Training update....

It’s been a while since I updated about the training progress of the dog. So I guess now would be a good time. Tess is retired but is the lesson dog and does some chores at night. Janet is also working her so she can run her in short PN trials. On Saturday Janet put Tess through her paces at a PN course at Nayab field and they did great. Tess is slow on her outrun as to be expected but she doesn’t spook the sheep and handles them easily. She makes the course look easy and Janet did it with ease. They are becoming a good team together. Janet is not panicked anymore and her clam runs reflect that. I watched the run through the lens of my camera and saw the same fire in Tess’s eyes that she had for me when I ran her. I smile as a tear rolled down my cheek to see that she was helping another handler learn the ropes. It was a good sight to see and it warmed my heart.

Nan has rather enjoyed being a housedog. She thinks she only needs to go outside if she needs to potty, work sheep or play. If she is not doing any of the above, she runs back to the house and waits to be let in the house. She won’t be found in the barn as she thinks she is no longer a common dog and only will go into the barn if there is sheep work to be done. Forget about putting her into a kennel or she will dog out or scream like a banshee. When we go to work, she get put in the office or a crate and she is quite happy with that. She has been a bit rusty since I have been working other dogs so we did a tune up over the weekend. Tonight I was very please on well she worked. She flanked well and came into the shed solid. I had her work the ewes and lambs, which total over 50 strong. I also worked her in the packed stall she go was very comfortable. That used to be her nemesis but with time, she will grip at the hock and slid between the sheep and the wall and go around. I was very pleased with her work and had her stay in the pond to cool off and then when my back was turned scurried to the house. The front door was open and I found her later in her dog bed, upside down four feet in the air and snoring. She barely opened her eyes at me before she fell back into her slumber.

Roo has been a joy to work. His flanks are clean, his stop is swift and his drive is smooth. I have been using him to put the ducks and chickens away and he relishes it. We are working well together and he is very responsive to me. Not much, I can say about him but that Scott Glen polished him up to perfection. The issue that he had on slicing on his outrun seems to have gone away and he is a joy to run. He still is a lot of dog but I have stepped up to the plate. Recently he demo at the huge sheepdog demo in the city and was a star. He also greeted quite a few children and he sang “Rock-n-Roll” to them to their delight. He is biddable like him mother but had the courage of his sire, Pleat. Roo has the best of both worlds.

Taff has been fun. He is a son of Nan and Ralph Pulfer’s Tweed. He is a very strong and pushy dog and I adore him. He also adores me and shows his feeling with his eyes. He knows how to use the white rims to make me feel sorry for him. Poor pitiful me, they say! He is such a sweet and willing dog. I only have had them for about two months and we have been doing well. It will still take us a bit of time to be a threat on the trial field but the journey is a partnership that I am enjoying. When I am in the barn, he talks to me to let me know he wants to work and be my right hand. I let him out and he dances up and down next to me and is a male version of his mother. We are going to use this year as a training year and work out the bugs. I think very highly of him and he is a permanent fixture on the farm. He has wormed his way into my heart like his mother.

Tam is starting to connect the pieces. He is feeling the sheep better at the top and being more thoughtful. He was rushing in and going in short at the top so we have been doing out homework and it is starting to pay off. As he has matured he is turning into a pushy little dog. Monique has been working him on Saturday s and that has helped. He is teaching the both of us patience and learning to be correct with him at the top. Tam will be a fine trial dog with some maturity.

Rainey, Kuro and Sava are with Scott Glen. Kuro and Sava have been running with success while Rainey still need more time. They are learning with a top class trainer and I live for the blog updates by Jennifer Glen. Kuro has qualified for the Nursery Finals and I hope he does great with Scott. Sava is also doing well and continues to get better and better. Rainey has learned her foundation but now needs to get miles under her belt. Her time will come and she is slow maturing. She will come home in the fall, sit on Getty’s lap and watch LSU football games and get sheep work under her belt. The AltaPete Trial Blog link

Sleat is at a friend’s house and should be returning in midsummer. She is doing well and will be going to trial with me this fall. We hope she is pregnant and that cross will be very nice.

Kira is enjoying her new life with Bob Dias and Rochelle Stanford in sunny California. Apparently Bob spoils her by letting her sit in his lap and be fussed over. We look forward to them on the trial field. Bob and Rochelle also have Koko, a Tess x Pleat daughter and I believe she is one of, if not the top ranked red and white Border Collie.

Lucy loves her new home with Monique. That was a difficult decision but the right one. Everyone should have a heart dog and Lucy was Monique’s heart dog. Tess told me she was Monique’s dog as Tess was my dog and you have to follow your heart sometimes. I see the love between the two and it validates my decision. My greatest hope is that Monique shines with Lucy and they will be a team hard pressed to beat. I will be ready with my camera to capture their success!

The dogs are doing well and it has been a nice spring with the birth of fat, healthy lambs, chicks and ducklings. The goose is sitting on eggs and in a week we hope to see some goslings. Full circle has come on the farm and are all very happy that winter is finally behind us. This afternoon I sat in the sun with the pack of dogs playing in the pond and decided it was indeed a grand day.