Learning from Trialing

I attended an AKC trial this Sunday and had a very good time.  There where some people from Nevada that I know from ASCA trials there and it was very nice to visit with them.  I ran Rave in sheep and ducks.  It was a minimum arena so timing of commands was extremely important along with the dog immediately taking the command.  It really brought home my need to watch the stock more closely and anticipate what they are going to do.  Easier said than done!  Also I need to go back to working on square inside flanks.  Making sure that Rave will take them when I ask for one.  And mixing up taking the stock to the fence and starting the drive and doing a lift and fetch directly to me.  Also Rave needs to stay soft.  And one more thing.  Taking the ducks to some new locations to work on no matter where we are we still work the same.

It's a Puzzle

How do you get the same soft, thoughtful work in a new location that you have at home or a familiar location?  Worked sheep at a different place last evening.  The sheep where nice but Rave transmitted tension and excitement to the sheep so they did not trust her.  She was to fast and to tight.  I do not know how to make her approach new location with a calm and thoughtful attitude.  But that zing that she has for life is what I love best about her.  A double edged sword.

Finding her Own Way

Went out to Kelly's today to rent stock time on the dairy steers.  First we had to bring them in from a small pasture to the small arena.  Rave accomplished the job with a couple of well placed heels and a few flanks.  If we where able to do this chore a couple of times she would have it down pat and I wouldn't even need to command her.  All the steers and Matilda and her calf came into the arena.  I then put Rave up not wanting to test mama cow, even though Rave did heel her once to get her going when we rounded the group up, and my friend and I sorted her and her calf off and let them back out into the small field.  We then sorted off 4 Holsteins and my friend and Colt had the first turn.  Rave could see the whole thing from the back of the open car hatch where she as crated.  This was good experience for her as usually she takes the first turn.  So she had to watch Colt go first.

Once it was our turn we started out trying to pull them off the fence and tried to drive them across the middle of the arena, parallel to the strong draw.  We where having some problems with this tasks as the steers would string out and it was very difficult to bring the rear steers up without the lead steer taking a turn for the draw.  After a short bit, with some very limited success I remembered what I had wanted to work on from the last time we came out.  Minimal words and letting Rave find her 'style' instead of micro managing.  So I abandoned the cross drive and started letting her take them around the perimeter.  She could decide when to push and when to drop back.  I encouraged her when she needed to hit and reminded her it was a once and done, stay calm.  I occasionally gave a flank to hold them on the fence if she started to let them drift out.  I allowed her to choose the speed.  If the cattle trotted she was allowed to trot but not to gain ground, or push them faster.  If she did she got an 'attt'.  If they slowed she was to slow unless needing to push up to make them move.  We switched directions several times.  We repeated with our second group of cattle, which where jersey steers.  At the end I had her pull them off the back fence and drive them straight up the middle of the arena perpendicular to the draw.  Which she did with just a bit of wavering in the line.

We both enjoyed this exercise.  She enjoyed working the cattle with her instinct.  I enjoyed not constantly harping on her.  I did try to keep her stop in place but as usual would use it at the wrong time or not insist on a complete stop.  Once I realized I was doing it again I tried to make sure that all four feet came to a complete stop before giving a walk up command.  When I gave the stop at the wrong time I tried to give the walk up as soon as I could so that things stayed right.  If I was right I tried to hold the stop a bit longer.

It was fun and I hope to do it again.  Don't know when I will make it back out to Kelly's but I look forward to it.

I know that many people get their dog for a particular reason. Be it herding, agility, hunting, whatever. And if the dog does not work out for this particular job then they get a different dog. Many people, for instance those who use dogs as an asset to making a living, such as ranchers, do not have the luxury of having a dog that ‘does not work out.’ I understand that. And sometimes, just like some marriages, it becomes apparent that the personalities of dog and human just don’t get along. Then it is best to find a new home.   But I am one of the lucky ones. I do have the luxury of having a dog just because I want one. And I am very fortunate that I do not have to make a decision like that. Replace a dog that isn’t quite, quite with another one that might fit the task better. I do not have Rave for herding. Although that is the reason I sought out this particular puppy when I decided to aquire a new dog. Even had it had turned out that she had no talent for herding she would still have had a home with me. Why would I not find another home for her and find another dog to fulfill my desire to herd if she had not shown the talent she has?

Why do I adore this funny little dog so much? The reason is that she embodies the Joy of Living. She reminds me each day that today is a Good Day. It may be cold, hot, or windy. It may blizzard or thunderstorm. The bills may need to be paid, the car repaired or the headache may be back, but it is a Good Day for Living.

