Rocky Ewe Winter Series Trial results - Dec 1

The trial was a success yesterday. The weather was not dumping rain, in fact, it was sunny and not windy, aside only during the lunch break. A couple of small rain showers during a couple of runs, but chilly but the weather held out. It's nice to be at a December trial and have no snow, dumping rain or gale force winds. The sheep were nice as they added more Katahdins and most of the runs were good. The handlers kept the dogs (for the most part) well off the sheep and the sheep trotted a nice pace through the course. Open was first, with a 350 yard outrun, and left hand drive and then pen and spilt. Since these sheep are hard to shed, I let the handlers take any two and it proved a lot more doable. I enjoy judging this trial and seeing how much better everyone gets from the last time I judged. I will talk about some of the runs but not all of them so if you don't see your name mention, don't take it personally. I will mention you next time!

 

Cindy Baker with her rescue, Brill, went out and laid down a screaming run. Not much to take off as she held a nice steady pace and got the shed just like a pro. She took a scared wee rescue Border Collie and turned him into a top Open dog. What a great story!

 

Brian Ricard with his new dog, Cody (Norm and Vicki Close) decided to show how you can take a pushy dog and gently guide the hair trigger ewes through the course. As I was talking to my scribe, saying if anyone can get a split, it would be Brian, then he waved his hand and had a text book split. I smiled like I planned it to happen that way. Thanks Brian for making me look good. His one set of missed panels was his only downfall to an otherwise perfect run. You could tell that Cody had tons of power but kept himself in check under Brian's guidance.

 

Tim and Nell sure can run a darn nice course and at the last second his sheep slid beside the fetch panels. Darn ewes! Linda and Pooka ran quite well and she can shed. She did the shed three times and finally Pooka held the shed but the fact, anyone can do three sheds is a miracle on these sheep. Pooka has a sweet way with her sheep and her sheep really like her. Again the missed panels didn't help. It seemed like the sheep would go through the panel, then at the last minutes scoot by on the side. No reason that I could see! Linda skillfully handled Pooka and made the run look easy. Another nice run to watch was Ursula and Pete. She got a hold of him on the fetch and he is a big, powerful dog and he handled him quite nicely throughout the course. Her drive was very nice, aside from the dratted missed panels, and she had one of the best post turns.  Marched the sheep into the pen like a pro and was working on the shed when time ran out. I think she would have gotten the shed  too! They are a nice team!

 

Jim with Amos and Sweep, had pretty much the same run and both of his dogs can be on the muscle but he handled them well. Jim is a quiet handler and if you don't watch out, he will kick your ass! He did his magic shed also!  He loves his dogs and his dogs adore him! Zot worships the ground he walks on!

 

 

Bonnie and her Bob had a nice run. Again those missed panels cost her! her outwork was tremendous and he can work the sheep! This team is one dynamic team and one to watch for when she moves up to Open. Ron and Kass had a nice run and she is fairly new to PN. She is a young dog and ran quite well. Kathleen with Gael and Josh, decided to cinch down third and fourth place. She is a top contender in PN and you will see that she is always near the top, if not at the top in PN. She runs her dogs well and trained her Kelpie, Josh by herself and he is one nice kelpie with good feel to the sheep. Vicki with Skye and Blitz, ran quite well and placed back to back. Again the darned panels cost her! Carolyn and Brynn did quite well with nice outwork. The sheep started to fuss on the second drive panel. so she let everyone settle, then got it all back together again and marched them down the last leg and popped them into the pen. Bryn had her idea of what she wanted to do but Carolyn was patient and insisted she did as she was told and then it was nice recovery. A lot of dogs had issues in that area as the sheep wanted to break to the exhaust and a few went way offline, but Carolyn got it under control and prevented that.  Judy and Britt had nice outwork and she is one pushy dog but quite nice.  Again those missed panels cost her! She is a very nice dog. Nora ran Joe and Gin. Joe is very nice to the sheep and she had a bit of trouble at the darn second panels but otherwise, he was one of the dogs that the sheep really liked. Gin is her new dog and they are so close to making it as a team. This is a good match!

 

The ranch class had a decent outrun and a first leg then pen. By this time, the sheep were not happy and didn't want to play but these handlers stepped up to the plate and ran well.  Cynthia Mills and Folly (kelpie) on a rerun, (the first run the setout dog "helped"), laid down a near perfect run. The sheep were really pulling on the drive but she was patient and held it and then stuffed them into the pen. Very excellent work and look for these two to be making future statements on the trial field. Cindy Baker, again with another rescue dog, Rook, laid down a nice run.  Cynthia ran her kelpie, Krayken in Novice and had an assisted drive and got a score of 62 (?).

