Sheepdog News

I had such a great day today. Beyond the usual fun of running dogs with friends I get to see too seldom was the delight of my nursery dog, Meg, having an "Ah Ha" epiphany. Meg has been a struggle for me. She is super keen and in her enthusiasm frequently forgets to listen or can't obey. I was hoping this trip would give her the experience and seasoning she so dreadfully needs. At 18 months she is still really young but I feel she can do much more than chase sheep. Today it all came together for her. She was great. Took every whistle perfectly and except for having no idea what sheep and a pen should have in common was a total delight. I feel like I just got a new dog.If you can't tell I'm really excited.

We started the day with open and ran about 45 open dogs. Five fresh sheep for each dog. The sheep are really fit but a very mixed bag of cheviot and Suffolk and whatever you might get by mixing the two. You for sure wanted to have the Suffolks when you got to the pen. Running was good all day as it never got hot and the BC smoke kept the sun away. Lee Lumb and Chica posted an early 89 which about mid way through Hemp and I tied. These scores stood until near the end when Scott Glen and last year's nursery champ, Don, scored a 93 for the win. Except for the variety provided by an occasional difficult cheviot the running was always good. The sheep were spotted on horseback by Chris Schmaltz, which was good, as the outrun was much the hardest part of the course. The dogs had to traverse several hills to find the sheep who were spotted in a lowish place on the face of a hill. Really tricky, confused a lot of dogs including my Nel who covered way too much ground and got herself lost before finally finding her sheep.

The Open was followed by nursery with nine dogs and very tough sledding as the dogs are young this time of the year. Meg ran great to win the class and my heart.

The PN is still running. This is a western Canadian version of PN. It's run on the same course as the nursery, sort of a US ranch class I think. The older dogs in this class are having a lot less trouble than the nursery did, but still plenty of wrecks mixed in, mostly caused by the shortened but still difficult outrun.

We do it all again tomorrow starting with the PN and running the classes backwards to finish with the open. The top 12 combined open scorers run in the double lift final on Sunday. There were 12 scores over 80 today so we will need to pay attention to the details tomorrow if we are to make the finals.

I am getting ready to leave in under a week.

I hardly have time to catch up after the Kingston trials and I have a big road trip trip.  My camper still needs some maintenance.  My ram lambs, who I had hoped to ship this weekend have a health issue, likely of the coccidial nature, and I will have to nurse them or rather my farm sitter will.

Doug tells me that Bev forgot her Ipad and cannot blog. I feel I could write the blog for her.  "Hours of training on nine hundred yard outruns.  Stormy is spotting sheep for me.  Mirk was a dream.  Nell pretended she didn't know where the sheep were, but I helped her figure it out.  She won't make that mistake again.Hemp has been whimpering about going home to Doug, but I told him his ever getting home to Doug hinged on his good performance at EID, Soldier Hollow and Meeker.  Bring home the bacon or get strangely lost on the prairies."

While Bev is busy schooling her dogs, I am roasting tomatoes and testing the hearts of Canada.  I will never beat her now. 

You are all so sweet to want the BLOG again. So here it is back by popular demand.
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rnI’m currently at Brooks, Alberta waiting for the EID trial to beginrntomorrow. I left home on last Saturday morning and drove 2200 miles tornStormy Winters ranch in Nevile, Saskatchewan
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rnI arrived on Monday evening. As always the Winters were all hospitalityrnwith Stormy providing hundreds of acres and tons if sheep. Pat providedrnthe gourmet meals. What a deal.
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rnWe worked dogs every morning and evening. Great weather, cool days andrncold nights, especially after the heat and humidity of the northeast.rnWe spent most of our efforts on our two young dogs, my Meg and Stormy’srnCraig. Happily they both looked better after our efforts, not great butrndefinitely better. How much better we will know tomorrow when they bothrnrun in the PN and Meg in the Nursery.
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rnIt’s hot and bright here but no humidity and a nice wind is making thernshade very pleasant. I’m sitting here now wasting time with friends.rnLife is good when you finally get where your going.

Dog trialing is over for this trip and so is the blog. I'm at Joni's house now. This morning we went to the wool yard and picked up 18 fresh training sheep and in an incredible act of generosity Joni let me work all the fresh out of them. I think it did all of my dogs a world of good and gave me some goodideas to try when I get home.

I worked on improving everyone's walk forward and keeping Nel in tighter contact on her flanks. I could see improvement in everyone. I wish I had about a month here.

I'm going to miss this wide vista and endless view. When the wind blows all the grass moves in different waves. It's very dramatic. I think I could live here. Which would be a big change for a forest dweller such as myself. It's very attractive. But of course it's summer and 70 degrees with a nice breeze and no humidity.What's not to like?

North Dakota sunset

I leave tomorrow to go back to Terri Warner's to do a clinic and then home for the summer. All my dogs now need tuning up and more training before the big fall trials. This trip has shown all of our strengths and our many weaknesses. I shall try to address them in the next few weeks. I am no further ahead in deciding which two dogs to keep for my open team. I wonder how that will turn out?

Big Sky country

So long readers. Thanks for your interest in my trip and the ongoing Amanda/Beverly rivalry.

