Back to Work

Well the celebration from a good job at Sonoma is over.

It is back to work cleaning up those things that still need cleaning and polishing those that need polishing. Plus learning a new thing or two.

The wind was howling in Campo today making it hard to be heard at a distance. Perfect for practicing at a distance.

We started with outruns and fetch on a tricky group of rambouillet's that wanted to pull heavy to one side trading with Sally Douglas and Trapper. Piper took her first couple outruns nice and wide and deep and her fetches were generally pretty good even though the sheep kept trying to push over her and off line. After a few outruns she got a bit lazy and started to flatten out so I set her up and got the timing right on a good "get out" on the away side and this was better.

Driving was generally OK today but not great. She did some good stuff and some not so good stuff. The cross driving was generally better and the driving generally got better during the day. On our last cross drive the sheep wanted to drop anchor. This was the same group that made her turn tail a few weeks ago and she was not walking on. She wasn't turning like before but still not walking on. I gave her a "hit it. hit it. hit it." and she did. YEAH !! Moving sheep again.

We also snuck in a bit of shedding practice today. Piper is getting the concept pretty well. It's me that has the problem of getting in her way and not leading the drive off. I think by the time we need a shed we should have one.

Anyway only 2 weeks til Deer Creek and I want to have her ready.

Apres Sonoma - the Wine Tasting

Well the best part of the Sonoma Trial is the "Apres Sheepdog Trial" wine tasting.

As I did last year, after our runs were over I snuck away with Piper for a bit of wine tasting. You can get a list of wineries that permit you to bring your dog but I have pretty much found that by keeping to the smaller wineries (and a few of the big ones - but check first), Piper has been welcome at almost every winery we stop at. The only exception was one winery that had their own two Great Danes wandering around and I left her in the truck to avoid dog on dog issues. All I do is bring her to the door and ask first and the answer is almost always that she is welcome.

The picture above is Piper outside the Madrigal Vineyards where we picked up a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. This was a small estate bottling with only 200 cases made so it is only available at the winery. It is somewhat richer in taste than the average Sauvignon Blanc and a very nice wine. It was purchased as a gift.

The funny thing - to me anyway - is how easily impressed everyone at the wineries is by a well behaved dog. The Wine Country Sheepdog Trials get a fair amount of local publicity so most everyone seems familiar with the concept of a Border Collie. But they are always amazed that I can just walk in - either off leash or just drop the leash - and tell Piper to "lie down" and she just stays there. For those of us in dog trialing she better darn well lie down at 3 feet because otherwise we will never get it at 300 yards - but for most people they seem way impressed. Guess they just are not use to dogs that do as they are told.

Well we hit a few wineries and picked up some nice bottles of wine.

Our first stop was at Ballentine Vineyards - a small well respected boutique winery - where we arrived just as a tour bus group of mostly young 20 something women was finishing their tasting. So it was a bit crowded and I hesitated before bringing Piper but I was assured she was welcome. She was a huge hit with the girls. Wow!

Here is a picture of Piper posing outside Ballentine. We bought a nice Merlot here.

My favorite winery this visit - and something of a surprise - was the Vermeil Winery tasting room right in Calistoga. I had kind of expected it was another celebrity slapping his name on a winery for publicity but apparently Coach Vermeil is a Napa born native and the roots and connections go way back. The winemaker (Paul Smith) was formerly at Mondavi and is partly responsible for one of the truly fabulous wines of the world - Opus One. Mary Sue Frediani (Paul's wife) literally grew up with Coach Vermeil and (wo)mans the tasting bar. She is a real joy and while I was there took time out to help a couple young girls find lodgings for the night.

Well I tasted a vertical flight of Zins from 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 from the same vineyard. The difference was remarkable. While they were all great my favorite was the 2001 with an intense peppery taste and very full bodied. My next favorite was the 2003 which to me had a bit of a chocolaty taste. I bought a 2001 and 2003 in a gift box as a special gift for my sons future in laws.