 

 

It was a nice day to be judging. There were a lot of good, controlled runs and you could see some of the top scores were only a 1/2 point spread.  I  did a non-compete run with Maid and she did quite well. She wanted to go on the away side on the first time than my come-bye at the turn at the first crossdrive panel but she did go the way I wanted her to go. On the turn at the cross panels, she wanted to go away as the sheep were starting to break and it would be the easy catch but she easily took the come-bye flank and tucked them in line and had a stunning shed. I gave her a wide comebye flank and she went like a champ. She settled the sheep in the ring and waited for me to set up the split.  She flew in like Superman and before the sheep knew it was was a hold. They saw her and decided they should listen to her! She really tried hard for me and took the downs well especially on the outwork. We are getting better on each run. She tried hard for me at this trial and I was very happy with her.

 

We finished before dark and then they had fun runs. My brain was tired and soon I passed out at home, snuggled with my dogs.

Sat/Sun trial Results

On Saturday I went to the trial hosted by Lynne Green, called Kirchgessner. We didn't fare so well so went home and licked our wounds. The Open outrun was tough, over a hill that a lot of the dogs crossed. at least my dogs didn't do that. They just refused to listen to my commands for the dog-leg fetch.  The first leg was do-able and the cross drive was long and at the panels, the sheep would dart down to the woods or go low. Mine went low. Over a hill which you couldn't see the sheep to the shedding ring for a shed then pen.  Nan ran out nicely, had a spectacular straight fetch, a start of a nice drive, missed panels and off for a bit. She was way too pushy and I would get her to slow down but she would leap with great enthusiasm, which caused the four lambs to bolt. We did get the shed and at the pen as they were going in, they darted past the mouth but she got them back and tucked them in. The lack of dog leg fetch and sport drive cost us. Maid ran out well, had a nice lift and fetch like Nan, and a better drive. At the last leg, one lamb was slow to cross the ditch so she assisted it with her teeth for a DQ. I made a point of going slow and quiet and she did not have any tension but really wanted that lamb to show it had fine jumping skills. It did by the way. I scolded her and she got the point. Rainey ran out the best of the dogs, went deep and she sheep broke to the wood. She was slow to cover and went into the woods to get them. I gave her a few flanks and waited. She came out of the woods with her sheep and got them back at line at the last third. They were leaning on her. She turned them smartly around the  post and had her eye on them for the quick turn, when she didn't see the ditch and fell head over heels in the ditch. She had a huge somersault, flipped her head and I was stunned. I was ready to leave to help her but she didn't break a stride and did the turn. But it might have taken the wind out of her, I don't know as she drive she was very cautious. Her eye got her stuck and we DQ on lack of progress. The lambs challenged her and she was very cautious about leaning on them.  I wasn't very happy with my dogs so did some deep thinking about them overnight. I don't have the scores but we sucked.

 

It was her birthday so we stopped at Del's on the way home and she got a huge toy, smoked bone and treats. She got tons of extra goodies with dinner and spoiled more than normal. (I know, hard to believe). I gave her a massage on her neck and you could tell it was very sore.

 

Sunday, I went to Judy's trial, Rocky Ewe. I had forgotten that I had entered Sava so we brought her as well. . I had Rainey, Maid and Nan in Open and Sava in PN.

 

Judy had her light hair sheep and for Open we had four. A standard run with the pen and shed at the end.  Nan was the first and she ran out well, had a nice lift and fast fetch but I got her to slow down at the last part. She had a nice drive but at the last part of the crossdrive, she wouldn't release the pressure so I made her and the sheep drifted low. I made her listen and give me the big come-bye and we missed the panel but I got her to give to me. She tucked them into the pen and I called her into the shed but she didn't come in. I did it a second time and she didn't come in so we timed out. These sheep are very hard to shed and doing it twice was like having two days of sun in Seattle...pretty darn hard. She is usually a great shedder so I don't know why she didn't come in.

