Sheepdog News

Where's Bev?She is AWOL.

Meanwhile, I busied myself with outrun assurances this morning.Monty is my man.Great outruns in both directions.Good Boy.

Before daybreak I organized my camper, stashing my dog food, loading up on drugs (who wants to be sick in the United States?), removing junk that has accrued over many years of long road trips, loading enough chairs for squatters and road companions, who will show up in the next six weeks.

I now eat tomatoes for breakfast and supper, not lunch.Every possible colour, black, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow, bi-coloured.  Tomatoes are a triumph.I plan all year for a personal tomato fest.I get seed in January, get them started at the end of February, and then get down to the real work, the balance of the year.  Forty-five plants.Thirty different types.They have only been ready for a week or so, and then I leave, just to have Bev Lambert sock it to me deep in the west.My mother says I am crazy, and she's right.She says I should quit 'cause I'm no good.Wasting my life trying to pen five of the world's stupidest creatures.

Monty was the star this morning.  We went to a field in which we had not back-and-forthed for months.It is a hilly place so that the sheep are out of sight for part of the outrun.Dogs develop confidence in such situations.They have to trust that the sheep will be there, as promised by their hand, even if they do go out of sight.

Monty has been a tight outrunner.While I confess this is undesirable, I also know his breed wellenough to believe that  that he would widen himself out with no particular help from me, as he grew up.Why make a federal case out of something that would resolve itself?He is one and a half.Today his tightness annoyed me, and I asked him to get out.The request confused him, but what did not confuse him was not allowing him to have his sheep when he went wrong.We worked things out with redirects once, I put him up and ran the other dogs.Giving him a break.I sent him again a half hour later, and he went out beautifully.I think this is the beginning of a proper outrunner.A young dog, opening a new door for himself is a beautiful thing.

The other dogs ran like tops, Ethel a little slow.Sandra is taking her jogging today and for a bike ride.She has a new personal trainer.Every dog needs one.

My travelling companion is having second thoughts.She has never seen Canada before.What can she be thinking of?That is a drive of a lifetime.I hope I don't have to do it too many more in my lifetime.

We mounted up the cobs and tried the young dogs picking off horses today.They were all fine.The outrunning was first class from all of them and they each showed a nice feel for their sheep, smooth, straight lifts.I am always made nervous when I am optimistic.Pre trial sentiments are better verging on suicidal.It is Monday and I have to go to work, testing the hearts of Canada.

I am taking my truck in for a vetting– brakes, sticky gas peddle, a fill up.My camper needs batteries in its various nooks and crannies, nine volts and triple A's.I am leaving on Sunday night.Sandra Massie, my Kiwi friend, is riding with me.We will not be driving by any of my regular shopping holes so I am trying to girl scout up and be prepared.There could be any kind of weather over the next six weeks.So many details, with less and less time.It is far too hot to run dogs tonight.They can go swimming instead.Too darn hot

I should have left Bud and Sarah's yesterday while I was ahead. Went out for one last session this morning before leaving. Hopeless. Hemp was back to his short outrun and Mirk was running too wide at my feet. Tried them both multiple times and finally decided I was in Mirk's case making a big issue out of a small problem. Hemp is more of a puzzle. He has a good big outrun so I just need to help him remember where he put it. Esther continues to exceed my expectations.

The dot on the horizon is Bud setting on horseback.

Esther and Mirk at the Boudreau's

Got all packed up and found the tire low on air again. I blew it back up, said my good byes and hit the road around 8:30. Needless to say, it being Sunday, no tire stores were open. An hour south of Bowman, North Dakota my luck ran out and the tire blew out. I pulled into a ranch road and got out to check the damage. Fortunately, someone flagged me down as soon as it blew, so no rim damage. I think. Also only a small crack on the plastic fender. I had just knelt down to start trying to get the spare out from its holder under the trailer when two trucks pulled over. Two wonderful guys came over complete with jacks and tools. It was like the Daytona 500, how fast they had that tire changed and me back on the road. There I was thinking I  had been unlucky and just the opposite. I made my lunch date with Joni Swanke in Bowman with time to spare.

Joni Swanke's house

Joni and I had a nice trip through her kennel and I got to see not only her new pups but also her nursery dogs and next year prospects. Then off to her practice field. Joni and I traded some out runs with her two nursery dogs and Esther. Then Joni kindly held some sheep out about 500 yards so Hemp could once again fail to get out to his sheep. I sure can't figure out what's going on with him, but I hope he gets it out of his system before our next trial.

Practicing at Joni's

Tomorrow I will try and get a replacement tire and finish my drive up to Stormy's. Guess we'll need to work the dogs a bit in the morning before I leave. Sure am glad my tire blew out.

No need to eat out the heart when tomatoes will do.  Persimmon, Green Giant, 1884, Homer Fyke’s orange heart, bocconcini,  basil, new garlic, delicious.  Every flavour has intensified in the first heat of the summer. 

I am glad I am not on the road in South Dakota.  But I’ll probably be beaten by Bev all the way around.   We tried double lift this morning, doing a silly risky thing.  This is winter training and has no place in summer work: dogs can learn to anticipate a go back and jump the gun.  What a vexation to see a perfectly good fetch go to pot with a dog going back not asked.  Ooooph.  Still Kate and I, trying to take stock of our dogs’ skills, went for it.  Leslie Gamble came early to help, but we had to wait for fog to lift.  She is not an early riser, just self sacrificial.  Both Salt and Roz did finally get back, but not before serious damage would have been done to their scores.  Kate is running Salt in the open Finals.  I am only running Roz in nursery.  What was I doing with double gathers.  She does regular ones fine.  I was checking to see if I could run her in the Open Finals.  Probably not.

