NvShadowBCs-Noggin' Doggin'

Sheep Idaho Farm Flock Mix Hair/Wool                      Idaho Farm Flock                           Katahdins                                                                 California Farm Flock St Croix/Dorper         The secret is in the sauce.  A line from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes.  The secret is in the sheep!        Consistency for the dogs.  Learning to predict and read the sheep.  I was watching other handlers at one of the winter trials, while speaking with a nice guy from suburbia with two nice dogs who was fairly new to trialing. He had no idea what kind of sheep he practiced on.  Not even if they were hair or wool sheep. He did well in the trial. His dogs were very obedient.  His timing was well practiced.  It was a good team demonstration.      When you start putting yourself out there and listening to others takes and opinions you really have to sift through the jetsam and flotsam.  I totally get that everyone has their own

      Winter practicing on the Nevada ranch, sharpens us up for gaining trial experience.  Weather is the wild card this time of year.  The winter trials also test your sense of adventure, or maybe sanity, with taking driving risks to far off places to try your hand.      Quite a bit of my winter (no daylight before/after work) practice has been watching shedding/penning vids.  Then going out at lunch and working on timing and reading sheep over and over.      Winter trialing has begun.  Over the Thanksgiving Day Weekend we took the opportunity to be rookie pilgrims and follow the yellowbrick road to Bonanza, OR and to Klamath Falls, CA area to partake in the SOJ Fun Turkey Trials.        Shane and Molly hosted a beautiful trial in the gorgeous still green Bonanza Valley, nestled at the foot of the Cascade Mountains(I think).  It was a great test of skills on a tricky field.  The field wasn't huge, but it held a blind outrun. Smallish rises, draws, trees, rock

Carbondale, Colorado 2014      So for months I watched the points on the USBCHA website with apprehension.  I nearly didn't even enter because I thought we were a little low.  However, traditionally when finals are in the West the cut off tends to be lower.  Watching started to be similar to NASCARs chase for the race.  Feist and I were definitely on the bubble.  I never dreamed we would actually get in.  We had not been in open for a year yet.  I had planned on taking minimal time off work at the end of the season to watch the big hats at Soldier Hollow and then fly out to Carbondale to watch the end of the National Finals.  I had on my list a bit of homework to log on how different handlers responded to certain situations.  I like to scout.      Then, I received the call from Texas acknowledging that Feist and I were in.  Emotionally it was a great whirlwind of excitement and fear bundled into a grand lack of planning on my part.  I had to hustle coverage at work.

On the road Palm Cottage       So the journey continued.  We had no real expectations but to try to learn from our mistakes and to gain experience by just keeping at it.  Miles.     We trekked to Palm Cottage SDT.  Laura Vishoot and Steve's gorgeous slice of paradise.  Big field with tricky central gate on outrun.  Great sheep. Fun time with wonderful friends.     I don't remember particular scores.  But our first run landed modest numbers.  Our second run was a scorcher, however in my excitement I mishandled at the last moment and we ended up with letters.  We learned.  It was a blast. Lacamas Valley SDT     I have admired the Lacamas Valley SDT put on by Lynn and Allison Johnston, on their family dairy with the help of a small army of volunteers, for several years.  Last year I participated with several PN dogs.  I had a hankering to jump out on the open field.  My first time seeing the field was about 3 years prior.  I flew up

The next step      Our goal for Dry Lake SDT 2014 was to come home with more numbers than letters and continue to work on our teamwork.       I think the highlight of Dry Lake was the 750 yard outrun progressively downhill with several swales where you would lose sight of your dog and sheep.  It was very difficult to see your dog on outrun.  And tricky to try to identify if it was your dog or set out dog by the sheep.       Feist's outrun seemed like an eternity.  A more experienced handler said you could send your dog, and then go have lunch.  I lost sight of her to the right about a third of the way out.  But periodically would see little puffs of dusts along the way.  She did beautifully coming up behind them.  She really took her time on the lift.  Enough time that I started to doubt if that little black dot was really her or not....  TRUST YOUR DOG (remember).  She was reading her stock and she did have a girl that didn't w