NvShadowBCs-Noggin' Doggin'

     I haven't had a chance to blog in a millinium it seems.  In March my madness was the Zamora, Sonoma, and Rio Vista triple-crown.  And although this year American Pharoah can claim our first triple-crown win in 37 years, I'm here to tell you that the California SDT triple-crown could be equally as challenging.      Zamora Hills SDT hosted by the Slaven/Wines Family is my sentimental favorite trial of all time. It was here that I tasted my first sip of the magic of Open Field trialing.  I have been drinking deeply from the wellspring ever since.  Big. Huge fields. Tough sheep. Great people.  Fair judge.  I was proud of both my open dog and my nursery dog.  Feist came away with a few points on her second run.  As a handler I was excited for the chance. Not paralyzed in fear and intimidation. As a sheepdog team we were shooting for consistency and experience.  My open dog only 3 years old and Tane' my ...

Chinese New Year   CHEERS TO MARCH MADNESS THE CALIFORNIA TRIPLE CROWN

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 e...

      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. ...

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 in...

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...