The other dogs ran out well.  Monty even made it out without a redirect.  It was too hot to do more.  Too darn hot.  Too darn hot.

All is well with the world. Got up this morning and it was about 60 degrees and a lovely little wind keeping the mosquitoes at bay. Bud had offered to spot sheep on horseback for Hemp. See if it helped him find his way. So I walked out to the far side of the ranch and Bud rode up on one of the many hills, about 600 yards away (in yet a new direction for us) with four sheep. Bingo. Hemp was dead on after going over about three hills–he came up right behind them. That was a relief. Sent Mirk and he nailed it, too. There is hope for us yet.

Then I brought the sheep in to about 400 yards and sent Esther. I can see her brain growing every time I send her out. She handled the extra 100 yards no problem on both the outrun and the fetch. Took every flank and stop whistle just right. She is still a bit flanky when she picks up the sheep and a bit hasty on the top, but she has improved so much in just two days that I can hardly wait to see where she will be at the end of this trip. I think she may at least give her sister, Roz, a little competition at the nursery finals.  Keep Amanda on her toes.

Bud has brought in a bunch of sheep for me to do some more work on, so I'm off to the field for another lovely day. I leave for Stormy and Pat Winters tomorrow, so I will up load the photos on my way. Eat your hearts out, all you dog trial fans. This is truly the perfect place to train dogs, good company, good sheep, and great ground and weather.

Saturday.   No office.  I trained my dogs today.   After Kingston Trials, I run on lambs.  The training on them is the best since they are so unpredictable, naive, kamikaze,    They will hurl themselves into the air, or try red rover on the dogs, or just be indecisive, so that the dogs say jeesh and expect the unexpected.  They are completely unwilling to pen, which makes them pen training perfection.  They respond to a shed with shocked anxiety, the perfect tool for teaching a dog to cope with an ovine psychopath.  I love training on lambs, much more than their worldly mothers.

The summer has been so wet, I have not had off the hay and therefore, no big outruns.  While no outruns is OK for seasoned dogs, the dearth is hard on the young ones.  Monty could hardly believe there were sheep five hundred yards away.  He went for them with redirects rewarding his casts.  He will be setting his sights further after this morning.  His pliability in his fetch is sound.   I love running good young dogs in the morning.  Everything seems so possible when you do.

Kate Broadbent spotted for me and I held for her.  She ran Salty and I ran all mine   Roz and Clive are running well.  But I put Bart and Ethel on Previcox today to see them through the next six weeks.  Her old bones seem achy;  his back is a chronic problem.  An anti-inflammatory might give them a lift.  If it does not, I have to consider running another.

Yesterday

Got up this morning to a nearly flat tire on the camper. I blew it up with my handy-dandy little compressor. Stopped several times during the day to check the air and it seems to be holding. I wonder where the air goes?

Really hot out here, almost 100 degrees driving through Minnesota and South Dakota. I arrived at the Boudreau's at about 5:00. 95 degrees, but just as beautiful as ever. They have had a ton of rain after a big snow cover, so the grass and sweet clover are really green and tall. The sweet clover is almost waist high. A big change from the first year I came here during the drought and the grass was all dead and about two inches tall. Got the camper set up and did a little visiting. Nice to get where you're going and to see old friends again.

Today

Bud is a real early riser, so by the time I got up at 6:00 he was out on his young filly and had most of his dogs worked. I got to see several nice youngsters though. Tried to take one home with me, but no luck. He has three under a year and they all look quite nice.

Took my guys and six sheep out to the north side of the ranch buildings. Drove the sheep out about 600  yards with Mirk and then sent Hemp after them. Clueless. He ended up about 1000 yards away on the south side of the ranch. After four outruns he finally managed to find the sheep. Fortunately, there is plenty of water in the pond so I could cool him off after each of his stupid outruns. Poor guy, between the hills and the tall grass and a poor sense of direction he was really struggling. Once he finally got the sheep I moved them over about 200 yards and sent Mirk. Much better. Then I worked Esther. Only sent her about 300 yards, which is plenty big for her level of training. No problem, found the sheep and brought them very well. Did a little driving and again tried to get her stopping a bit better. She sure can be stubborn.

Sheep wandered off, and I tried sending Hemp for them. They were about 600 yards off in a new direction. Lost again.  Poor Hemp, he likes a 300-yard outrun with a fence all the way around it. We'll have to get that fixed before Meeker or he'll never even get to the sheep.

Bud has a pasture full of sheep for me to practice on and 200 acres of beautiful outrun,s so I'm back out to work my dogs some more. I don't have phone service here. So I'm taking my photos, and I'll send them on to Heather when I have service and we can add them to the blog. Happily it has cooled off and clouded up, so I think I can get the dogs out several times today. This is sure dog training heaven.

I sure enjoy dog trialing out west, but I can't say that the trip does much for me.
I got a good walk in this morning with the dogs. Then I drove. Was quite warm so I couldn't really stop. Finally quit in Minnesota at another Walmart. I'm hold up now in my camper with the generator running my air conditioner. It's supposed to be 100 degrees in the Dakotas tomorrow so there's no hurry to get there.