A Prairie FIre plate was awarded to the top overall dog and hand at the Dakota trials.Prairie Fire is a hip pottery studio in Beach, North Dakota, on its western edge.The style is inspired by the surroundings.A very appropriate, unique,award for the top overall dog.An abstract glazing cashing in on the colours of the prairie, its fantastic shapes and movements.

On Saturday night at the Kerr ranch dinner, Jim Swift, approached me rubbing his hands together, slightly demonic, and inquired after a couple of my scores with Roz and Clive at the Slash J trial.His face showed a calculator and he announced that he had a two point edge on me with Roz.pirouetted, danced a gig, and did his best greedy laugh."We are in a horse race, Amanda."   Lotsa jokes ensued.He and Alison Holmes would sabotage my dogs.One or the other would be sure to spot my sheep.It was high sport."Ha ha ha."

On Sunday morning, Roz was poor.She had trouble getting in and out of the car.At six am, she had the runs.I gave her imodium.By nine she was no better.Still hunked up and sore.I gave her half a previcox, courtesy of my pal Beverly.By two or three in the afternoon, she had improved slightly, but was still wrong at the time I had to run her.I decided to try and see what happened.She ran half way out the nine hundred yards and stopped.This turn of events precipitated wild glee in the Jim Swift camp.He howled with joy and laughed himself silly.I could see the humour of it from his standpoint.He could see his home grown tomatoes on the plate.He could taste food rising from its beauty.He salivated through his giddiness.He had seen himself presenting it to his wife, triumphant, in Grand Junction , Colorado."Look Darling!"Prized Prairie Fire.

An hour or so later–his turn.His preoccupation with the flavours from the plate likely held back the redirect he should have blasted before his dog nearly crossed.Blinded by glory.Zac fumbled at the top and his lift was chaotic.  Sheep darted all over the fetch except through the fetch gates.I gave up watching, wondering what else could possibly go wrong.As I sauntered to the spectators area, he was at the pen.I heard a wild, desperate, slow moplea, from him,to look back."Loooooooook baaaaaaack!!!!"One of the sheep had the run on Zac to the exhaust.Zachad the second sheep by the cheek, at a high speed.He didn't hang on for long, because he dropped the sheep altogether and ran for the water, letting the three canter easily back to the exhaust.  Too hot to handle.Only fourteen seconds left.No score.

I  can think of a couple of runs I have found nearly as funny, but the moment of this one, I did not want to end.  I am still laughing about it.And at the time, I could not stop laughing when I crawled up off the ground.

Roz was likley ill from eating the fat at the concession trailer.She is OK now, but too late for her run.Clive couldn't catch Alison Holmes and Trip, who won the plate.I went to Beach, North Dakota (no white sand beaches, named for a man "Beach").  There were eccentric people there with little touches of love which is always good in a small town on the edge.  It was a quiet place but one assumes it roars when a train goes through.The guys in the feed store were attentive and curious.I bought a plate, cause I will never win one, and I am looking forward to serving home grown tomatoes to Jim Swift, when we meet again at Meeker, or Virginia.

Another lovely day of dog trialing. Perfect weather, less wind then yesterday. Sheep were better but still difficult especially at the fetch panel and pen, at least for me.

Both my dogs ran really well, pleasing me but failing to pen and not getting much score. Nel took too long to lift but then handled the sheep well. We missed the fetch and had a mediocre drive so I quit at the pen. Mirk had a good gather missing the fetch. A good drive and no pen. This hasn't been my most successful trial but it sure is a good one.

Herbert won the first go around with Juno and is in the lead again with an 87. We still have 13 dogs to run in the morning to finish the second trial before we run the nursery. Bud and Joni tied for second with Bud winning it.

Not much else to report. We ran dogs from 6:00 this morning until 8:00 tonight. I was assisting with the setout for the last few hours and our two riders, Mindy and Tom, are still cheerfully setting sheep for the fifth day. They are the ones that deserve a prize.

Amanda and Roz didn't get on well as Roz seems to be feeling unwell so Amanda retired. She runs Clive in the morning.

Long day makes a short blog. We were scheduled to start at 6:00 this morning but it took two riders, two people afoot and two on four wheelers almost two hours to move the sheep up the field and into the pen. Scary start to the trial.

Amanda and Clive started the trial with a nearly completed run and it went downhill from there until Herbert and Juno got a 83 for a great run. Their score still stands in spite of assaults from Joni and Bud who both got 73s with no pen or shed.

The sheep were frequently crazed as with the three poor Nel valiantly fought for 12 minutes, finally timing out at the pen. At least half the runners have lost the fight at the end of the fetch when the sheepwould break back toward their home ground and could not be stopped.There has been some great work today rewarded with no score.

Mirk did a great job but his sheep just couldn't be charmed and we timed out at the pen. Amanda and Roz had more luck finishing with a 64 currently in 4th place.

Because of our late start we stopped with dog 54 and will finish in the morning. Gloria and Harry Kerr, our wonderful hosts, had us all up to their home for dinner tonight. So we stopped running at 8:00 to give us a chance to enjoy their hospitality.

