Wednesday Update

We're having gorgeous weather this week. I am sad to be sitting at home instead of working my dogs up in Vernon. But at least...got to work Blair & Jayne tonite at Pam's big field! Yay! Susan with Kyu and Lynda with Try & Lark came out as well. I sent Blair on a BIG outrun to the right first time and kept my whistle silent. Let him do all the work on his own.....nice job Mr. Wonderdog. lol Very happy with him at this point. Thinking and pacing himself, holding the pressure well...just plain good work for what anyone would expect on a farm. Second time, I sent him left...draw was to the right....and weird...he overflanked big time at the top. As if he didn't even see the sheep. I blew a stop and re-directed him back on an away, which he also over-flanked! Too strange. I asked Pam who was setting if she saw anything but no. However once he lifted, he had another real nice fetch. Beautiful. If only in a trial.....maybe I should just keep shut up when I run him in competetion as well as training? This is truly one dog that deserves a better handler. I am so in awe of him and so grateful that he came into my life. He has taught me SO much it is beyond description.
Being in the courtesy car, I could only fit two crates. So only other dog to come with tonite was Jayne. She was the main reason I went...had to see what she would do in a bigger space, sent on a proper Nursery-length outrun. I walked up the fetch line but she wasn't too bad. Did not take a real good steady coming around but hitched a little at balance. Then steadied up on her own on the fetch kinda nice. Can't expect more when we don't get to work in those bigger spaces. So I am more confident that perhaps I won't have to leave the post on Fri. at the lift. :-) She did some driving with lots more confidence = less looking back at me and going further. Takes her flanks like a champ - beautiful, giving, lots of distance. She is a little like a blend between Blair and Dusty. She has Dusty's clean flanks and gorgeous deep wide outrun but with Blair's BTTW speed and attitude. And I just love the way she looks at me like I am her GODDESS...the one who takes her to sheep...finally a big deep bond is happening between us. I am loving 99% of her off stock..everything except the yappy bouncing rabbit who is let out the door/kennel who can't contain her excitement with the thought of other kennel mates running into the yard. grrrr!
Didn't work Dusty tonite or enter him in the trial. Finances prevent taking the chance on him...just not worth it. But will still work and keep training him but have to pick/choose trials that I think will be successful for him...or too much for Jayne. Hopefully will give him another shot at the Crocker/MacDonalds' week. But our dollar sucks again and with the major truck repair bill....he may just get set out work. Martha keeps telling me that I just need to get into his head and impress my will upon him, that regardless of how worried he feels, he should do as he is told. Tough job for an overly careful-lacking confidence kinda boy. But we're chipping away.....building slowly. I absolutely love working with him so the trials are not so important. I know deep down about his value as a good working farm dog. Plus the bottom line in my house is that these dogs are my pets&companions first - they get to 'work' as much as I can provide but relatively pretty minimal compared to dogs who live on sheep farms. However they are pretty happy satisfied dogs at the end of the day.
Wish I could have taken pix tonite...it was pretty. But my camera is in my trailer sitting on the repair shop lot in Chilliwack.
Got the run orders and work shifts from Lee tonite: I get to scribe for all of the first P/N trial on Fri. Yay! Will hopefully learn some tips for Jayne's Nursery run. HUGE entry at this trial! Biggest in BC for sure and maybe some in Alberta....got entries from WA., AB and most everyone in BC. Almost 50 runs in Open, 14 in Nursery! Plus about 11 N/N runs and over 30 P/N runs. Needless to say we are starting at the crack of dawn each day!
Jayne runs mid-pack on Fri. Yay! But starts first on Sat. following Open....hmmm not sure about how that will go. But runs mid-pack again Sun. am so that is good. I don't know that they have ever had this many dogs entered in Nursery in BC? We won't be looking to win/place/show but just hoping not to look out of place at this point. Nice to have so many dogs...we can blend in and be forgetful. LOL