Sheepdog Trialing, fall in the West

So Trial season is upon us, out west, we don't see many (if any) sheepherding trials in the summertime due to our hot weather, so once fall hits, we start to see more sheepherding trials. It's looking like November 2 trials, one approx 400 miles away, the other just over 200. (one way... ) December, we'll have 2 more, in the beginning and the end of December. Makes it a little difficult with the holidays in December, but it's a great chance to "get away" and get in a little fun.

Our first upcoming trial, is the SJVBCA Trail in Porterville, CA. Should be a great trial, Range Ewes, and a nice course, looking forward to it! I'll have one dog in Open, and one in Pro Novice, (open ranch in other parts of the country ie, TX) hoping to move the PN dog up at the end of the year, makes life a lot easier to run 2 dogs in open, as PN is often run on another day.

So looks like the next week we'll be polishing for the trial, looking to do well, and let the points fall where they may! :-)

Physical Maturity in a Herding Puppy, is it important?

I've been in a discussion on "when to start a pup" in his herding training, and in addition to some of the usual "reasons" of when to start or not start, which include maturity, is the pup "serious" or just "playing" (tail up, etc) there's also some other factors I like to consider, such as development. Physical development.

There's really no hard and fast, "this is the time" to start a pup, Border Collie puppies are all different, as are training styles and experience of the trainer. Some pups mature early, serious lil ones they are, and some are just pups, taking longer to grow up.

But as for physical development, I'll toss this out there and see what you think? The growth plates don't close til closer to 7-9 months of age. Is it reasonable to ask a youngster to do a lot of heavy running and pounding on developing legs? Growth plates are at the ends of the long bones, are softer and more prone to injury. (I'm not a veterinarian, check with your veterinarian for details, but this is what has been explained to me)

I liken this to horse racing, or children. I know there are children who run marathons alongside their parents at an early age. I have heard doctors caution about how often, and how long those children run. When my brother played little league baseball, he was a pitcher. These young boys were only allowed to throw "fastballs", no curve balls, as the elbows, and arms were still developing.

I've also heard in horse racing, some refrain from the well known "Kentucky Derby" for the same reasons. The age of the horse.

If this is true, about the children and their development, horses and their growth and stresses put on the body, would it not be the same for canines?

Would it be better to wait to do the heavy more intensive training once the pups growth plates have closed? 

Again, I'm not a Veterinarian, just musing about when to start my new pup, as he is mentally quite mature and serious, but I'll wait, I'd rather wait 2 months now, than have him injured and more problems later on.

Why do we enter Sheepdog Trials?

Why do we enter dog trials? (sheep or cattle, no matter, it's the same) Seriously, why do you enter a dog trial? Why do I enter a dog trial? I imagine all of us could have a different answer to that one, but I'll fill you in on my thoughts, feel free to comment on yours :-)

Lill, ranch and trial dog extrordinaire

I love the challenge, difficult sheep, challenging field and terrain. Many of our trials are on rented sheep: range ewes, commercial flocks that are not used to dogs. So, it can be boom or bust, but is a great learning experience for me and the dogs. And a tremendous challenge, which when one pulls it off, does well, there is nothing like it! If I do poorly, it's time to sit back, and think about "why", not get mad because I didn't "win". No one likes to see another competitor stomp off the field mad at his dog!

A trial is only one judges opinion on one given run. That's all. I have heard people blame, the sheep, the terrain, "there were horses in the next field".. (?huh?), the trial host, (the most thankless thing to do imo, is host a trial!), and any other long list of things.

Right now, I'm running a dog in her second season of open, and i have a PN (Open Ranch in some parts of the country) dog I'm hoping to move up soon. We have several trials coming up, and if all goes well, I'll move the PN dog up to Open.

I always look at a trial as a learning experience, for me, for my dogs. If I can learn one thing, maybe it's a "weak" area that needs work, for either my dog or myself. Maybe it's something we need to team up on and work better on together, to get that flow, the "dance" just right. Or it could be something major that I've allowed to happen, gotten "sloppy" on, that defeated us at the trial. Or, it could just be human and or dog, error. It happens.

For me, "winning" is only part of it. Sure, we all want to win, it's human nature. But WHY we want to win, is a big part of it. Does someone want to win, because they want to "beat" someone else? Or do they want to test themselves against the challenges of the sheep and difficult course? If my dog tries his heart out, and I do the best I can do, and we look great, I am happy.

I never want to be someone who stomps off the course, mad at my dog, because we didn't do "as well" as I thought, or we didn't "beat" someone. (maybe the dog wasn't "ready" yet?) Each trial, is a learning experience, and, if my dog does their best? and we don't win? so be it, I'm still happy as can be with the work and progress my dog has made.

