Finally Spring and mostly clear ground so we get back to some herding ! The best we could do over the winter was 2 or 3 times working ducks in Sue Amsden's really nice but small arena in N.H. Thanks for the invites Sue !
Started the season with just small stall almost packed pen work with Fios and Ava at Diane Menard's . The dogs do like all that pressure but work through it : < ) I was standing in another stall so got to work on inside flanks.
Now Diane has a mostly clear big arena so have worked Fios, Ava, and Peak out there twice.
Peak has really come on and was doing bigger outruns than normal and running past the dog tied on the inside of the fence to prevent sheep from running to gate. Normally Peak would go no where near another dog ! She was on all through her lesson and doing some nice driving with holding sheep on the fence line ! At 9.5 years old when most dogs are being retired , Peak is just beginning ! Very exciting stuff since she would hide behind my legs in the beginning . I have high hopes for good stuff from her in arena trials this year.
Fios is getting driving now and getting better at stopping and getting a better pace on the fetch . Everything is improving for us as a team. Been a long , slow bus, tearful and occasionally joyful journey. As long as he will keep coming into the field with me, I will keep trying to do right by him ! He has been quite the teacher ; < ) I was really happy with our work at my most recent lesson at Denise Leonards ! Her big field is all open now too.
Ava is kicking it up more now . I was happy with the big wide outruns and natural stop ...LOL She is really naturally talented and probably would go far with someone who can give her daily work but she'll have to make do with me. She was distracted a bit by duck egg shells ( she loves to eat them ) in the field . .....hmm bad sheepdog and BAD seagulls for dropping the eggs out there ! I am planning on sending her to Barb Armata for more continuos training this Spring. Denise had taken her twice but now has a litter of pups due so not as much time or space for that extra dog. Will be good for Ava to get work on different sheep anyway.
I am very excited for this year and learning how to handle now that I believe in the dogs and am building partnerships with them : < ) I actually even occasionally did the right thing in directing the dogs in driving in my past two lessons !
Onward and upward : < )
Monday, April 7, 2014
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
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 !!
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 !!
Sunday, August 5, 2012
lesson with Barb Armata 8 4 12
Diane Menard and I went to Barb Armata's for a herding lesson yesterday in Esperance NY.
At 62 you would think I would not care about praise but I was most pleased when after my first go with Fios that Barb said she was proud of me for insisting Fios down and stay and sticking with it :< ) She also commented that she was glad I had Diane to kick my Ass !
This was sooooooooooooooo hard for me to do after 15 years of click and treat for agility. Pretty much have to use verbal and or physical corrections for herding unless you have an easy saint of a dog .
I have been worried from the start that Fios would not like herding if I put too much pressure on him. Maria (Fios's breeder) said in the early days that he wanted to work for me and I could not turn him off but someone else could . I should have beleived that a bit better. Now after pussy footing around for 3 years, Fios is snapping too quickly and not quitting ! He might run off a bit with each new pressure thing from me (hmmm if I run off maybe Mom will give in ? ) but he always comes back happily for the next go :< )
Since Fios was doing good with the down (it's all we worked on in our last lesson !), we got to do other things. Like widen him at the top (by my running towards Fios through the sheep) and turn out on away flanks (pointing my hat at Fios and pressure into Fios) . (I got him to down originally by slapping my hat on my leg as I marched all pissy faced at him ) All done with mostly body pressure as really that is all Fios needs. Now if I can get the presssure prescence right and timing he will just do it.
Diane calls me "oblvious Betty " and I guess sometimes I am in herding :< ( I turned around to hook Fios's lead to the fence and he took off after the sheep ! She's not looking ...... GO !!!! Barb told me to call him back and our sheep left for good. Had to wait now for another set. Barb said the others would come back eventually. BAD DOG !!! BAD BETTY :< (
Barb isn't really saying or doing anything I haven't heard but she has a prescence that makes you just do it with no argument ;< ) She just is this is what needs to be done ..period !!
Thank You Barb for no fooling around, just do it attitude and the praise ;< ) and Diane Menard for believing in me and my dogs and picking away at me until I was ready to hear it !
We may never be great but we'll be the best we can be !
At 62 you would think I would not care about praise but I was most pleased when after my first go with Fios that Barb said she was proud of me for insisting Fios down and stay and sticking with it :< ) She also commented that she was glad I had Diane to kick my Ass !
This was sooooooooooooooo hard for me to do after 15 years of click and treat for agility. Pretty much have to use verbal and or physical corrections for herding unless you have an easy saint of a dog .
