It is true in many endeavors. Timing is everything. A joke with a poorly timed punch line or delivery will fall flat but get hysterical laughter if delivered with the right timing.
It is also true of corrections or commands to our dogs.
We were working yesterday on getting Piper to kick out and deep on her away outrun in one particular direction where she had been flattening out at the top. It is a semi tricky outrun where the dogs get kicked in by a fence line and then need to bend back out as soon as the fence ends. She was bending out a bit - but not enough - and coming in flat and a bit tight on the away side. Result - a rushed and slightly off line lift. (In fairness there was a time not long ago when I would have been happy with what she was doing and she was not the only dog having the problem. But if we are going to get to the next level it needed to be better.)
Solution - put on the running boots - and go down and convince her that I was serious about that redirect and get out command. After three or four of these run down the field and convince her I was a Psycho Killer on the loose, we tried it again with me staying at the post.
This time I got the timing right and just as she came off the fence - bent out a little bit - and then took a half step to cut back in - I hit her with a well timed "away" whistle. VOILA. I got in her head before she had committed to the new (wrong) path and she took the redirect on the fly bending wide and deep. The benefit was substantial and flowed through to the lift. Because she was deep enough I was able to bring her up properly behind the sheep without disturbing them and we had a nice, controlled, straight lift. It was a magical moment. We hope to have many more.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
You were serious about that !?!?
There is a great scene in the movie - "My Cousin Vinny" where the Judge holds Vinny in contempt for not wearing a suit jacket to court. Vinny (Joe Pesci) looks at the Judge and asks "You were serious about that?"
Well we had a couple "you were serious about that moments while training today at Canines & Ewe in Campo.
First, the weather. Beautiful sunny California, right ?? I know this because growing up in Ohio I watched the Rose Bowl every year and it was ALWAYS beautiful warm and sunny. At least so it looked on TV. Well, today, beautiful warm and sunny turned to cold, windy, raining with occasional hailstorms. At one point Piper's back was about half covered with hail stones. You were serious about that ?
Second, we were attempting a managed outrun to deal with the issue of Piper running too wide occasionally - like when she went horse hunting in Porterville. So the instructions were to send her come bye, stop her en route, counter flank her away, stop her, and then send her come bye to finish the outrun. Well, she took the first come bye and was off like a shot, she even took the lie down and stopped about a third of the way there. I gave the away counter flank and she took a half step and stopped and looked at me to say - this is wrong. "You were serious about that ?!?!" Assured by another away command I was indeed serious she took the counter flank to come in but she seemed happy when I quickly gave her another stop and sent her back on the original route to complete the outrun.
A strange seeming exercise to Piper but one with a purpose for those occasions when she takes off way wide and is running for the next county.
Well we had a couple "you were serious about that moments while training today at Canines & Ewe in Campo.
First, the weather. Beautiful sunny California, right ?? I know this because growing up in Ohio I watched the Rose Bowl every year and it was ALWAYS beautiful warm and sunny. At least so it looked on TV. Well, today, beautiful warm and sunny turned to cold, windy, raining with occasional hailstorms. At one point Piper's back was about half covered with hail stones. You were serious about that ?
Second, we were attempting a managed outrun to deal with the issue of Piper running too wide occasionally - like when she went horse hunting in Porterville. So the instructions were to send her come bye, stop her en route, counter flank her away, stop her, and then send her come bye to finish the outrun. Well, she took the first come bye and was off like a shot, she even took the lie down and stopped about a third of the way there. I gave the away counter flank and she took a half step and stopped and looked at me to say - this is wrong. "You were serious about that ?!?!" Assured by another away command I was indeed serious she took the counter flank to come in but she seemed happy when I quickly gave her another stop and sent her back on the original route to complete the outrun.
A strange seeming exercise to Piper but one with a purpose for those occasions when she takes off way wide and is running for the next county.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Norm and Vickie Close in Antelope Valley
The Antelope Valley Stockdog Club hosted a training clinic with Norm Close - former Canadian BCHA National Champ, and photo opportunity with his wife Vickie Atkins Close this past weekend at the Lucky Ewe Ranch in Llano, California.
Well Norm and Vickie are both just incredibly nice people who worked tirelessly through the weekend to train dogs and take AMAZING pictures for all who attended. Norm's training and communication are just top notch and if its possible Vickie's photographic skills are even more phenomenal. As Norm told me Vickie is so good she even made me (the author) look good. Fortunately it was an easier job with the rest of my family and I am looking forward to delivery of a beautiful family portrait on canvas in about 6 weeks.
It was a full service clinic as attendees left with better trained dogs, great photos (or at least great photos on order), whistles, and even one new dog - Spike. Spike is a very nice 3 yr old off Diane Pagel's Roo that Norm had for sale and was purchased over the weekend by Robert Schooley, DVM ("Dr. Bob" to one and all). Dr. Bob was just as excited as can be - like a kid with a new dog should be. Congrats Bob !
And Thank You, Norm, Vickie, Sally Douglas for hosting, Terry Kinney for the Sheep, and Mike Burks for his usual stock handling extraordinaire.
Well Norm and Vickie are both just incredibly nice people who worked tirelessly through the weekend to train dogs and take AMAZING pictures for all who attended. Norm's training and communication are just top notch and if its possible Vickie's photographic skills are even more phenomenal. As Norm told me Vickie is so good she even made me (the author) look good. Fortunately it was an easier job with the rest of my family and I am looking forward to delivery of a beautiful family portrait on canvas in about 6 weeks.
It was a full service clinic as attendees left with better trained dogs, great photos (or at least great photos on order), whistles, and even one new dog - Spike. Spike is a very nice 3 yr old off Diane Pagel's Roo that Norm had for sale and was purchased over the weekend by Robert Schooley, DVM ("Dr. Bob" to one and all). Dr. Bob was just as excited as can be - like a kid with a new dog should be. Congrats Bob !
And Thank You, Norm, Vickie, Sally Douglas for hosting, Terry Kinney for the Sheep, and Mike Burks for his usual stock handling extraordinaire.
Prison Break
Well, Piper managed to get her way out of the "prison" of Sheep Camp by going on a total work strike. She just completely refused to work or even to look at sheep. It was not so bad that she would not eat or accept petting and loving from Jennifer though. She just did everything she could to get sprung on early release. Little b***h.
Picked her up after one week instead of two.
We are working on new nicknames - "Sheepdog of Alcatraz", "Prisoner of Azkaban", "Campo Convict" or "DIVA".
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Sheep Camp
Piper is at sheep camp.
She stayed at Canines & Ewe for two weeks of in house training as we try to tune her up and change her lie down whistle.
Early report is that she does not like sheep camp as she refused to even look at sheep the first day. The second day she looked at the sheep and barked.
I am hoping her desire to work sheep rises above her desire to be stubborn and she gets some benefit from the "sheep camp" experience.
She stayed at Canines & Ewe for two weeks of in house training as we try to tune her up and change her lie down whistle.
Early report is that she does not like sheep camp as she refused to even look at sheep the first day. The second day she looked at the sheep and barked.
I am hoping her desire to work sheep rises above her desire to be stubborn and she gets some benefit from the "sheep camp" experience.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Porterville Report
We just got back from the 29th Annual Porterville Fall Driving Trial which is actually held in Lindsay, California. We were there for Pro Novice and Nursery on Friday and stayed for one day (of two) of Open on Saturday.
The field is a big plowed field in a large flat rectangle. There were some large dirt clods and the footing was very uneven for the dogs in places so some of the dogs were a little slow in spots on their outruns till they found better footing. The weather was absolutely gorgeous - mid 70's, calm, and maybe a single cloud in the sky both days.
The sheep were a mixed farm flock of Spencer and Oxford farm flock. They were largely uniform, responded well to the dogs, and, if anything, possibly a little too forgiving. If your dog was right -- the sheep were right and it is hard to ask for anything more. They were also possibly the easiest trial flock to pen I have witnessed. If you got to the pen with 30 seconds or so left you got your pen.
There were two rounds of Pro-Novice on Friday and I ran Piper in both. We had fairly consistent scores - although not particularly good - of 57 and 59 which I believe was good for 15th in a 30 dog field both runs. So pretty much dead middle in terms of scoring. But far from middle in terms of what she accomplished over the weekend.
Our first run was pretty similar to what we have been experiencing although possibly a slight improvement. The outrun - lift - fetch was pretty good losing a total of only 8 points (1-2-5). The drive-away was going pretty well until I managed to have an attack of panel phobia and gave a wrong and too much flank causing the drive to get seriously messed up. We did manage to recover enough to get through the cross drive panel where I flanked her come bye and pulled her up short on a quarter flank. The result was that our sheep came down way wide on the turn and we were off line on the final leg of the drive. (Jennifer told me afterwards that my timing was good but that I stopped her short and caused the problem - more later on the second run.) Our sheep slipped past the pen and we had to go get them back so we lost 4 points on the pen but overall a pretty good run except for the drive - which anyone who has been following this blog knows has been our nemesis.
On Piper's second run I sent her in the opposite direction (away) as I do not want to pattern her. This proved to be a mistake although only partially our fault. As Piper was running out - wide as usual - I watched her head and she was checking in on her sheep so I was not initially concerned. But as she continued out to the right somebody started riding a horse in the adjacent field way off to the right and Piper apparently got sucked in by the equestrian activity. Once I realized she was headed for the Trail of the Giants in the Sequoia National Forest I started frantically blowing my down and recall whistles alternately - initially to no effect as I had a view of a rapidly disappearing dog running away at full speed. Just as I was about to turn around and look for a 4-wheeler to go recover a wayward dog she took a stop and then a recall and started coming back as I was climbing down from the handler's tower. (Ron Ewers was watching and correctly guessed I was on the verge of retiring. He said he was going to run out and tie me to the tower to prevent retirement or shoot me.)
Anyway once Piper recalled and started to pay attention I decided to see how much we could get done. Strangely I relaxed knowing we had basically thrown away most of our outrun points. When she got back to about parallel with the set out I stopped her and gave her an away flank which she took. The fetch was a bit on the muscle and had some serpentine to it but we got control just after missing the panels.
From that point Piper was probably the best she has ever been for me. It was a right hand drive and we turned the post calmly and I lined her up for the drive-away. The sheep wanted to come back in front of the post (they had done this to a lot of dogs so I was ready) but I waggled my crook in their face and they gave up that idea. Then it was a series of "walk ups" and "lie downs" with virtually NO FLANKS (yes Jennifer I have been listening) and because she stayed far enough off and on the edge of the bubble the sheep walked straight on line to the panel. We needed one away flank just before the panel to turn them in the right direction and they walked right through. I gave her the flank whistle and let her make the full flank this time (thank you Jennifer for that observation from our first run). The turn was just a but wide as they probably went maybe 10 yards high of the panel on the turn before Piper brought them back down A nice quarter flank and they were pretty much on line for the cross drive. NO FLANKS the rest of the cross drive and she kept distance and Pace and lo and behold the sheep went right through the panels. A vocal flank and the sheep were coming right toward the pen where they went in easily.
THREE POINTS OFF THE DRIVE (yes I know I am shouting). By far our best drive performance and I think a lot of it was that I relaxed and trusted her.
Saturday I volunteered Piper and myself to work exhaust for the Open trial. Previously I had not felt that the trial organizers really thought we were up to tasks that required me to use a dog and I think there may still have been a slight hesitation. But our offer was accepted and we set to exhaust with run #2 of 55. We were there for the next 10 hours exhausting almost every single run (some never got to us and we had relief for about 5 or 6 runs late in the day). Piper was awesome. She only took maybe 2 or 3 wrong flanks in 10 hours - did not harass the sheep in the least - never broke early and interfered with an ongoing run and the couple times the Open dog was in thee wrong position and tried to push sheep back over top of Piper she would have none of it. Afterwards we received some since3re thanks and I think Piper gained some admirers with her solid work and stamina. I know she worked her little paws raw (actually her ankles right above the paw) on the uneven ground and was stepping gingerly but she did not show an ounce of quit. I was very proud of her.
