. It was difficult for me to distance myself from that situation, accepting my own limitations and ignorance. An exercise in looking out for the greater good of the dog. Diane and I had become good friends and that summer, Diane had her heart surgery and Lucy stayed with me during that time. While I’d had the ability to step away from trials with Lucy, unfortunately, I hadn’t exercised enough self-restraint in other areas. I was falling in love with someone else’s dog… It was a difficult time.

The months went by. Due to an unexpected turn of events, Lucy went to Scott Glen to be polished for Open and have a start on shedding with only 36 hours notice. I was heartbroken. I dropped Lucy off at Diane’s for Scott to take her up to Canada. I cried the whole way home. Scott debuted Lucy in Open last March and Lucy came home. Diane finished the season with enough points on Lucy for her to run in the National Sheepdog Finals. I was watching all of this unfold and decided it was long past time I learned to shed. I signed up for the shedding clinic in August with Scott Glen. Diane agreed to let me borrow Lucy and she would take Nan. That shedding clinic was a turning point for me. Lucy let me see a whole separate level of training and understanding stock work. She did everything I asked and more. I knew I needed a sheepdog of my own.

I also knew Diane would never sell me Lucy. She had always told me that Lucy would go to me if she ever left Diane, but I knew that would never happen. I resigned myself knowing Lucy wasn’t mine and made a plan to find a dog of my own. In the meantime, I would continue to work with Lucy as much as Diane would permit so that I could become a better handler. I also vowed to do a better job keeping Lucy at an arms-length emotionally because it was not fair to get so attached to a dog I did not own. I continued going to clinics, taking lessons and working Diane’s young dogs as well. I ran a few of Diane’s young dogs in trials with good success, and I helped some friends start dogs with terrific success. I began to understand the relationship between handler, dog and stock.

September rolled around and I drove down to the National Finals in Klamath Falls to watch Jenny Glen run Lucy. They did well, timing out at the pen in the preliminary round. I ran into Jenny later and thanked her for running Lucy. She asked if I would like to pick up Lucy – I said absolutely. I followed Jenny to her camp and Jenny hopped into the dog box, letting Lucy out. Lucy took one look at me and flew off the truck bed into my arms. That moment was when I knew I couldn’t hide my heart from Lucy anymore. She was not mine, but I would agree to be hers. And I would look in earnest for a dog of my own.

The semi-finals spread over 2 days and we would all gather for dinner in the evening. At Diane’s camp the night before I left, I asked her to think about letting me run Lucy in Open over the informal winter series trials. She was very quiet and said she would think about it. I think she reckoned I was nuts as I was clearly not ready to run in Open. The next morning I drove home with Lucy, Sava and Zora in the back of the van. I wasn’t sure what the future would hold but I was looking forward to it.

I began entering Lucy in trials. My first time to the post in Open was a disaster. I was very nervous and cost my dog a lot of points on the fetch. Her drive and pen were lovely, we timed out on the shed. Lucy listened to everything I asked, though she was unwinding her flanks a bit and her confidence was not as high as usual because I was nervous. It was not a stellar first outing but it was extremely exciting.

Each trial I would fix the handling problems from the prior one, and more handling problems would emerge. Lucy was consistent, though would unwind her flanks if she wasn’t confident in the moment. After 2 trials timing out on the shed, the next 3 we had successful sheds or singles each time. With each trial our scores improved, and we even earned a 2nd place in Open! We were coming together as a team and really enjoying our time on the field together. I asked Diane if she would sell me Lucy, but the answer was no. Many people asked if I had bought Lucy, or why I would run a dog who was not my own. My answer was always that Lucy was not for sale but if she were, I would be first in line. I planned to get a dog of my own in the next year, but Diane was kind enough to let me learn by loaning me Lucy for the smaller trials.
The week after Christmas, Diane came to me and said she had been thinking about Lucy and I, and she would agree to let me own Lucy with some conditions. We came to an agreement and I was in shock. I couldn’t believe Diane would be willing to part with Lucy. Or that I deserved to have such an amazing dog. It was so much information I couldn’t process it all. I loaded Lucy into the car, kissed her on the forehead and drove home, crying the entire way but for a different reason this time. Tears of joy slipped down my cheeks. Lucy and I would be together after all.
Lucy knew things had changed as soon as we got home. She was my shadow even more than normal, and very attentive and affectionate. I write this today, on my birthday, from Florida, 3500 miles from home. Ironically, Lucy is staying with Diane since I am out of town, and the first 2 trials after Diane agreed to let her go to me, Diane is actually running her… Gotta have a sense of humor.