 

Maid was the second dog to go and her outrun was nice, the lift was off and she pushed the sheep way to the right and headed them. I left the post and made this a training run. This is the Winter training series and so we trained on her listening skills. Nice rest of the ftech, tidy turn and start of a nice drive then at the first panels, she thought she knew what the line was. So we had a "stop until I tell you to move" talk and it continue the rest of the drive. She wanted to make her own line so I made her listen to me, stop, flank and slow down. Then we put the sheep away. I paid for a non-compete training run so she did another Open run. I stopped her twice on the outrun, reflanked her and she was brillant. Then her training wheels fell off as she pushed the sheep offline and to the bushes and tried to head then again. I whistled her down and began to walk to her and she decided that listening to me would be a wise idea. She did a far better drive and every time she thought she had her own line, she got a correction then put the sheep on my line. It was a far better run and much smoother. She shed like a pro within seconds of entering the ring. There were four sheds in the Open runs (not counting hers or Rainey which timed out). The judge was impressed on how much better her second run was and how we were teaming much better. For the rest of the winter training trials, I am going to leave the post to make a point with her if needed. She gets into a "zone" and tunes me out but this last training runs, I was part of her equation. One time, a ewe turned on her and she normally would grip it take it for a ride, but she heeded my down, stopped and the ewe went to her buddies and we finished the drive. That was a big step in our teaming. This is where she loses her temper if a ewe challenges her. Even though we didn't place, I was far happier with her work. She is not an easy dog to run but we are fitting the puzzle piece together. She wants hard to please me and after this run, she was happy and quite proud of herself.

Rainey went out deep, and cast out nice behind her sheep. She was slow to lift but took them nicely down the field at a slow trot. She just skimmed the panels and I tried to push them back but she would unwind. But she had pretty much had them mostly online. Nice turn and for most of the first leg she was doing fine. The first leg was extra long and at the last part she struggled. I flanked her back and forth and she scraped them by on the inside. A little off on the crossdrive and then a little low on the second panels. It was a very long drive and missing the two panels cost us dearly. She tucked them into the pen and marched them into the shed ring, backing one ewe all the way into the ring. The ewe kept stomping at her and trying to charge but she held her ground. I called her in for the shed, the buzzer went off and she had a sweet shed, one of the best of the day but it didn't count. (we needed two more seconds) The ewes kept trying to break over her but she stood firm. I was a lot happpier with her run today than the day before. I will have to pick and choose her trials for her. She really enjoys the trials and is very obedient, which works in her favor. If she would have gotten the shed, she would have tied for 5th/6th. I was a lot happier with how the dogs ran today! I handled a lot better,  stopped them quicker and kept them slowed down more.

On PN, they moved everything in but it still was difficult. The crossdrive was long and the turn created a draw at the last leg. A lot of dogs had a wide last leg. You had five minutes. I had worked Sava about two weeks ago and I had no idea what to expect. Plus, she is in heat. She listened quite well and was on the muscle. If she would run like this all the time, I would pop her in Open. Her outrun was nice and deep and she looked at the untarped setout. A quick whistle got her going to the sheep and a pushy lift. Nice down the fetch with a little offline but not much. Nice turn and very dead on first leg. Just before the turn, she looked at me as it was at her comfort zone, so I gave her a walkup and she pushed them through. Nice crossdrive but at last moment the sheep tried to pull to the exhaust but she stopped them nicely and we missed the panel. The turn was wide and she put them back online halfway on the last leg. She popped the sheep in the pen like it was easy-peasy! I was so happy she won the class and did it with some push and no blonde moments.  

We left right after the PN class so didn't see the Ranch runs but the results are below.

USBCHA Nationals Sheepdog 2012 Finals DVD

Support the USBCHA by buying the DVD from the Finals. The USBCHA needs to sell 200 DVDs to break even. By helping you will able to see future webcasts. To me, this is well worth it. You get a copy of all the runs for your viewing pleasure. 

LINK

 

Remember the USBCHA needs to sell 200 DVDs to be able to afford future broadcast.  They will be available soon.

 

 

Skipton Dog Sale in the UK

Sometimes the very best costs a little more. In the case of this remarkable sheepdog, quite a lot more. Marchup Midge is the world’s most expensive sheepdog after she was sold at auction for £8,400. New owner Eddie Thornalley, 45, believes her impeccable breeding, work ethic and sweet nature make her worth every penny.
 

Top dog: Marchup Midge, an 18-month-old, has been sold for

more than £8,000 - a world record

 

Old and new: World Champion breeder Shaun Richards (left), from Lancashire,

with Midge's new owner Eddie Thornalley (right)

Midge will become his right-hand border collie, taking charge of a team of five dogs which look after his flock of 200 sheep in East Anglia.

