Sheepdog News

Wednesday morning

Today the trial sheep arrive at Sandy's.  I am shepherding.  I will take pictures with that little iphone when they jump off the truck.But I tonight, I go to the Kenwood Inn for spa time.

The trial sheep have arrived.

Gold Country, Day Three

Clive did not run as well as Haley Howard's Ross,  But he did run well enough to win overall--a fabulous crook with a twisted curl of oak at top.

The weather was perfection, sunny and 70.  No wind. After the trial, Joni, Michelle, Haley and  I, went wine tasting in the Shenandoah valley, full of surprising nooks and beautiful warm weather wines and ports. We finished the day at a hip restaurant in Plymouth, Taste.

I love California.

At the foodie's Mecca

Gold Country, Day Two

Glorious spring weather of the type for which you go on vacation.  The sun was sweet, the grass green, flowering quince and camellias busting out everywhere.  Spectacular bulb plantings.   People say this is Gold County’s most perfect--it is never greener or lusher.  There was no wind.  All calm and bright.

I ran one dog today in the second trial.  Roz redeemed herself after yesterday with a good go around and a handler lacking eye for panels.  She tied Jennifer Clark Ewers at 81 with two missed panels.  Her outwork lost only two points off the fetch.  Clive runs tomorrow at mid day.
 


The course was the same but a reversed drive and turn in front of the hand around some rocks.

Late in the day I went for some wine tasting in the Shenandoah wine area.  The wines were surprisingly good and they have produced some charming port.  The summer heat likely abets the production.  Why did I not know about this place before?   It’s great.

Amanda's Back!

Amanda Milliken is back as our guest blogger, complete with her brand-new Iphone that she has made great strides in mastering.  Here, she reports on day 1 of the Gold Country Sheepdog Trial in Plymouth, California:

*****

The trial field was expected to be big a flat but it is big and hilly and charming.  The green is refreshing in the extreme.  The outrun takes dogs in complicated undulations out three hundred and fifty yards or so in a field punctuated with live oaks, both the leaved type and those that will get leaves.  Nothing prepared me for its beauty.  Vista, vista and vista.  It is me and Vie de Sackville-West.

The sheep have been good too.  Yearlings.  Range fine wools.  They have bags of tricks that some dogs and hands have handled ok,  They meted out enough trouble to post retirement and disqualification notices to the board--many sheep winners but more sheep victims.   Suzy Applegate and Jeff Blackstone leading the charge with tied 79's.  It was so windy, I did not see so many more scores since they took the score board down to prevent its blowing in the wind.

The rainy weather from Friday gave way to bright chilly weather on Saturday. It was a stalwart Californian who could sit out in that north wind all day, tenacious, brisk and cool.

Roz was disappointment, chased off the field by an opportunistic ewe.  If she had just leveled an old-fashioned head grip in the first place none of this would have happened.  I could even see the humour in it, but it would have been way funnier had been someone else, like Beverly.

Clive was pretty good.  He ran last of the day, at dusk.  We had trouble of that pen where I became suspicious of the intentions of couple of my ewes and their plans to go in different directions.  After a few moments of costly chaos they went in.

The trial is not over with about ten dogs to run this morning.  I never did see my own score as the wind was too much for the score board.

We found a lovely little cafe in Amador City, Andrea's bakery, where the coffee is good, and the almond croissants are as good as I have ever had.

Joni Swanke, Michelle Howard, Sandra Milberg and I all had a great supper last night at a good restaurant across the way--duck with raspberry reduction.  I will try to send in some results later.

Amanda: patience is a virtue

Purdy has been straining the patience of her handler.  When I stop her, she checks to see if I am serious, or whether she can blow me off.   Oooooo.   The driving has been going all right but she is inclined to sulkiness, which it such a strain.  Fresh, she accepts driving better,  so I try to keep sessions short and therefore sweet. It mostly works but sometimes I go just a hair too far and then I have to revert to something she will accept.

I concede now that hers is not an overnight training project.  I will stick with Bobby Dalziel's advice for now, but I may have to reconsider in a week.  The alcoholic's mantra, "one day at a time." I will keep up her work until the footing gives up.  then she can have a break and so can I.

Amanda: training Purdy

Haste makes waste. Saturday was atrocious weather here with driving rain starting before dawn.  I had so many mandatory outdoor activities planned, potato digging, tilling, leaves, organizing new drive shed and I shelved them all, outside of a brief foray to feed the guard dogs. When the weather broke late in the afternoon, I made a run for young dog work.  I shed off too many and they were awkward, heavy  and difficult, particularly for the job I am tackling, driving with a new one.  I knew I should have taken fewer but I was in hurry.  When I put Purdy on them, she was sulky and reluctant.  I couldn't blame her. She lost them at the same time the rain resumed.  While I do not customarily allow finishing on such a note, I gave up.  One step backwards.

But Sunday brought two steps forward.  The weather was bright and relaxing.  The sheep were cheerier.  I shed a smaller number.  Purdy rejoiced and drove up and down our little hay field almost like a pro.  Good girl!

