we're back... again

 We're up and running again... well not "running" as in a sheepdog trail but up and training! 

It all thanks to this little guy, Quinn. My new youngster. I was on the fence on if I would go back to training. Things just got well, complicated. Life. And all that. 

Back to Quinn. He's something else! I love this pup, he's everything I wanted when I spoke to his Canadian breeder. Those who know me know I've had several dogs from Canada in the past. I'm excited and hope to trail again when he's ready.

Here we have it, my Border Colle Quinn! optimism, resilience! Hope and Happiness! 

According to https://www.songtell.com/bob-dylan/quinn-the-eskimo-the-mighty-quinn

Symbol of positivity: Quinn the Eskimo represents a figure of optimism and resilience. In a world filled with despair and monotony, his arrival brings a sense of hope and happiness. The song suggests that Quinn has the ability to lift people's spirits and make them "jump for joy." He is depicted as a transformative force that can change the atmosphere to one of celebration and enjoyment.

Embracing uniqueness: Quinn is described as "the Eskimo," which implies that he is different or stands out from the crowd. This may symbolize the importance of embracing individuality and celebrating diversity. The lyrics emphasize that there is nothing else like Quinn, indicating the significance of appreciating and accepting unconventional or unique qualities in oneself and others.

As always, if you want or need help with dog behavior or training, let me know! I can help

Gotta Love Monsoon Season!

It's that time of year again! Monsoon Season in the high desert. Water water everywhere and the air is so fresh and clean. So nice to get the youngsters out to work when the ground is nice and soft. One of the fields has a bit too many rocks ... And is hilly (hense the rocks) so soft soil helps.

Guess that's what you get when you live on a hillside right on top of the San Andreas!

But seriously, the rain rocked. As did the storm. Had a thunder strike nearby and wow! Was it something! Happy with the progress Kell and Jos are making. Hoping to get back to a more regular schedule. Training 3 dogs, and working w the horses, trying to move and study keeps the days overfull! Anyone find a way yet to add a few hours to the day? Or ... Just come pack what's left for me? Most went to charity...

Can hardly wait to get outta here to new pastures...
Til next time...

"Got a lead foot down on my accelerator and the rearview mirror torn off
'Cause I ain't never lookin' back, and that's a fact."
Jo Dee Messina 

everything changes, and yet stays the same

So it's been, another long time, trying to get back into writing again, funny how things stay the same, yet seem so different than a few years ago. The same, is the dogs, the sheep, the llamas. The constants in life, tho ever changing. Lost a few good dogs over the past 2 years, which was real hard, but then there are the youngsters, Jos, Kell, and Lana.

Differences, well, seems there are a lot of them. The big thing is the Ranch will be sold, will be putting it up for sale asap, just getting some straightening up done. All those things, you think you have time for "later", comes time to leave, and it gets a bit nostalgic realizing you never, planted that tree, after all this time, never got the kennels how you wanted them, and never got the house painted. Sigh. Oh well and onward :-) oh yeah, I will no longer be offering sheep for rent or training others dogs. I will however be teaching obedience classes, puppy manners, all the basics. So that will be fun to get back into. Will get to keep the sheep I WANT, for MY dogs, and no one elses. fun? yes!

Not really sure where to go, just know out of California, too darn expensive here. And not a high elevation, which it a tough one! But after 2 bouts of pneumonia and "dying" one time, gunna listen to the Doctor!

Hopefully will end up somewhere green, where I can have more sheep! Just not doable here, no graze and the sheepmen are moving to other things and selling out. I wonder how that will effect our big sheepdog trials, that use the Range Ewes?

Looking forward to new adventures, for me and the animals, perhaps where ever we end up, I'll be able to live the dream, and be a shepherd on horseback :-) Altho, one horse is rather cowy, so that could be interesting, as she herds and cuts sheep... Anyone had experience w that?

                                          ( Shell as a stylish youngster)

For now... that's all and hope ya'll have been well :-) more to come... for Jos's experiences, will be posting on the blog, Jos's Journey. He's doing exceptionally well, and one of the most intuitive and willing Border Collies I've come across. Hope to have some pictures soon!

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!

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