Field Trial

Running behind on this blog again, but last weekend the Border Collies and I headed to the Sheep River Sheepdog trial. It was a lot of fun, and I had a great time with my dogs, and with my friends.

Brit ran in intermediate for the first time. That is a class where I stay at the post (no helping the drive), and not only does she have to do a drive away, but a cross drive too. Oh, and the outrun is bigger too. I was a little worried we were in over our heads. But I worried for nothing! Brit did a great job! In fact our first run she won first place! The second day we lost one. ;), and the third day was a good try but the sheep were heavy and fighting and Brit doesn't do well with that sort of thing. I got on her case a bit, and she quit. lol. That'll teach me. I need to find the balance between making her do the right thing, and taking her sensitivity into account. She is definitely a challenge sometimes! Our homework is to work more on taking a "Steady"- and whistles. She is so far away now that whistles are becoming neccesary- especially if it's windy...

This is Saturday's run. She came first in her class. I was thrilled with her cross drive on this one. Driving is not her strong point. Lots of things to work on though- my timing for one. lol. And steady- as in go slow.




Leo was in Novice and did a pretty good job! We had some trouble here and there- my timing, his pushy ways. Some wrong flanks. But-  We have been working so hard on our drive that I am just thrilled with how well he did on that part! He is getting it- slowly but surely. On the second run we lost our sheep. (same as brit actually). He was too forward and fast, and I didn't stop him in time. I thought he had caught it but I should have left them alone to settle a bit longer before walking him up. Live and learn! I need to learn to be more proactive with him- anticipate that he is going to be a little pushy and get on his case a bit. I didn't use my "time" nearly enough and by the third day he wasn't listening to it at all. He is a really fun dog to run though, I need to not get caught up in the excitement of him. lol. The best part of the weekend for him aside from the drives- was the pen on sunday! The sheep were very difficult all weekend and there were not many pens the whole weekend. But he had a great handle on his sheep on that last run and we got it! He came in first in the run.

This is Mondays run- the last day. I was pretty happy with him! 



So lots to work on with both dogs, and with myself. Each trial I come away knowing a little more about my dogs, stock, and myself. 

Agility Leo Update

Agility Leo is happy, and ethusiastic, and doing great.

If I managed my time better, and was more motivated to train he would be a lot farther along than he is. But we are having fun with the stuff we've done so I'm happy. ;)

I was hoping to have him running at a trial in a few weeks. Just Jumpers, BUT. My chute is not here yet, and he has done exactly two tires. So. We will wait- and in the mean time we will train some more. Leo likes that idea- a lot. He finds the whole running, jumping, running, tugging, running, playing thing very exciting. ;) 

photo by Cindy

photo by Cindy

restrained recalls over the a-frame make Leo a little crazy...

see? lol. I think the A-Frame may be his favorite thing.

agility leo is happy.

Wicca's Best Day

If possible I love this dog more each day. Today she came along on an adventure and had the best day. She completely stole the show, and truly was the highlight of my day. She is hilarious, and even at ten years old is the boss. Of everything.

She came along to agility practice, and the farm. She didn't listen at all, rolled in stuff, got in the way, nearly caused a stampede, chased gophers, and a cat or two. And just generally was awesome.

Some photos from the day...

supervising... 

toy thief

part of her victory lap after I let her do a tunnel. <3 Her Joy was heartwarming. 

Satisfied. 

Rolling on a dead worm

it was a good roll! 

mooching treats 'cause she worked so hard. 

at the farm. on chicken watch. 

a gift. 

she wasn't sure she liked it. 

In the lambing pasture. She was helpful. 

and pushed all the sheep out. LOL

She then spent the afternoon supervising the working dogs. It was a tough job. 

After such a busy day she is now sleeping in a sun spot at my feet. <3
Never change Woo.

