Sheepdog News

BevLive: Welcome to the West!

Big excitement today. It rained in Wyoming. I'm not sure what was more exciting, driving down the Interstate at 65 mph and suddenly not being able to see twenty feet in front of me, or finally being in the "West." I think the latter. The rain passed in about ten minutes but I'm still out West.

What a long drive: 2200 miles. I arrived in northwest Colorado around 7:00 tonight. I'm camped in a little local park. It's quieter then Walmart, but much more difficult as they have a leash walking rule on the dogs. Hopeless. I'll drive out of town in the morning and walk them. Poor dears they must be as bored with all this as I am.

But tomorrow we begin on the payback. I called my Colorado friend to tell her Amanda Millikin, who is about eight hours behind me with her camper, and I will be there tomorrow. She assures me that her sheep are great and that the irrigation had been turned off and the field is dried out. I'll finally be able to work my dogs.

The good thing about three days of inactivity is that Mirk seems to have recovered from whatever was bothering his front leg. He looks completely sound now. Whew!

BevLive: a long, dull road

Boring. The trick to driving across the country is just doing it. That sounds easy, but it's very dull, and I find the temptation to stop can be nearly over whelming.

I stopped four times today for fuel. At over a hundred dollars a stop, that was plenty of entertainment. I also stopped twice to grab something to eat. But since it was in the upper 80s and lower 90s all day, I left the dogs in the truck with the air conditioning on and just grabbed some take away and ate while I drove.

The dogs got four 10-15 minute walks. That's it–the rest of the time we drove. I'm in York, Nebraska now at 11:00 pm. Another lovely Walmart. 

Doesn't look like I went anywhere today: same store as last night, same parking lot. I'm just $450 poorer for having run my truck all day.

Still, it was very uneventful which on a long drive is always the best scenario. I can also report that the only state that actually gives any value for the charge on their turnpike is Ohio. They have a good road, great places to stop and walk dogs, and some reasonable food at their service areas.

BevLive: on the road

Short message today. Left work about 1:00. Drove until a little after 11:00. Made it to 50 miles inside Ohio. Stopped at a lovely Walmart. 

Love sleeping there: much cleaner and quieter than truck stops, although that isn't any great praise. Still this one has a good place to walk the dogs, security cameras for my peace of mind, and is half a mile from the highway.

I'm walking the dogs now and will be back on the road by 7:30 . Best case scenario is a long, boring day with Iowa or Nebraska at the end of it

BevLive: Duck, Duck, Goose . . .

Left work at 5:00 and got to Denise Leonard's a little after 6:00. Denise kindly put three ducks in a 50' round pen for us, and I tried to get Hemp to work them. Since the round pen was in the middle of her field, which contained 5 or 6 sheep, we didn't have much success.  Hemp couldn't seem to see his way out of the duck pen and into the sheep field. But he sure tried to get to those sheep. I gave up on Hemp and went to his younger brother Huck (Huck and Hemp are the same way bred, out of my husband's bitch Emmy by my dog Bill).

Huck didn't like the duck thing either. But Denise worked the ducks up against the fence for me and I stood in the middle of them, calling to Huck just as I would if I were trying to get a puppy to work sheep for the first time. This worked the charm, and in a few minutes Huck was a duck dog. (See picture below.) Unfortunately (for the ducks!), they were pretty heavy, and Huck tried to get them to move along at a speed more appropriate for sheep. I didn't want to discourage Huck's newfound interest in duck herding, so I'm afraid the ducks got a bit of a workout.

Denise and I tried a couple more times with Hemp and got him to show some interest, but his heart was never really in the effort. So after about 45 minutes of "serious" duck work we called it a night and quit.

This morning I drove over to my friend Carol Campion's to drop off two dogs. One, a yet younger repeat of the breeding that produced Huck and Hemp, Devon, Carol is taking for a month of training. I have no round pen, and Devon is pretty much just chasing my sheep all over the field. Instead of getting after him, I decided to give him a month in Carol's round pen and then move him into my bigger field. He is quite promising looking, and I don't want to ruin his chances. The second dog, Esther, is going to spend a month with Sue Schoen. Sue owns a littermate to Esther and kindly offered to take care of her for a month and try her out and see what she thought of her prospects.

So back to the house, wash the last two dogs, load up the camper and here I am at work. I will leave around 2:00, and my next report will be from the road somewhere west of Connecticut..

BevLive: those little details . . .

The things I leave until the last minute and then have to rush to get done before I leave on one of these trips always surprise me. I sold all my wool sheep last year and didn't have a shearer in this year. As a result, I never got the extra hair off my guard dog, Lucy. It was okay last year but this has been a really wet year and the hair on her back and tail felted up to the point I worried about hot spots. I wanted to get the hair shorn off in time for it to grow back for winter. Which meant it needed to be done before I left for a month. So I spent about an hour last night following Lucy around with a leash and a pair of scissors. I got the worst of the hair off her, but she sure is a sight.