 

‘She’s an incredible little thing. Intelligent and stylish and with great working ability,’ he said.

Last Friday’s sale in Skipton, North Yorkshire, beat the previous world record of £6,300 set at the same place last year.

Breeder Shaun Richards was thrilled with the price. ‘I have not had a drink in two-and-a-half years,’ he said. ‘I feel like having one now!’

In action: Midge does what she does best -

whipping the sheep into shape (above and below)

 

 

Well bred: Midge has incredible strength, speed and instinct from

 her world class sheepdog genes

 

Skills: Experts say there is a lack of well-trained sheepdogs,

which is why Midge was so expensive to buy

Midge is so valuable because she comes from a family of outstanding sheepdogs, has been trained by a former world champion breeder and has become well known for her speed and agility as well as her ice-cool temperament.

Also, a large drop in trainers means that getting a top class sheepdog is getting more and more difficult - and increasingly expensive.
 

Her price, reached at Skipton Auction, North Yorkshire, smashed the previous record of 6,000 guineas - £6,300 -also achieved at Skipton last year for 13-month-old Dewi Fan.

Midge’s sister Marchup Sam was sold by Mr Richards at Skipton’s summer working dogs sale in July this year for 5,000 guineas - £5,250 - at the time the second highest price in the world ever paid at an official sale.

 

Mr Thornalley has now bought three dogs from Mr Richards and his latest acquisition will be used primarily as a work dog, as well as being used in local nursery trials by Mr Thornalley, who is a member of the East Anglian Sheep Dog Society.

Previous record holder John Bell, who was also present at the sale, was among the first to congratulate Mr Richards on his success. 'Records are there to be broken,' he said.Sheepdog breeder Shaun Richards, who sold 18-month-old Marchup Midge, said he was 'gobsmacked' by the final price.

The 45-year-old said: 'She exceeded all expectations. When the money started to go up I was speechless.
 

In the family: Midge's siblings have

previously been sold for huge sums at auction

One man and his new dog: Marchup Midge and

 new owner Eddie Thornalley, who will be

taking her to her new home in Suffolk

 

'She’ll go into the sheep dog trialling world after this, where she will excel. She has a lovely temperament, she was like a pet but also one hell of a good sheepdog as well.

'I’m sad to see her her go but I do this for a living so I am also happy to see the amazing amount of money. I got my first dog when I was 12 so I have been doing this a long time.

 

'I’m topping sheepdog sales all over the country and I think that’s because I don’t trial them, just train then. I don’t keep the good ones for myself.'

 

Contract shepherd Eddie Thornalley, 45, who bought Marchup Midge, said: 'I’m very happy to have got her. I’ve had my eye on her since she was about 12 months old.

 

'She is very well bred with excellent workability, she’s absolutely fantastic.'
 

LINK TO ARTICLE

 

Operation Sheepdog Herding Store

Stephanie Summers owns Operation Sheepdog Herding, which is an online Sheepdog supply store. She has all sort of cool items. I was at her booth at LaCamas and snagged a couple of training flags, lanyard, shade cloth cooling blanket mat  and other items. She has a very nice store with many neat items.

 

Support your local Border Collie handler by going to her website and ordering some cool stuff. She has top quality items, many that I have never seen before. She will be at the USBCHA National Sheepdog Finals in Klamath Falls, Oregon so please stop by her booth. She is very friendly and I just really enjoyed talking to her.

 

So I figured since I had purchased some items, I should do a review on them.

 

The flag is much bigger than the old style which I have. It is much more visible to the dog. It doesn't sound scary when you hit it on the ground. I used it by waving it over my sheep's back to slow a young dog down. It worked quite well and it is one of my tools in my tool kit. As for the quality of the flag, it is well built and it can take some punishment. I got purple and pink. I guess I am a girly type. If you need a flag that will get the attention, this flag will do just fine. Oh, yes, I used to swat away flies and the wasps. it worked well for that. Using it on the husband would not be a good idea, though. 

 

 The lanyard that I got was a very soft, flexible kangaroo leather. Mine was two shades of pink. do you see a pattern yet? it hung nicely on my neck and did not scratch my neck like my horsehair lanyard does. it also had a cute, silver ring on it for decoration.  The lanyard below is similar to mine.