Mary Sue was great in welcoming Piper and Miss Piper managed to behave herself for the entire 45 minutes or so that I enjoyed the tasting. (I kind of broke tasting protocol and drank the wine as it was my last stop before dinner across the street). She even moved along with me a few feet at a time as we heard the Vermeil/Frediani combined family history (told with obvious and well deserved pride and love).

The picture above is Piper chilling at the Vermeil/Frediani tasting bar.

On our way out of town we stopped at V. Sattui for some wine, salami and cheese. This is a larger operation but is always one of my favorite stops due to the wide selection, dog friendly atmosphere (except for the deli section we learned) and wonderful deli selection. They were even doing barbecue in the picnic area. If you are looking for a place to stop and lunch V. Sattui is hard to beat on a nice day. Just remember if you are using their picnic area it is supposed to be with their products.

Sonoma - What a Difference a Year Makes

Well I guess the picture gives away the ending so I will end the suspense immediately. Piper ran well, scored a 63, lost all tiebreakers from a 3 way tie for 5th and ended up 7th winning a Ribbon, dog bone and bottle of wine (I love the loot at this trial). I was very proud of her.

What a difference a year makes. Last year it was Outrun, Grip, "Thank You".

The Pro Novice at the Sonoma Trial was a combined run with Nursery and there were so many entries (52) that they cancelled the second Nursery Run. This is absolutely one of the best trials of the year and it is pretty much unbeatable for hospitality and atmosphere. If you do well you can go wine tasting (separate entry coming) to celebrate, If you do poorly well there is plenty of wine to help you forget.

Because the trial is so popular the PN/Nursery attracts a higher number and more experienced handlers than you might otherwise get in a PN trial. We were running competitively against nationally known trainers like Derek Fisher, Bill Berhow, Don Helsley, and Geri Byrne. Add in Suzy Applegate with a Nursery only run and we were running in some pretty good company.

Our judge was Dennis Birchill from Ireland -the current international brace champion and he was a charming man even if a bit difficult to understand due to the heavy accent. I love that accent though.

We were given 9 minutes to complete the course and it frankly was too much time. Unfortunately many PN handlers will not walk away from a wreck when they should and a lot of runs ended with calls of "time". The result was that by about 3 p.m. we started running to a standard - something almost unheard of in PN. Piper and I ran at 4 pm under the standard.

Suzy Applegate and her Nursery Dog Dot set the early standard with a lovely controlled walking pace run losing only 11 points for a 79. (This was a Nursery Only run so it did not count against us for placement in PN) If you are running the same course later in the day from Suzy I HIGHLY SUGGEST you watch her runs closely because you will learn a lot about the course draws and how the sheep are behaving that day.

Geri Byrne and Danny were the only other run even in the same neighborhood in the morning posting a 68 after having a bit of trouble with the line and some reluctant ewes at the pen (although she did get them in). Geri was very happy with her young dog and rightfully so.

In the mid afternoon Candy Kennedy with Bond and Patti Sowell with Del posted tied scores of 63. They got there differently but they were both nice runs.

Derek Fisher and his new dog Mirk had a bit of trouble on the outrun. Derek had to blow Mirk down and redirect twice (4 pts off) but Mirk eventually bent out and the rest of the run was a thing of beauty. Derek's timing on his flanks is impeccable and the fetch and drive were both things of beauty. He posted a 77 (I think) which had him in first place until the very last dog.

Piper and I ran 40th and did not go to the post until almost 4 p.m. As I approached the post Dennis Birchill told me we were now running "to a standard" and the magic words would be "thank you."

I sent Piper to the left and she went out a little slower than usual (about 3/4 pace) like she was feeling her way along. But she was wide and deep and came up about 11:30 on the clock face before turning in. Since the sheep were generally lifting to the handlers left this was the right spot for the pressure. Zero points off the outrun (but she has me spoiled on the outrun)

She took my down whistle and walked in on the sheep nicely. The sheep lifted calmly but slightly off line to my left. Five points off the lift.