Sometimes, when you do well, and keep a good attitude, even tho you don't "win" the money, you actually "win" in the end. One thing I've never found myself doing? Running to check the scoreboard constantly. I don't know why, but those "numbers" are just someones opinion. I generally "know" if I've been the "windshield or the bug" as the saying goes. It feels "right" to lay down that great run, and honestly, should it feel any less right, because a judge took off more points than they did for someone else?

Yes, I'm competitive, yep, I want to win. But I always try to remind myself, WHY I do this in the first place, that my dog is firstly my ranchdog, my "partner" who would work himself to death for me on the ranch. A dog trial is just a dog trial. A challenge for that day. It's not about "who" I beat. It's about being a winner, acting a winner, and the rest falls into place.

Ranch Life~ It isn't always "fun"...

...but it is, interesting! Living on a ranch, is more work than many realize, there's chores to do, sure, but then, there is "work", what's the difference you might ask?

Well, chores, are those things you do every day, feeding the sheep, collecting eggs from the chickens, moving the sheep to the pasture, locking them up at night to keep them safe from predators. One could fill a whole page with my list of daily "chores". And then there is the "fun", training the dogs, working with students and their dogs.

But, what is the work you might ask? Well, that is things like, building a new barn. Building a "hoop house" for the livestock. (my next project) It might even be, in my case today, trying to load a broken down golf cart onto a flat bed trailer...

That doesn't sound all to bad, by itself, but it was challenging, as the thing weighs in at approx 800 pounds, and had 2 flat tires. And did I mention, it doesn't run. Totally d-e-a-d. Due to the terrain here, and where it was parked, the flatbed trailer couldn't even get close. So, haul the cart, unhook, haul the trailer, unhook, chain the cart to the truck, drag it, oh and here's the fun part... part rodeo and part amusement part ride... pull the cart onto the flatbed! hmmmm ok... I can do this!

It's a long flatbed. Think of, a kids teter-totter, drag the 800 pound cart onto a trailer that is no longer hooked up to the truck, whooppppeeeeee the trailer, rocks back, lifting it's front high into the air. Yep, i'd blocked the tires, but not the rear of the trailer!

I'm sure glad, I hadn't asked a friend to sit in it and steer!

Not much choice but to move ahead, and pull that cart forward enough to stop the tilt in the trailer!

sad broken down golf (chore) cart gets loaded up in flatbed

Whew, we made it. But then, unchain the cart, re hook up the truck, and tomorrow, strap the cart down and away we go to the golf cart repair shop!

So that was an interesting bit of "work" for the day, still have to feed sheep, move them in, stack the hay, take the dogs out, feed the dogs, and then move on to making dinner... huh? maybe not, I'll take ranch chores over cooking any day!

Without my friends on facebook who gave me ideas and help on the "how" I couldn't have got this done, I owe you a huge THANK YOU! You're the bestest!

Starting Jos, the BC pup on livestock... "planning ahead"

Jos, the Journey: planning ahead~Jos and livestock: While Jos grows up, and after seeing him on stock, I'm always thinking how to start out, how many sheep? which sheep? will I use a back up...

"Crisis" or Opportunity?

We were working dogs in the field yesterday, and I sent my not yet ready for Open dog out to bring in the sheep that had decided to drift on home. She had a nice outrun, out and back behind them, up a hill and through brush taller than she was. The sheep however, wiley critters that they are, knew the dog was out there behind them and had lost sight of them, so drifted towards home. As it happened, they drifted into small valley, and she couldn't see them when she thought she had come up behind them.

Sigh. Young dogs being young dogs, the sheep had slipped past her and headed for home.

So, was this a horrible training session? A crisis? or an Opportunity to work on a problem?

I'm sure we've all heard someone say how upset they are at their dog, something he did, or didn't do on a particular day. But, lets look at it differently? Aren't mistakes our dogs make, showing us either a hole in our training? A hole in the dog that we need to work on? Maybe a lack of confidence in our dog? Something that we are doing that needs to change?

If work at home always goes "right", it's like a block of dominoes, one of the foundations is going to get pulled out one day when we least expect it, and there goes the whole stack crashing down.

Instead of getting upset with ourselves or our dogs, why not look at this as an opportunity?

We all know, things are going to happen and go to heck one day, and I'd just as soon it happen at a time when I can deal with it, instead of in a sheepdog trial, or, when I'm helping at another ranch.

Work on the problem, or recreate it, after "sleeping on it". You might find you welcome these Opportunities as a chance to work things through with your dog. Look for the possible problem areas, and don't be afraid to challenge yourself or your dog!