So this blog is to thank Diane for being a great friend, for teaching me about stockdogs and for her incredible generosity. I know how much she loves Lucy and still cannot believe she agreed to let Lucy go. Thank you to Scott Glen for being an invaluable mentor and teacher. Thank you to the sheepdog community for welcoming me into the fold, even when I didn’t have a dog of my own. Thank you to my husband, for being so patient with me and my dogs, and for falling in love with Lucy. And thank you to Lucy, who has taught me so much about life, love, friendship, stock work and what it truly means to make an agreement between man and dog.

Sweet Success

2009-11-19T23:10:00.000-08:00

Because of Diane's incredible generosity, I had the opportunity to run Lucy in open again last weekend. Thank you, Diane!!

Each time we have gone to the post I have had different goals for the run. Our first time out I wanted to leave the field with a score - and we did. Second time out I wanted to have a straight fetch, tight turn at the driveaway panel and a nice pen - another successful run. I worried I had set my goal a little too high this weekend because I wanted to accomplish a shed on the trial field for the first time. Lucy has more shedding experience than I do, but we work nicely together and I was optimistic.

We went to the post and Lucy was very excited. I sent her to the right with a "shhh" and she was off like a bullet. We were running two scotties and a coop. Her outrun and lift were perfect, on the fetch she was a bit in the bubble and the pace was a little fast. I wasn't terribly concerned because I wanted her to feel powerful in the beginning as I knew the sheep had been heavy on the first leg of the drive for everyone, there seemed to be a 2-direction draw right at the driveaway panel and I wanted Lucy to be able to establish a good push on her sheep after the lift. The rest of her fetch was nice and straight, settled her down. A tight turn at the post and a good first leg of the drive. It was a very tricky first leg with several different draws and a few dips in the terrain the sheep were working to avoid. Lucy pushed her sheep through the drive panels and we started the crossdrive. I had some trouble with depth perception and the sheep were high. I realized it and sent Lucy to correct it but she was unwinding her comebye flank a little so it took a bit to get things back online. The last half of the crossdrive was very nice and made the panels handily, then a tight turn and straight return leg to the pen.

The sheep marched into the pen except one ewe turned on me as I was closing the gate. I leaned at her to let her know no sheep would be leaving the pen - and slipped in the mud, falling down. I was laughing and I think the spectators thought I'd broken a leg. Well I hopped back up and slammed the pen shut, then it was off to the shedding ring for a single taken any way. It had been mixed results so far for singles. I let Lucy push the sheep into the ring straight away from the draw, then flanked her around and the sheep lined out nicely. I had planned to hold the coop as she had been lagging off the scotties during our entire run, but a little pressure from me and a sizeable gap opened up with one of the scotties singled. I called Lucy into the new gap on the fly and she did just great. She whipped past my leg and turned on the single with great intensity, and everyone started whooping and clapping. We had done it! Our first shed on the trial field together! I sent her to look back and put the packet back together, then started them to the exhaust. I called Lucy to my feet and gave her a well-deserved pet for a job well done. She was dancing with joy and her eyes were sparkling with excitement.

Diane took a few pictures to document our first ever shed! Unfortunately she did not get the part where I fell down at the pen. Maybe next time.

Called her and she's come in about halfway, the single has already started moving off her.

Flanking around me to cover the single who wants to rejoin her friends.

Lucy holding the single and looking quite pleased with herself.

After we were done exhausting and a few more runs had gone, I saw a partial score sheet and was shocked to see Lucy and Bob's Mojo had both earned 84's... the next dog back was 10 points off that. Mojo was sitting in 1st and Lucy in 2nd (Mojo had a cleaner fetch). Then it was time for me to scribe, so I was out of earshot and just concentrating on paying attention to the judge for every run. After the class was over the final scores posted and a fellow competitor came running over to say congratulations... it turned out those 84s stood up to the whole class. Lucy earned 2nd place in open and our first ever finals points together.

Lucy is an inspiration to me. She is so willing, eager and enthusiastic. She does everything I ask with love and gives 110%. While she is not the most powerful dog in the world, and will unwind flanks from time to time, every dog has faults. As a handler I have millions more faults than Lucy and she carried me that day. I am so proud of her and of her success coming 2nd place with a tied score. What a GOOD GIRL.

That'll do, Lucy.

Winter series trials so far...

2009-10-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

Diane has been kind enough to lend me Lucy to run in Open so I can learn to trial at higher levels of competition. Without Diane’s guidance and generosity I would not be able to participate in shepherding at this level, and I owe her a tremendous debt of gratitude.

Portrait of Lucy by Diane Pagel, taken at MacDonald's trial

Our first time out was at MacDonald’s a few weeks ago. Lucy listened very well, but I hesitated to fix my fetch line too aggressively and my score reflected it. The drive, and especially the crossdrive, however were lovely. She had one of the nicest crossdrive lines of the day, which I credit to having walked the course carefully and chosen good visual landmarks for my line. We timed out trying to shed, but there were only 3 sheds the entire day so I was not too troubled by it. Overall I was thrilled with Lucy. Her attitude was terrific, she listened very well and had I been more aggressive in my handling on the fetch the score would have been more respectable. However, my goal going into the run was to leave the field with a score, and we did!