In day 1 of Open there were a lot of good runs and it was very interesting to watch from the exhaust seat perspective. From my vantage point the difference between the good runs and the very good runs seemed to be on the turns at the drive panels. The handlers and dog teams that made the tightest turns set up the next leg of the drive best and had the best scores. Too late and the turn was wide and either started the next leg high or required an over correction. Not surprisingly some of the better handlers also had some of the better turns. Jennifer won with Soot, was fourth with Sly and 6th with Gunner. Wilda Bahr was second with Gracie, Tom Spencer 3rd with Floss and Suzy Applegate 5th with Buzz.
I also had the pleasure of meeting ABCA President Jim Swift at the trial and we chatted for quite a while. He was very familiar with Piper - knowing her as Laura Hicks "Uno" - her former name. We also had quite a chuckle regarding some of the internet message board criticisms from certain posters. I can report that Jim is very definitely accessible and quite willing to talk. A very nice man and I enjoyed chatting with him. And yes Jim we will work on getting a stop at distance.
Piper seems to be me introduction card as it turns out when we were chatting with the Judge - Roger Culbreath - during a break between the Open Runs that Jim Swift mentioned that Piper was formerly UNO and the Judge said he wished he had known the day before as he would be required to give a full report to Laura Hicks. Apparently he came VERY close to buying Uno from Laura before I did but said he did not have the money available at the time. I told him I was glad he did not buy her because I am very happy with her. He was very complimentary of her noting that she was "born with a bullet up her but" and has been a very fast dog since a little puppy.
The field is a big plowed field in a large flat rectangle. There were some large dirt clods and the footing was very uneven for the dogs in places so some of the dogs were a little slow in spots on their outruns till they found better footing. The weather was absolutely gorgeous - mid 70's, calm, and maybe a single cloud in the sky both days.
The sheep were a mixed farm flock of Spencer and Oxford farm flock. They were largely uniform, responded well to the dogs, and, if anything, possibly a little too forgiving. If your dog was right -- the sheep were right and it is hard to ask for anything more. They were also possibly the easiest trial flock to pen I have witnessed. If you got to the pen with 30 seconds or so left you got your pen.
There were two rounds of Pro-Novice on Friday and I ran Piper in both. We had fairly consistent scores - although not particularly good - of 57 and 59 which I believe was good for 15th in a 30 dog field both runs. So pretty much dead middle in terms of scoring. But far from middle in terms of what she accomplished over the weekend.
Our first run was pretty similar to what we have been experiencing although possibly a slight improvement. The outrun - lift - fetch was pretty good losing a total of only 8 points (1-2-5). The drive-away was going pretty well until I managed to have an attack of panel phobia and gave a wrong and too much flank causing the drive to get seriously messed up. We did manage to recover enough to get through the cross drive panel where I flanked her come bye and pulled her up short on a quarter flank. The result was that our sheep came down way wide on the turn and we were off line on the final leg of the drive. (Jennifer told me afterwards that my timing was good but that I stopped her short and caused the problem - more later on the second run.) Our sheep slipped past the pen and we had to go get them back so we lost 4 points on the pen but overall a pretty good run except for the drive - which anyone who has been following this blog knows has been our nemesis.
On Piper's second run I sent her in the opposite direction (away) as I do not want to pattern her. This proved to be a mistake although only partially our fault. As Piper was running out - wide as usual - I watched her head and she was checking in on her sheep so I was not initially concerned. But as she continued out to the right somebody started riding a horse in the adjacent field way off to the right and Piper apparently got sucked in by the equestrian activity. Once I realized she was headed for the Trail of the Giants in the Sequoia National Forest I started frantically blowing my down and recall whistles alternately - initially to no effect as I had a view of a rapidly disappearing dog running away at full speed. Just as I was about to turn around and look for a 4-wheeler to go recover a wayward dog she took a stop and then a recall and started coming back as I was climbing down from the handler's tower. (Ron Ewers was watching and correctly guessed I was on the verge of retiring. He said he was going to run out and tie me to the tower to prevent retirement or shoot me.)
Anyway once Piper recalled and started to pay attention I decided to see how much we could get done. Strangely I relaxed knowing we had basically thrown away most of our outrun points. When she got back to about parallel with the set out I stopped her and gave her an away flank which she took. The fetch was a bit on the muscle and had some serpentine to it but we got control just after missing the panels.
From that point Piper was probably the best she has ever been for me. It was a right hand drive and we turned the post calmly and I lined her up for the drive-away. The sheep wanted to come back in front of the post (they had done this to a lot of dogs so I was ready) but I waggled my crook in their face and they gave up that idea. Then it was a series of "walk ups" and "lie downs" with virtually NO FLANKS (yes Jennifer I have been listening) and because she stayed far enough off and on the edge of the bubble the sheep walked straight on line to the panel. We needed one away flank just before the panel to turn them in the right direction and they walked right through. I gave her the flank whistle and let her make the full flank this time (thank you Jennifer for that observation from our first run). The turn was just a but wide as they probably went maybe 10 yards high of the panel on the turn before Piper brought them back down A nice quarter flank and they were pretty much on line for the cross drive. NO FLANKS the rest of the cross drive and she kept distance and Pace and lo and behold the sheep went right through the panels. A vocal flank and the sheep were coming right toward the pen where they went in easily.
THREE POINTS OFF THE DRIVE (yes I know I am shouting). By far our best drive performance and I think a lot of it was that I relaxed and trusted her.
Saturday I volunteered Piper and myself to work exhaust for the Open trial. Previously I had not felt that the trial organizers really thought we were up to tasks that required me to use a dog and I think there may still have been a slight hesitation. But our offer was accepted and we set to exhaust with run #2 of 55. We were there for the next 10 hours exhausting almost every single run (some never got to us and we had relief for about 5 or 6 runs late in the day). Piper was awesome. She only took maybe 2 or 3 wrong flanks in 10 hours - did not harass the sheep in the least - never broke early and interfered with an ongoing run and the couple times the Open dog was in thee wrong position and tried to push sheep back over top of Piper she would have none of it. Afterwards we received some since3re thanks and I think Piper gained some admirers with her solid work and stamina. I know she worked her little paws raw (actually her ankles right above the paw) on the uneven ground and was stepping gingerly but she did not show an ounce of quit. I was very proud of her.
In day 1 of Open there were a lot of good runs and it was very interesting to watch from the exhaust seat perspective. From my vantage point the difference between the good runs and the very good runs seemed to be on the turns at the drive panels. The handlers and dog teams that made the tightest turns set up the next leg of the drive best and had the best scores. Too late and the turn was wide and either started the next leg high or required an over correction. Not surprisingly some of the better handlers also had some of the better turns. Jennifer won with Soot, was fourth with Sly and 6th with Gunner. Wilda Bahr was second with Gracie, Tom Spencer 3rd with Floss and Suzy Applegate 5th with Buzz.
I also had the pleasure of meeting ABCA President Jim Swift at the trial and we chatted for quite a while. He was very familiar with Piper - knowing her as Laura Hicks "Uno" - her former name. We also had quite a chuckle regarding some of the internet message board criticisms from certain posters. I can report that Jim is very definitely accessible and quite willing to talk. A very nice man and I enjoyed chatting with him. And yes Jim we will work on getting a stop at distance.
Piper seems to be me introduction card as it turns out when we were chatting with the Judge - Roger Culbreath - during a break between the Open Runs that Jim Swift mentioned that Piper was formerly UNO and the Judge said he wished he had known the day before as he would be required to give a full report to Laura Hicks. Apparently he came VERY close to buying Uno from Laura before I did but said he did not have the money available at the time. I told him I was glad he did not buy her because I am very happy with her. He was very complimentary of her noting that she was "born with a bullet up her but" and has been a very fast dog since a little puppy.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Pt Pleasant Report
To paraphrase Charles Dickens - It was the worst of runs, it was the best of runs. And that was all in one run - our second.
Just back from the Pt. Pleasant Sheepdog Trials hosted by Tom and LisAnn Spencer in Pt. Pleasant - about 20 miles South of Sacramento. The trial was open and Nursery on Saturday, Open and Open Double Lift on Sunday, and Pro-Novice (2 runs) and Nursery on Monday. We only made it for the Monday Pro Novice and Nursery so that is all I can report on - other than that Suzy Applegate and Lyn won the Open Double Lift on Sunday.
I am told the weather was beautiful Saturday and Sunday. Not so on Monday. When I walked Piper at 7 a.m. at the Holiday Inn (nice place BTW) the weather was lovely. After enjoying the included breakfast buffet it was starting to rain as we left for the trial field shortly after 8. It was rain off and on for the rest of the day only clearing up as the trial was finishing. Then rain - sometimes heavy - made the drive home extra fun.
In the Nursery Tierney Graham and her dog (Briscoe I think) had a very nice run and managed to take home first place in something of an upset over Suzy Applegate and her dog Dot who was 6th in the recent Nursery Nationals (I think I heard Dot won the first day of nursery). Good job Tierney !
The Pro-Novice had 17 dogs in the first run and 10 in the second. The field is very flat and a lot of the dogs seemed to have trouble locating the sheep. There were a lot of redirects - an unusually high number of crossovers - and a few outruns straight up the middle through the fetch panels. Some of the dogs never found the sheep at all and some found them after they had basically lost most or all of their outrun points.
The sheep were range ewes and I think they were probably a little difficult for some of the younger dogs but they were actually very fair and worked very nicely - as long as the dog was right. A great big thank you to Tom and LisAnn for bringing in range ewes and then letting we mere Pro-Novice handlers work them. Range ewes are hard to find at pro-novice trials so it was a real treat to get to work on them. It is especially good if you view Pro-Novice as training period trying to make it to Open.
I did not write down the results so this is a bit from memory but I think Carolyn Crocker won the first PN run with Lyn - the same dog that Suzy ran in open, Suzy Applegate also placed with one of her young dogs although I can't remember which one. The second go round of PN had Patti Sowells in first and third and Carolyn with Lyn in 2nd. Piper retired in the first go round and we were 4th out of 10 in the second go round.
Anyway - back to Dickens. Our first run was the worst of times. The lift was off line and Piper did not seem to wish to acknowledge my presence in the same state. The fetch was wild and at least 30 yards off line. We did manage to get around the post and get started on the driveaway when a train came by blowing its whistle about 200 yards from where I was standing -- one of only two trains all day. By that time it really did not matter. The sheep came around the post and wanted to make a run for it in the general direction of back toward set out. Piper managed to get them turned but a couple of overflanks later they were coming back to my feet and Piper was still not really listening to me. I left the post to retire and naturally she immediately decided to listen to my requests as we exhausted. In Dickensian terms it was the worst of runs.
The second run was showing signs of being a repeat of the first as the sheep lifted off line and the fetch was going for Mr. Toad's wild ride on another 30 yard off line fetch. She did start to take my come bye flank and when she got wide enough and in position to turn their heads she miraculously took a "lie down".
After that she was a completely different dog. She calmly walked up - took my "time" commands and we got the sheep around the post. As with the first run they wanted to run toward the set out. She took the proper away and we turned them back toward the panel - a bit too far at first - but a proper come bye got them lined up and trotting toward the panels. Three of the four trotted nicely through the panels and the other slid by on the left - all the while Piper was taking my commands - taking time and lying down when asked.