 

I finally found this silver shade cloth that I had been looking for my truck. I got the 6' x 6' size and will eventually get the large size. Note, that is not my dog in the photo. These shade cloths are light and can be tucked in any area in your truck or car. It will help keep the back of my truck cool in the summer. I am going to get a large size so I can hang it off my awning on the travel trailer.

I really love this cooling mat. You can wrap it around your dog after a hot work out and it cools them down quite a bit. She was out of the cooling wrap around blankets so I got the mat. From the website..."These dog cooling mats target heat stress by using evaporative cooling which in turn enhances the dog’s natural cooling process. These dog cooling beds will actively pull excess heat from the dog's body, which in turn, reduces distress from overheated dogs. Over time this moisture is released by evaporation, pulling heat from the body, while it provides a gentle cooling effect. The three-layer fabric design offers good and effective cooling relief to you or your best friend. The cooling dog bed is designed to be submerged into water for a few minutes, which it retains the optimum amount of water without any swelling or over saturation. There are absolutely no chemicals, ice packs, gels, or refrigeration required, just use plain water."

Note: this is not my dog but sure is a cute one!

 

 

Some how a  bully stick fell into my bag for Tess. I have no idea how that happened (cough, cough) but Tess loves them.

 

I didn't get this Tag but will be putting my order in at the USBCHA National Sheepdog Finals. This will fit over the Wolf Wear Leather collars. My dogs seem to lose their clipped on dog ID tags. The collars that I usually use has the brass plates on them but the collars they have on them have gems and heart instead. So getting this mini tag and slipping it on the collar is great. I am going to order extras to the other dogs as well as the LGDs.

 

This section would be fun for Janet Thorpe to look at since it has baby items. This is not may baby or her baby.  I love the quilt behind the baby too!

 

 

Anyways, mosey on over to Operation Sheepdog Herding at the Finals or visit the website. if you want something and she doesn't have it, drop her an email. She is open for suggestions and wants you to have a one stop cool shop for all of your herding needs. High quality items at a a good price owned by one of us.....what a great place! 

 

Rainey at Palm Cottage in ProNovice

DeltaBluez Rainey at Palm Cottage Sheepdog Trial. 

 

One thing about Rain is that is she is always looking for her sheep. Just five minutes before her run, she was sound asleep under my chair. I nudged her awake and asked her if she saw the sheep. She pointed her nose to the set out, looked at me and then went back to sleep. Apparently, she knew where they were and didn't want to expend any extra energy by being stressed before her run.

She was very cautious on her lift and it took a bit of coaxing to get her to come on. She was also slow on the last bit of her outrun and I had to work on her to move and not stop.

 

 Getting the panels was very tough.

Sometimes she surprises me with her willingness in a very tough situation. She is not the strongest dog but she is very willing to do what I ask of her. I have been working on her to be more forceful.

The sheep were tough. Over half of the Open dogs did not get a score. We ran on the same sheep. She kept them on a fast clip. They tried to break to the exhaust but she tucked them back in and they never tried that again.

Look at the happy face. She did all that I asked of her.

She loves to work.

Cute as a button.

At the pen. We almost had it but ran out of time. She got third out of 26 dogs.

 

The incredible Mr. Bob

Finally back to the regular scheduled programming. This is the rest of Bonnie Block's Bob run at Palm Cottage Sheepdog Trial. Bob is qualified for the 2012 USBCHA National Sheepdog Finals in Klamath Falls, Or.

One on the floor and three off the floor.

Looks like he is jumping!

Turning the post.

 

Walk up!

Isn't he a lovely dog!

Bob's sheep are going where he tells him!

At the pen.

 

Good job, Mr Bob!

 

 

Palm Cottage - Part Two

Some more scenic photos from Laura Vishoot and Steve Shodin's wonderful farm. These are from the Palm Cottage Sheepdog Trial.

I love this tree in the back ground. 

The players who are saying "Which way do we go?"

Sideline help.

The gate the dogs had to go through is in the middle of the field. Then they had to go up the bowl to get the sheep. It was very difficult as most dogs did not see the gate and crossed over. Some never did find the sheep. I was happy that my dogs found the sheep.

One ewe with an attitude at the handler's post.

Bees in the barn.

 

more photos tomorrow.....

 

 

Sheep

Some photos I took at the trials of some of the sheep. Now that I am home, I will get photos done from the June, July and August trials.

Palm Cottage Sheep. 

LaCamas Lamb. 

LaCamas Lambs.