Herding Stuff

my friend cindy and her dog pike @ Altapete

Scott and Jenny (Altapete) are off on their spring adventures so I am on farm watch again. I think this is the third year. It truly has been life changing. I am very lucky!  The whole herding thing really. Brit, and then Leo. All the things I've learned, all the things I've done, the people I've met. Just awesome. 

Anyway, that was a bit off topic. lol. 

Leo has the most amazing outruns. I often just stand and watch him. It's cool to think that he learned that. I don't know how even. But it's definitely amazing to me.  We are still working on the drive. He is getting it. I had a great lesson with Scott before they left. And have walked the fence line more times than I care to count. ;) I have Leo entered in Novice at the trial coming up- only because of that drive. Otherwise I'd be in Intermediate because he can do the bigger outrun. I am thinking that by the end of the summer the drive will be good enough to move up. So we will get some experience under our belt. He ran just once last year at a field trial- his very first time to the post. He did pretty great, and won his class (and a clock.) I am looking forward to trialing with him this summer. It's going to be fun! 

Brit isn't doing too shabby herself! The arena trials all winter really got her fast and keen, so i was a little worried when we started working on that outrun again. But after a few repetitions she is back to bending out- actually better than last year. Her top end isn't great so we are working on that. She either over flanks, or cuts in...I'd like something in the middle. And I'd really like her to take that stop at the top EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Not just occasionally. I hate yelling at her. She is getting pretty good at driving, and as long as the sheep are good she will settle in behind them and truck along. I bit the bullet and entered her in Intermediate. A bigger outrun,  a drive away AND a cross drive. She is capable. I am excited to try it! The worst that will happen is she will lose her sheep, or I'll call her off.  As long as she is sound that day it'll be fun! She is having some issues. Issues that are getting worse instead of better. It's frustrating. And I'm not quite ready to talk about it. I tend to get sad and dramatic, and I think she deserves more than that. So I am going to get her looked at again and see if there is a more difinitive plan for her. To compensate for that we do little bits- a few outruns, some driving, and no farm work. So she sits and watches a lot, or will hold sheep. She likes that.  <3

Lots of fun herding stuff planned this summer. Trials, Clinics, Get togethers, and Fun!!!  

Nosework Trial!

Western Canada held the first SDDA Trial this past weekend in Red Deer. The SDDA is the Sporting Detection Dog Association. There has been a few trial in Ontario, but it is still very new. This trial was Started level only as no one had ever done it before around here! 

I was pretty nervous. Wicca can be really on, or off. (Typical Corgi!). But she really struggles with vehicle searches. For a title, the dog need to pass three components (three different searches). A container search, where the odour is hidden among 12-18 boxes. An Interior search, where the odour is hidden in a room somewhere. And finally an Exterior search, where the odour is hidden on one of three vehicles. The dog must pass one of each of these in order to earn a title. If the dog passes all three on the same day they earn a different title than dogs who don't. 

We started with the Container Search both days- Saturday was an S shape, and Wicca was working right off the bat. She did a great job, and I quickly called Alert before she wrecked the hide. The second day they were in four rows- tightly together. We nearly DQ'd for going out of bounds but I called her back just in time. She alerted just fine on that one once she was focused. 

Saturday we did the Vehicle Search next. I was SO nervous. For one, this is her worst thing. Second, one of the vehicles was a quad- which she's never worked off of before. And Three- there were LOTS of exciting and distracting things outside.... It took as almost two minutes but she did it! I think we walked around each vehicle two times, and the outside of all three at least two more times. She had her mind on other things and needed some prompting to keep working.  Sunday the Vehicle search was last and we left before my turn. I wanted to get home at a decent time!

The interior search was hard both days. A whole room full of random stuff. Saturday Wicca nearly alerted on the wrong thing- she was very sniffy against the wall at a box, but was quick to leave when prompted. So we did find the right thing- on the bottom of a chair. Which again her alert was teeth so I had to call the alert really fast! I didn't want her to retrieve the chair. lol. The second day it was my error that failed her- she knew where it was and I didn't let her have a chance to get close enough to alert on it!!! I was so focused on the stuff that I didn't let her get near the wall... But what a good dog! She tried to tell me. I need to listen more! 

