LaCamas Sheepdog trial

I am playing catchup with my blog so the posts will be a lot shorter. I entered Maid and Nan in Open and Nikki in PN. But a few days before the trial, Nikki got a foot injury and had to be pulled. So Maid, Nan and Boldt went to the trial with me in the trailer. Boldt is the five month old pup from DeltaBluez Dan and out of Imp Sava. I brought him to get socialized and show him to Bob and Rochelle. Rochelle ended up getting him for herself and I think he will suit her as he is a wise old soul and wants to please but wont be pushed about. Super quick learner and after a day at the trial, was Mr. Social Butterfly.

Nan ran well but she struggled in trying to settle the lamb and would slice the bubble which cause them to bounce a bit on the drive. She could get the shed nor pen so we did poorly on the first run. Maid ran out nice and was decent on the fetch and my spirits began to lift up when one lamb who had been testing her, took a run for the judge's table where she gripped it in splendid style for a DQ. Sigh!

On the second run, Nan had nice outwork and only a 7 point loss drive, got the shed and was closing the gate when time ran out. She landed about 19th for that day's run and I was happy. Maid ran the next day and she had her listening hat on and tried to do right by me. Nice outwork and only lost 12 on the drive when I over flanked her to put the sheep for a pull through and got the shed and pen under a minute. Most people had a hard time getting the shed and the pen was all but hopeless but Maid showed her merit and did both in rapid fire. I was very  happy with her and she glowed with delight after her run. She placed 19th and would have gotten around 12th or so aside by bad error.

I took a ton of photos and will post them later.

Baa Ram Ewe

Vashon Island Sheepdog Trial

Again, I am weeks late and playing catch up so you are going to get a short version of this trial. Kathleen and I rented a quaint cottage on Vashon Island. It was two runs over three trials. I ran Nan and Nikki  on Day one, Maid on Day two and then all three on Day three. It was Nikki's first Open trial but I need to get her going as Nan is retiring. Nan ran first and ran out nice and had the sheep offline at the top but settled them down and listened on the way down. So our fetch points loss from the last trial was cut in half....homework does help. The drive was down a gully (blind) and the sheep appeared either online or offline at the mouth of the drive panel, then the crossdrive was half blind and up a hill to the panel. Then shed, pen and single. The drive was ok but I mishandled her on the crossdrive so the points loss were my fault and not her pushing hard. Then she came in like a Queen for the shed and got the pen but we ran ouf of time at the single. She had a good run, in spite of my mishandling and placed 7th out of 53 dogs. The course was hard and the lambs were the ones we used at LaCamas. Nikki ran out and crossed twice looking for the sheep BUT she stopped and looked back at me for help and took my whistles. And got her sheep offline and fast and I retired her on the first leg as she was spent. I was happy she tried to work for me and kept on trying when I whistled her out.

 

Maid ran out nice on the second day but was on the sheep behinds and forgot her downs. I was not pleased and it continued on the drive. She saw my scowl in the ring then quickly settled and had a nice shed and pen. She had an agenda and I wasn't on it. More homework for us. Nikki ran out like a seasoned Open dog, super sweet and wide and nice lift and offline fetch. I couldn't get her to hold the pressure on the fetch but a nice turn and super calm first leg of the drive until the sheep went into the gully and they came up on the inside of the panel. I tried to get Nikki to flank to break the plane but she wouldn't release so I called her off. I was happy with the progress we had made.

 

The third day was Nan and Maid.  Maid ran first and was on the muscle and we didn't connect. On the drive I began to get a hold of her and on the last leg in the blind gully she ran to the head and turned them back up the field and gripped on. I was walking but this time and she knew she was bad as she avoided me.....ok, seriously more homework and we did lot of it the next fee weeks.

 

I sent Nan in the different direction than I normally send her at this trial and she was looking too short so I gave her a couple of redirects. Nice lift and she listened on the fetch and got the panels and her drive was excellent, with a few bobbles on the crossdrive, thanks to yours truly. Sweet shed and pen and missed attempt on the single but she got it and she landed 8th place. too bad she is almost 12 and retiring as she is running brilliantly. Oh well, such is life so I need to work with Maid on partnering up and getting Nikki to fill Nan's shoes.

