Sat. in the sunshine

Pearse and the handsome Riel.
me and Blair
There were 3 of my dogs, 2 of Lynda's and 4 of Pam's running and playing.
Pam throwing the 'frisbee' lid from the water pail.
When we are all done....the pack gets to play.
The 'parking lot' up on a little ridge behind us.
Kristi and Lou bringing in a group to be changed out. The west side of the field is a fairly busy street so we often see cars stopping to watch us working our dogs.
These girls are finished for the day and relaxing in one of the holding paddocks.
It couldn't have been a nicer day.
Jana working Blair with back foot frozen in mid-air. LOL
Blair waiting his turn with foot frozen in mid-air.
Kristi and Lou at the bottom of the field.
Pearse and Cal at the top.
zoomed in on where we hang out waiting to take a turn.
the corner of the field and in the trees they keep a small flock of sheep with guardian llama.
Looking up from the driveway entrance about 400 yards to the treeline.
This is the lovely field on the Heritage farm that our friend Pam hauls her sheep to on occasion. We had quite a large group of us on Sat. about 8 of us. This farm is one of the oldest in Langley and was once home to the foxhounds of the Fraser Valley Hunt Club. Their kennel sits vacant now as does the carriage house which has been made into living quarters. The original 'mansion' is still in the family but the various outbuildings are rented. But everything is kept in it's original state and one can envision what it was once like 100 years ago. It is a beautiful setting and place that one can only dream about.

Weekend Trial Update

Here are some nice photos from the trial; all taken by Kathy Williams of Spring Photography - http://springphotography.ca/ Kelowna, BC. Posted with permission.
The sheep were a mix of Lee's and Holly's flock which sometimes allowed for better shedding ie; I got a shed with Blair both days. ;-) Diana Gauthier's dog getting a well deserved pat after a good run. Gayle Cochlan showing us all how to pen. Not sure whose dog is on the fetch but you can see it is a good one as the sheep are relaxed and walking.
The weather was 10 degrees colder than forecast with some rain for the novice classes on Friday. Lee's husband, Brian kept us well supplied with firewood as we huddled around their oil barrel stove. As you can see from Louanne's pix on her blog. New Kelpie handler, Jerry kept us well entertained with his great sense of humor; meaning he took some serious ribbing in good stride. And he kept the stove filled with wood! Margaret's husband, Tony cooked up an awesome handler's dinner on Sat. nite....wow what a feast! And plenty left over for those who stayed over on Sunday night and were graciously invited in to eat at Lee's house.
The trial was well run and organized as usual by Lee Lumb with help from Holly Bruner as course director to keep things going at a good clip. Lynn Scwheb as always kept the paperwork and scribes up to date. I was lucky to scribe for judge, Ian Zoerb for the first class on Friday - Pro/Novice. He was a great judge and very informative, telling how and why points were coming off. I learned a lot....which you would think would help my runs but alas, despite knowing how tough he was on correct lines....
My fears about Jayne not being ready for Nursery proved unfounded. She handled the much much bigger distance with little problem. Sadly despite everyone else reading that she desperately wanted to go right during our first run, I set her up left which resulted in a cross-over at my feet. Me bad. If not for that, she would have had a qualified run placing 3rd out of 15 dogs. Second day we also got around the course and penned our sheep but without as good a fetch and not enough points to make it into top 3. The third day things went downhill a little; outrun was beautiful and fetch was pushy at the top but we just couldn't get them lined out on the drive. So knowing we were out of the running, I retired rather than see things go from bad to worse. We ended on a positive note. So all in all, I am pretty thrilled with my little miss. I got to work her again on Monday(gorgeous warm sunny day) and got some tips from Lee that should help. If I can remember to use them!
My Open runs with Blair showed some pretty low scores. Unusual for him, he crossed over at the top on our first run. Otherwise he worked awesome for me; taking every little flank, every steady, had nice pace and feel. He worked like that both days so I can find nothing to complain about with where he is at right now. However he has much to complain about his handler. I allowed him to be offline from my inability to judge it. I would like to have a clinic or lesson with someone standing at my shoulder, telling me whenever I am offline. Or perhaps a zap collar might have better effects. It is pretty pathetic when the dog will take every little command you give him, but you don't do it because you don't see it. Or perhaps don't give it for fear of dog not taking it. Trust my dog is something I should be doing as well. However it was fun and I am loving working my dogs so that is what is most important.
The usuals placed at the top including some of those pesky Albertans. ;-) The judge commented on the high standard of work exhibited by the novice handlers and dogs.
So am off today to work my dogs at McLeods' and hopefully put some of what I learned into practice. We have a little arena trial coming up this Sunday at a 'new' facility so that should be fun. Weather supposed to co-operate. My lawn needs mowing.