 

She will come with her

squeaky ball to tap at the back of my knee, squeak, squeak, squeak, poke, poke, poke. ‘Whatcha doing there, the sun is up lets play ball!’

She will dance a little dance when she sees me pick up the shoes I wear out to the pasture. Eyes sparkling as I reach for the doorknob.

She will entice my son with little sidesteps over to the biscuit jar, look him in the eye and then point with her nose and sure enough he hands her a biscuit, never even realizing that it was all Rave's idea.

She greets my husband in the morning for a quick pat as he gets out of bed and then leaves him alone until his shoes go on. Then she is ready with the pull toy where they both have a rousing game of ‘land the fish’ before my husband goes off to do battle with whatever issues come up at work today. He leaves tension free and with a smile on his face. She is always the first to greet him when he enters the house at night. Giving him a soft welcome.

She runs with pure abandon, glorying in the use of her muscles. She has a path worn in the grass where she makes her loop. She has a high pitched little bark that surely could scare no one. But a nice little rumble when she growls at the neighbor rattling the motel door next to our room.

She cares not about the troubles of the world. War, oil, economic disaster, health care failures. She is in the moment. Joy personified. And that my friend is all she needs to be.

Photos by Shari Hart

Let's Keep it Quiet

Went out and worked Kelly's cattle this morning.  The skies where grey but we got no rain.  These are dairy steers that have been well educated about moving off of a dog although there was a mighty strong draw back to the holding pen where their buddies where and they tried to break there once you where heading back that direction.  We worked on moving the cattle quietly and pulling them off the fence mid way and then trying to drive them straight across the middle of  the small arena.  The cattle seem to move very easily around the perimeter but pulling them off the fence was another story.  We finally hit on the right combination of sending Rave through on the away to pull them off the fence and then as soon as they came off an immediate come bye to return and hold the side the draw was on.  We tried it a few times before we finally got it right.

Second group had a jersey that wanted to stop and stare at Rave.  A great opportunity to work on walking into head.  We made some progress there too.  On the other steers she could walk right up and turn them but the way this one planted itself and just staired at her rattled her a bit.  I encouraged her on with a git'em-git-em.  She really wanted to slip to heel and get him going that way but I was able to stop her (usually)  She then gave two barks and showed her teeth and the steer decided to move on.  A great confidence builder for her.

Rave had a couple of small fly byes, barely leaving the ground compared to her usual ones, when they weren't really needed.  But many more times she kicked out properly and turned to face the oncoming steer causing him to turn.  Good girl. 

I concentrated on keeping my commands quiet and unexcited.  Mostly got it done.  Sometimes a bit to excited.  But better, better.  Blundered with my stops, sometimes saying it when it wasn't needed, sometimes letting her not stop, but that was better too.

Ended with a fetch/walk about.  I think I should just do that for a few times, letting her learn how the cattle move on her own.  But really hard to give up the control and working on 'something' when you are paying for limited stock time.

Pedicure

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Hmmmm

Well the sheep seem to be pretty well trailer trained now.  Even the squirrelly one hopped right on in today.  I have been loading in groups of 4.  Will try 2 tomorrow and see if that lightens them up again.

Not convinced about this rope thing.  I have heard of people having a lot of success.  And after my first session I thought it might help.  But now I don't know.  Seems she is loosing her stop and not responding as I would like.  It is probably that I am not doing it correctly.  Just kind of winging it.  I said I would give it a week at least so I will continue on until Sat.  But unless there is some dramatic break through the rope will be retired.

Load'em Up

Had another go at the trailer this morning.  This time Fiver, my escape artist and smartest sheep, was in the mix.  Yes, as expected had a lot of trouble getting them in the trailer.  And I discovered an 'issue' that we will need to deal with.  When we got them into the mouth of the trailer Rave would eventually put a tenative heel on the sheep's ankle.  Just place her mouth around it but not bite down.  Unlike her cattle that she has a hard solid bite on.  But as the sheep would move forward a bit she would then want to go to the cheek to finish the push.  Of course that would make the sheep back out, not go forward.  By this time we where all hot and tired.  I didn't want to push Rave any further so I went into the trailer and loaded them with a fetch so we could all end on a win.  Amazing how easy the sheep went in as soon as I showed them the way.  And if I was a farmer wanting to get to market I would have used wings and fetched them right in.  No mess, no fuss.  But that is not what we are.  We are working on the artifical world of trialing and I am using the trailer as a means to increase Rave's confidence in using her power and to practice penning skills as my sheep readliy pen in the free standing pen and Rave doesn't have to work much at it there.

I only want to do the trailer once a day so tomorrow we will work more on not slipping to head as the sheep start to move forward at the mouth of the trailer.