As they broke through the panel they wanted to keep going so I sent Piper "come bye" and she turned them about 10 yards past the panel and again took the "there" and started walking up taking "time". We got them back even with the drive away panels and with minimal flanking and much "time now" she WALKED in on them taking time and keeping her proper distance on the bubble. Once or twice she started to pick up the pace but took the "time now" commands and slowed down nicely. I thought we were a bit low but as the sheep approached the panels they were lined up perfectly and walked right through. "Come Bye" and again she stopped in the proper position to bring them to the pen. They slid by the pen high with only about 30 seconds left and by the time we got them back to the mouth we only had ten seconds so we did not get the pen. Only 8 points off the drive.
Back to Dickens - It was the worst of runs - then it was the best of runs.
Just back from the Pt. Pleasant Sheepdog Trials hosted by Tom and LisAnn Spencer in Pt. Pleasant - about 20 miles South of Sacramento. The trial was open and Nursery on Saturday, Open and Open Double Lift on Sunday, and Pro-Novice (2 runs) and Nursery on Monday. We only made it for the Monday Pro Novice and Nursery so that is all I can report on - other than that Suzy Applegate and Lyn won the Open Double Lift on Sunday.
I am told the weather was beautiful Saturday and Sunday. Not so on Monday. When I walked Piper at 7 a.m. at the Holiday Inn (nice place BTW) the weather was lovely. After enjoying the included breakfast buffet it was starting to rain as we left for the trial field shortly after 8. It was rain off and on for the rest of the day only clearing up as the trial was finishing. Then rain - sometimes heavy - made the drive home extra fun.
In the Nursery Tierney Graham and her dog (Briscoe I think) had a very nice run and managed to take home first place in something of an upset over Suzy Applegate and her dog Dot who was 6th in the recent Nursery Nationals (I think I heard Dot won the first day of nursery). Good job Tierney !
The Pro-Novice had 17 dogs in the first run and 10 in the second. The field is very flat and a lot of the dogs seemed to have trouble locating the sheep. There were a lot of redirects - an unusually high number of crossovers - and a few outruns straight up the middle through the fetch panels. Some of the dogs never found the sheep at all and some found them after they had basically lost most or all of their outrun points.
The sheep were range ewes and I think they were probably a little difficult for some of the younger dogs but they were actually very fair and worked very nicely - as long as the dog was right. A great big thank you to Tom and LisAnn for bringing in range ewes and then letting we mere Pro-Novice handlers work them. Range ewes are hard to find at pro-novice trials so it was a real treat to get to work on them. It is especially good if you view Pro-Novice as training period trying to make it to Open.
I did not write down the results so this is a bit from memory but I think Carolyn Crocker won the first PN run with Lyn - the same dog that Suzy ran in open, Suzy Applegate also placed with one of her young dogs although I can't remember which one. The second go round of PN had Patti Sowells in first and third and Carolyn with Lyn in 2nd. Piper retired in the first go round and we were 4th out of 10 in the second go round.
Anyway - back to Dickens. Our first run was the worst of times. The lift was off line and Piper did not seem to wish to acknowledge my presence in the same state. The fetch was wild and at least 30 yards off line. We did manage to get around the post and get started on the driveaway when a train came by blowing its whistle about 200 yards from where I was standing -- one of only two trains all day. By that time it really did not matter. The sheep came around the post and wanted to make a run for it in the general direction of back toward set out. Piper managed to get them turned but a couple of overflanks later they were coming back to my feet and Piper was still not really listening to me. I left the post to retire and naturally she immediately decided to listen to my requests as we exhausted. In Dickensian terms it was the worst of runs.
The second run was showing signs of being a repeat of the first as the sheep lifted off line and the fetch was going for Mr. Toad's wild ride on another 30 yard off line fetch. She did start to take my come bye flank and when she got wide enough and in position to turn their heads she miraculously took a "lie down".
After that she was a completely different dog. She calmly walked up - took my "time" commands and we got the sheep around the post. As with the first run they wanted to run toward the set out. She took the proper away and we turned them back toward the panel - a bit too far at first - but a proper come bye got them lined up and trotting toward the panels. Three of the four trotted nicely through the panels and the other slid by on the left - all the while Piper was taking my commands - taking time and lying down when asked.
As they broke through the panel they wanted to keep going so I sent Piper "come bye" and she turned them about 10 yards past the panel and again took the "there" and started walking up taking "time". We got them back even with the drive away panels and with minimal flanking and much "time now" she WALKED in on them taking time and keeping her proper distance on the bubble. Once or twice she started to pick up the pace but took the "time now" commands and slowed down nicely. I thought we were a bit low but as the sheep approached the panels they were lined up perfectly and walked right through. "Come Bye" and again she stopped in the proper position to bring them to the pen. They slid by the pen high with only about 30 seconds left and by the time we got them back to the mouth we only had ten seconds so we did not get the pen. Only 8 points off the drive.
Back to Dickens - It was the worst of runs - then it was the best of runs.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Practice - Party - Practice More
What a great way to get in some last minute pre-trial work for Piper before going to Pt. Pleasant.
I have a colleague with an office in Mission Valley and we have been looking at a potential case for months so we finally decided to just get together and consider whether to bring the case on Friday morning. Well he knows me and the dogs so he invited me to bring one to his office and we combined an a.m. business meeting with an afternoon trip to Campo for a rare Friday afternoon session on the field.
By the time we made it to Jennifer's Friday afternoon the dog training was mostly over for the day but we put Piper out in the lower field for a couple short working sessions. Her pace from the week before was still there and she had me feeling very good about her reteention of the prior week lesson. A little backsliding Saturday or I just have a bad case of panelhypophobia but overall a major improvement from just a few weeks ago.
Friday evening was fun barbecue with Jennifer and Ron and their friends Mike and Diane (forgot the last name - Sorry !) from Arizona. Dinner was great and the company and conversation were fabulous. I think at least four bottles of Riesling were fuly draained before we all crawled off to sleep.
Saturday Jennifer was expecting a crowd so it was going to be tigght working. Piper and I were up and out early so at about 7:30 Jennifer said to go get some sheep and we got almost 1 1/2 hours work in trading off with Jennifer and Sly before any other studentts arrived. Piper's pace in the lower field was very good and we started working on shedding lessons. The shedding lessons are more for me than Piper. If we needed inspiration we watched Jennifer and Sly repeatedly winnow a small group down to a small group. Sly was like a hot knife coming through butter. Just beautiful.
Then Jennifer and I traded a couple outruns with Sly and Piper. Piper was being her normal outrunning fool self until she was sent away and did not go as deep as normal because as she started to hit the lower field there was a white SUV driving across her path - another student arriving and not realizing we were doing an oiutrun in the same field. Well I guess I can forgive Piper for yielding a bit to the pressure of an oncoming SUV. Her outrun was still good though- just not as deep as usual. She did give me a very rare circle to the head on one fetch though - not sure what happened but we need to watch for it.
Piper's driving was not up to her earlier standards during the group session. I think it was a bit of the sheep being heavy and I was a bit slow with my "time" and doing too much steering.
At the end we did a drill I had only heard about before. Penning with another dog tethered on the inside of the pen to discourage sheep from wanting to enter the pen. I was expecting a lot of problems but Piper managed to get the sheep almost all the way in before we called her off and let the sheep out. She took all of my directions - covered on her own - stayed calm - and would not take any bullsh** from the ewes who tried to run her over getting away from the other dog (now that was a righteous grip). She was so excited by the drill that I had to chain her up to keep her from going out to "help" Tricia and Tipper.
I really think that once she understands the job and the objective Piper is pretty good about doing what is necessary.
Well on to Pt. Pleasant. Let's see what holds up in a trial setting.
I have a colleague with an office in Mission Valley and we have been looking at a potential case for months so we finally decided to just get together and consider whether to bring the case on Friday morning. Well he knows me and the dogs so he invited me to bring one to his office and we combined an a.m. business meeting with an afternoon trip to Campo for a rare Friday afternoon session on the field.
By the time we made it to Jennifer's Friday afternoon the dog training was mostly over for the day but we put Piper out in the lower field for a couple short working sessions. Her pace from the week before was still there and she had me feeling very good about her reteention of the prior week lesson. A little backsliding Saturday or I just have a bad case of panelhypophobia but overall a major improvement from just a few weeks ago.
Friday evening was fun barbecue with Jennifer and Ron and their friends Mike and Diane (forgot the last name - Sorry !) from Arizona. Dinner was great and the company and conversation were fabulous. I think at least four bottles of Riesling were fuly draained before we all crawled off to sleep.
Saturday Jennifer was expecting a crowd so it was going to be tigght working. Piper and I were up and out early so at about 7:30 Jennifer said to go get some sheep and we got almost 1 1/2 hours work in trading off with Jennifer and Sly before any other studentts arrived. Piper's pace in the lower field was very good and we started working on shedding lessons. The shedding lessons are more for me than Piper. If we needed inspiration we watched Jennifer and Sly repeatedly winnow a small group down to a small group. Sly was like a hot knife coming through butter. Just beautiful.
Then Jennifer and I traded a couple outruns with Sly and Piper. Piper was being her normal outrunning fool self until she was sent away and did not go as deep as normal because as she started to hit the lower field there was a white SUV driving across her path - another student arriving and not realizing we were doing an oiutrun in the same field. Well I guess I can forgive Piper for yielding a bit to the pressure of an oncoming SUV. Her outrun was still good though- just not as deep as usual. She did give me a very rare circle to the head on one fetch though - not sure what happened but we need to watch for it.
Piper's driving was not up to her earlier standards during the group session. I think it was a bit of the sheep being heavy and I was a bit slow with my "time" and doing too much steering.
At the end we did a drill I had only heard about before. Penning with another dog tethered on the inside of the pen to discourage sheep from wanting to enter the pen. I was expecting a lot of problems but Piper managed to get the sheep almost all the way in before we called her off and let the sheep out. She took all of my directions - covered on her own - stayed calm - and would not take any bullsh** from the ewes who tried to run her over getting away from the other dog (now that was a righteous grip). She was so excited by the drill that I had to chain her up to keep her from going out to "help" Tricia and Tipper.
I really think that once she understands the job and the objective Piper is pretty good about doing what is necessary.
Well on to Pt. Pleasant. Let's see what holds up in a trial setting.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Breakthrough - or Mirage
Only time will tell if Piper had a true breakthrough this weekend or we just got a tease.
Taking advantage of a fairly rare two days in a row to work with Jennifer and not many other people around we got in two very good days at K9z&Ewe this past weekend. If I had checked Facebook before leaving to drive down to Campo I might have had an idea of what was coming. Apparently Jennifer posted on her Facebook page that "today patrick and piper are going to learn PACE". And learn PACE we did.
It required a religious revival meeting on Saturday where Piper was reintroduced to her lord and master in the form of me, but start to listen carefully she did. Saturday in the lower field her pace and lines were better than they have been and she was starting to take the "Time" command. I tried to be zealous in imposing "Time" whenever she either got up too fast or started to speed up and what a difference it made. When we moved to the upper field and ran a simulated course she was better on the drive away than she had been but still not great and the cross drive was still a mess as she wanted to go high to hold against the pressure and routinely got too far to the head on the sheep. Still it seemed progress was being made and I would have already been happy with the work on Saturday (which also included our beginning formal instruction on shedding).
Jennifer and Ron were off to a wedding Saturday so I had dinner at the Campo Diner with Leon (the new ranch hand and nice guy). Talking with Leon about what had happened with Piper at dinner helped crystallize some thoughts - she had actually slowed down a bit - not enough - and I was too late with my timing to keep her from going high to the head on the cross drive.
Sunday morning started with more lower field work on driving. And the Saturday lessons were still present in Piper's mind. We got the slowest walk up I think Piper has ever given. She even started showing a bit of Border Collie crouch. Such a fine sight to see (apologies to the Eagles). And as things were slow the sheep - who were light runners brought out specifically to make her exhibit pace - continued to slowly move and largely in a straight line. The distance was kept more and she stayed more "on the bubble" than usual. Plus as it progressed the harsh shouted "TIME" gave way to a more gentle "time now" with the desired result. The slower pace and greater distance off of the sheep also made the flanks nicer and steering easier.