So because she passed all three elements on Saturday she earned her Scent Detection- Started title. So SD-S sp. The SP signifies the one day finish. I am so proud of us! Wicca is just such a great little dog. She was keen to work, and was excited to be out. I really like this sport- it is so great for dogs with physical limitations- I think Wicca was the oldest dog there though. There were lots of malinois, shepherds, and the like. But the people were all very nice, and I learned alot from the judges. They were just great, and were eager to share their knowledge. 

I have some good training ideas- and now is the right time to start working on an actual alert. In the advanced level your dog needs a consistent alert that the judge needs to be able to identify. I am going to start on that today!

We are going to start looking in to seeing what it would take to host a trial in the south. Red Deer is far. lol. And more trials would be a lot of fun! Because this was the first one, there were definitely some things that need to be improved. I don't think the organisers had ever ran anything like that before though, so you have to start somewhere I suppose! 

Anyway, I'm pumped! Who knew Wicca would have a chance to do something fun/work again! Love that dog. To Bits. 

Easter Weekend

Easter weekend was jam packed. Full of family, friends, and dogs. I didn't sleep in once. But I wouldn't change any of it. 

We did some herding. I didn't take any photos of my own dogs. This is Scamp. 

the easter bunny came. and I cooked turkey. 

the dogs got into the spirit of things

Wicca and Vito both had baths and all that jazz. Wicca is still shedding but looks better at least! 

We played follow the leader, I mean went on a walk. 

and Wendy took beautiful photos of my girls. <3

this one especially melts me. <3

and more walks, and more herding, and even a tiny bit of agility. Oh, and I even cleaned my house. See, jam packed full! Oh, and you want to know what there wasn't? Nosework practice. Not once. This spells trouble for the upcoming weekend.... 

Prairie Girl Pixel

I really, really love this photo. I don't know why. Other than it is 100% Pixel. Doing her own thing, tail in the air.
Such a Princess. <3 

Something blowing in the wind. 

Falling Behind

It's like the story of my life! Lol. So much to say, to write down, to remember. But by the time I get to just sit at the computer the last thing I want to do is waste the time to do it.

And so the blog has become more of a dumping ground. I have good intentions, but life sometimes gets away from you.

In any case here is a recap of last week.

I took my Grandpa's little dog Tucker to be euthanized. It was sad. And hard, and easy all at the same time. Easy in that he was suffering, lived a long life, and was truly heartbroken, his body and his heart both gave up. So it was the right decision. But it was still hard, to hold him, to explain that although his condition looked bad- he was well loved. His passing was peaceful. It was hard to say goodbye to the last connection we had to my Grandpa, and my Grandma. After my Grandma died Tucker became everything to my Grandpa. His companion- followed him everywhere. Always at his feet. As routine oriented as my Grandpa was. Even when he moved to my parents a few weeks ago- Tucker demanded his supper at 5pm on the dot, and bedtime was 10. No exceptions. What a funny little guy he was. <3

Wicca and I are training for the nosework trial in a few weeks. She is awesome, mostly. The vehicle search will be our downfall. Of that I am certain. I am going to work on indication and commitment this week. Back to basics and see if I can convince her that the rules are the same on a car. She is a challenge- even at 10 years old. :)

Leo has ignited my spark for agility again. We had a fantastic training session late last week, and then again this weekend. He is coming along nicely. Understanding more and more, and with that comes confidence.

Brit is lame, mostly. It is frustrating. And I try not to think about it. We need to go and see Veronica again. Although I have been down this road and I know that the outcome is not good. My hope is that she will have more good days than bad. And that I can manage it.  (She has some nerve trouble in her back, for those that haven't been following along)

We did a photo shoot with 55 dogs in a group stay. It turned out awesome. 
Lorelei is a very talented photographer, and while the shoot itself with a little difficult to manage- everyone did a great job with their dogs.

