R E S P E C T.......

I read a discussion going on about relationship....and how to have a relationship with your working/trialing sheepdog.  Some of the advice was super interesting and some counterproductive, in my opinion. I do think the discussion did what it was meant to do; since then I've been thinking a lot about what kind of relationship I want with my dogs.  For me, I believe it boils down to respect

I took a lesson with Sal last month and the clinician challenged me to look at her respect towards me.  He suggested I evaluate her respect for me off of sheep...interesting!  He also thought, with some work on respect off sheep, that would transfer to respect on sheep.   I've been pondering this idea ever since that discussion. The Sis/Sal line of dogs are just so freaking easy to live with.  Because of that ease, it is also very easy to let them get by with small things that really aren't that big of deal in my book.  But perhaps those small things add up to a lack of respect.  I know my dogs like me...but do they respect me?

I've also been looking at what I think respect is.  I've always thought it was a bit like a knife...where one side of the blade might be obedience (where a dog is made right) and the other side of the blade is a bit of correction (where the dog is allowed to be wrong)....the hilt would be respect and so the balance of obedience vs. correction brings about respect.  This whole balance is a place where I do struggle....I find myself over-correcting and also over-controlling.  Over-correcting can put fear in a dog while over-controlling takes away thought or self initiative or possibly makes a dog a bit mechanical.

My dogs hang out with me, in the house, when I'm home.  I allow them up on the couch for snuggling and they have free access to a huge yard to putz around in.  My rules are not many....come when called, get out of my way, don't jump no me, kennel up, stop messing with the cat through the fence, and no fighting amongst the pack.... with these rules I work at being super consistent.  I know I drive my "kennel keeping" friends nuts!  I do agree with them though, I think it is more of a challenge to get dogs who are both pets/companions and sheep dogs to be respectful.

I believe respect is worthy of a look on a regular basis.  I'm working on making my correction fit the crime right now.  I'm also working on accepting try and allowing dogs to sort a few things on their own without me "making" them be correct.  The flip side of all this work I am doing on myself is to not compromise on what I know they know.  That dance of a balance is an amazing challenge...and I wonder if it challenges all those who work at training a sheep dog?

And so the journey continues and yet again it comes back to me.  Fair, consistent, respect, progress, relationship.....all the little nuances that come together in training up and working a sheepdog.

Seize the Day!

All is Calm....All is Bright....NOT!!!

Well I knew this day would come.....and really, she is a YEAR old.  Yep, Josephine Florence is in heat!  GAH!  And I kept two...one being a boy...and it was a Game of Thrones Litter.....Poor Poor Jon Snow!  Today is the worst it has been...with Jon going Cray Cray and Josie, thank God, being like her mama and wanting to kill him for his attention to her hinny and also his lack of wanting to play anything but doctor.  So puppy jail it is....one is under house arrest at any given time.  Me, well I am making appointments to continue with my spay-athon.  My parting prayer is that Jo's standing heat only lasts a few days and we can get on with life!

Seize the Day!!!

Merry Christmas

It's hard to believe it was one year ago that Sis had her puppies;  talk about a life changing event.  As I was reminiscing with friends the other day.....we came to the conclusion that one never knows how strong they are until they go through the hard times.  I learned I am strong......I can live without sleep.....I have great friends....and asking for help is part of life.

It's Christmas time and I am grateful for the reminder of all that is important to me: Relationships, Love, Time and Tolerance.  The things I don't like about Christmas is Expectations and Wrapping presents.  I solved my second dislike by buying boxes that look "already wrapped" and I use them year after year.  But how to creatively deal with Expectations?  I've been reminding myself daily to do all the things that make me happy for Christmas...and as I am doing them, stay in the moment.  This is a tough one for me......I struggle with the busyness of the holiday while others relax and do their thing.  Part of me would rather be out working dogs or all the bazillion other things I enjoy instead of Christmas preparation.  Then I bring it back to my list of "what is important" and I know it's a gift I give my family....gathering around good food and a comfortable home to share the day.

I'm here working on my second cup of coffee....most of the work has been done.  My little immediate family is coming tonight for dinner, gifts and perhaps Santa. Then tomorrow is a leftover brunch of all the good things to eat with more family.  My one wish is that the two days of Christmas be filled with love and laughter and surprises of the spontaneous.  I'll remind myself to keep my eyes open for the tiny miracles while not grasping, fist clenched to the demands of expectation. In fact, this is a good reminder for the coming year.