Then as we switched sheep and moved to the top field to do some longer outwork and driving the first time or two it was a bit of relapse although still not as bad as before on the drive. Realizing from the discussions that it was largely my timing and perhaps not being as insistent on immediate compliance as at hand we tried again. The last tow outruns we picked up nicely, fetched nicely and then when we did the drive away everything was at a nice easy walking pace. Piper was so much easier to move into position at this pace and have her walk on than the faster pace. And there were no last minute wild 90 degree turns needed to make the panel. The sheep just lined up and she pushed them through at a nice walking pace. Then - bless her - swung around and was driving them away at the same pace and without going to the head. Our last drive she was even lining out and self regulating her pace.
So now we know she can do it. Hopefully it was a breakthrough and we won't have too much backsliding. If learning past tasks with her is any indication there may be slight slippage but once she gets the idea she pretty much gets it and may need refining but rarely goes all the way back to prior bad habits.
So breakthrough or mirage. Only time will tell but I'm betting breakthrough (and if not yet then soon).
Taking advantage of a fairly rare two days in a row to work with Jennifer and not many other people around we got in two very good days at K9z&Ewe this past weekend. If I had checked Facebook before leaving to drive down to Campo I might have had an idea of what was coming. Apparently Jennifer posted on her Facebook page that "today patrick and piper are going to learn PACE". And learn PACE we did.
It required a religious revival meeting on Saturday where Piper was reintroduced to her lord and master in the form of me, but start to listen carefully she did. Saturday in the lower field her pace and lines were better than they have been and she was starting to take the "Time" command. I tried to be zealous in imposing "Time" whenever she either got up too fast or started to speed up and what a difference it made. When we moved to the upper field and ran a simulated course she was better on the drive away than she had been but still not great and the cross drive was still a mess as she wanted to go high to hold against the pressure and routinely got too far to the head on the sheep. Still it seemed progress was being made and I would have already been happy with the work on Saturday (which also included our beginning formal instruction on shedding).
Jennifer and Ron were off to a wedding Saturday so I had dinner at the Campo Diner with Leon (the new ranch hand and nice guy). Talking with Leon about what had happened with Piper at dinner helped crystallize some thoughts - she had actually slowed down a bit - not enough - and I was too late with my timing to keep her from going high to the head on the cross drive.
Sunday morning started with more lower field work on driving. And the Saturday lessons were still present in Piper's mind. We got the slowest walk up I think Piper has ever given. She even started showing a bit of Border Collie crouch. Such a fine sight to see (apologies to the Eagles). And as things were slow the sheep - who were light runners brought out specifically to make her exhibit pace - continued to slowly move and largely in a straight line. The distance was kept more and she stayed more "on the bubble" than usual. Plus as it progressed the harsh shouted "TIME" gave way to a more gentle "time now" with the desired result. The slower pace and greater distance off of the sheep also made the flanks nicer and steering easier.
Then as we switched sheep and moved to the top field to do some longer outwork and driving the first time or two it was a bit of relapse although still not as bad as before on the drive. Realizing from the discussions that it was largely my timing and perhaps not being as insistent on immediate compliance as at hand we tried again. The last tow outruns we picked up nicely, fetched nicely and then when we did the drive away everything was at a nice easy walking pace. Piper was so much easier to move into position at this pace and have her walk on than the faster pace. And there were no last minute wild 90 degree turns needed to make the panel. The sheep just lined up and she pushed them through at a nice walking pace. Then - bless her - swung around and was driving them away at the same pace and without going to the head. Our last drive she was even lining out and self regulating her pace.
So now we know she can do it. Hopefully it was a breakthrough and we won't have too much backsliding. If learning past tasks with her is any indication there may be slight slippage but once she gets the idea she pretty much gets it and may need refining but rarely goes all the way back to prior bad habits.
So breakthrough or mirage. Only time will tell but I'm betting breakthrough (and if not yet then soon).
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
That's a shed
It somewhat happened by accident and it may not happen again for a while but . . .
Piper and I were working on at hand work and calm sheep movement last Saturday at K9z&Ewe when our group of sheep very kindly spread out in a nice line. Thinking it was the perfect opportunity to try something for the first time I flanked Piper so she was on the opposite side of the sheep from me and lied her down. Relatively soon a gap appeared between two groups of sheep so I asked Piper "in here" and then "these". Even though we had never tried this before and had not intended to work on it Piper came right in and turned on the right group of sheep. We did not drive them off but she did have control of the gap.
That's a shed.
Now hopefully we can do it again.
The other nice thing she did last week was during the same bit of work when a renegade ewe decided she wanted to leave her sorority sisters and make a break for it. Instead of chasing she took the away flank (amazingly I actually gave her the right flank) and covered the escaping ewe without any chasing involved.
Now that driving thing still seems to be on an S course with too many reversals of direction. I realized that I was having trouble judging her position relative to the sheep so I walked out to be a bit closer and was able to see when she was getting to far to the head. This helped somewhat and I was able to get more progress on straight lines when I was able to time the "down" better.
She also did a pretty good job keeping the lighter sheep straight with a bump and drift technique.
The problem seems to be when she gets close to the sheep to move them and I have trouble judging when she is too far to the head.
Piper and I were working on at hand work and calm sheep movement last Saturday at K9z&Ewe when our group of sheep very kindly spread out in a nice line. Thinking it was the perfect opportunity to try something for the first time I flanked Piper so she was on the opposite side of the sheep from me and lied her down. Relatively soon a gap appeared between two groups of sheep so I asked Piper "in here" and then "these". Even though we had never tried this before and had not intended to work on it Piper came right in and turned on the right group of sheep. We did not drive them off but she did have control of the gap.
That's a shed.
Now hopefully we can do it again.
The other nice thing she did last week was during the same bit of work when a renegade ewe decided she wanted to leave her sorority sisters and make a break for it. Instead of chasing she took the away flank (amazingly I actually gave her the right flank) and covered the escaping ewe without any chasing involved.
Now that driving thing still seems to be on an S course with too many reversals of direction. I realized that I was having trouble judging her position relative to the sheep so I walked out to be a bit closer and was able to see when she was getting to far to the head. This helped somewhat and I was able to get more progress on straight lines when I was able to time the "down" better.
She also did a pretty good job keeping the lighter sheep straight with a bump and drift technique.
The problem seems to be when she gets close to the sheep to move them and I have trouble judging when she is too far to the head.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Matchup Problems
Sports coaches and commentators often speak of a team creating "matchup problems" for another team. This does not always mean that the team creating "matchup problems" is necessarily better or tougher than other teams on the schedule -- its just that certain of their characteristics create particular difficulties for certain specific characteristics of the other team.
I think there are "matchup problems" for border collies with certain sheep and fields as well. I know in talking to Jennifer and some other top handlers that certain of their dogs just do better on certain fields with certain types of sheep. Certain sheep seem to "like" certain dogs or type of dogs. And certain dogs or types of dogs seem to like certain fields or types of field.
Knowing this I am at the stage where I am trying to learn as much as I can about my dogs and their likes/dislikes and which sheep like/dislike them. Also I want to be able to run my dogs effectively even on those sheep/fields which do not fit to their strengths. I think it is important to our development that our ability to get around a trial field reasonably well does not require a "perfect storm" combination of just the right circumstances.
So with that lead in -- it was off to Porterville for the "Fun Trials" with Piper and Maggie this weekend. The "Fun Trials" are always fun and they are one of the few places where I can currently take Maggie and give her a good chance for success as she is still having trouble driving and I can leave the post to go help her and offer some schooling.
For Piper it is a good set up because the field and the sheep are basically the opposite of everything she likes. The sheep are farm flock who like to run and want to have as little to do with Piper as possible so they are wont to take off at a full gallop whenever she gets within the same time zone. They also like to overreact to flanking adjustments so the slightest overflanking can result in a serpentine pattern either down the fetch line or on the driveaway. Plus the field is fairly small and the handlers post is very close to the fence so it is very hard for Piper to get far enough off the sheep to let them settle a bit. A formula set up to frustrate her but also one that if we can master will give us some confidence to handle sheep and fields more to her liking.
Maggie did about as expected and got a little bit further on the drive each run before I retired her. I tried to time my retirements so we got the maximum work for her without letting her frustration level get too high. Actually her outwork was some of the best of all the pro novice dogs and her fetches were very clean and straighter than almost all the other pro-novice dogs. In all a good trial for her but she still will not drive away far enough.
Piper did better than she did on the same field and sheep in June. Her outwork was its usual fine self and she stayed a little further off on the fetch than she did in June so we were able to control the pace and turn the post well. There was far too much serpentining on her drives and that is clearly where we need to put in the most work. For the most part her pen work was calm and fairly effective. All of her groups of sheep managed to slip about half their bodies past the opening of the pen to the side away form the gate but she uniformly got "away" and stopped them - one group completed one full circle before being brought in line and her last group (of 4) simply had no intention of going into the pen under any circumstances. Even with the last group though Piper was fairly calm and let them settle - they simply would not go in.
But it is sometimes true that we find our greatest successes amidst our failures. My first run on Sunday with Piper after we turned the post we learned that one of our four sheep seemed to have a socialization problem and wanted nothing to do with her three sister ewes. Piper took my lookback and directional commands and was walking in step by step and even showing some eye to this social misfit. Ah to no avail as the social outcast lowered her head and stamped her hoove at Piper. Piper continued to creep in and then "BAM" a completely righteous grip on the nose -- just a bit and she did not hang on. Well I gave her a "get out" and expected to hear a retirement request from the judge - but there was none so I had Piper creep in again. Same result - objecting ewe and a righteous nip on the nose. Expecting to hear a retirement request from the judge at any time we kept repeating the processs with slow results three or four times and finally the judge gave us a rerun (totally undeserved IMO but welcome as the judge noted it was the same sheep which had played possum the day before). I have to say that I was happier with this little exchange than I think I would have been if she had nailed her run for a high score. She did not back down and her grips were totally appropriate - not out of frustration -- and she did not hang on.
Her final run Sunday we got another social misfit who kept breaking from her sorority sisters for -- as far as I could tell - no fault of the dogs. This one started separating herself less than half way down the fetch and I kept having to readjust Piper's position to put the group back together. This continued all the way around the drive triangle and absolutely destroyed our score but I was so happy with how she worked that I did not care about the score. It was easily the toughest grouping of sheep that I saw anyone have during the day and I thought she handled it very well.
I must admit to slight disappointment with our scores but I need to keep reminding myself that we are still less than a year into our partnership. We are ahead of schedule for where I thought we would be by now when I got Piper in January. Sometimes she just progresses so well that I find myself being impatient. But then she does something like her little backing down that one social misfit one step at a time and escalating the pressure appropriately that I am so proud of her.
I think there are "matchup problems" for border collies with certain sheep and fields as well. I know in talking to Jennifer and some other top handlers that certain of their dogs just do better on certain fields with certain types of sheep. Certain sheep seem to "like" certain dogs or type of dogs. And certain dogs or types of dogs seem to like certain fields or types of field.
Knowing this I am at the stage where I am trying to learn as much as I can about my dogs and their likes/dislikes and which sheep like/dislike them. Also I want to be able to run my dogs effectively even on those sheep/fields which do not fit to their strengths. I think it is important to our development that our ability to get around a trial field reasonably well does not require a "perfect storm" combination of just the right circumstances.
So with that lead in -- it was off to Porterville for the "Fun Trials" with Piper and Maggie this weekend. The "Fun Trials" are always fun and they are one of the few places where I can currently take Maggie and give her a good chance for success as she is still having trouble driving and I can leave the post to go help her and offer some schooling.