Spring is here- my grass is turning green. And I am really looking forward to the time when I can sit in the yard with the dogs and just be. I have serious cabin fever- even though I've been out all winter- it's not the same. Bring on the sun, and warmth!

This week is a short work week. It's going to be awesome. I have five days off in a row. Talk about lucky! I intend to spend it all with my dogs, my family, and my friends. Lucky, Lucky Me!

Arena Trial Finale

The Highwood Stockdog Series is over- the last trial was held on Sunday. It is a GREAT way to pass the winter months, and is a lot of fun. Once a month we all drive to the High River arena and run our dogs. Last year was the first year, and this past year was even better than the first. It's like a well oiled machine. We can set up the whole arena trial (panels, fences, pens), and unload a trailer full of sheep in twenty minutes.

It has been a great learning experience for me. Last year I was SUPER new and each time to the post gave me a bit more confidence, and a bit more experience. How to read my stock, how to trust my dog, and what to do in general. This year has been more about learning my dogs- and giving them both that valuable experience.

It has not been without it's ups and downs though. I moved Brit to the Ranch class- which is a bit more advanced than Novice. The handler stays at the post and there is a longer drive (up the length of the arena). Novice is a small easy course, and the handler can walk on the drive (which is only half way up the arena at most).

Brit handled that no problem to begin with. We even won our class a few times. And then the sheep got heavy. And when that happened it was hard for both of us. lol. The drive seemed even farther and I struggled to keep her moving. And one trial she wouldn't. So back to novice we went for the last two of the season. I am glad I made that decision for her- the sheep got worse. But she handled them okay with help from me. Her run yesterday was the best she has ever done. Calm, Confident, and reading her stock. It was a great feeling only marred by a DQ caused by my handler error. I didn't know, and made a mistake at the pen. It doesn't matter in the big scheme of things but I do feel bad about it. And it wrecked an otherwise perfect run, and a great feeling. But you win some and you lose some! All things about this sport are variables- even the rules! lol. I am proud of Brit- this game is not easy for her, and although she is keen she often lacks the confidence to back it up. I've worked very hard with her to get her where she is now. And I feel that I can get her even farther if we keep marching on. At our own pace, step by step. For as long as she is able and willing we will continue to train and trial.

Leo has come so far- from his first time at the post, to the run yesterday. Consistently placing in the top three in his class every time, ensured that he brought home First Place in the Aggregate. Winning the Novice Class overall! The class is a fair size, and there are lots of good dogs. I am so very proud of him. I know I am biased but he is a pretty special dog. Talented, Keen, Honest, and is the type of dog who will look after me. He has taught me a lot already, and I am looking forward to a great summer of farm work with him. When it was announced that he won the Novice class I was happy, but it didn't really sink in. It has now, and I am just thrilled with him. What a dog he is!

Winning, or losing. It is all part of the fun of the game. For me it is never about winning, but doing my best, and pushing my dog to do his/her best. My favorite part of any sport is the training. I am a dog trainer. I love that part. So for me trialing is a test of my training- and that is for all sports- not just herding. Herding is the most difficult thing I have ever done, and I am very new. So it has been a challenge. I have a great support team though- people who have shared their knowledge and helped me a long the way. I am forever grateful for that! I know that I am very lucky!

Here are their runs from yesterday- lots of good stuff in there. And most importantly- Improvement from both of them!

Leo

e


and Brit


and a token photo. Leo and I after winning the aggregate. I'll get a fancy jacket with our names on it, which I may never take off! ;)

Agility Leo!

Leo's first agility video! Just little clips from the seminar and match yesterday. Lots of breaking things down, and lots of rewarding. You can really see the wheels turning on some of the stuff. Some progress in just a few weeks even!

The video only shows the good stuff, I assure you there was plenty of second, and third tries before getting it right. ;) We are a little rough around the edges, but are working it out! I am feeling pretty pleased with his progress, and have a whole bunch of stuff to work on! So damn exciting.

