Baby steps. Zamora and Sonoma SDT 2013.

Zamora

In the beginning....

   Years ago my friend Peggy Wines convinced me to go to their family sheepdog trial in Zamora.  'Sheepdog trial?!?!  What is that?' To which she responded, 'well, you DO have a border collie.... '  

'I think Lily will be a cow dog.  She is just a puppy you know?  But she is super smart and tough to boot!'

 
      I must thank Peggy and Shannon Wines for almost literally dragging me to Zamora the first time.  Bill Slaven for testing Lily and declaring her "quite eager", sitting me at the judges table, and eventually setting me up with my first lesson with Patrick Shannahan the following year.  Driving home from my first taste of sheepdog trialing, I was hooked.  I thought it was impossible for a dog to do exactly what I witnessed all weekend.  It was magical.  I was thirsty to learn more.

A Tale of Two Dogs (well 3)

The Sledgehammer and the Feather

     I can not explain to you how I felt when finally I stepped to the post at Zamora with my first dog Ben.  My knees were shaking.  I was  more nervous than doing a splenectomy on a hemophiliac.  Ben is my good soft boy.  The run actually had some amazing components.  The score was low, but I was so proud of Mr Ben.  Very pressure sensitive, I sent him to the CB side for the outrun.  He took off like a shot and then felt the pressure of the hill, and crossed over.  I corrected him, and he crossed back.  It was tough for him a bit at the top with two handlers and two dogs, but he came away with the sheep and had a fairly nice fetch.  (Bit off line.)  His drives were fairly good.  This pic is Ben doing his monster cross drive.  Yay Ben !!!  We got stuck at the cross panels where a ewe turned on him ... we timed out.  I would do it different, now as a handler....  I 'eyed up' and got stubborn.

Another dog, maybe Cy, with a stubborn ewe.

     

     Tic on the other hand had a pretty good first go at Zamora.  We acheived most of the components, not perfectly, but good for where we are in our team work.  Had time at the pen.... struggled with our sledgehammer tactics.... and timed out.  

Val was on the docket for a NC run, but we put her down for the real deal at the last minute.  She is coming off a pretty good hiatus backed by maternal leave.  Regardless, she had a lot of fun.  She found the sheep. We did NOT have to take a ATV ride.  And she did a 200 yard look back to pick up the 2 sheep still at set out.

Sonoma

Wine Country SDT

     This is my first exposure to Sandy and Arthur Milbergs' beautiful and tricky SDT.  Again, this weekend would be a challenge, but of a different nature.  Two fields were set up a 'flat' field and a 'hill' field.  We were luckily running on the flat-er of the two.  The draws and the pressures were such that my feather dog was my dog of choice.  The sheep were young and light, much like the ones we had at Lacamas last year.

     Ben still had some pressure issues, but took his redirect at the top.  Sometimes he went the way of the draw and held pressure instead of trusting me... but he like so many many others lost his sheep to the fence by the spectators.  He was strong and confident enough to put them back together and get back on course.  Which - is HUGE- for him.  We timed out at the pen.

    Tic had a late hot day draw.  He pretty much had a difficult time listening.  We timed at the pen... with sledgehammer tactics.  Both dogs scored middle of the pack.  And we can chalk off - one more time to the post.  I have made many many mental notes on what we need to work on.

      This is the hill field that open was running on.  Very interesting!

No wine tasting.

Brief trip to beach instead.

Generation next.

Meet Tane'.

Inspired by Brian White.

A good stretch of legs 

on the beach.

ADDENDUM:  Great  back to back weekends.  A partial unveiling of the curtain of what may be on the other side of the window.  Motivated to head back to the drawing table, make some adjustments.  Plan to pull up my sleeves and 'do work'.  Love the journey.  Having big fun.