 

About three weeks ago some member of my pack bit Mirk on his front leg at the knee. He was on antibiotics and it seemed all better. Wouldn't you know this morning it’s a bit swollen again and he's pretty sore on it. Today's the last chance I have to work my dogs before I leave, but no work for Mirk.

Huck and Bill got a quick run through their paces, a gather and a little driving. I worked Hemp as well, as I'm taking them both up to Denise Leonard's farm after work tonight and Hemp needs to be worked on a pretty regular basis if he is to stop at all.

I entered Huck and Hemp in the duck trial at Soldier Hollow. Can't really remember now why I though this sounded like a good idea, but the deed is done. The only ducks they have ever seen were migrating south, so I figured I would take them to Denise's and make sure they both knew to work the ducks and didn't spend their runs looking for sheep. So Hemp and Huck got their pre-travel baths and are now sitting in my office at work.

I put Mirk back on antibiotics and soaked his leg for ten minutes this morning. He is restricted to quiet walking until our departure. He will have today and three days on the road to recover. Keep your fingers crossed. Mine sure are.

Kingston Sheepdog Trial (at Grass Creek Park) results

Date: August 5-10, 2008
Place: Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Open 1 (123 dogs)

1. BEVERLY LAMBERT / HEMP 89
2. AMANDA MILLIKEN / CLIVE 88
3 BARBARA RAY /  QUEEN 86
4. SALLY MOLLOY / PAIGE 83
5. AMANDA MILLIKEN / BART 81
6. CHUCK DEMIT / LUKE 81
7. BEVERLY LAMBERT / BILL 81
8. VIKI KIDD / CASH 80
9. DAWN BOYCE / JUNO 78
10. BEVERLY LAMBERT /  MIRK 78
11. BARBARA RAY /  BRITT 78
12. MARY THOMPSON / HAWK 78
13. DAVE YOUNG / PATCH 77
14. MARILYN TERPSTRA GIN / 77
15. BARB LEVINSON /  RYN 77
16. SUE SHOEN /  BROOK 76
17. CAROL GUY / ROY 75
18. AMANDA MILLIKEN /  ETHEL 74
19. GENE SHENINGER /  JESS 74
20. STEVE WETMORE / PACE 74
21. LINDA TESDAHL / PEG 72
22. MARIA MICK / DOC 72
23. NANCY STEPHENS /  JENN 70
24. GENE SHENINGER / DOT 70
25. MARY THOMPSON / HOLLY 70
26. KATE BROADBENT / SALTY 69
27. DAVE MURRAY / MOE 68
28. WENDY SCHMALTZ / GIN 68

Open 2  (123 dogs)

1. CRAIG ROGERS / BRIT 88
2. LINDA TESDAHL / RYAN 86
3. MARY THOMPSON /  HOLLY 84
4. WENDY SCHMALTZ /  GIN 83
5. GENE SHENINGER / JEN 82
6. AMANDA MILLIKEN / ETHEL 79
7. DAVE YOUNG /  PATCH 78
8. EMILY YAZWINSKI / MABEL 77
9. BARB LEVINSON / RYN 77
10. BEVERLY LAMBERT / BILL 75
11. CAROL GUY / PIPER 74
12. LINDA TESDAHL / PEG 74
13. KIM PURICH / JACK 74
14. WENDY VILLARREAL / BREEZY 74
15. LORNA SAVAGE / TRACE 74
16. BOB STEPHENS / RMS PAT 74
17. MARILYN TERPSTRA / GIN 74
18. AMANDA MILLIKEN / CLIVE 73
19. NANCY STEPHENS / JENN 73
20. CAROL GUY / ROY 71
21. JOYCE GEIER / CLUE 71
22. NANCY OBERNIER / BEN 70
23. DICK WILLIAMS / MIRK 69
24. WENDY PULLAN / SARA 69
25. CHUCK DEMIT / REX 69
26. WENDY SCHMALTZ / FLY 68
27. LINDA TESDAHL / JAFFE 68
28. BARBARA RAY / BRITT 68                   

OPEN DOUBLE LIFT    (20 DOGS)

1. AMANDA MILLIKEN / ETHEL 250
2. LINDA TESDAHL /  PEG 245
3. BEVERLY LAMBERT /  HEMP 229
4. SUE SHOEN /  BROOK 220
5. BEVERLY LAMBERT /  BILL 218
6. BARBARA RAY /  BRITT 206
7. MARY THOMPSON / HOLLY 201
8. BARB LEVINSON /  RYN 195
9. CAROL GUY /  ROY 187
10. WENDY SCHMALTZ /  GIN 186
11. MARILYN TERPSTRA /  GIN 177
12. KIM PURICH / JACK 165
13. WENDY VILLARREAL / BREEZY 158
14. VIKI KIDD / CASH 140       

NURSERY COMBINED (12   DOGS)

1. DAVE MURRAY /  MOE 130
2. VIKI KIDD / MERLE 130
3. BEVERLY LAMBERT / HUCK 117
4. KATE BROADBENT / SALTY 116
5. JOYCE GEIER / JIM 113

BevLive: Training Prep

"Going-away-for-a-month dinner" out with my husband, Doug, last night. Did a little more tinkering around with the packing thing when we got home but didn't accomplish much in the evening.