Dances with Ewe

Gael at Palm Cottage. Owned by Kathleen. During the PN run, the ewe broke for it. Not a good idea. She decided that going back to her buddies was the better idea.

"You put your right foot out..."

"and your back feet up..."

Eweful Acres Sunday Open write up

Sunday's arlam rang and jolted me awake but I took my time getting up.  I ran Jude in the Nursery as it was the first class and we had a harder time but worked through it. Janet will post about him in her blog as he belongs to her. The weather was hit and miss but generally was cool, perfect for sheep work but horrible for summer.

The Open course was a dog leg to a big tree, around it then back cockeyed to the fetch panels, and the drive was left but as the sheep approached the panel, they went out of sight and you hoped when they came out of the gulley, they were on. You could see them for the turn but they disappeared for half of the drive and if your lines were right, they passed through the middle of the fetch panels. Then you had to push the stubborn sheep up a steep hill to the last panels, a tight turn and then to a chute. It had one wing and you had one shot at it and then into the ring for a single.

Bevis Jordan was still judging and it would be his last day, and the last part of the day would be the Double Lift, which were the top two teams from each day.  He did an excellent job again and was consistent all day.

Nan was my first dog and she ran out quickly and as she approached the top, I hit her with a log down so she stopped short. I walked her in for a point loss and I am sure she thought I was nuts but did it as the first dog leg was pretty much 90 degree away. She started them fine but the ewes began to trot down so a short come bye flank stopped that and cost us two points and she marched them to the tree and a very tight turn and when they got below the tree, they swung underneath it and then marched them down the line to my feet. We lost six for the bobble. She was on the muscle but had a fast but good turn, a slight wobble to the first panel, but made it through and she was really on the muscle then. I really had to rein her in but she marched them up the line, was a bit off and we didn’t march them through the fetch panels and lost time points here and there for the wobbles, for seven point loss. Her turn was fine and she marched them to the chute and I didn’t’ want to swung below the chute so I angled it so they would hit it dead on and turn inside as she was covering the backside. Nice in theory, but they jumped to one side, slithered by, I called her to cover to push them back but we missed it so had to go to the shed. The lower half of the ring was in direct line of the exhaust and if you tried to shed there, it would be fruitless as the sheep would run over your dog to the gate. I eased the ewes to the top side and set up the shed and the speed demon came in at the speed of light and soon, one surprised ewe was standing by herself. Nan and I have been really clicking the last two months since my heart surgeries and we just seem to be as one on the field. I am really enjoying running her, although most of the times, she is a powerhouse but has made realize what I desire in a trial dog. She seems to live to make me happy at trials and I swear he goal is to try to win for me. She was very pleased with herself after her run and soon, she got her belly rubs and words of happiness. After her run, she slept soundly next to me under the handler’s tent and she knew her job for the day was done!!

We had a short lunch break and back for the last half of Open. Maid ran second to last and she was wired. I think hearing me run other dogs made her antsy and she ran out all wired! I blew a hard down to stop her short and she sort of took it, got the lift to the side so I could start the dog leg drive then she decided that I was in the wrong and refused to listen to my big come bye flanks but gave me a bunch of short ones. I went to voice and drew out the “Cooooooommmmmmeee Bye” but to no avail and we missed the tree panel but I got the sheep near the base of the tree for the last half of the fetch. However, she did listen although a bit on the muscle. Nice turn and we got smoothed out on the drive, hit the panels and I gave her a come bye to start the drive. Her line and my line were obviously not in synch as she came out high out of the hollow and I had to scold her to stop and listen. I couldn’t get her to release to make the cross drive panel so we missed them. She was very pliable on the last leg, aside from her taking one wrong flank. I lined up the sheep better this time and missed one sneaky ewe. She trotted them smartly to shed ring but was tight as she prepared them to single so I shouted her out and the release of pressure settled the ewes in the upper part of the ring, and she came in crisp for a tidy shed. This run was one of the worse one we had in a long time so we will be working on communication and releasing the pressure as well as her trusting me. In time, we will have this to be a non-issue as the other components, we are tight as a team. I only had her for seven months and three of those months I was out for surgery or out of town for work, so in reality, I only have been working with her for three to four months. We are so close and soon we will be really clicking as a team. I enjoy running her as she does try hard for me and is a great dog that I adore.