For Piper it is a good set up because the field and the sheep are basically the opposite of everything she likes. The sheep are farm flock who like to run and want to have as little to do with Piper as possible so they are wont to take off at a full gallop whenever she gets within the same time zone. They also like to overreact to flanking adjustments so the slightest overflanking can result in a serpentine pattern either down the fetch line or on the driveaway. Plus the field is fairly small and the handlers post is very close to the fence so it is very hard for Piper to get far enough off the sheep to let them settle a bit. A formula set up to frustrate her but also one that if we can master will give us some confidence to handle sheep and fields more to her liking.
Maggie did about as expected and got a little bit further on the drive each run before I retired her. I tried to time my retirements so we got the maximum work for her without letting her frustration level get too high. Actually her outwork was some of the best of all the pro novice dogs and her fetches were very clean and straighter than almost all the other pro-novice dogs. In all a good trial for her but she still will not drive away far enough.
Piper did better than she did on the same field and sheep in June. Her outwork was its usual fine self and she stayed a little further off on the fetch than she did in June so we were able to control the pace and turn the post well. There was far too much serpentining on her drives and that is clearly where we need to put in the most work. For the most part her pen work was calm and fairly effective. All of her groups of sheep managed to slip about half their bodies past the opening of the pen to the side away form the gate but she uniformly got "away" and stopped them - one group completed one full circle before being brought in line and her last group (of 4) simply had no intention of going into the pen under any circumstances. Even with the last group though Piper was fairly calm and let them settle - they simply would not go in.
But it is sometimes true that we find our greatest successes amidst our failures. My first run on Sunday with Piper after we turned the post we learned that one of our four sheep seemed to have a socialization problem and wanted nothing to do with her three sister ewes. Piper took my lookback and directional commands and was walking in step by step and even showing some eye to this social misfit. Ah to no avail as the social outcast lowered her head and stamped her hoove at Piper. Piper continued to creep in and then "BAM" a completely righteous grip on the nose -- just a bit and she did not hang on. Well I gave her a "get out" and expected to hear a retirement request from the judge - but there was none so I had Piper creep in again. Same result - objecting ewe and a righteous nip on the nose. Expecting to hear a retirement request from the judge at any time we kept repeating the processs with slow results three or four times and finally the judge gave us a rerun (totally undeserved IMO but welcome as the judge noted it was the same sheep which had played possum the day before). I have to say that I was happier with this little exchange than I think I would have been if she had nailed her run for a high score. She did not back down and her grips were totally appropriate - not out of frustration -- and she did not hang on.
Her final run Sunday we got another social misfit who kept breaking from her sorority sisters for -- as far as I could tell - no fault of the dogs. This one started separating herself less than half way down the fetch and I kept having to readjust Piper's position to put the group back together. This continued all the way around the drive triangle and absolutely destroyed our score but I was so happy with how she worked that I did not care about the score. It was easily the toughest grouping of sheep that I saw anyone have during the day and I thought she handled it very well.
I must admit to slight disappointment with our scores but I need to keep reminding myself that we are still less than a year into our partnership. We are ahead of schedule for where I thought we would be by now when I got Piper in January. Sometimes she just progresses so well that I find myself being impatient. But then she does something like her little backing down that one social misfit one step at a time and escalating the pressure appropriately that I am so proud of her.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Blind Trust
Last Saturday at K9Z&Ewe I was sneaking in essentially my only assisted training session of the month as Jennifer was back in Campo from Soldier Hollow for a very brief stopove before heading off to Klamath for the Nationals.
Little Miss Piper was the first dog up for work duty to get sheep out of the pens and hold them for the other dogs doing outruns from the poolhouse back towards the handlers post area for the On the Border Trial. Basically the other dogs were doing the reverse of the open outrun from Jennifer's New Years Trial andPiper and I were doing retrievals which were essentially the same outrun that the Open dogs do at the On the Border Trial.
Well from my vantage point the terrain was such that the sheep were not visible to me - or I assume to Piper -- down by the poolhouse when the pick up hand signal was given. We were outrunning blind - a first for me with any dog. When I sent Piper to retrieve I could watch the start of her outrun and see how she was setting up until about 2:30 on the away sidfe and about 10 o'clock on the come bye. So I had some idea from watching how she was heading in whether she seemed to be on the right path and whether she seemed to be checking in on her sheep but the critical last 1/3 of the outrun and the sheep themselves were totally hidden from my view.
Talk about taking a bug gulp and trusting your dog. All I could do after Piper disappeared from view was take a deep breath and wait. Since Jennifer and a whole group were down at the other end I guess they would have somehow let me know if things were going horribly wrong but really it was an exercise in learning to trust my dog. So as Piper disappeared from my view I trusted that she would somehow end up behind the hidden sheep and waited (a bit nervously I might add). I waited and then ---- I saw sheep heads - followed by sheep bodies and - wonderfully they were coming straight at me in a nice group at a reasonable pace -- with Miss P bringing up the rear to prevent stragglers. And then we did it again. And again. And every time my wait was rewarded by the wonderful sight of sheep coming more or less straight toward me at a reasonable pace followed by Piper.
The reality is that this was a much bigger step for me than it was for Piper. I had learned that given a chance to think on her own Piper can be trusted to bring sheep in a workmanlike manner.
Then we flipped around and I was doing outruns and fetches the other directions. The lift was visible but if the sheep came down the proper fetch line they disappeared for about 20 seconds or so in a swale or more accurately behind a rise. Another moment we had never experienced before. But another lesson about trust. I know this is a routine circumstance at many open trials but it was not anything I had experienced before. So as the sheep entered the No Vision Zone I tried to remain calm - anticipate where and when they should reappear based on the last observed line -- and wait. Sure enough - in about the right time the sheep magically reappeared still on line and followed by Piper at an appropriate pace and distance.
Then we worked on some straight line driving. She is getting better at this all the time and if I can calm myself enough to trust her she will be dangerous soon enough.
Little Miss Piper was the first dog up for work duty to get sheep out of the pens and hold them for the other dogs doing outruns from the poolhouse back towards the handlers post area for the On the Border Trial. Basically the other dogs were doing the reverse of the open outrun from Jennifer's New Years Trial andPiper and I were doing retrievals which were essentially the same outrun that the Open dogs do at the On the Border Trial.
Well from my vantage point the terrain was such that the sheep were not visible to me - or I assume to Piper -- down by the poolhouse when the pick up hand signal was given. We were outrunning blind - a first for me with any dog. When I sent Piper to retrieve I could watch the start of her outrun and see how she was setting up until about 2:30 on the away sidfe and about 10 o'clock on the come bye. So I had some idea from watching how she was heading in whether she seemed to be on the right path and whether she seemed to be checking in on her sheep but the critical last 1/3 of the outrun and the sheep themselves were totally hidden from my view.
Talk about taking a bug gulp and trusting your dog. All I could do after Piper disappeared from view was take a deep breath and wait. Since Jennifer and a whole group were down at the other end I guess they would have somehow let me know if things were going horribly wrong but really it was an exercise in learning to trust my dog. So as Piper disappeared from my view I trusted that she would somehow end up behind the hidden sheep and waited (a bit nervously I might add). I waited and then ---- I saw sheep heads - followed by sheep bodies and - wonderfully they were coming straight at me in a nice group at a reasonable pace -- with Miss P bringing up the rear to prevent stragglers. And then we did it again. And again. And every time my wait was rewarded by the wonderful sight of sheep coming more or less straight toward me at a reasonable pace followed by Piper.
The reality is that this was a much bigger step for me than it was for Piper. I had learned that given a chance to think on her own Piper can be trusted to bring sheep in a workmanlike manner.
Then we flipped around and I was doing outruns and fetches the other directions. The lift was visible but if the sheep came down the proper fetch line they disappeared for about 20 seconds or so in a swale or more accurately behind a rise. Another moment we had never experienced before. But another lesson about trust. I know this is a routine circumstance at many open trials but it was not anything I had experienced before. So as the sheep entered the No Vision Zone I tried to remain calm - anticipate where and when they should reappear based on the last observed line -- and wait. Sure enough - in about the right time the sheep magically reappeared still on line and followed by Piper at an appropriate pace and distance.
Then we worked on some straight line driving. She is getting better at this all the time and if I can calm myself enough to trust her she will be dangerous soon enough.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Campo Rodeo
It was blistering hot at Canines & Ewe last weekend. Temperature on Saturday was 106. So of course being the logical sane person I am I chose last Fri - Sat - Sun for an extremely rare three days in a row to work Piper on sheep. Reason was that Jennifer will be on the road much of September with trips to Soldier Hollow and then Klamath for Nationals after only a very brief stop in Campo. (Maggie also worked Friday - but not Saturday and Sunday).
On Saturday a minor Rodeo broke out but fortunately it was at the bar in town where they were having an amateur bull riding exhibition.
Saturday also brought that rare feeling of being right in the groove for at least a short while as we were practicing a right handed driveaway. For once Piper did not overflank and I did not oversteer. Amazingly enough when we both do it right the drive away line holds much better. So I now know we CAN do it. We just need to do it with more regularity.
It was a fun weekend and I had not planned to stay Saturday but the call of the BBQ (and the free pass from Diana) convinced me to stay over for Sunday and get a third straight day of work in. I think it was very good for Piper. I know I had a good time with good friends and good dogs.
On Saturday a minor Rodeo broke out but fortunately it was at the bar in town where they were having an amateur bull riding exhibition.
Saturday also brought that rare feeling of being right in the groove for at least a short while as we were practicing a right handed driveaway. For once Piper did not overflank and I did not oversteer. Amazingly enough when we both do it right the drive away line holds much better. So I now know we CAN do it. We just need to do it with more regularity.
It was a fun weekend and I had not planned to stay Saturday but the call of the BBQ (and the free pass from Diana) convinced me to stay over for Sunday and get a third straight day of work in. I think it was very good for Piper. I know I had a good time with good friends and good dogs.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Video Reference Points
I was bored the other night and so I popped in video of Piper from three different trials this year - our first ever Pro Novice run at Sonoma in March - 2 runs from Pauma Valley in May - and our first of four runs in New Mexico at Free to Be Ranch in July.
It is really very interesting to go back and watch them in a row because it delineates the progress that has been made over the course of the seven months that I have had Piper. Sometimes it seems that progress is not coming quickly enough but when I can go back and see what we looked like in March - then in May - and finally in July it really brings the improvement into perspective. Unfortunately it also reveals that some of the things we needed to work on in March we still need to work on in September.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Subway !!!!!!
Well - through a combination of my stupidity and an extremely WIDE flank Piper and I became the first dog/handler team to lose our sheep back to the sheep pen area since instituion of the Subway sandwich rule. We went and retrieved the sheep and brought them back through the gate of shame to the suddenly ravenous appetities of our group looking forward to their Subway sandwiches.
Actually apart from that we had a pretty good day although I still need to get Piper to stop overflanking and zig zagging the drive.
Maggie worked today and seemed to have benefited from a couple weeks off. Her first Outrun she went behind the ridge and did not see the sheep so she overran looking for them but took the stop and redirect nicely back to where they were set when she finally got to where I could see her.
Overall happy with the girls today.
Actually apart from that we had a pretty good day although I still need to get Piper to stop overflanking and zig zagging the drive.
Maggie worked today and seemed to have benefited from a couple weeks off. Her first Outrun she went behind the ridge and did not see the sheep so she overran looking for them but took the stop and redirect nicely back to where they were set when she finally got to where I could see her.
Overall happy with the girls today.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Dog Days of Summer
Well we are in the midst of the Dog Days of Summer. It is HOT !!!! and it is at least two months until the next real trial (although we will sneak in a Fun Trial at Porterville in mid-September). Also - we lose our trainer for most of the month of September as Jennifer is headed to Soldier Hollow and then the Nationals.