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

Truck Broken :-(

Well that was a short trip! My truck started over heating a half hour from home. We limped into Chilliwack to a transmission shop. It will take them til 5p tomo. at the earliest to get it fixed so no early trip to Vernon. :-( Plus it will cost a fortune.... So I am back home in a PT Cruiser courtesy car. Good thing Owen isn't here as it was a squeeze getting 4 dogs squished into it. Blair curled up on the front seat while Dusty and Wyatt shared the back seat. Jayne ended up on the floor in the back I think.

Vernon here we come!

Didn't get any pictures on Sunday. It poured rain all day so everyone wussed out on working dogs. Then yesterday dawned beautiful sunny and warm. Gorgeous sunset last night. Would have taken a picture but too lazy to get camera back out of the trailer. Most everything is loaded up and ready to head north to Vernon for the trial next weekend. Just running the dogs this morning and stocking the fridge in the trailer then will be hitting the road. Hopefully no snow on the Coquillhalla and looking forward to nice dry weather all week in Coldstream. It will be fun to see Owen and access his progress as well as get Jayne out in a big field before the trial. Something like 17 Nursery dogs!!! So hoping we can fade into the pack. lol

Typical Spring day

Started off with rain then eased off to just cool and clouds. I wandered over to McLeods' and met Pearse Ward who was there to give his dogs some work. Very nice fellow, as imagined from his intelligent posts on the various BC boards. Has nice dogs too. ;-) Interesting round-a-bout trip he has made as he lives in Mn but was raised here in N.Vancouver. It will be nice to see him at a few of our upcoming BSDA trials in the next little while.
I just worked Blair for a bit today. He is doing so awesome at this close at hand work in their small field. One couldn't ask for anything more out of him. Now I can only hope to step up as a handler next weekend and be the handler this dog deserves.
I'll be heading up to Vernon on Tues. before the trial so offline all next week. Jayne is entered in Nursery......don't know what I am thinking...but it will at least confirm what I know as our weakness - needing to stretch out everything. Amazingly there are something like 17 entries in Nursery!! Almost unheard of for this part of the country....where it is tough to get 5 at most trials.
Will try to get some pix tomo. at the big field.

This week of working my dogs

No pix again. Worked them on Tues. and didn't want to get hate mail from Louanne and the other rabbletrash from the other side of the Rockies about our weather. LOL It was beautiful...shorts and Tshirt weather....work dogs then doze off while sitting in a lawn chair watching and visiting with the XXX+hospitality of Rose & Bruce. It is tough...feeling guilty keeping them away from chores etc....but was just too sweet...in the warm sunshine.
Anyway.....Jayne worked pretty good but we had to drill on the tight-come-by-along-fenceline. But after 4 times...she started getting the idea and listened to my 'Steady' command.
Today was a repeat except the weather was back to coolish and clouds.... But same drill was used again albeit in a different spot in the field. And she did some really really nice steady work on the lifts...fetches....close at hand which I dream will transfer to bigger distances next weekend in Nursery at Lee's trial.....hahaha. But all in all, I can finally say that we have made progress in the last year and we are building a tight close bond.
I worked Dusty last Tues. and as usualy he was Mr. Perfect on these familiar sheep. Then today was Blair's turn, so I got the whole 'group' from out of the back....and worked on shedding. I don't know if it was helpful for him, but I think it helped me....so probably a good thing no matter. LOL He did great; coming through about 20 sheep with very little 'hole' made and turning on the right ones....working them for a while.... Good stuff but still so 'artificial'. My dogs are so handicapped by not having real work.
Anyhow, the good news is that we hope to get out this weekend on 'Pam's big field' which will be a great work-up to the trial next weekend. I'll try to get some pix but it is supposed to rain all weekend...so....maybe.