I am really enjoying running my two Open dogs. They are powerhouses and made me step up on my handling skills and showing that the last cross drive panel is an area, that I need to figure out what I am doing wrong. Our shed and singles have been tough but doable and the outwork on my part, is mainly slowing them down, once they get a line. On the drives, I try only to give steadies and flanks only if needed, so setting up the line properly at first is key. Once I get the line at the post turn, it is mostly steady commands and using a lot less commands than before. Both girls have been very patient with me and very soft sometimes to run. People have commented since my heart surgeries that my whistles are a lot clearer and stronger (which makes me even appreciate my dogs more when they ran well when my whistles were horrible prior to the surgery). Handlers also commented how much more improved my handling has gotten, which is true since my heart rate and blood pressure were doubled! I have a lot more energy too!

After Maid’s run, I packed up my trailer as it was a long drive home on a Sunday evening and I was very tired form running three dogs and lack of sleep from the low battery incident. I got caught in a traffic jam but got home at a decent hour. Getty unpacked the trailer while I sat on the couch for a few minutes and next thing I knew, I was dead asleep at 8:00. He woke me up for dinner but I was too tired to eat. I was glad that I left when I did as if I had waited longer, I would be too tired to drive. I still have some limitations so have to be aware and getting too tired was one of them I felt bad that I could stay to help with the Double Lift but that would have put me over the edge.

It was a fantastic but tough trail hosted by George and Sue MacDonald. The field may not be huge but the layout is challenging and will humble the best handlers. The potluck is superb and the comrade is great.

Thirteen years ago, I stepped out on this field running Tess in Novice with Scott Glen as the judge. Sue convinced me to take a lesson from Scott the day prior and I realized that I was nowhere ready to run. My two runs, I retired Tess but I was hooked on trials. Over the course of that summer, Sue took me under her wing, taught me the basics, was my local mentor and got me hooked. Scott kept in touch with me and loved how Tess worked so she went to him for winter training. I owe my success to Sue/George and Scott and want to thank them for all they have done. This trial is my favorite trial and will always have a special spot in my heart. Thanks for being my friend and believing in me.

Eweful Acres Saturday Open runs write up

Normally this trial is hot and a slight breeze and the tank tops and shorts are out in full force, but alas, this time, full raingear was out and hot coffee was the drink de jour. I was decked out in my rain gear all weekend and drank more than my fair share of tea and coffee. I pulled in on Thursday and Sue backed my  trailer in for me. I can’t back my trailer at all so now Sue just backs it in for me. She takes about 32 seconds and has it lined up perfectly. I practiced one day at my place and thirty minutes later, almost hit the side of my barn and dented my pond pasture fence. I will admit there are some things you are good at and some things you just plain suck at…and this is one of them!

I already wrote about Friday’s runs. I was disappointed on Rainey lack of push but her shining moment was when the sheep stalled, she stepped forward, gripped on the ass and they did move for a bit. It was a good butt grip, swift and made a point but the sheep stalled on the crossdrive and time ran out. I am going to keep working with her and hope I can get more push on her but she is a fantastic farm dog otherwise. Rain is Getty’s pride and joy and she loves to go to the post with me.

Kathleen stayed in my trailer so it was good to have company. However, she probably wasn’t too happy when the low battery alarm went off around 4:30 in the morning.  I leaped out of bed and tried to figure it out but to no avail. I had everything turned off aside the fridge, which was on propane. I had to flip a light switch on to stop the screeching. By the time I got back to bed, I was too wired to sleep and since the handler meeting was at 6:45 am, no sense in trying to sleep for an hour or so.

The course was a standard fetch,  right hand drive, then a single from the three sheep, a pen and then a single of the one marked sheep. There were two ewes and a lamb and they were sly sheep. They showed no mercy and if your dog was weak, they ran off merrily and if your dog was strong, they stuck together like glue. The marked shed was the bane of many of the handler and maybe only half a dozen did it from the 5o or so dog that ran.

Bevis Jordan had judged the last weekend trials on the light hair sheep and this weekend it was on tough, wily Scottish Blackfaces that refused to move if the dog was weak or took advantage and ran like deer. The sheep from last weekend and this weekend were polar opposites and Bevis judged them properly for each style. The draws changed and he judged according to them too. The handler that I talked to really enjoyed his excellent judging and we hope he returns again. He is very approachable and enjoyable to talk to on any subject, be it be dogs or clothing fashion designs. (His son is a menswear designer for Ralph Lauren in New York
He manages over 1400 Swaledales and over 125 cattle back in the UK and has ten working Border Collies. He is well noted for his black and tan dogs and is a very good hand. We were surprised to hear he manages the http://www.colliedog.net/index.php .  He laughed as he told us that he was "modern", while standing in his overall and workman cap! I would highly recommend Bevis if you are looking for a overseas judge.

