Wow it has been almost a year since I last posted !

Zest is now 12.5 and had a bout of Vestibular so will soon be retiring fully from herding.  She is entered in one more AKC duck trial; for one day. We muscled our way around the AKC course at Diane's yesterday.  Ducks did not want to move and one so did not want anything to do with us so I let that one go.   Zest and I stuck it out and got the course done.  Had it been a real trial, we would have timed out and pointed out but it wasn't and we didin't give up !

Peak got to do ; let sheep out of the take pen and RUN to get them back !   She still needs to work at knowing she can catch running sheep.  Diane and I were very pleased with her : < )  Tried driving for the AKC Intermediate a course but not successful. Timing Timing Timing..crap !  Will continue to try to figure that out for her. 

This past year has so finally made it's mark on me understanding that the dog MUST stop  ( Fios)  and get wider , squarer, calmer flanks (  Zest, Peak Fios ! )

Started working Ava who is now 15 months old.  We started her around 7 months as she was so natural and sane.  Ha...tricked !!    She has now gotten keener and thus wilder.  Where did my nice , easy dog that was going to help me get around courses with ease and finally learn how to actually handle the course go ?  It's been allot of fun with her , with several big handlers telling me I could just leave her for them : < )   I keep telling the powers that be that I do not want to learn anything new , I can barely understand the old !!! But of course Ava is different than any other dog I have tried herding with.  She started out all wide, calm, lie down on her own.  Looked good to me.  But as time went on I start to see that maybe this down on her own is not so good as she can get sticky . But well I still have the  big wide out run ( oh wait Cheryl Jagger says "don't let her be so wide, call her in )  crap I liked that big, wide, deep  outrun.  Her Away side isn't so wide.  Cheryl wanted her to loosen up and get keener.  I thought Ava was plenty keen. So we go in the round pen and just keep moving all over to keep Ava on her feet.  Ya Thanks Cheryl , now she doesn't lie down and stop !  But back in the big field , she does the stop and stick a bit again. So now my challenge is keep her on her feet but not too close without stopping her ( how does that work ? ) or she feels the pressure and buzzes around ! Sigh : < ( 

On a real good note, Fios and I are starting to get it together as a team : < )   Good downs or at least stop and sit ( I'll take either) and for the most part he stays put until asked up again.  Getting some pace in wearing and getting the idea of driving !!  Also getting him to give  to my pressure and get wider on his Away flanks.  Lovely wide inside flanks yesterday and outs.  Finally moving forward.
      What a long, hard but interesting journey I am on !!