Winter Solstice

The days are going to start getting longer....and that, my friends, is something to celebrate!  Insert Snoopy Happy Dance Music.

The week I took off from my routine life to visit Disney Land the 2nd....I mean, Canada.....has left me chasing my tail for Christmas preparations.  We sat down as a family and went over traditions that have meaning for each of us....and those will stay and be honored.  The rest have been stored in the attic for next year. I'm hoping this year is filled with surprise as some of the expectations are released and we can embrace the day as it unfolds. 

This past week saw the processing of lambs at the ranch.  Generally, I butcher in early November but this year I was a little late.  I always feel a bit of heavy responsibility as we butcher lambs, all of which are done right at the ranch.  The folks who come and buy year after year, and the new folks who are beginning to see the value of farm rasied/farm killed lamb add to my goal of making the sheep help pay for my passion.  Although I have to admit....I feel a heaviness of heart as I clean and bury the remnants of the week's work.  Life is not to be taken for granted. My friend Elissa from Magnolia Farms captured the essence of what my heart feels.....

The Perenial Plate

Happy Winter Solstice!

Seize the Day!!!!

Theory....An Over-Thinker's Paradise

While in Canada, I was reminded that I have not "trained" much with Scott Glen.  "Trained" in the fashion of starting a young dog , laying a foundation and building the dog from the start with Scott's unique vision.  My journey with sheepdogs, with a focus on USBCHA trials, began with Patrick Shannahan.  A few years later, I met Jack and Kathy Knox and I would say that those three people and their methods are the foundation for my training style.  I have indeed taken a few (okay THREE) shedding clinics and a handler's clinic with Scott, in addition to some private lessons.....all of which the topic was my handling of my dogs....with a few discussions on training thrown in for good measure.  Though I heard the training insight, I never really understood what was being shared or the importance of the training's application.

When I start a new video project, the months and days before the first "roll" are filled with anticipation and excitement.  Much like starting a new book that has received rave reviews....the first line unfolding into a paragraph; the words tasty morsels.......that is exactly how I feel as I slip the headphones over my ears the first morning and tiptoe quietly into the world of a person and their thoughts, just as they occur, while a dog finds its inner calling and begins to understand.  I often find myself lost in the moment...amazed at the crisp picture of the dog and sheep...unedited words describing what the sharp eyes of the reviewer is seeing.  Lost in the dance as it unfolds....trainer to dog...dog to sheep.....the whys and hows and what ifs all bringing forth understanding and confidence.

I can't help but stumble out of my trance and find myself changed a little, looking for some of what I saw through the trainer's eyes, while working my own dogs.  As I left my 10+ hours of filming behind me, I headed into a couple of lessons with Scott, me personally seeing my dogs just a little more clearly then I did when I had arrived.  Both lessons, one with Nell and one with Gyp, were discussions on handling but the thrown in training made so much more sense to me.  I will confess much of my lessons were discussion about my "stop" and how I use them while running Nell.  Gyp is pretty much a clean slate right now.....I've not addressed "feel" or "method" much with her.  I was fascinated working her with a little bit different style of training while Scott talked me through what I was seeing. 

I'm home now...although it looks like the crisp cool weather grabbed hold of my bumper and caught a ride with me. I've spent some quiet time thinking over methods of training dogs: similarities, radical differences, styles of dogs, end results.  Scott's parting words from my Gyp lesson were something along the lines of  "it would not be good for a dog to be trained in one method one month and switched around to another method another month."  There are many great and successful methods to training up a dog...as proven by all the top handlers that train different from each other and yet their dog's work great.  The secret to success is consistency, understanding, and accurate assessment of the dog's response, or lack there of, to the training. I'll continue to sort and weed and plant as I find my own method of training.....while being thankful for the help of those graciously willing to invest and believe in me and my dogs.

Seize the Day!

In Other News

Due to the fact that I was on anther planet for a week and lost total track of time......I missed posting THIS!!!!

COFFEE WITH A CANINE

Enjoy!

Seize the Day!!!!

Hello Kitty Strikes Again!

Yes indeed, Jenny Glen is the newest inductee into the Hello Kitty Stock Stick Society!  Clever Jenny has matching boots!  I'm just a tad jealous.  I feel a whole line of Hello Kitty accessories coming on.....with all this enthusiastic HKSSS input.

Tomorrow wraps up what has turned into a really fabulous vacation of sorts. 

Hello World

Seize the Day!!!!!

Alta Pete Farm

I headed out real early Monday morning, can't say bright and early because the sun was smart and still resting behind the mountains. I grabbed a friend in George, Washington and continued my adventure all the way to Alberta, Canada and a visit the Scott and Jenny Glen.

Today, we began our work......

...my girls LOVE the snow.  I feel like the little boy in The Christmas Story...."I can't put my arms down!"  Despite the adventures with Mother Nature....I am having so much fun.  I'll be back with more pictures.....

Seize the Day!

I'm Outta Here!

I'm so very excited......I'm packing my clothes and loading the truck.....heading out Monday morning bright and early to Canada!  I'm excited and nervous and can't stop checking the list of things to take..... over and over.  I went to Cabela's to get some winter necessities...now my feet might stay a little warmer.  I'm going with a friend and two of her dogs...thank goodness, because if she wasn't going I might chicken out.  Passport...check.  Rabies certificates....check.  I'm hoping to blog a bit while I'm there but who knows.....I just might be having too much fun to blog.  Or my hot spot might not work.  I'll be back...with fun stories full of adventure and learning I am sure.  Watch out, Canada....here I come!

Seize the Day!

Really?! Tell It To Me........

Laura over at Crooks and Crazies started this cool "Tell Me Thursday" event a while ago...and a bunch of blogging friends joined in telling their deepest secrets to Laura weekly. Whenever I had blogger's block, I knew TMT would get me going again.  Laura recently went into early TMT retirement and I was excited to see eyeherdewe launch a Tuesday event, which has come and gone.  Yet people continue blogging their answers to the questions hanging out in Internet space.  I've been looking for some profound, heady, zen/Buddha/ninja type of over-thinker's question...and all I could come up with was this.  This one question that was a topic of discussion at a recent trial......

WHAT WOULD YOU NEVER NAME YOUR NEXT DOG????
and why?

For me, I would never name my next dog: Tucker, Debit or Itch.

Not that any of those names are not nice names.....I know a few very nice Tuckers and Debits....however, I sometimes yell my dog's name up the field to them from the post so many hundreds of yards away. I know how Tucker (yelled in my voice) would sound, echoing through the valley at say Big Willow.  And probably the preface of "listen here you little mother" would only add to the Tucker name misunderstanding from a judge.  Same with the "gawd" that might happen before the Debit or the "you little" before an Itch.

For me, I will stick with the safer, more traditional names. 

Seize the Day!