So we are trying to make the most of our training opportunities in August andI will try to sneak in an extra day whenever the real work schedule permits. Unfortunately (or fortunately for finances)this is a pretty busy month at real work.
Yesterday Piper worked on pace driving drills and some outruns. The driving drills were pretty good and after initial enthusiasm she is starting to slow down and give me a bit of pace. We also did some flanking drills in the lower field and worked on getting her to give way with her shoulder on the first step. Only one or two step in type corrections and she was doing much bette on this. I think I will need to be very conscious of this working her on our own in September. I want to make sure that first shoulder give step becomes the norm.
On the outruns we worked in the opposite direction from normal and used lighter sheep than normal. Our first couple outruns were fairly short - 100 yards or so -- and we were really more concerned about slowing Piper down for the lift and getting some pace. My inexperience showed on the away outrun when Piper turned in at about 1 o'clock and came straight on towards the sheep holding the 1 0'clock face position. I wanted to move her over to 12 o'clock but resisted the temptation and the sheep came to my feet on a nice straight controlled line the whole way. Young Miss Piper had correctly read the pressure and put herself in the right position. All I did was regulate pace with a couple "times" and a "lie down" or two. My nerves showed when I asked Jennifer if I was right to let her hold the 1 o'clock position. The answer was yes. Translated - it could have been - yes - haven't I been telling you that.
When we backed up and made the outrun more difficult because the sheep were down in a difficult spot to see, the first time I sent Piper away she kicked in off the fence corner - if you know the field it is easy to understand how - and appeared headed for a crossover well in front of the sheep. Very rare for Piper and something to be avoided if at all possible. I gave her a sharp Lie Down and while her belly did not hit the ground she did stop. As soon as she stopped I gave her an away and she took off on the proper course. Considering how committed she was to crossing in front I was very happy. The next time as she reached the same spot I blew her away whistle before she had a chance to cut in and she bent out beautifully.
See we both can learn. We just need to learn more.
So we are trying to make the most of our training opportunities in August andI will try to sneak in an extra day whenever the real work schedule permits. Unfortunately (or fortunately for finances)this is a pretty busy month at real work.
Yesterday Piper worked on pace driving drills and some outruns. The driving drills were pretty good and after initial enthusiasm she is starting to slow down and give me a bit of pace. We also did some flanking drills in the lower field and worked on getting her to give way with her shoulder on the first step. Only one or two step in type corrections and she was doing much bette on this. I think I will need to be very conscious of this working her on our own in September. I want to make sure that first shoulder give step becomes the norm.
On the outruns we worked in the opposite direction from normal and used lighter sheep than normal. Our first couple outruns were fairly short - 100 yards or so -- and we were really more concerned about slowing Piper down for the lift and getting some pace. My inexperience showed on the away outrun when Piper turned in at about 1 o'clock and came straight on towards the sheep holding the 1 0'clock face position. I wanted to move her over to 12 o'clock but resisted the temptation and the sheep came to my feet on a nice straight controlled line the whole way. Young Miss Piper had correctly read the pressure and put herself in the right position. All I did was regulate pace with a couple "times" and a "lie down" or two. My nerves showed when I asked Jennifer if I was right to let her hold the 1 o'clock position. The answer was yes. Translated - it could have been - yes - haven't I been telling you that.
When we backed up and made the outrun more difficult because the sheep were down in a difficult spot to see, the first time I sent Piper away she kicked in off the fence corner - if you know the field it is easy to understand how - and appeared headed for a crossover well in front of the sheep. Very rare for Piper and something to be avoided if at all possible. I gave her a sharp Lie Down and while her belly did not hit the ground she did stop. As soon as she stopped I gave her an away and she took off on the proper course. Considering how committed she was to crossing in front I was very happy. The next time as she reached the same spot I blew her away whistle before she had a chance to cut in and she bent out beautifully.
See we both can learn. We just need to learn more.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Penning as a Partnership - Active Handler Role
Alasdair MacRae Uses His Body and Stock Stick to get the attention of the sheep while 2006 & 2007 National Champ Star catches up to do his part in an ultimately successsful pen.
The sequence of photos shows how Alasdair MacRae and 2006 - 2007 2x National Champ Star worked together to prevent sheep intent on escaping from getting out of the mouth of the pen for a successful team penning effort. A poor imitation of this trechnique allowed Piper and me to get our pen on the next day. While it was amusing to watch it taught the lesson in visual terms about how penning is a team effort and the handler must hold down his end of the bargain and he;lp the dog if appropriate.
FTB Ranch - July 2009
Well, we are just back from four days of trialing in New Mexico.
Unfortunately we could not stay for all 6 days as real job work requirements intervened.Before getting to our experiences first a hearty thanks to Gerri Abrams for hosting. Her fields are amazing and seem to go on forever - just ask Piper (more later).
Also it was a great trial for watching some REALLY TOP HANDLERS work their dogs. Handlers of five of the top 11 dogs from last year's nationals were there including Jennifer Ewers, Ron Burkey, Trica MacRae, Herbert Holmes and that does not even include Alasdair MacRae who was at the world championships last year, plus many other really top handlers. Plus several of them were running young dogs in Open Ranch (same as Pro-Novice) so I actually was competing with the likes of Alasdair, Burkey and Hub Holmes -- they beat us of course.
Anyway - in May Maggie was unable to lift the range ewes so my hopes were somewhat modest. Maggie performed pretty close to her current level of capabilities and I was very happy that she brought sheep to my feet all three days that we ran and her outruns were all good with only a slight reditrect needed on the first day.
I was especially happy to get sheep to my feet considering how hot it was and I did not want to have to run 300 yards up the field.
I had higher hopes for Piper and my goal was to get numbers instead of letters all 4 days (we only did that 1 out of 4 in May) and hopefully move in the direction of being competitve soon. Well we met that goal and on day 2 we were actually competitive and would have been very close to a check but for a minor grip.
The video below is from our first day att the trial. It was not our best run - by far -- but hopefully it shows some progress from our prior trip. The run on Day 2 was our best of the trip. At least I can't be accused of cherry picking.
Unfortunately we could not stay for all 6 days as real job work requirements intervened.Before getting to our experiences first a hearty thanks to Gerri Abrams for hosting. Her fields are amazing and seem to go on forever - just ask Piper (more later).
Also it was a great trial for watching some REALLY TOP HANDLERS work their dogs. Handlers of five of the top 11 dogs from last year's nationals were there including Jennifer Ewers, Ron Burkey, Trica MacRae, Herbert Holmes and that does not even include Alasdair MacRae who was at the world championships last year, plus many other really top handlers. Plus several of them were running young dogs in Open Ranch (same as Pro-Novice) so I actually was competing with the likes of Alasdair, Burkey and Hub Holmes -- they beat us of course.
Anyway - in May Maggie was unable to lift the range ewes so my hopes were somewhat modest. Maggie performed pretty close to her current level of capabilities and I was very happy that she brought sheep to my feet all three days that we ran and her outruns were all good with only a slight reditrect needed on the first day.
I was especially happy to get sheep to my feet considering how hot it was and I did not want to have to run 300 yards up the field.
I had higher hopes for Piper and my goal was to get numbers instead of letters all 4 days (we only did that 1 out of 4 in May) and hopefully move in the direction of being competitve soon. Well we met that goal and on day 2 we were actually competitive and would have been very close to a check but for a minor grip.
The video below is from our first day att the trial. It was not our best run - by far -- but hopefully it shows some progress from our prior trip. The run on Day 2 was our best of the trip. At least I can't be accused of cherry picking.
Happy Birthday Maggie !!!
Maggie's official Birthday was Sunday May 31. She is now 5 years old.
After a rough first year and a half where she bounced from home to home and name to name she has been with me for 3 1/2 years and is not going anywhere.
For her birthday weekend Maggie and I went to the Antelope Valley Stockdog Club Trial by ourselves (No Piper or Ramsay). It was Maggie's special weekend.
For her birthday Maggie earned a lovely emerald green qualifying score ribbon on a drive away course for the first time. Successful completion of a drive away course has been one of our goals for a long time and I have to admit there were times when I thought the goal might be out of reach. But she came through for her birthday and - although it was still sloppy and the score did not earn a placement - she completed the course with a successful drive-away.
I am so proud of her.
Happy Birthday, Maggie !!
After a rough first year and a half where she bounced from home to home and name to name she has been with me for 3 1/2 years and is not going anywhere.
For her birthday weekend Maggie and I went to the Antelope Valley Stockdog Club Trial by ourselves (No Piper or Ramsay). It was Maggie's special weekend.
For her birthday Maggie earned a lovely emerald green qualifying score ribbon on a drive away course for the first time. Successful completion of a drive away course has been one of our goals for a long time and I have to admit there were times when I thought the goal might be out of reach. But she came through for her birthday and - although it was still sloppy and the score did not earn a placement - she completed the course with a successful drive-away.
I am so proud of her.
Happy Birthday, Maggie !!
It is Possible to Tire Piper
Apparently it is actually possible to tire Piper. I know because we actually accomplished it during a rare Wednesday training session.After about 40 minutes of trading outruns - she went through three other dogs - she finally started to slow down. And when she did --voila ! Another amazing siting - pace ! She did her best driving she has done for me.
New Mexico Recap
Saturday it seems was our competitive highlight as we were unable to replicate our success in completing the course on either Sunday or Monday. Still we met our pre-trip goal and overall the trip has to be considered a success.
Even though overall a success there is a lot of room for improvement. I need to get more control over my dogs (both of them) at the top.
We have never worked at quite the distance we were working at in New Mexico (300 yards from handlers post to set out) and it showed. Maggie went into default circling mode and Piper busted in too hard bringing the sheep too fast and off line. I believe these are fixable and we will be back to work on them soon.
Indelible image of the weekend -- Herbert Holmes taking off on the quad to rescue Allison the one and only time her nursery dog had issues at the top. Every woman there thought it was great.
We met some nice people, had a bit of success on the trial field, a bit of fun in the thriving metropolis of Mountainair (the population of the Free to Be Ranch was close until folks started pulling out for the Colorado trials), and made the round trip safely without major incident.
Like Gen MacArthur, we shall return !
Even though overall a success there is a lot of room for improvement. I need to get more control over my dogs (both of them) at the top.
We have never worked at quite the distance we were working at in New Mexico (300 yards from handlers post to set out) and it showed. Maggie went into default circling mode and Piper busted in too hard bringing the sheep too fast and off line. I believe these are fixable and we will be back to work on them soon.
Indelible image of the weekend -- Herbert Holmes taking off on the quad to rescue Allison the one and only time her nursery dog had issues at the top. Every woman there thought it was great.
We met some nice people, had a bit of success on the trial field, a bit of fun in the thriving metropolis of Mountainair (the population of the Free to Be Ranch was close until folks started pulling out for the Colorado trials), and made the round trip safely without major incident.
Like Gen MacArthur, we shall return !
New Mexico Part 1
Well we made it to New Mexico after a long and uneventful drive.
Day 1 was very similar to Day 2 of Pauma. Day 2 was a major breakthrough. PIPER GOT #s instead of letters. It wasn't pretty but we made it around. I don't know what the # was as they were very slow posting and were not posted by the time I left.
Her outrun was very nice although she may have come up a bit short as the sheep lifted slightly to the side. The fetch was at a decent pace but offline most of the way so I am sure she lost major points.
The turn was the right way this time - I only make the same mistake once - and the drive away was pretty good until close to the panels when the sheep did not want to go through and there were some bobbles. We missed the drive away panels but were close enough for an attempt (at least I think we were - wait till scores) and the cross drive was pretty good with one attempted sheep escape low. She adjusted properly and we got the cross drive panels.
From there it was very smooth. She made the turn nicely and brought them to the pen under control and on line. One sheep wanted to slide by but she took my flank and kept it from getting more than its head past the gate. She had to stay tight and walk in slowly to convince them to go in and handled it very nicely.