On the fetch the sheep wanted to go to my left but Piper mostly held them pretty close to the line. As we approached the post they came further left and would have set up nicely for a right hand drive. Unfortunately it was a left hand drive and we had to head them to wind the sheep around the post properly. They took this as an opportunity for escape and Piper gave me an outrun sized come bye flank catching and turning them for a very wide turn around the post. This was definitely the worst part of our run and we rightly lost major points.

On the driveaway the sheep wanted to lean to the right but Piper held the pressure and we made the inside edge of the gate. I was slightly late on the flank and she went wide around the opposite panel so the turn was a bit wide and we had to bring the sheep back down to hit the cross drive line.

The danger point of the run came here as Piper wanted to stay on top and ignored two verbal away flanks. Just as the sheep were about to tip back towards my feet she took the away whistle and got in the pocket to hold the line. As we approached the panel we needed a slight adjustment to get them back from the outside of the panel and through.

Then I failed Piper on the turn. I gave her the come bye to make the turn but because I was afraid the sheep would come back through I blew her down and short flanked her. This one was on me as I should have let her come around instead of breaking the flank into two parts. Result was a wide turn and our line to the pen was not the best.

At the pen the sheep were generally pennable but not anxious to go in so it needed proper teamwork. Our sheep gave us a couple attempts at rebellion upon nearing the mouth but in the working pen area. Piper held her side and did not overreact and the sheep soon gave up and went into the pen. Run completed with 3 and a half minutes left.

As I was leaving we were in a 3 way tie for 3rd place (losing all tiebreakers due to the points off the lift) with only about 6 dogs to go. Unfortunately for us 2 of those dog/handler teams laid down excellent runs and bumped us back two spots. Don Helsely jumped in front f Gerri Byrne and behind Derek Fisher ending up 3rd. Erin Swanson and Lark nailed the last run of the day to take home first place honors.

For a video of our run follow this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-dcxXTyeeY

Getting Back on the Bicycle

I remember when I was a kid being told that if I fell off my bicycle the best thing to do was to get right back on. The idea was that any lingering fear from falling off was best met by immediately facing it and conquering it.

In a mixed training session yesterday Piper had a "get back on the bicycle" moment near the end of a long (4+ hrs) day in the rain working sheep and watching other dogs work sheep. She had a hungry and reluctant ewe turn on her, lower its head and charge. Piper turned tail and then refused to walk back on. I trtied to get her to hit the offending ewe with a good bite to the nose but she was clearly spooked and was having none of it.

But I was not leaving the field until she reengaged as I did not want her thinking she could give in to fear. Jeff Blackstone and Dusk came out to help with the drive and provide some muscle while Piper semi-reengaged and provided some assistance. Shortly Piper took back over and continued the drive away on her own.

Then we finished the session by sending her out on a final outrun to bring in the sheep and she had no problem moving them. Hopefully she is back on the bicycle.

Before that end of the day event Piper was doing well on a day of challenges.

We started with dificult and tricky outruns with the sheep set at the top of a ridge so that the dogs had to go on the other side of the slope where they were hidden from the handler's sight. This was my first time with a totally blind approach to the lift and it was a little nerve wracking. The "away" outrun also required some traffic direction to get Piper between two rock outcroppings instead of either too wide or too narrow. Our first attempt resulted in a confused Piper and ended in a recall whistle. The second time she took the direction and went blind for what seemed an eternity. I kept asking "Do you see her ?". The answer was no until suddenly the sheep turned and started down the fetch line followed by a small black blur. Piper had come up in the proper position although maybe a bit fast but she took my down and we re3ceived the ultimate "nice fetch" compliment from Jennifer.

