NvShadowBCs-Noggin' Doggin'

MY PART "Walk with purpose!!!!" "You know they are looking for a pack leader?" -DD

     A year ago, I accepted an invitation from my good sheepdoggin' friends to fly up to Portland, OR and observe their areas premiere trial, Lacamas Valley.  Leslie and Dennis Capik picked me up from the airport and ushered me around.  And I had the distinct pleasure of staying with Mindy Mayar and helped host her traditional Friday night shin-dig.  About half way through this amazing trial 2011, I became very cranky.  My mentor DD sent me to scribe on the PN field and put me to work.  I am not a very good sit still and observe kind of person.  I'd rather be helping out somewhere.  The whole event was a wonderful experience and I made a goal that within a year I would bring a dog up and participate.      After our DL experience at the beginning of the summer, I was highly suspicious that we might need to take a hiatus and postpone that goal for at least another year.  I did take a month in the middle of sum...

Lily and Tic      A weird thing happened this past weekend.  First of all I had a rare and coveted afternoon off.  Truly off.  It was pouring rain, thundering and lightening like the Gods were having a merry old bowling game in our desert skies.  I could do NO work, unless I cleaned out my closets and drawers.  So I relaxed and read a book.  The really weird thing is that I had a chance to watch the dogs also relax.  Big old yeller lab was deep in sawing-log-land on his overstuffed chair, no surprise there.  My two tri-colored youngsters from Potato-Land had hunkered down next to each other alternating play with sleep, quite content and happy.  Apparently Lily and Tic have become best friends behind my back.  They must have compared notes.  Black and White - check.  From place that starts with C (Cali and Canada)- check.  Insane/Intense/Strong eyed - check.  Really actually soft when it comes ri...

Training in the dog daze of summer      I have read everyone's most recent posts and blogs, and it seems like we all are a little bit teetering.  Are we ever going to get somewhere with all this work?  Are we sliding backwards like a heavy snow avalanche in the Sierras?  Am I doing more damage than good when I  train without my binkie....I mean guru/trainer??  Is it my dogs fault or am I failing my dog(s) exponentially?  Maybe it's my sheep?  The cost of hay is insane!!!!  The price of sheep is in the basement!!!!  There is no water/rain!!!!  Thus there is no graze!!!!  Maybe sheepdogging isn't meant to be done in the high mountain desert.      I, myself, love the heat of the summer.  However, I have found myself a little grouchy.  I think that is because so many many many people get grumpy in the heat!  The reality is, that anyway you cut it...

Onward      So we have chilled for about a month.  Working with little to no pressure.  Short.  In.  Trying to (re)install fundamentals.  Sometimes working with no commands.  I think everyone is more relaxed.  Yes, even the vibration we call Tic.  Ben, as you can see,  has more confidence.  Hopefully I have filled in the erosions I may have inadvertently created.  Val is Val.  Val will have no puppies this year, even though she has passed all of her physical tests.      We have a trial slated for late in August.  So this weekend we are going back to the different segments of the trial course.  Training.  Focus on consistency. Distance.  Timing.      I am going to work on consistent whistles.  ...And always lying down, prior to flanking.  For some reason that goes away in my mind when things head south.   Fields are limited this tim...

     So after our DL SDT debut, we went back to the chalk board a little bit.  It was a great learning experience.  Maybe the best way for me to learn is to get out there and do it.  To not be afraid of failing miserably, cuz that is kinda what we did.  Not really.  There were some absolutely great parts done by each dog.        Going to watch the sheep more.  Going to see what they are telling me.  These sheep look like they  are ready to do a quarterback sneak across the goal-line.  I think they are saying hut-hut-hike!!!  Mottley crew.  But fast and light enough.      Focused on the sheep's 360 bubble.  Helped any dog needing it,  to feel the bubble.  We tried to lie down prior to giving flank command.  Communication.  Slow things down.  Tidy things up.  Timing and distance.      We wor...

     Thoughts on Dry Lake Sheep Dog trial over Memorial Day weekend.  Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures.  It was good.  I think we were over our heads a bit, and I expected that.  The trial will stand as a barometer to see where we are at.  And blaringly shout out what we need to improve on.  Watching is so much different than doing. Pic by Gloria Atwater      I ran Val in nursery.  It was on the last day, and the sheep were on their fourth go.  The field was 300+ yards, with some rise and falls and plenty of little prairie dogs-like rodents spectating.   I was very proud of how she hustled out there on the outrun.  She came in a bit flat and slow at the top, which gave the sheep a opening to take off at the 10 O'clock at a dead run.  Nothing I could do but look to see where the 4-wheeler was.  But, oh me of little faith, the little hustler got out and around them and ...