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.