In non-Christmas news....Josephine is in heat!  gah.  The challenge of having an intact male dog has manifested three fold as Miss Josie is bringing her mama and her aunt Sal into heat too!  Poor Jon Snow...and poor me for that matter!  I'm mastering the dance of keeping dogs separate.  Josie is confused and Jon is super biddable...so far so good.  Once Josie is out of heat, my challenge will become a little easier as those two are besties.  Sal is the one I really have to worry about......she is a sneaky slut and has a history of oops litters.  If I knew of someone close, I would consider sending Jon off for a month......we will see!

My favorite week of the year is just around the corner.  I love the week after Christmas and all the fun work of remembering the closing year and looking ahead to the new year.  It's good work for me......

Merry Christmas to all of you......may the coming days be filled with all that is important to you......all the way into the new year!

Seize the Day

Fingerless Gloves

Fingerless gloves......I LOVE THEM!!!  I can still do all the things that I need fingers for...all while keeping my hands warm.  And if my fingertips get cold...I just tuck them in.  These gloves are also the first knitting I have done for myself and I use them daily.

Right now, with Christmas only a week and a half away...I am frantically knitting up fingerless gloves for everyone.  The gloves I am wearing are made from a sock weight yarn and take for-ev-er to knit.  With the help of Ravelry, I tweaked a pattern that uses a DK weight yarn and I've can knit a glove +  per day.

I hope all my people love them as much as I do.......until I fall hands first into the ankle deep mud while working sheep!

Seize the Day!

Be Careful What You Wish For

I was telling my friend, just the other day, that if I were 30 years younger....I'd run commercial sheep. Then the weekend happened....and I realized....I an not 30 years younger!  hahahahah

The first day started with frozen fog and a 300 acre field filled with lambs.....somewhere.

The goal was to sort off a handful of those lovely Romney crosses right there at the back.

After a super wet fall on newly planted annual rye grass, I quickly realized the Boss Lady was right and this was not going to be an easy task; not easy or clean!

With the help of an entire village, we got 'er done.  I can never figure out how sheep producers do it without a good dog.....because Bella was a rock star.  Even at 10, she can cut off lambs and hold the pressure.

Day two was at home sorting off round lambs to go back to the Boss Lady and sorting the new lambs into smaller groups.  Sorting, moving, loading, and working...I was a mini sheep operation.  Sis got most of the work till the end when Bella came out with experience trumping training.  My place is coming together but I see holes that need addressed to make the work a little smoother. That and not brining in border cheviots again....ever!  Next time I ask for the cute little border cheviots Boss Lady is supposed to say NO!!!  Wicked creatures from Hell!

After tromping through calf-deep mud the day before.....the hard frozen ground at my place was like working out on cement! When I finally walked in the house at 4 it was all I could do to cook dinner and not go to bed!   And so today, Bella and I are sore, tired and a little grateful that the Boss Lady's crew can handle the work on the preggers today without us.  I think I'll just stick with being Boss Lady's intern......it's a great life.

Seize the Day.

ps all photos by Boss Lady......

All By Myself......

I train by myself most of the time.  I don't mind, actually, I enjoy it.  Yet, surprise, surprise, I end up with holes that can only be fixed with other people!  I totally know it is common for young dogs to want to hold to the set out people when they begin to trial.  I "know" that but when it happens to my young dog....I remember!  Back to the drawing board and time for some time and miles and miles and miles!

Another set of eyes on training can be beneficial if not necessary.  Sometimes I get in my own head and need a push myself to see things from a different perspective.  With two "new to trialing" dogs and two puppies getting started.....every now and then a tune-up is in order.  My personal  mission is to find the balance between a dog doing things natural and my being able to over-ride that when necessary. Sisters, Sal and Sis are opposite sides of that knife: Sal being all about her...and Sis being all about me.  I'm working on helping Sal find a better method while allowing me some input every now and then.  All the while, Sis is being asked to be a little more responsible and get some things done on her own.  And then there is me....it is so easy for me to just tell Sis what to do...and get mad at Sal of not letting me tell her what to do!  Oh the life of working and training sheepdogs!

Then there are the "puppies" who are 11 months old and not really puppies any more.  They are two sides of a knife as well....very different.  Jon Snow is thoughtful and all about having fun.  I was reminded yesterday that perhaps it is time to start developing his method on sheep.  He is so nice when he is working well and thoughtful.  I know he is too close but I wonder about opening him up or stopping him to show him what distance feels like.  Watching another way of developing method was exactly why tunes ups with like minds are so important for me!