The "come bye" outrun was so deep I could not see it but again she came up in the proper position. Our later outruns were in such severe weather and fog that I literally could not see the sheep but Piper generally did well on her outruns. She really is a pretty smart little outrunner.

For the most part our drives were not as good as our prior session last week but better than they have been. We were having a bit of trouble turning the post too tight and a slight overflank leading to the sheep crossing the line at the start. Jennifer advised making a wider turn and not crossing the line. Eventually we managed this and finally got a "nice drive" but with the modifier "for Piper".

Overall it was still a good day but decidedly mixed due to the lost face off with the one ewe at the end of the day.


Prior to that

The Sound Of Silence

We were working today mainly in the rain and mainly on driving but we did try something new on our last outrun of the day.

As Piper went out come bye Jennifer said to "let her have her sheep" and "see what she does." So I let her finish the outrun with no whistle or shouted command. She came up behind in the proper position for a calm controlled lift. Followed by a clam controlled fetch where Piper was adjusting herself properly to hold the pressure, adjusting her own pace and WALKING.

Nary a word or whistle until the sheep were about 10 yards from my feet and then I flanked Piper to get the sheep around the post the right way and started on the drive. Then it was minimal handling - mostly a little "take time" and very slight flank to hold the pressure resulting in one of Piper's best drive aways ever. Followed by a nice cross drive and Jennifer suggesting we "quit on that one."

Actually Piper's drives were generally better today than usual. This was true all day and not just on the last drive. Maybe she s starting to get this driving thing down. If so YIPPEE !!

Also the silent gather suggested I need to trust her more and let her work - only interposing whistles or spoken commands when needed. She responded well to the minimalist handling on our final run. Again, hopefuly not a one time thing.

Zamora !!!

Tricia Guidry on Sunday in Open. Look at the top in the picture to the right and you ca barely see the biplane.

Well that was a lot of fun !!

We just got back from our first trip to Zamora where Piper ran in Pro Novice.

The Zamora Hills course is somewhat legendary in California and now that we have been there I understand why.

This is the view from the post for the open. Send across the small ditch along the ridge line some 600- yards or so to the saddle between the two hills where the sheep are set out. Then the fetch is down the valley between the hills on either side with various blind spots along the way. To make it more fun use range ewes who are difficult to steer. THIS IS WHAT A SHEEPDOG TRIAL IS SUPPOSED TO BE !

For the Pro - Novice the sheep were brought down into the valley between the two hills but still 250 - 300 yards out. The particular spot where they were set was kind of tucked in so it would be very easy to run wide behind a hill and get lost on the outrun.

We were up 2nd in Pro Novice and followed nursery (about 10 dogs). Because the Open dogs had difficulties with the drive away panel all weekend the course was changed to a "push bye - then pull through" on the drive away. Push the sheep by the panels to the left and then pull back through. Everything else was normal.

I decided to send Piper "come bye". Suicide in the open it was a viable option for PN because the sheep were set lower. She took off beautifully and was making her way up the hill on the left when she started to kick in and slow down. She was obviously wondering where the sheep were and coming in to investigate. I was a fraction of a second from blowing a redirect whistle when I noticed Piper seemed to catch sigh of the sheep, turned her head "bye" and redirected herself out and well behind the sheep. Outrun loss of 1 point.

Piper came up on the sheep well but in my view a little hard and lifted straight. Zero points deducted.

The fetch seemed a trouble spot for many of the dogs we had watched but - except for being a little hard headed and fast for the top quarter or so - Piper handled it well. The sheep wanted to pull to my right and a little come bye flank and lie down got them back on direction before they got too far. We must have stayed pretty well om line because we only lost 5 points for the fetch. Most that I saw were losing many more on the fetch. Anyway this was very encouraging because this is the second trial in a row where Piper has been very good on her outwork (5 points lost at Hoof and Paw and 6 points lost at Zamora).