One of my friends asked me how it felt, and at the time I couldn't really figure out how it felt exactly. But now, reflecting on yesterday I know that it felt just right. Seeing some agility friends for the first time in almost two years...Hanging out with friends, laughing, visiting, learning, running, cheering, feeling that connection with the dog... all things that just felt perfect.

I want more of course. ;)

Signs of spring

Boone got shaved. 

Pixel is shedding

Wicca is muddy. (trust me)

the border collies are dreaming of swimming, and are ready to get fit again.

see? these are dog who are ready! for spring.

Leo's tongue made an appearance today. And he tried to lay in a snow/ice puddle...

Vito has no ears now that the gophers are out....

All sure signs of spring. ;)

Nosework Update

Training the dogs in Nosework has been a lot of fun. It is a new challenge, and I am enjoying learning about something new again. I've been doing lots of reading about scent, and how it travels, and what sort of training methods are out there.

Wicca continues to improve and is getting better each time. We are still really not ready for the trial that is coming up in a few weeks. I am regretting entering it- only because I think she will be frustrated and I don't want her to fail. It is the vehicle search more than anything- she doesn't understand to really look hard if it's not obvious right away. It has been so cold that we haven't had much opportunity either- but now it is mostly decent enough out that I should be able to get one in each day. Some of the things we are working through right now- commitment, and focus. She is getting better about staying committed to the source, but is not always very focused. I don't like the wandering around she does. And if she is really excited she is very vocal whining, and barking. lol. But I am hoping that frequent, short searches will help that.

We went somewhere new (a friends Tae Kwon Do studio), and it was great for them to work in a new exciting environment. I have video of Wicca's two searches. She also successfully did a blind vehicle search. It was slow, but she did it. So progress all around. 
Here is the interior search

 


and a box search.


 
and Vito got to come too. He is pretty good- once. Anything after that first time and he mostly just goofs around. Frustrating really. lol. In the video you will see I start on leash, and then have to take it off. He hates the leash touching him and gets all weirded out. He's a special one. lol
    
I also started Pixel on Sunday- just the basics. I am experimenting with a clicker, and spending more time teaching an actual indication right away. I will keep track here how it is going. So far so good.I am going with a down. She caught on to the one box pretty good. She's a smartie-pants so I suspect she will get it fast. 

For some of us....

For some of us this never ending winter is no big deal. Embrace it, says Pixel...

And for the rest of us.... 

Make. Winter. Stop.

Like riding a bike....

The other day I was talking to a friend about agility and the fact that I was a little nervous about how it would be the first time back. She said it was like riding a bike, you don't really forget.

I didn't believe her. But this weekend it was exactly that way. It was easy. To run, to handle, to play with my dog. The only hard part was the new stuff, and being pushed outside my comfort zone. The rest was exactly like getting back on a bike after years of walking.

We attended a seminar focused on handling and although Leo was the most inexperienced dog there he did a great job! It was a great learning experience.

Saturday we front crossed, rear crossed, blind crossed, and ran an 12 obstacle course! Sunday we mostly blind crossed, with some fancy stuff thrown in for good measure.  We ran together and were connected. And for the first time I saw "it" in him. You know that look that a dog gets at the start line. The excitement, the quivering, eager to go, looking ahead, ready. I saw it, and it made my heart flutter a bit.

The actual stuff we learned was hard. Challenging. And totally cool. This weekend taught me many things. Aside from some new handling options, I learned what type of warm up he needs, what he looks like when he needs a break, what his favorite toys are, what he needs from me in order to direct him around a course. I also learned that he has great distance and obstacle commitment, but is also a great launcher. Lol. I learned what I need to do to get him to turn right, and what I should do to create the best path for him.

It was a great weekend, and what we needed to kick start our training. I came home with a better understanding of how, and why. And more importantly it was a great experience for both us. For me to see how he will be in that sort of setting, and me to feel how it will be to be back. Now if only winter would take a hike so we can get going!!!!

A Blog Post about Stuff!