Handler dinner at Gloria and Harry Kerr's

Nel and I spent about three hours assisting with the setout. That hill got very tall. I sure admire Mindy and Tom, our two riders, who spent the whole day in the wind spotting sheep for us.

The day started hard.  Everyone assembled for a six o'clock start but it took two more hours to get the trial sheep into the holding pen.  I regretted not having a camera.  The sheep were on top of the gigantic bute a couple of times with several people climbing up on foot with dogs, atv's left at the bottom–too steep for motor vehicles.  They poured around making quite a spectacle disappearing and reappearing in the distance.  A long wait for me, the first dog up. Clive nearly crossed.  I hope he cuts that out as the season progresses.  He makes it the second day, but what good is that?  The rest of the run was hairy.  the sheep charged all over the place.

I have a theory about the range ewes and panels.  When they see trial panels, they assume them to be the edges of a cattle guard, and refuse to go through.  I missed them all.  Then by some miracle, I had a pretty good pen, with no time to shed.

Clive and I set out on horse back for a couple of tough hours.  There were so many places to run and only only place that was right to be put out.  Cowgirl.

Jim Swift had the beginning of civilized runs of the day.  He and Zac are locking horns with Roz and I for a plate awarded to the combined high point dog.  Swiftie is planning to sabotage my dogs tomorrow.  We better not let him do any set out. Herbert Holmes had the high score of the day, leading the trial with 83.

The running continued until eight, when Gloria and Harry Kerr, who host the trial, had a dinner for all the hands at their ranch house to finish off the evening.  Very kind hearted North Dakota hospitality.

Ten dogs remain to run tomorrow.

There was a slightly anticlimactic Ranch/Nursery today.  It was partly my fault.  I judged it and set the course.  The outrun was  too big for very consistent success so many runs did not get off the ground.  A few pens were completed but most ran out of time and there could have been an extra thirty seconds.  It seemed OK, and then it was disappointing.  The retrospectroscope is twenty twenty.  There were about forty dogs running.  Dennis Edwards carried the trial with a young dog he does not plan to take to the National Finals.  Shoot.  I see so many of those in California and here in the west.  They can't tell me anything about the trouble it takes to get to the Finals every year.

The nursery course

We went to tomorrow's trial field today to deliver some set out pen acoutrements and a few other appointments.  Everyone boasted about how wonderful the was.  It's all true.  It is a big one. Harry, whose place it is, has it all spruced up, lawns mowed, yard right.  The last of his 800 ewes are now lambing and a couple of hundred open ones are ladies in waiting for the big trial. Maybe I'm too dumb to be scared but I am thrilled to be first up with Clive, in whom I have a lot of confidence and I hope it is not misplaced.   The spotting will be done with horses so it really helps dogs locate sheep for the big outruns, seven hundred yards up the side of a grassy bute.  I have not done such a big outrun.  Maybe Bev will send you a picture.

A most amazing day. Gorgeous, perfect weather, sunny slight breeze to keep the mosquitoes at bay. Today we ran the Nursery and ranch. Nel and I spent about three hours spotting sheep at the beginning of the trial. Great experience for us both. Sure got Nel over her horse concerns. By the time we finished she was all but walking under Tom's very good-natured gelding.

I ran Meg in the Nursery. The course was basically the same as the open with a little modification to the drive and the outrun brought in to about 400 yards. We ran on four sheep and whether because of the extra sheep or the extra day of running they were little darlings.Perfect for the youngsters. Amanda judged.

This turned out to be too big a course for all but a very small number of the youngsters. Many never got out to the sheep at all and a good number of the ones that did lost control of themselves on the fetch.Dennis Edwards and Boone made it look very doable winning the class.

Meg made it look very hard. She again didn't finish her outrun stopping at 9:00. I don't know if this is the people or the horse or some horrible regression in our training. Since she doesn't really know her sides we never recovered from her off line lift. But she listened, stopping every time I told her to. She never lost her head and brought me the sheep like a good girl. We had a pretty good drive going but just as we got to the second drive she made a critical wrong guess on a flank command and we had a big miss. The pen was very ragged but we got them in the end. This was the first time she ever put sheep in a pen. I wonder if she learned anything. All of the effort garnered us a 43 and as it turned out 4th place and our first qualifying leg for the Nursery Finals since there were over 20 Nursery dogs running. Way to go Meg.

We finished running at about 1:00 and all packed up and drove the 20 miles to the Kerr Ranch for our next competition. This is easily one if the best trial fields I have ever seen. It'sbeautiful and really challenging. Because of the large entry this year the post has been moved up some reducing the outrun from last year's 900 yards to about 800 yards.

"The Big One". Setout is between the biggest hill and the little one just down from the horizon line.

I just got back from walking the dogs up one of the surrounding buttes. Great view of most of North Dakota. It's very scary walking dogs here. There are sheep turned out in the same thousand acre field as the campers. I'm scared to death one of my youngsters will get into the sheep and get us all thrown out of this dog trialer's paradise.

Rene Labrie in the blue explaining the course.

Handlers meeting at 6:00. We will be running late as there are almost 70 dogs and it's a 12 minute course. I suspect we will be running to a standard before the day is out.