Our second time out was this past Sunday at Whidbey. A constant drizzle all day let up just as the Open class started running. The first run of the class, Ron Green and Tait, were the only ones to complete the course and shed. A few issues lining-out the sheep and at the edge of the shedding ring influenced their score, but Ron should be proud of Tait.

We were the 13th team or so to the post. Lucy was quiet and intense as we walked out, spotting her sheep at the set-out while we went to the post. I sent her left and she cast out wide and deep as she made her way up the field. Her fetch was nice and straight after a soft lift that kept the sheep from bolting. Many dogs lost their sheep either partway or all the way to the set-out as the draw was very heavy at the top end of the course. We turned the post a little too tight, with one sheep squeezing between me and the cone. Very nice first leg of the drive and most of the crossdrive. The draw again is very heavy on the crossdrive and for dogs who were too hot on the sheep or not in control the sheep would bolt for the set-out. We were a smidge high at the very end of the crossdrive, skimming the panels rather than making them. They were a bit tough to judge, being grey metal gates against the grey sky in afternoon light/rain. Then a very tight turn at the crossdrive panels and a nice straight leg to the pen. Sadly, my judgment was off and though the line was straight, it was about 5’ high. Next was a nearly perfect pen, no fiddling around, just slow steady quiet work.

The sheep really liked Lucy and were quite relaxed. The pen and first leg of the drive took a little time, so we were not in great shape going to the shed. I had just set on enlarging a gap when time was called, but felt really good about our work in the shedding ring. The sheep were settled and did not jog around the ring or get upset, which was an improvement from last time. Lucy ended up with a 4th place finish. I was ecstatic with her performance. She listened beautifully and was steady and quiet but authoritative behind her sheep. The sheep really liked her style and we did not struggle the way some teams did with sheep constantly bolting in one direction or another. Though light, the sheep were honest and if the dog was right, nice runs were to be had. Perfect evidence was Linda DeJeong’s run with her Michael – quiet, calm and smooth.

All in all, I am very proud of Lucy. Thanks to the support of Diane and other members of the herding community, I have opportunities unlike any other to participate in a sport I am growing to love. Many thanks also to Sue MacDonald and Susan Crocker for being such supportive trial hosts for me as a new handler running Open for the first few times.

San Juans: The journey home

2009-08-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

The ferry ride home began like any other ferry ride. Sit in line for an hour, hope you get on the sailing you came for. We did, and sailed away from Orcas around 12:30pm.

The fun began on Lopez, our stop prior to reaching the mainland at Anacortes.

I was riding on the leading end of the boat, hanging out to take photos during the docking. I took some photos that will be a great reminder to me of the skills the WSF staff have for squeezing 2 18-wheelers side-by-side in the center isle of the ferry with only about 2' to spare on the stern of the vessel. At their closest, the trucks were only a few inches apart from eachother as well as a few inches from the walls of the ferry. The parking job took plenty of jockeying around and was met with applause from the onlookers when completed. Truly impressive. The truckers seemed surprised as well.

While we were watching the super-truck-jockeying, some people amused themselves participating in a game I had not seen before: toss a coin into the target painted on the dock. There are thousands of coins on this platform and it is somewhat entertaining watching kids try to hit the target. I tried to keep the wildlife implications of all those coins going into the water out of my mind.

As I watched the kids (and parents) tossing coins, I heard one young teenager (perhaps 14?) making a ruckus about not having any coins to toss. His parents were unsympathetic, as was I, to be honest. However, I would not have imagined his solution. At his age, I definitely would not have come to the same conclusion. What did he decide?

Look in the lower right corner. Can't make it out? That's alright - I couldn't believe my eyes -- luckily for us both I had a zoom lens. Yep... its not a coin... its...

Yes... a dollar bill. In the shape of a paper airplane. What he didn't account for is that airplanes have wings, which experience lift based on wind. Sadly, his efforts were a "wash".

Once the coins and bills were tossed, and the trucks were loaded, it was time to motor back to Anacortes. The voyage was largely unremarkable except for 2 noteworthy discoveries. First, I saw my dream home. Check it out, its even blue!

Second, I discovered that the cormorants are nesting in the pilings at the ferry dock. The only place you can really see this is from the ferry car decks. The passenger decks are too high and the nests don't face the docks. Of course, I couldn't help snapping a few shots of adults and their nearly fledged chicks.

The 2 gray fluffs hiding in the shadows are chicks.

Someday maybe I'll fledge too.