This morning I decided I would revisit Mirk's ability to turn back. I thought I knew his turn back whistle (and he thought I did too) until I spoke to Florence on the phone two weeks ago and it turned out she had been using a different whistle. This made me a bit anxious that maybe he didn't turn back as well as I thought, so I decided this morning to do a little reality check.

 I don't like to practice the turn back during the trial season, as I'm always worried that my dogs will start anticipating the command on the fetch. This is a particular concern for me with Mirk as we have been working together for such a short period of time that I fear that our communications may be particularly fragile. But I just had to check this morning in the hope that I will need the command before the trip ends.

 However, when I got my sheep separated and started wearing the smaller group up the field preparatory to turning Mirk back for the left-behind sheep, it turned out I had a very reluctant ewe in the group. She kept trying to run past Mirk and get back to her pals. When this failed she started stamping and threatening him. This was such a good chance to work on "mean sheep" skills that I spent about 10 minutes just driving her around and encouraging Mirk to "get up" on her. He did great, and eventually she gave it up.

 At this point I gave Mirk his turn back whistle that he has never failed to take and, of course, he didn't turn back. When I gave him the vocal "Look Back" he took off like a shot. Then, naturally, the second group of sheep who had been standing down at the far end of the field for fifteen minutes left and ran up the field before he got there. Just another disastrous practice day.

 I worked Bill a bit after Mirk and reset the turn back situation when I finished with him. Got Mirk back out worked him on shedding for a few minutes and then using the vocal command turned him back for the group of sheep I had hidden with Bill. He took off perfectly and they kind of waited for his arrival. It all left me a little uncertain about Mirk and the turn back whistle. I think I will try for another practice on this before Soldier Hollow.

Worked Huck a little at the end on his driving. He is a good gathering dog but not too fond of driving. He is really nice for bringing sheep out of tough situations and seems to really relish going in corners–a nice quality in a young dog. (See picture above) This trip is going to be a long time for Huck to sit with no work before he runs at the Nursery Finals, so I'm trying just to keep him tuned up and not teach him anything new that might cause confusion.

 Two days left. It was in the low 50s this morning, clear and very cool. Could really feel the arrival of autumn in the air. It’s a hard time of the year. The best trials are in the fall, but it's also the end of the season and so very sad for an addict such as myself.

BevLIve: Preparing for the road

Got home from work Monday night at 6:30 and it was still over 80 degrees and about 100% humidity. I'm sure looking forward to all that dry heat out west.

 Had to unhook the trailer and get the dirt bike loaded. First, of course, I had to make sure I could get the bike running. We had had a lot of trouble getting it started when we used it out in  South Dakota and Colorado in the spring, and I hadn't turned it on since. So off comes the air filter, and after half an hour of messing around no luck. So I finally got angry and hauled it up the hill and got it rolling at a pretty good speed and jumped it into gear. I didn't get killed, and it started. New gas added to the tank and a long time running, and it look good to go. The bike is really handy at some of the bigger trials for running errands, moving sheep, and exercising dogs. Just now I'm not sure it's worth the trouble though.

 Got the bike loaded and the truck hitched back up to the trailer. Checked all the lug bolts and air pressure in the tires. Then began loading all the stuff I might need while out west. In no time it’s 8:30 and time to feed the dogs and quit for the night.

 I sometimes think the best part of these trips is finally leaving so all I need to do is sit and drive.

 After our morning walk I finally got a chance to work my dogs today.

I'm worried that Mirk may have trouble if/when the western sheep face up to him. This isn't behavior typical of sheep in the UK, and it takes many dogs a while to learn how to handle the western sheep when they first run up against them. Mirk didn't seem to have any trouble in the spring, but these sheep will be tougher and more aggressive then the sheep we saw earlier this year, so I'm trying to help get him ready for them.

 

I put my flock of sheep up against the fence and asked Mirk to walk up into them (see picture). Admittedly, they weren't facing him but it at least gave him a chance to practice walking up on sheep that weren't moving away. Since he likes to grab the sheep if they do too much breaking away from him I won't practice this again. I don't want to encourage too much gripping this time of the year. We'll come back to this work after the trial season.