So - it was not pretty but we made it around. Now we have to clean it up. Twq more runs here to improve on it.
Allison Holmes (she and Herb had Piper for about a month) told me she thought Piper was running very nicely for me. It was nice to hear from a top handler who has personal knowledge of Piper from before.
Weather today was brutal. Wind was constant at 25 mph with gusts. Brutally cold.
Day 1 was very similar to Day 2 of Pauma. Day 2 was a major breakthrough. PIPER GOT #s instead of letters. It wasn't pretty but we made it around. I don't know what the # was as they were very slow posting and were not posted by the time I left.
Her outrun was very nice although she may have come up a bit short as the sheep lifted slightly to the side. The fetch was at a decent pace but offline most of the way so I am sure she lost major points.
The turn was the right way this time - I only make the same mistake once - and the drive away was pretty good until close to the panels when the sheep did not want to go through and there were some bobbles. We missed the drive away panels but were close enough for an attempt (at least I think we were - wait till scores) and the cross drive was pretty good with one attempted sheep escape low. She adjusted properly and we got the cross drive panels.
From there it was very smooth. She made the turn nicely and brought them to the pen under control and on line. One sheep wanted to slide by but she took my flank and kept it from getting more than its head past the gate. She had to stay tight and walk in slowly to convince them to go in and handled it very nicely.
So - it was not pretty but we made it around. Now we have to clean it up. Twq more runs here to improve on it.
Allison Holmes (she and Herb had Piper for about a month) told me she thought Piper was running very nicely for me. It was nice to hear from a top handler who has personal knowledge of Piper from before.
Weather today was brutal. Wind was constant at 25 mph with gusts. Brutally cold.
Slowing Down the Processor
In football quarterbacks often talk about the magical time when everything seems to slow down on the field. Obviously everything happens at the same speed but the mind is processing information more rapidly and efficiently resulting in less panic and the sensation that eerything has slowed down. For some QBs it never happens and they are never able to transition.
I noticed after our runs in Pauma Valley that I was experiencing a bit of the same sensation. While there were still nerves I did not have the sense of sheer panic while standing at the post. In retrospect the entire runs seemed to have gone a bit slower than previously and I was able to react more calmly and according to a plan. Not just panic handling anymore.
One friend who I have not seen at a dog trial for quite some time told me afterwards that I seemed much calmer handling and that it was having a beneficial effect on my dogs' runs.
It still needs to slow down mentally quite a bit but it felt much better to come off the field - even with runs that did not finish as well as hoped - feeling like I had handled the dogs appropriately and - while making mistakes - not just reacting with panic. I think it is a trend that will continue.
Here's to being able to press the "slow motion" button during future runs.
I noticed after our runs in Pauma Valley that I was experiencing a bit of the same sensation. While there were still nerves I did not have the sense of sheer panic while standing at the post. In retrospect the entire runs seemed to have gone a bit slower than previously and I was able to react more calmly and according to a plan. Not just panic handling anymore.
One friend who I have not seen at a dog trial for quite some time told me afterwards that I seemed much calmer handling and that it was having a beneficial effect on my dogs' runs.
It still needs to slow down mentally quite a bit but it felt much better to come off the field - even with runs that did not finish as well as hoped - feeling like I had handled the dogs appropriately and - while making mistakes - not just reacting with panic. I think it is a trend that will continue.
Here's to being able to press the "slow motion" button during future runs.
Preparing for the Land of Enchantment
Preparing for the Land of Enchantment
(May 08, 2009)
We only have one week of training between Pauma Valley and leaving for the Land of Enchantment.
As is evident from the entry recapping our travails at the Pauma Valley trial we have a lot of work still to do even though both Maggie and Piper (esp) showed progress from Sonoma. I am really looking forward to the New Mexico Free to Be Ranch Trial (all except the 12+ hour drive to NM) and would really like to show continued progress. It will be good to get 4 days in a row of trialing and see if we improve or regress over the course of the four days. Hopefully if I stick to the plan to not tolerate sloppiness just because it is a trial both girls will get the message and we should show improvement.
I am also looking forward to the trip because it will be the first time I have been to New Mexico in 25 years. I drove through in 1984 when I moved to California and it was beautiful so I am looking forward to going back.
But as for that preparation.
We are drilling Piper on driving today at K9znEwe and it seems to be having an effect. Jennifer explained to me that at Pauma Piper seemed to ignore my "there" and then by the time I gave her a "lie down" our timing was too late and she had come around too far on the flank. So we are reintroducing Piper to the Lord, her God - for her that's supposed to be me - by making her pay attention to "there". We are trying to control her pace and get a straighter line on the drive with fewer flanking adjustments and more "there". At least for today it seems to be working a bit although it needs constant enforcement.
After some driving practice in the lower field we went out to the upper field to do outwork on the hill where Jennifer normally sets up her trial course. She actually had a course set up today, including fetch panels and two drive panels. Piper's outwork today was outstanding. Her outruns were nice and wide and deep and she came up on the sheep for straight lifts. We made the fetch panels both times and she was taking her times and lie downs. The first couple times we just turned the sheep around the post and dorove them back to the set out and hay. While driving staright back Piper kept a nice pace and a pretty straight line proving she can do it. We had some trouble later trying to drive on the angle but even then our last time with a larger group of sheep we managed to make that before getting seriously off line on the cross drive.
Piper is getting closer each time and I think we have a reasonable chance to post a number sometime in NM. Keeping my fingers crossed but will be happy as long as she shows progress.
Maggie is doing nice outwork although I am having a bit of trouble steering her on the fetch and we missed the fetch panel. Driving for Maggie is still an exercise in gaining confidence. She will only go a few feet away from me before she wants to either come back to my feet or go to the head. I am trying to build her confidence by walking with her and it seems to work sometimes and sometimes not. We really need to get this down before she has any chance on a P/N course and it seems it is still going to take some time.
(May 08, 2009)
We only have one week of training between Pauma Valley and leaving for the Land of Enchantment.
As is evident from the entry recapping our travails at the Pauma Valley trial we have a lot of work still to do even though both Maggie and Piper (esp) showed progress from Sonoma. I am really looking forward to the New Mexico Free to Be Ranch Trial (all except the 12+ hour drive to NM) and would really like to show continued progress. It will be good to get 4 days in a row of trialing and see if we improve or regress over the course of the four days. Hopefully if I stick to the plan to not tolerate sloppiness just because it is a trial both girls will get the message and we should show improvement.
I am also looking forward to the trip because it will be the first time I have been to New Mexico in 25 years. I drove through in 1984 when I moved to California and it was beautiful so I am looking forward to going back.
But as for that preparation.
We are drilling Piper on driving today at K9znEwe and it seems to be having an effect. Jennifer explained to me that at Pauma Piper seemed to ignore my "there" and then by the time I gave her a "lie down" our timing was too late and she had come around too far on the flank. So we are reintroducing Piper to the Lord, her God - for her that's supposed to be me - by making her pay attention to "there". We are trying to control her pace and get a straighter line on the drive with fewer flanking adjustments and more "there". At least for today it seems to be working a bit although it needs constant enforcement.
After some driving practice in the lower field we went out to the upper field to do outwork on the hill where Jennifer normally sets up her trial course. She actually had a course set up today, including fetch panels and two drive panels. Piper's outwork today was outstanding. Her outruns were nice and wide and deep and she came up on the sheep for straight lifts. We made the fetch panels both times and she was taking her times and lie downs. The first couple times we just turned the sheep around the post and dorove them back to the set out and hay. While driving staright back Piper kept a nice pace and a pretty straight line proving she can do it. We had some trouble later trying to drive on the angle but even then our last time with a larger group of sheep we managed to make that before getting seriously off line on the cross drive.
Piper is getting closer each time and I think we have a reasonable chance to post a number sometime in NM. Keeping my fingers crossed but will be happy as long as she shows progress.
Maggie is doing nice outwork although I am having a bit of trouble steering her on the fetch and we missed the fetch panel. Driving for Maggie is still an exercise in gaining confidence. She will only go a few feet away from me before she wants to either come back to my feet or go to the head. I am trying to build her confidence by walking with her and it seems to work sometimes and sometimes not. We really need to get this down before she has any chance on a P/N course and it seems it is still going to take some time.
Let's Go to the Videotape
Many athletes and sports teams use videotape to review as part of an effort to improve their performance in the future. Many little league parents use videotape so they can relive their son or daughter's moment of glory.
This points to differing but not necessarily contradictory reasons for using videotape. One is to preserve the moment of glory for future enjoyment. While this is certainly nice - or it would be if we ever get a worthwhile moment of glory to preserve - this is not my primary reason for videotape.
I like having the videotape because it lets me go back and see - without the rush of the moment - what is actually happening. What is good. What is bad. What is handler error. What is the dog not doing what it should. What is sheep being uncooperative.
I also like having video of some better handler's runs so I can see what they are doing differently. It is really amazing what can be learned by watching and comparing.
The videotape does not lie and it can shine a bright light on both flaws and also what is going right. It is especially interesting to go back to some old tapes to compare and see the progress that has been made.
This points to differing but not necessarily contradictory reasons for using videotape. One is to preserve the moment of glory for future enjoyment. While this is certainly nice - or it would be if we ever get a worthwhile moment of glory to preserve - this is not my primary reason for videotape.
I like having the videotape because it lets me go back and see - without the rush of the moment - what is actually happening. What is good. What is bad. What is handler error. What is the dog not doing what it should. What is sheep being uncooperative.
I also like having video of some better handler's runs so I can see what they are doing differently. It is really amazing what can be learned by watching and comparing.
The videotape does not lie and it can shine a bright light on both flaws and also what is going right. It is especially interesting to go back to some old tapes to compare and see the progress that has been made.
Pauma Valley Operation Recovery SDT
We made our second and third attempts at a Pro-Novice Trial over the weekend of May 1 - 2, 2009 at the Pauma Valley SDT to benefit Operation Recovery (a returning veterans organization).
The field was a flat rectangle with fairly high grass. Unfortunately because of the topography of the field and the height of the grass a number of the dogs had some difficulty spotting the sheep at set out. Honestly, from the spectators viewpoint it was almost impossible to see the dog after about halfway out on the outrun. The view from atop the bale of hay at the handler's post was better though.
Maggie was my first dog in the run order on Saturday and as we walked to the post she never really saw where the sheep were and clearly was confused as to why I was dragging her out into a large field with seemingly no sheep. I tried to send her "come bye" and she was having none of it. I was almost ready to retire her without her even leaving my feet when she flopped over to the away side so I sent her that way. She then did a nice outrun but only about halfway to the sheep where she cut in almost to the centerline where she looked back at me as if to say - "See, I told you - no sheep !!". She did take an away redirect and went and got her sheep. By this time she was discombobulated and wanted to circle on the fetch so we retired.
Piper did not have the same trouble on her outrun. I'm not sure if she saw her sheep but she trusted me enough anyway to take a "come bye" and ran nice and deep behind the sheep. She took my whistle to turn in but came in a little fast and busted the sheep up a little. Still the lift was an improvement over Sonoma but not what we have been getting in practice. The fetch was a bit of a breakneck speed and somewhat offline but she did take a couple downs and we made it around the post but not much further before retiring.
Overall I was very happy with Piper and I was particularly pleased whn Jennifer commented after the run that I looked like I knew what I was doing instead of being in panic and react mode.
Sunday the dogs ran in reverse order. This time I set Maggie up to go away and I still don't think she saw the sheep but she trusted me enough to go anyway. At least she went off more at her usual speed and started wide. After a slight turn in about halfway she took my "away, get out" (not sure why I did not lose points for that but I didn't) and bent out nicely and came up behind the sheep. She lifted them a bit fast and to the left, though. She was still clearly a bit out of her comfort zone as she had trouble putting them on - line and did one circle on the fetch (I said out loud that if she did one more we were retiring). We got the sheep around the post - despite their desire to snack on the handlers post hay bale - and she actually started to drive them away. She did not get far and started to stress out so I decided to retire her before her mind was completely blown. Big improvement from Saturday and -- according to at least one observer who has not seen us for a while - big improvement over where we used to be.
