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!

Been a looooong time....

It has been a long time since I've written... since last fall, well, that seems like a long ways off! Kell joined us at the ranch, he is a pup from Paula Bowden and is growing up to be a great dog! Kell is from Paula's lines, bred to her imported Killibrae sire.
We've already lambed, got our nice Merino ram for next year, and right when things were going well, I ended up getting sick and in hospital for pnuemonia for just under 3 weeks...  so things are moving rather slow around here, pups are learning to just, hang out, and grow up. Grown dogs are longing for the days of working sheep... but nothing to be done about it but wait a bit longer. Just in time for summer... sun, heat, and rattlesnakes... ugh.
All for now... hoping to get back to a regular update more frequently when we've something to write about!

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. :-)

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