On to the drive. It has been our bugaboo and it was again but for different reasons. Our tendency has been to over flank and cause a serpentine drunk driving pattern with Piper acting like a windshield wiper going from side to side behind the sheep. Here the sheep wanted to lean to the left and so I had Piper come bye and stop. Then a little walk up and the sheep would push back to the right. Stop and let them come a bit left and another come bye. Here is the good thing. Piper was taking the flanks and the stops and we were progressing in a more or less stacked banana motion toward the panel. Mostly straight but always tending in the right direction. But we were not doing the windshield wiper serpentine approach. The other good thing is that Piper was taking my "lie down" commands where they were given and not moving off pressure then lying down as she did last week in practice.

When we got to the drive away panel I had trouble telling when we had passed the plane to the left and walked Piper in too much. The sheep made an escape high because I waited to flank too long. Anyway they were up on a plateau where I had no sight of my dog and could barely see the tops of the sheep heads. This is where I think we lost most of our points but I also think it is somewhat course and run specific.

We finally got the sheep turned back and by this time I abandoned trying to get the pull through. Piper brought the sheep down to the cross drive line - probably a bit low but it looked good to me at the time. Then from there the cross drive was actually pretty good. The sheep wanted to go low beneath the panel so I flanked Piper to cover and they tipped back towards the panel opening. Unfortunately I released the pressure a little early and they tipped back low again and almost broke the plane. Another flank away and we covered that before they broke the plane. A short walk up and the sheep were nicely positioned in the middle of the panel opening but with their sides to the opening facing uphill. A quick come bye and stop aligned with the middle of the opening and the sheep went through.

On to the pen. Almost nobody was getting the pen and we were no different. Piper did work calmly and we managed to get the sheep almost into the mouth. One ewe tried to stamp Piper down but she held her ground and was calm about the whole thing.

Final score 53 with a high degree of difficulty. Overall I was very happy with Piper.

EDIT TO ADD. Piper's score held up for 8th place out of 32 actual runs. So top 25%. And she beat some dogs that have been regularly beating us. So improvement is showing.

Spectators on the Hill across the road.

Hit it

Just back from a day of training at K9Z&Ewe.

Piper had a difficult day. She probably needs to be reintroduced to Jesus.

Her driving on the driving drill portion of the day was actually reasonably good as we went back and forth on the cross drives. Not as serpentine as usual and kept sheep moving at a reasonable pace.

Outruns - usually her strong suit - but she was having some trouble flattening out at the top. So we set her up to do an extra deep outrun trying to get her up a road. It did not make sense to her as the sheep were more forward and she fought me all the way round. Finally got her to go where we wanted and she went on a tour of the neighboring ranch as if to say - you want wide - I'll show you wide. Eventually we got to a semblance of what we wanted but it was working.

Near the end we did some beginning shedding work. It is getting better - we have not done this in a couple months. She will come into the hole but getting her to turn on the sheep we want to take away without overrunning the hole was a bit tricky. Eventually she seemed to get it a little better and we got her coming through AND turning properly. The last two times - 1 shed and 1 single - she seemed to understand the job and moved on her own to prevent 1 sheep from regrouping. On the single she finally came in on the head and backed the single off facing the head down challenge. A big step for her.

Also while we were working on shedding and getting sheep back into the ring we had opportunity to work on our new "Hit it" command from 2 weeks ago. Sure could have used it at the trial last week. Anyway - several times she had sheep refusing to move and I gave her a "hit it" which resulted in her promptly and appropriately hitting the sheep. We even got some proper face hits and the sheep moved off her. Hopefully this will help with her confidence when we need to move some sheep that have dropped anchor.

We used the hit it again when putting the rambouilett's away. They had moved over near a trailer and appeared they would refuse to budge and were facing her down. I gave her a "walk up" and "hit it" and lo and behold Piper went for the nose and a very surprised rambouillet popped its head and front up, turned and went where Piper wanted her to go.

So a rough day but a good finish.