Piper's run on Sunday falls more into the realm of steady improvement and getting a bit farther around the course. The outrun was again lovely and deep. She did not take a full lie down but she did give me some hesitation and pace. The lift was much better and she lifted the sheep straight and - while at a brisk pace - it was not a race. She brought them pretty straight down the fetch line - or at least it seemed that way to me until I check the videotape. When we made some directional adjustments to maneuver around the post the sheep escaped on her by about twenty yards and while she covered nicely I think this is where we lost our 4 points on the fetch.
We managed to get about two thirds of the way to the drive away panel mostly on line before the sheep made a left turn for the road and an open spot in the fence. When the sheep got too close to the fence, the Judge called our run about 1 second before I was going to retire her anyway. We then successfully retrieved while guarding against the escape.
For the weekend 3 RT's and 1 DQ but I am still very happy with the progress. We are making it a bit further around each time (except for Maggie on Sat).
The field was a flat rectangle with fairly high grass. Unfortunately because of the topography of the field and the height of the grass a number of the dogs had some difficulty spotting the sheep at set out. Honestly, from the spectators viewpoint it was almost impossible to see the dog after about halfway out on the outrun. The view from atop the bale of hay at the handler's post was better though.
Maggie was my first dog in the run order on Saturday and as we walked to the post she never really saw where the sheep were and clearly was confused as to why I was dragging her out into a large field with seemingly no sheep. I tried to send her "come bye" and she was having none of it. I was almost ready to retire her without her even leaving my feet when she flopped over to the away side so I sent her that way. She then did a nice outrun but only about halfway to the sheep where she cut in almost to the centerline where she looked back at me as if to say - "See, I told you - no sheep !!". She did take an away redirect and went and got her sheep. By this time she was discombobulated and wanted to circle on the fetch so we retired.
Piper did not have the same trouble on her outrun. I'm not sure if she saw her sheep but she trusted me enough anyway to take a "come bye" and ran nice and deep behind the sheep. She took my whistle to turn in but came in a little fast and busted the sheep up a little. Still the lift was an improvement over Sonoma but not what we have been getting in practice. The fetch was a bit of a breakneck speed and somewhat offline but she did take a couple downs and we made it around the post but not much further before retiring.
Overall I was very happy with Piper and I was particularly pleased whn Jennifer commented after the run that I looked like I knew what I was doing instead of being in panic and react mode.
Sunday the dogs ran in reverse order. This time I set Maggie up to go away and I still don't think she saw the sheep but she trusted me enough to go anyway. At least she went off more at her usual speed and started wide. After a slight turn in about halfway she took my "away, get out" (not sure why I did not lose points for that but I didn't) and bent out nicely and came up behind the sheep. She lifted them a bit fast and to the left, though. She was still clearly a bit out of her comfort zone as she had trouble putting them on - line and did one circle on the fetch (I said out loud that if she did one more we were retiring). We got the sheep around the post - despite their desire to snack on the handlers post hay bale - and she actually started to drive them away. She did not get far and started to stress out so I decided to retire her before her mind was completely blown. Big improvement from Saturday and -- according to at least one observer who has not seen us for a while - big improvement over where we used to be.
Piper's run on Sunday falls more into the realm of steady improvement and getting a bit farther around the course. The outrun was again lovely and deep. She did not take a full lie down but she did give me some hesitation and pace. The lift was much better and she lifted the sheep straight and - while at a brisk pace - it was not a race. She brought them pretty straight down the fetch line - or at least it seemed that way to me until I check the videotape. When we made some directional adjustments to maneuver around the post the sheep escaped on her by about twenty yards and while she covered nicely I think this is where we lost our 4 points on the fetch.
We managed to get about two thirds of the way to the drive away panel mostly on line before the sheep made a left turn for the road and an open spot in the fence. When the sheep got too close to the fence, the Judge called our run about 1 second before I was going to retire her anyway. We then successfully retrieved while guarding against the escape.
For the weekend 3 RT's and 1 DQ but I am still very happy with the progress. We are making it a bit further around each time (except for Maggie on Sat).
Training April 4, 2009 - K9Z&EWE
This is a regular training Saturday but with the benefit of an informative trial test from Sonoma and with a targeted next trial in Pauma Valley in about a month. Our Sonoma experience has identified that we have a number of things to work on and we are trying to target those in training this weekend.
I have worn my running shoes because one of the big things we will need work on is getting Piper to pay attention to me from a distance. I am expecting that I may be running down the field a few times to enforce the messages being delivered to Piper.
I am also working on trying to get my whistle blowing consistent enough so I can start using whistles to communicate with Piper and also with Maggie. So far I seem to have a "Come Bye" and a "Walk Up". I am still working on the "Away" and "Lie Down" as well as "There".
If we are to have any success in Pauma Valley I need to be able to get Piper to take my commands from a distance. Jennifer tells me I need to project power from the post. It's a good phrase so I ask "How do I do that ?" Pretty much as expected I need to be ready to go out and let Piper know that "down" means "down" - every time. Thus, the running shoes.
On her first outrun Piper comes into the sheep too strong and we have a near repeat of Sonoma. I have planned for it and am already partway down the field."DOWN !!!" followed by a run the rest of the way to Piper who reacts as if I have finally and truly lost it. Just the reaction we are looking for.
The next lift is a better and we have a controlled fetch but it is a little jerky as Piper likes to get up with a quick first step and I am trying to make sure to down her whenever she gets up too quick.
Our third effort is back to a chase lift and another crazed run up the middle. Piper reacts as before but she does not run off the field and we take the long walk of shame back to the post to resend.
This time it works much better and the lift and fetch are both nicely controlled. Everything is going so well that I take her around the makeshift post and start the drive toward the drive away panels on a little practice course. With adjustments we are only somewhat zig zagging our way toward the first panel and so Jennifer lets me keep going. Amazingly we made the panel and then she took the flank to start the cross drive. It certainly was not a thing of beauty but there was only some zig zagging and we made the cross drive panels. We even did some of it with whistles.
We did learn a new command though - the "AwayDOWN" or "Come ByeDOWN" with essentially no pause because Piper is so quick I need to put her down almost immediately on a minor adjustment flank. This is the first time I have ever made a full drive away and cross drive from the post !!! Yea !!
For the rest of the afternoon we play set out dog for some of the other students. Piper is on her best behavior and is taking all (well - almost) of her lie downs (verbal and whistle) and her flanks. It seems that her early in the day experience with berserk trainer sunk in. This also happened when we first got her and the second time we worked I had to really get in her face close at hand. Fortunately she learns quickly and it does not appear I will need to go into psycho mode very often. After only a couple firm corrections running up the field she was like a different dog by the end of the day.
I need to remember that Piper has only been with me for a little over two months. The partnership is definitely developing and getting better each time. She already has taken me farther than I have made it before and we are just beggining to partner up.I am looking forward to the day when she is truly working "for" me and not just "with" me on the field. Each time out there is a little bit more working "for". When she does this she clearly has the ability and if we can get it together it will be a fun journey.
I have worn my running shoes because one of the big things we will need work on is getting Piper to pay attention to me from a distance. I am expecting that I may be running down the field a few times to enforce the messages being delivered to Piper.
I am also working on trying to get my whistle blowing consistent enough so I can start using whistles to communicate with Piper and also with Maggie. So far I seem to have a "Come Bye" and a "Walk Up". I am still working on the "Away" and "Lie Down" as well as "There".
If we are to have any success in Pauma Valley I need to be able to get Piper to take my commands from a distance. Jennifer tells me I need to project power from the post. It's a good phrase so I ask "How do I do that ?" Pretty much as expected I need to be ready to go out and let Piper know that "down" means "down" - every time. Thus, the running shoes.
On her first outrun Piper comes into the sheep too strong and we have a near repeat of Sonoma. I have planned for it and am already partway down the field."DOWN !!!" followed by a run the rest of the way to Piper who reacts as if I have finally and truly lost it. Just the reaction we are looking for.
The next lift is a better and we have a controlled fetch but it is a little jerky as Piper likes to get up with a quick first step and I am trying to make sure to down her whenever she gets up too quick.
Our third effort is back to a chase lift and another crazed run up the middle. Piper reacts as before but she does not run off the field and we take the long walk of shame back to the post to resend.
This time it works much better and the lift and fetch are both nicely controlled. Everything is going so well that I take her around the makeshift post and start the drive toward the drive away panels on a little practice course. With adjustments we are only somewhat zig zagging our way toward the first panel and so Jennifer lets me keep going. Amazingly we made the panel and then she took the flank to start the cross drive. It certainly was not a thing of beauty but there was only some zig zagging and we made the cross drive panels. We even did some of it with whistles.
We did learn a new command though - the "AwayDOWN" or "Come ByeDOWN" with essentially no pause because Piper is so quick I need to put her down almost immediately on a minor adjustment flank. This is the first time I have ever made a full drive away and cross drive from the post !!! Yea !!
For the rest of the afternoon we play set out dog for some of the other students. Piper is on her best behavior and is taking all (well - almost) of her lie downs (verbal and whistle) and her flanks. It seems that her early in the day experience with berserk trainer sunk in. This also happened when we first got her and the second time we worked I had to really get in her face close at hand. Fortunately she learns quickly and it does not appear I will need to go into psycho mode very often. After only a couple firm corrections running up the field she was like a different dog by the end of the day.
I need to remember that Piper has only been with me for a little over two months. The partnership is definitely developing and getting better each time. She already has taken me farther than I have made it before and we are just beggining to partner up.I am looking forward to the day when she is truly working "for" me and not just "with" me on the field. Each time out there is a little bit more working "for". When she does this she clearly has the ability and if we can get it together it will be a fun journey.
Sonoma Dog Friendky Wine Tasting
One of the big bnefits of making our Pro Novice debut at Sonoma was the ability to go wine tasting afterwards. Starting with a toast of Piper Sonoma Blanc de Blanc methode champenoise to celebrate our debut we toured several of the local dog friendly wineries for tasting. There is actually a list of dog friendly wineries and most were very happy to invite Maggie and Piper in although none of the wineries was willing to serve based on "dog years" so the girls were not able to taste.
Sonoma Wine Country SDT
This was our first move up to Pro-Novice and it was quite a jump. In reality we probably were not ready but did not want to remain a perpetual novice.
And as I told anyone within ear shot if we did well we would celebrate by going wine tasting and if we did poorly we would commiserate by going wine tasting. So there was really no way to lose.
Well - by most standards we probably would not be considered to have done well - but I was very happy with both dogs. Piper was up first (18th overall) and she was only the second dog all day to "Go Bye". Her outrun was gorgeous - wide, deep and a lie down at the top. Unfortunately she came on a bit too strong on the lift and I was too inexperienced to tap on the brakes before things got a bit out of control and she gripped out on the lift.
Maggie was up about an hour and a half later. Her sheep broke toward her on the outrun but she continued wide (not quite as wide as Piper) and came up on balance for a nice lift. Maggie was one of only three out of sixty dogs to score a zero/zero on her outrun and lift. Unfortunately as she was coming down the fetch line the sheep wanted to escape to a corner where they had escaped on many dogs. I made a misstep by trying to get Maggie around to the other side and when she hesitated and released the pressure her sheep got away from her.
I am told that at least one person who has seen Maggie since we started going to Novice trials commented that it was the best he has ever seen Maggie. So progress.
As planned we celebrated with a toast of Piper Sonoma Blanc de Blanc methode champenoise.
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