Maid ran out clean and it was joyful to see such a wonderful partner.  She had a perfect outrun and lift and only lost three on her fetch, a slight wobble coming down the hill. A very tight turn and held the first leg like a champion. On the crossdrive at about halfway we were too low so I adjust but then we swung low again and missed the panel, I gave her an away flank,  she promptly overflanked,  pushed them through the panel backwards and we finally got them back online to the shed ring. Oh, that cost us dearly and it will be an area, we will work on in the next few weeks. In the  ring, I settled the sheep as they were looking to escape and I used that to my advantage and she came in for a perfect shed. She quickly gathered them and put them in the pen with no fuss. We were tight on time and as we were getting them ready for entry into the ring, the buzzer went off. Aside from the second drive panel miscommunication, I was very happy with her. She was quite please with herself and bounced up and down, her eyes gleaming with pride. The drive cost us 19 points in an otherwise flawless run.

Nan ran later in the day and sheep were quite heavy. Nan can lose her temper on heavy sheep and will slung one around if they don’t move quickly enough but I have been working on her to push than grip.

I stood in stunned silence as she ran up, checked for the sheep and kept a wonderful outrun,. She stopped quietly behind the sheep, took her time in lifting them, and softly worked them down the field. I held her tightly, not letting her run up their hind ends and she got the edge of the bubble and it began to click. She had a quick, tight turn and lined them up for the drive.  The drive was nice and again, I missed that crossdrive panel and it cost us ten points of the miss and offline. She came into the rig hot and wired and it took me a bit to settled her down and come in close. We got the shed and it was tough but she put the sheep back together quite well and marched them into the pen. As we were going to the ring for the marked shed, I saw I had an old gray-back ewe that had been the ringleader throughout the course. She stuck in the middle and knew I was eying her. The ole Scottie ewe had been through many a run and wasn’t going to give up easily. I slowly worked her to the edge of the ring, managed to get her in the front and called Nan in for the single. Nan came in like a bolt of lightning and before the ewe could blink, she was split from her buddies and she shot away from Nan and we got a two point loss. I was ecstatic on her performance and how we have been clicking on the field. The last few months,  we have just seems to be in rhythm and working as one unit.  Nan placed 6^th in the end of the day, with most of her point loss from the drive.  She was very tired after her run and we went back to the trailer and had a quiet hour, just sitting and enjoying each other. She laid down so I could rub her belly and soon she was in deep slumber. I am so grateful that I have two such talent Open dogs and now my goal is to fix that section of the cross drive that has been our nemesis.

The famed potluck was that night. I made a Asian coconut chicken salad with sesame dressing. It had almonds, cheese, fruit, dried cherries and other goodies in it. Each year, I make some type of Asian salad with meat and invent it each year.  Ron, the chef who has been cooking for many year, grilled pork roast and it was juicy and full of flavor.  There was fresh clam and oysters, hot off the grill, slathered in butter and they just melted in your mouth. I had seconds. Everyone made some dish and the dessert table was bending under the weight of so many desserts. By the time dinner was over, I was quite full and was very content. It was raining all day so I didn’t even pull my camera out to take photos so shame on me!

The WASH (Washington Association of Stockdog Handlers) had their annual meeting and award presentation. Rainy got second overall of the ProNovice Dog of the year and got a lovely picture frame award and lanyard. I was quit stunned and happy as one year ago, she could even finish a course. She won a few PN trials and placed highly in the others. She was very slow to mature and I am happy that she has come this far, and even thought she may never be a top Open dog, she tries her hardest. She also has taught me to grow a dog to their potential. It has been a hard journey but to see the try in her eyes, is well worth it.

Vicki Romero got the “Mary Ann Lindsey Award” for the year. She has rescued over 100 Border Collies and is an wonderful ambassador for the breed. Congratulation to an person who is well deserving of the award.

The raffle was after dinner and I put my 6^th place earning back into the tickets. I got the coveted wines that Fran brings each year. Plus these two cool sheep statures and other fun stuff.

Soon it was time to go to bed. We were very exhausted and sleep came quickly

Tomorrow: Sunday runs.