Herding
Such an interesting thing. Full of ups and downs, confidence, nerves, mistakes, success, frustration, and fun. Sometimes all within a few minutes. ;)
I have said it before- but this is unlike anything else I have ever done. It is so hard. But so awesome.
Brit has taken a big step backwards. Heavy sheep, and too many long drives too soon squashed her confidence. So I bumped her back to Novice at the last arena trial. It was a good choice as the sheep were super slow, and she had to push on them. She had fun though, and did a great job. So much to learn still, and she is hard to train because she can't work long mentally, or physically. (more on that farther down). Leo is good. He has great feel for his sheep and often knows better than I. He is learning about driving. It is going okay. We had some trouble in that he could do it off my left, but not my right. I think we have that sorted. Our other problem is short flanks, and close up work. He gets excited, and wide. I am hoping for a lesson from Scott before they hit the road. I am looking forward to spring/summer. So much training and learning for me and for the dogs. It's going to be awesome.

Agility
I have things figured out, and we had our first outdoor practice the other day. It was amazing. It felt so good. Man, I have missed that. Leo has a great time, and is pretty speedy, and a lot confident. His contacts are coming, and I think with now being outdoors it will be easier to progress faster. I have him signed up for a few seminars! Mostly for the experience. We need to put in the time on the course, to figure each other out, and he needs to experience that group/trial setting. It will be fun. I am nervous actually! I feel slow and rusty. And I am sure I am! But with the support of my friends I am feeling pretty good about myself and my dog. For me I am going back to agility to have fun, play with my dog, and really just get back to feel. I miss my agility friends a lot. So I am excited to think about getting back into that scene this summer/fall.

Obedience
Pixel and Brit are training for various obedience things. Brit is doing mostly heeling. And Stays. Pixel is doing utility stuff mostly. Her go outs are coming along. And the dreaded signals are as hard as I thought they would be with her. lol. But we are having fun and moving slowly.

Nosework
Wicca LOVES this game. And I am not sure that she will be able to do it much longer. She has been lame off and on. It makes me sad, and angry. I mean, she is walking around a room sniffing. How hard  can it be on a little body. I think it is just the increased activity, the excitement, her enthusiasm cannot be contained very well. She is having so much fun. I hate to stop. She had a rough few weeks- we didn't do anything. And now of course we are even farther behind training wise for the trial I entered. I did a bit today- Wicca was feeling great so we did some outside stuff, and a vehicle search. She did pretty good! She is certainly keen. But we will see. I won't put her health at risk just for a trial, or test. So we may just train at home for fun, and not have a goal per say. Vito is a brat. He is so good...sometimes. Other times he just wanders on by the very obvious hide. lol. Small little baby steps with him- as it has been his whole life. ;)

Boone.
Boone gets his own paragraph. He is good. Not acting his age at all. I haven't shaved him in ages so he is the fuzziest he has ever been. I should take a photo. The groom is coming soon though as I can't keep up with the cording that is starting. He has the weirdest coat. Healthwise he is good. He lost his off leash privileges a few weeks ago when I nearly lost him. He was gone. Poof. And I searched the coulee for half an hour before giving up and walking back to the car- only to find him under it..... I was terrified. And haven't told anyone that because I feel like a terrible dog owner. So I dug out my dusty flexi leash and he is attached at all times now. He doesn't seem to mind.

So that's all the stuff. I'm a busy lady. The blog seems to be the last thing updated. But I need to change that as I really do rely on the blog to look back and remember things!

Windy Spring Day

Two Short Dogs.

Leo, ready to chase someone. Sadly for him this was a leash walk. (mostly)

Leash Walks. This is how it goes. They pull me up a hill.

Ending with a play at the park.

Pixel's favorite

Nom, Nom, Nom

This toy has a great squish.

Blurry, but intense.

I have lots of things to blog about. And no motivation to do so. Lots of really great things happening lately. Maybe later this week I will sit down and actually write stuff. ;)