Amanda: training Purdy

I have a young bitch to get ready for the Nursery finals. Purdy is a love child: the product of a mismate between Kate Broadbent's Salt and my Roz.  She was born at the end of April, an awkward Nursery time.  This year, I knew I would  not get to training her over the summer, her heat in early May was prime for July pups, so I bred her.  Career sidelined by motherhood, just like Roz.  I left her at home to help with sheep moves, while I went west.  Now that I am back, I have started onto her in earnest, twice a day, if I can fit it in, meaning get home before dark. Over two weeks, she goes left and right freely with a good feel for her sheep.  Her flanks are confused from time to time, but she is new to it and I have patience.  She stops, never down, always on her feet. She cheats a little, taking extra steps after my stop and pirouettes on her own to turn in the other direction, before I ask her to do. Sometimes I think that's clever, but sometimes annoying.  She has no shortage of gas, being quite bossy with everything I show her.

Bobby Dalziel came to town last week.  I took a lesson from him.  One of his suggestions with her, was to stop gathering altogether and just drive.  Drive, just as she starts a training session, while she is fresh.  The reasoning was that she was proficient at gathering, but what needed work was to stop her "twitching".  That is how he referred to her, stepping from foot to foot, fussing like a young horse. Twitching. I have taken his advice.  For the last couple of days, I have driven. She has taken it all right, but when I see pressure cracks, I let her do little gathers to please her.  My control of her has improved, although I wonder if it would have, just because I was working her everyday.  The Bobby advice was paid advice, so I think I will take it for the time being.  Driving on and on with a youngster is pushing the envelope to me.  A little rub against the grain.  However, who am I, to question the word of the great Dalziel.

I was never doing big outruns with her anyway.  I like to get things in hand before I stretch them out.  I will just forge ahead with the driving  a little more quickly than I would have done, left to my own devices.

While I was getting ready for work, I routinely leave all my dogs loose, until I depart.  Purdy was nowhere to be seen when I was putting all the dogs away.  I left, alerting a few about my missing dog,even called the dog catcher and the pound, just in case.  I have been anxious about her all day.  Just a short while ago, Don Whittington called to say he found her where I tied her up this morning.

Amanda: report on Butternut Creek SDT 2009

The dog swim pools have been put away.  The water wagons are empty.  The garbage is out and the rest of it is burned.  The judge and his pal are back across the Atlantic ocean.  The runners are home with the exception of Don Whittington (not Dick) who always seems to conjure up a reason to stay in Kingston, either before or after trials.  This time, it is something about his trailer axel.   He must like it.  I put him to work.

Bev Lambert and Mirk won over all, so Bev got the good haflinger sheep slippers.  Anne Wheatley broke her finger riding my young black cob, Sambo.  (Lucky she is not American-- lawsuits).  The sheep were almost too good with very few questions asked of dogs, and mostly problem free penning.  The drive was difficult for those who had to keep an eye on their dogs, for while the sheep were visible, the dogs were not in plain view.  More than one hand stepped down during the cross drive.  Bobby Dalziel insisted upon sheds held for light years, and he loved half points, where nothing was not enough and one too much.  I beat Bev by a point and half one day.  It is usually the other way around, even after I wear her out in personal slavery all week precedent.  Dang! 

The weather discussed rain all the time but never really produced except on Friday night while we were not trialling.   

The food was Ok.  Heather drove to Kingston each morning for fresh Pan Chancho croissants, pain au chocolate, scones and muffins.  Mish made squash leek soup on Friday.  I made Friday night supper--pork loin stuffed with apple raisin dressing, blue Hubbard squash, Desiree potatoes roasted, and steamed kale--garden fest.  Susan Dell made Saturday's Chili.  I made Sunday's.  A troupe went to the George Jones concert in Kingston on Saturday but some pooped out, with no stamina for hanging in.   George Jones is, well, George Jones.  "He stopped loving her today."

The Ontario Border Collie Club conspired with their diverse talent to form the management of the trial.  Viki Kidd led the charge.  We have a great home gang which one imagines is the envy of the visiting sheep dog world.  Everybody (well, almost everybody) helped, with the adage "many hands making light work", never truer.  OBCC rules.

Amanda: slave reprieve

You would have to be some kinda crack pot not to be able to get by with all the personal slaves I have had in tow. Yesterday Bev and Sue drove to Carleton Place and picked me up two new North Country Cheviot rams, which are replacing the two taken out by wolves a year ago.  They had a little trouble settling in with my Border Cheviot ram, but I am certain that the gentleman's club will prevail.

Bev's new haircut

Sue Schoen and Bev had a spa day today and are now sporting fabulous new hairdos.  They don't look like slaves.  Mich Ferraro had a handler improvement lesson with Bobby Dalziel.  Then we all met at Kingston's fabulous Chez Piggy for lunch.

The weather looks uncooperative and maybe Bobby will back out of his late lesson with me. Trial starts tomorrow.  Let the games begin.

Amanda: a personal slave prepares for the Butternut Creek trial

I feel the benevolent hand of justice.

Bev Lambert has become my personal slave for a week.  Everyone likes that idea.  And why not?  She has been setting out hay, shifting electronet, replenishing mineral, organizing water for the trial, setting the course (she likes this in case there is an advantage for her), feeding guard dogs and of course, working her dogs a little bit in between.  She is terribly worn out at the end of the day.  Needs a shower and then I feed her high test food so that I can keep her going tomorrow.  You will all be surprised to learn what a wonderful worker she is.