Josie is going to be nice in her own way. She is fast footed and quick minded and serious as a heart attack.  I've taken a few weeks off with her....and yesterday she seemed like she ready for more.  She is all about the "come on" and I'm wrestling with pace and not having her flank out of that pressure point instead of pushing through it.  I want to keep that forward for sure.....but I don't want to encourage flanking.....so that dance begins.

I have always believed it is important to seek advice from trainers who are like-minded with my mission.  I believe, given a chance...my dogs will find answers amongst the sheep and I have to die to all the things i could do to make them "perfect".  Putting pressure on them to open them up, lying them down to keep them out of trouble, giving them too much trouble for messes or not enough accountability for small infractions that I might just ignore;  that's my dance.  Lastly, when I work with a trainer, I want honesty.  I really despise sugar coated "your dogs look great" when I'm really longing to learn and develop a better relationship with each of my dogs.  In addition, I prefer honesty that has the end result of my getting better.

The take away from my time yesterday looks like this:

Sal....perhaps I am spoiling her too much (LOL LOL)  I need to continue working on getting in her head and having her respect me; she blows me off a lot!  I need to work on my different correction tones (applies to puppies too) and maybe try some disappointment.  My personal thought includes the fact I don't believe Sal trusts me nor believes in herself......so I'll work on that while I work on the respect.

The puppies both need to work on developing their method on sheep.  That's what we will be focusing on for a while.  The biggest confirmation was...YES they are ready for more and their little widows of learning are wide open. I thought that but was glad to hear I'm seeing things accurately......now the journey gets fun. Sunshine is coming next week........you'll find me in my bottom field in the new 250X300 pen I built for winter puppy training.

Seize the day!

All The Things

I've dipped my toe back into the ocean of sheepdog trialing.  Meeker has always been a bucket list trial for me and when I saw my name in the first draw I knew it was time to walk to the post and give Bella her Meeker spin.  I'm so glad I did.

Meeker was all I had dreamed of with a side of more and a bit of less.  For one, I thought the sheep were going to be dog eaters...and not a single dog was made a meal of or a snack for that matter.  It was also very hot......the kind of hot that had us searching for shade mid day and thankful for the park along side the river that flows through Meeker.  I spent many an afternoon under this tree with the girls.

This

There are so many things I loved about Bella's run....it was not perfect for sure but so much of our relationship was shown on that Meeker field.  Once Bella got a hold of the sheep....it was exactly what Bella loves and does the best....the feeling and handling of those tough range sheep.  Heat, altitude and age were not our friends and when we got to the pen, I was out of dog.  But we touched the pen after her fantastic shed and her run earned us the "Shining Star" award for a first time at Meeker handler.  I'm grateful to her for the honor!

I touched the pen at Meeker!!!!

For me personally, I have taken some trial time off after my Carbondale Finals.  I had lost myself...or perhaps I was just lost....traveling all over, going to trial after trial, filming and chasing....always chasing to capture something a trial win might provide.  I know I've hashed it out over and over in my head and here.  My time off from the road has given me some grounding and insight into what is most important to me.  Life, relationships, learning....those details have become a focus point.  Sometimes I find myself off line a little....like in the movie Moana, I put my hand up and find my North Star and change my course back in the direction that is right for me.

Which brings me right back to my Rocking Dog Ranch blog.....it's time for a change here too.  I want to be able to look back at my words and see my life...which is filled with my dogs, for sure, but is more than just training and trialing.  My Nell is turning 11..gah where did the time go...and has career changed into nose work.  It's a little search and rescue game but we just rescue odors that have been hidden in crooks and crannies at places like Lowes, Wilco and my barn!  She loves it and tells me first thing in the morning, "it's Tuesday!" which is her class day!  I've got my bees and all I'm learning ...first and foremost concurring my fear of them!  I've taken up knitting which is a mind saver now that winter is coming and the days are shorter and shorter.  And through Divine Intervention...I've embraced my inner child and am now the owner of a pony.  Her name is Gloria and she ran with a big mob of valley sheep until she became too much for all the loading and hauling.  Before that, rumor has it, she was ridden and taught to drive.....I'm now in search of a harness and pony cart for my tiny bundle of amazing heart happiness.

Living in the moment!

Indeed the thing that gets me up in the morning is the dogs and their sheep work.  My worst days of working for my good friend beats some of my better days not working dogs.  The journey of training the dogs, looking for holes and finding ways to have the dogs find their answers is indescribable.  It's a very humbling experience.....especially now that I am getting my two puppies started. They are so different I'm digging deep to find their pace and methods.

The best adventures are shared with friends

So, here's to blogging about life......let it be filled with amazing adventure.....a life worth writing about.

Seize the Day!!!!