 Just worked Bill on stopping and listening, not his strong suits. Bill's as trained as he is likely to get at 9 years of age and just needs a little reminding of what he knows. Did a bit of driving with Huck. He needs a bit more encouraging than the other dogs, and I just want to keep him tuned up until we get to Sturgis.

BevLive: Notes from the trial field

Beverly Lambert has agreed to post a live, on-the-spot reporting of her upcoming trip to the Western trials (which will encompass Soldier Hollow, Meeker, and the National Finals).  Here is her first blog entry, as she prepares for the journey:

***

I'm going to give blogging a shot and try to share my western trip with anyone who is interested in a very personal look at western dog trialing and big rig traveling.

I figured I would start with a short biography of the participants in the blog so you would all know the main characters of my story.

 I am Beverly Lambert. I'm a full-time librarian and a part-time dog handler. This blog will be the story of my trip to Soldier Hollow, Meeker and the National Finals. I won't bother to explain what these events are in more detail now, figuring anyone interested enough to read this blog will know already.

  I'm going to be traveling with four dogs on this trip.

• Bill (photo on right) is my 9-year-old pro. Bill and I have been trialing together for about six years and he has run in all of these events before and I'm counting on him for the sort of reliable performances he has given me for years.

• Mirk is my new boy. I only bought Mirk in May from Florence Wilson who was not getting on well with him. Flo hoped that in different hand Mirk could sort of start over and realize the great potential she felt he had. I agree with Florence's judgment on Mirk and I'm really excited about running him at all of these tough events. But he is very much an unknown quantity for me. He had a brief chance out west in May when I first bought him. But he has never run at anything as hard as these three trials and this is going to be a test for Mirk to see if he is up to the work I need from my teammate. I sure hope he is as he has completely won my heart. I'm crazy about him and can hardly wait to see how he will do in the big time.
• Hemp is my third open dog. He belongs to my husband who has kindly let me train and run him. Since all three of these trials are limited to two open dogs Hemp is mostly along for the ride and work experience I can dig up for him along the road. He is also the back-up dog incase, heaven forbid, Bill or Mirk should be sick or injured.
• The final member of the team is Huck. He is my nursery dog for this year. He is a full brother to Hemp and is entered in the nursery finals in Sturgis at the end of the trip.

There are a couple of other actors in this drama. Two of them are my truck and trailer. I am hoping that they are sort of non-active participants. The trip will be a lot more fun if you don't hear anything more about them. The other participant is Heather Nadelman who has graciously agreed to help with all of the technical parts of this and get the blog up and running. I am also counting on Heather for some heavy duty proof reading when I start driving. I'm a pretty dedicated sort of cross country driver but not a clear writer on fewer than five hours sleep a night.

 AUGUST 18, 2008:

I got home about 8:30 last night from the Leatherstocking dog trial in Cooperstown, NY. Mirk ran really well, winning both days and giving me a nice boost of confidence in his ability.

However, I didn't take my trailer up to the trial, figuring to save on gasoline and travel time. I slept in my car. Well,  I'm getting a little old for that sort of adventure. While it wasn't tooooo bad. I was really tired and slept in this morning making up for missed sleep over the weekend. I didn't manage to get any dogs worked or packing done for the "big trip."

I leave on Friday and have a ton to stuff to do before then so I will have to get busy when I get home from work tonight.

USBCHA accepts donation from the 2007 Gettysburg Finals local committee

In an unsurprising move, the USBCHA board of directors agreed to accept a grant of approximately $20,000 from the 2007 Gettysburg Finals local committee, money to be held in trust and given to the local committee that manages the next Finals east of the Mississippi.  Here are the particulars, as posted on USBCHA site July 18 by Francis:

The B/D will vote on receiving the excess monies from the 2007 National Finals (approximately $20,000) with the following conditions:  Richard Williams motioned, the USBCHA must earmark the money in a separate account (possibly a CD). The money can only be used to fund a National Finals that will be held East of the Mississippi (which could include Eastern Canada). The money will be dispersed in total to the next local committee awarded the bid to host that finals. The award of this money will not effect other monies normally provided by the USBCHA to a national finals local committee. The availability of money will be advertised in order that potential local committees considering bidding for the finals may properly consider receipt of these funds in their financial projections, seconded by Dean Holcomb.  Motion passed

Allen Hickenbottom, yes
Amanda Milliken, yes
Dick Williams, yes
Laura Hicks, yes
Barb Ross, yes
Dean Holcomb, yes
Warren Mick, yes
Jimmy Walker, yes
Lena Bailey, yes
Judy Thayer, yes
Dan Keeton, yes
Wilda Bahr, yes
Norma Stewart, yes