I have been worried from the start that Fios would not like herding if I put too much pressure on him. Maria (Fios's breeder) said in the early days that he wanted to work for me and I could not turn him off but someone else could . I should have beleived that a bit better. Now after pussy footing around for 3 years, Fios is snapping too quickly and not quitting ! He might run off a bit with each new pressure thing from me (hmmm if I run off maybe Mom will give in ? ) but he always comes back happily for the next go :< )
Since Fios was doing good with the down (it's all we worked on in our last lesson !), we got to do other things. Like widen him at the top (by my running towards Fios through the sheep) and turn out on away flanks (pointing my hat at Fios and pressure into Fios) . (I got him to down originally by slapping my hat on my leg as I marched all pissy faced at him ) All done with mostly body pressure as really that is all Fios needs. Now if I can get the presssure prescence right and timing he will just do it.
Diane calls me "oblvious Betty " and I guess sometimes I am in herding :< ( I turned around to hook Fios's lead to the fence and he took off after the sheep ! She's not looking ...... GO !!!! Barb told me to call him back and our sheep left for good. Had to wait now for another set. Barb said the others would come back eventually. BAD DOG !!! BAD BETTY :< (
Barb isn't really saying or doing anything I haven't heard but she has a prescence that makes you just do it with no argument ;< ) She just is this is what needs to be done ..period !!
Thank You Barb for no fooling around, just do it attitude and the praise ;< ) and Diane Menard for believing in me and my dogs and picking away at me until I was ready to hear it !
We may never be great but we'll be the best we can be !
Monday, July 30, 2012
Monday July 30 herding at Diane's ist draft
Hey found the first draft !
Tom didn't want to drive to Rye N.H. to the seafood place we heard was good so I went herding again ;< )
My dogs are such good teachers and I am learning so much from them about herding and dog behavior in herding :< 0
Worked Zest and Peak on ducks again. This time using the AKC hold pen lift thing ...ha ha don't know what to call it. Zest was ok with that but man she is so flanky on wearing. A bit better than last time I think though.
Freaked Peak out..OMG I have to go around that thing and Diane holding it ? !!!! She wears much straighter than Zest so that was easier with her. This time she didn't run off screaming in pushing the ducks to the corner so Diane could re-cage them. She did do some of that when asked to flank around the pen and Diane though .
Both Zest and Peak would flank back to the start position nicely. Get away from Diane holding that scary thing OK !
Lesson with Diane M July 30
Grrrrrrrrrrrr husband logged me out before I got to save my post !!!
Zest and Peak worked AKC style ducks today. Zest wasn't too bad with Diane lifting the hold thingie (sorry don't know what to call it). She still gave me a work out on over flanking on wearing. Bugger can still get by me as I numbly watch her before it is too late to catch and fix. She did a good job picking up the ducks from a distance and off the fence. Still needs to check in most of the time to see if she is right or I am right ? though . I am probably doing some crazy pull her off mode like an agility gamble gone bad :< (
Peak was all freaked by being asked to go around Diane holding the ducks in that fence pen thing and had to be worked on to keep flanking around. She did her run off of pressure act a few times. However this time she was able to move the ducks back to the corner without flipping out and off. Ducks were very accomodating about being corraled back into the hold pen by Diane this time. Probably thought it was safer to be in there then set free to deal with crazy screaming dog. Truth be told, Peak is far less dangerous to stock than her mother Zest is !
Neither of them gets excited about ducks like Fios and Ava do ! And since ducks put them on a level I don't care to deal with right now, they didn't get to do ducks.
Fios got to do the take all the sheep and goats out of the barn yard exercise again. After a few round abouts, he lifted and brought them all out fine so didn't need to seek out the water tank to cool off ..LOL
I was happy enough with his flank, lie down, stay put as I move one sheep back to the barnyard at a time, then flank away and walk up to drive them off so we could start again. He seems to have this down pretty good so we upped the ante and asked him to hold, while I opened the gate behind him. That was hard for him ! I move he counter moves. Diane and I reved him up to stay focused on the stock instead of me. Fios liked the rev me up stuff . I had him on a short line so I could hold him facing the group and prevent flanking or driving them off, just hold and like it ;< )
Then we did walk up stop, walk up stop , sometimes calling him off and sometimes flanking around the stock and back to me. So cool that he no longer looks back to me on these short drives :< )
Fios and I are on our way to some good , fun team work..Happy Betty :< )
Zest and Peak worked AKC style ducks today. Zest wasn't too bad with Diane lifting the hold thingie (sorry don't know what to call it). She still gave me a work out on over flanking on wearing. Bugger can still get by me as I numbly watch her before it is too late to catch and fix. She did a good job picking up the ducks from a distance and off the fence. Still needs to check in most of the time to see if she is right or I am right ? though . I am probably doing some crazy pull her off mode like an agility gamble gone bad :< (
Peak was all freaked by being asked to go around Diane holding the ducks in that fence pen thing and had to be worked on to keep flanking around. She did her run off of pressure act a few times. However this time she was able to move the ducks back to the corner without flipping out and off. Ducks were very accomodating about being corraled back into the hold pen by Diane this time. Probably thought it was safer to be in there then set free to deal with crazy screaming dog. Truth be told, Peak is far less dangerous to stock than her mother Zest is !
Neither of them gets excited about ducks like Fios and Ava do ! And since ducks put them on a level I don't care to deal with right now, they didn't get to do ducks.