 

We caught the ferry in my new 2015 Subaru Forester and took a nap on the ferry ride. It was wonderful being rocked by the waves and the engine noise was a nice deep lullaby.

 

 

Ninety Farms Sheepdog trial

Well this trial is a toughie! Well known for a long outrun and a good portion of the outrun is blind. A road intersects the outrun so dogs will hit the road and go down it for a crossover. Then a tough fetch and a drive into the draw and a shed that is like buying the winning lotto ticket and pen.  Yep, pay your dues for a course that will test you. Tom Wilson was the able judge for the trial.

 

Nan ran well on the first day, a bit hard on the very light sheep and we got the shed and I cant remember if we got the pen and placed 6th out of 41 dogs with a score of 59. Every point earned the super hard way. Maid was sure the ewes were running away so stayed on their tails and was pushing too hard and even though we got a low score, no shed or pen, 32 still was in the upper half and of the dogs did not get a score.

 

On the second day, Maid ran ok but refused to flank on the drive so I called her off. She was very surprised but I wasn't going to let her do her own thing.  She had heard me as she started the flank then thought her flank was better and ignored my downs so that was the end for her. Nan ran out like she was on a mission and had one of the sweetest fetches of the trial and at the first drive panel had only lost three points so far. One ewe kept breaking off to the right and left and in the 90p plus degrees, I called it good for her and let the damm ewe run off for the fourth time.  No sense in overheating her when a ewe kept breaking away no matter what she did. She would cover the right side, the ewe would run to direction of the exhaust and when she cover the left side, the ewe would run off in the other direction. This ewe fought her down the fetch in trying to go back to the setout and she handled her well. As I walked off, Tom told me it was a beautiful run up to that point and she was looking good and fit for her age and ran well.

 

So to help deal with the light sheep (I have medium to heavy sheep) I went out and bought ten hair sheep and did tons of homework for the next trial.

Palm Cottage Sheepdog trial

I love the Palm Cottage Sheepdog trial held in mid July and I know this is weeks late. Fresh commercial ewes from a large flock that will test your handling style (or lack of) and your dog. The outrun, the dog has to go through a gate and do about a 525 uphill run, then take the ewe back through the gate, around the handler’s post posing as a palm tree, through panels, which the ewes had no intention of going through, pen them and again, the ewes didn’t punch their Union Card to do that and then lastly a shed which suddenly the ewes all became fast bosom buddies.  This would be my third year and Kathleen and I took the long hike down to Cottage Grove to be part of this spectacular trial.

You had to dress up in Hawaiian attire as well so we grabbed our bright shirt, packed the dogs into Kathleen new car and left on a Thursday late afternoon. She took Josh and Gael and I took Nan and Maid.  The first day, I gave them redirects to make sure they turned into the fence. Nan was leaning on her sheep and pushed them quickly through the course. We wobbled on the fetch and drive, like a drunken sailor but she made short work of the ewes in the shedding ring and we almost had the gate closed when time ran out. Maid ran the next day and she must have been talking to Nan as her fetch and drive were the same. However she got the shed and pen and held her side well.

On the third day (you got two runs over three trials), I didn't give either dog a redirect through the gate and they handled it brilliantly. Nan was better on the fetch and had a superb first leg when she was covering the heavy draw to the shade when at the last moment the sheep slipped to the other side of the panel and ran up the hill. It took us a bit for  her to caught up to the bolting ewes and our recovery took a bit so we got hit for that.  We ran out of time on the shed. Maid ran out well, then decided to push the sheep to the left and right and not hear me and as a result we ate out fetch points. I have no idea what happened. She was leaning on them and they were terrified of her so the drive was here and from but she made up for it in the shed and pen. She had to work to get them in the pen as she scared them so much. Of well, since both of my dogs did bad on the fetch and drive, it shows I need to work in that area.