In the case of my dog, I did get to work on a "look back", and it did, I hope, teach her to keep a better eye on her stock, instead of counting on them always being where they were when she left my side. I'm still "sleeping" on it, as to how and what I'll do in the future with her, to prevent it happening again. And yes, I'll "recreate it" at some point, to see if my ideas worked. :-)

Sheepdog Trials ~ a game or an art?

What is sheepdog trialing? a game? a sport? or an art? What makes me even think of this, is the recent references of sheepdog trialing as a "sport". IMO, the training of a sheepdog to assist the shepherd, is a art, as the dog has a *real* job, not a "game" to play. 

Adam Telfer and Old Hemp

So why the reference to "sport"? what is a "sport" anyways? Baseball, Football, Golf? Tennis? Car racing? Ping Pong? all are considered and developed as a "game" or "sport" last I checked, and all are something one does for fun and relaxation, some fun competition between friends or as a profession. However, in none of these, other than receiving monetary compensation for those who excel, there is no neccecity in it. I mean, who other than a professional player, doesn't eat if he has a bad game? (there we go again, that word, game!)

If a shepherd doesn't have his dog, the sheep will not be brought in off the hill, the sick sheep not sorted from the healthy, the flock left to freeze, starve or to meet their end. 

The origin of sheepdog trials, was way back at the first trial held in Bala, Wales, over 100 years ago. I can imagine a group of shepherds (not weekend shepherds, the real deal) sitting around the pub saying, "aye, my dog can do that!" and another, saying, "mine can do it better", and the challenge was made. Man being man (of either sex) we are a competitive creature, and sheepdog trialing was born. 

So perhaps there is that competition, born out of something one did "for real", but is it a "sport"? With the final goal being, to win a trial? Or is it, bringing out the best in a dog, developing him to the best of his abilities? Allowing him to be a "useful dog"? 

For me, sheepdog trialing will never be a "sport", a "game". For me, it's an Art Form, born out of what was needed in a real working dog. The trial was set up to test the working abilities that might be encountered on the farm. Drive the sheep to that pasture? Put the sheep you're selling in a pen? Gather them off the mountain and bring them in? Sort off the cull ewes? 

Game? no. Sport? no. an Art? using the instincts carefully bred into a dog? yes. 

Of course, that's just my opinion... seems the usage of the word "sport" has coincided with the growing interest by the "dogsport" crowd who have discovered herding. But common ya'll, Agility, for instance? that's a "game", so in my eyes, it's correctly called a "sport". When I sort off the cull ewes, the lambs, from the goats, is that a "game"? 

One can call it what they wish, but "sport" seems a bit, oh, derogatory or disrespectful to the oldtime shepherds and their wonderfully talented dogs. The Border Collie as a breed endured much hardship to become what it is today, and I spose, I just feel the need to respect that. 

Old Friends

"look", me and Trix, in "our" field

I'm finding it hard to watch my 2 old Open dogs grow old... at 14 and 15, Lill and Trix are beyond "old and still work", they sleep most of the day, and seeing them not able to do what they once loved is heartbreaking. Seeing them not even want to, is even more heartbreaking. 

We spent many hours out in the field, many hours doing chores, loading sheep for sale, and many more on the road. They were both special girls, Lill for taking me to Wales to compete in the world sheepdog trial, and Trix, for being her tough self, moving anything, and I mean anything, I asked her to. 

Lill puts on a "happy face"

I treasure our time together, our journeys, adventures, from getting stuck on the way home from Soldier Hollow, UT, in the middle of the night and needing a tow, (yes, we were invited to that prestigious trial) to our time setting stock at small local trials. These girls gave their heart in everything they did. I just hope I have it in me, to be with them when they need me, which will be all too soon I'm afraid. 

Trix, always serious

So we remember the "old days" and enjoy the time we have together now. They are awesome girls! They taught me a lot, about sheepherding, and now they're teaching me about grace, and patience. Growing old, it seems, is not something dogs are really that aware of, they live in the moment, accepting what life gives them. They enjoy life, and when they aren't enjoying it in a waking moment, they sleep, and enjoy their dreams. So even now, they are teaching me about Life. Luv u Lill and Trix! xx

Something Special? Sometimes, IMO, there is that "something special" that makes a great "team" in a trial or ranch dog. As much as we may "want it" or "work" for it, it just isn't there for us in every dog, and it can't be "forced", it just "is". And despite how much we might "want" it with a dog we are esp fond of, it oftentimes just isn't a good match for the trial field, for various reasons. I spose that is what makes it so "right" when you get that "special" dog? Not easy to come by, they seem to show up when you least expect it. Just like a friendship, tho, that dog you might not "click" with, may just be someone else best friend.