Fios got to do the take all the sheep and goats out of the barn yard exercise again. After a few round abouts, he lifted and brought them all out fine so didn't need to seek out the water tank to cool off ..LOL
I was happy enough with his flank, lie down, stay put as I move one sheep back to the barnyard at a time, then flank away and walk up to drive them off so we could start again. He seems to have this down pretty good so we upped the ante and asked him to hold, while I opened the gate behind him. That was hard for him ! I move he counter moves. Diane and I reved him up to stay focused on the stock instead of me. Fios liked the rev me up stuff . I had him on a short line so I could hold him facing the group and prevent flanking or driving them off, just hold and like it ;< )
Then we did walk up stop, walk up stop , sometimes calling him off and sometimes flanking around the stock and back to me. So cool that he no longer looks back to me on these short drives :< )
Fios and I are on our way to some good , fun team work..Happy Betty :< )
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Beautiful weather so off to train !
Great lesson with Diane Menard today ! On sheep, send the dog into the barn yard area to bring all sheep into the round pen, while I stayed in the round pen . Then flank the dog go by and down (out if too close) then sort one sheep back to the barn yard. Then flank the dog away and stop at the barn wall in front of sheep. Ask dog to walk up between me and the barn wall and drive the sheep off the gate. Then repeat , sorting one sheep at a time.
Peak was the best at the gather from the barn yard. She went nicely around on the edge of the fence, stopped behind the sheep and slowly walked then through the gate :< ) I could cry that I didn't have this on video !
Zest was just a bit more chaotic.
Fios was so fast and busy he had to take a dip in the sheep water tank . At least he knows how to cool him self down !! LOL
They all did reasonably well on the sort work. Fios is so much better at stopping now :< ) Staying put is still a work in progress for Mr. busy feet.
Baby Ava did a few minutes of on line perimeter work, some flanking and some learn to stop when I have the sheep standing still with me . She has busy baby feet, must be talking to Fios on the side. She seems to move off my pressure pretty well, so here is hoping she will have nice wide flanks.. Of course that's when I do it right . I am not real good at the pressure thing. Still can't feel that dam bubble either !!!
Zest and Peak worked the call ducks. Object was to move up and down the middle of the pen with some turns and keeping the dogs behind the ducks. I had a real hard time keeping the ducks on my left side or maybe it was my right ? Diane thought it interesting that I had more trouble on one side than the other. Zest is real flanky on ducks so I had to move into her path allot. Good exercise for me.
Peak for all her nice , calm work on getting the sheep out of the barn yard, could not take the pressure of driving the ducks to the corner of the fence and would run off screaming . She needs some zanax !
Since Fios was so wild on ducks at the trial last weekend, he did not get to work ducks yesterday. I need to hold onto as much control on him as I can !!
Peak was the best at the gather from the barn yard. She went nicely around on the edge of the fence, stopped behind the sheep and slowly walked then through the gate :< ) I could cry that I didn't have this on video !
Zest was just a bit more chaotic.
Fios was so fast and busy he had to take a dip in the sheep water tank . At least he knows how to cool him self down !! LOL
They all did reasonably well on the sort work. Fios is so much better at stopping now :< ) Staying put is still a work in progress for Mr. busy feet.
Baby Ava did a few minutes of on line perimeter work, some flanking and some learn to stop when I have the sheep standing still with me . She has busy baby feet, must be talking to Fios on the side. She seems to move off my pressure pretty well, so here is hoping she will have nice wide flanks.. Of course that's when I do it right . I am not real good at the pressure thing. Still can't feel that dam bubble either !!!
Zest and Peak worked the call ducks. Object was to move up and down the middle of the pen with some turns and keeping the dogs behind the ducks. I had a real hard time keeping the ducks on my left side or maybe it was my right ? Diane thought it interesting that I had more trouble on one side than the other. Zest is real flanky on ducks so I had to move into her path allot. Good exercise for me.
Peak for all her nice , calm work on getting the sheep out of the barn yard, could not take the pressure of driving the ducks to the corner of the fence and would run off screaming . She needs some zanax !
Since Fios was so wild on ducks at the trial last weekend, he did not get to work ducks yesterday. I need to hold onto as much control on him as I can !!
Monday, July 23, 2012
More on Maine trial
I just looked at my score sheets again and the
comment from Rachel on Fios was on the sheep not ducks. She did tell me after
our duck run how nice he was though. She also commented on Zest;s duck score
sheet: " Stick position...ask for details if you are interested , Good job ! "
Wish I had looked at the sheets Saturday night so I could talk to her !! I am
sure Diane will fill me in though. I do recall hearing that I had turned back
into a twirler from the peanut gallery. Not to mention Diane saying as I am in
the sheep run with Fios "That dog is covering your Ass all over the place !!!
" Good dog, Fios :< ) I told Diane I heard that and so obviously she had
much work to do with me ..LOL
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