Snug as a bug in a rug

Why does Scott do this? He has a comfortable bed that is sized just for him. But, he chooses to sometimes slumber in Lucky's Shih Tzu sized bed. Seriously Scott, why? Why? It can't be comfortable.

A couple weeks ago, I invited my friend Amy to come to Diane's farm with me and watch the dogs in action and try her own hand at handling a real working Border Collie. As I was explaining the basic rules and process of the farm, I surprised myself at how much I know about farm life. Here are some terms and things that I didn't know myself last year!

• come by, away, that'll do and other terms
• flake (of alfalfa). Honestly, I didn't know the difference between alfalfa, hay and straw a year ago
• locker lamb
• close all gates behind you
• hair sheep
• stock stick
• banding
• muck boots
• do not let sheep mix if they are originally in different pastures
• how to use a pitchfork
• round pen
• llamas are not really all that mean
• gate sort

After working Mattie briefly (she just got out of the round pen and thus her pasture-sessions are pretty short for now), and then working Tam, and by a fluke, also working Kira-the-Hunn, Amy and I went into the field with Tess and Scott. Amy got to send Tess on a couple of come by outruns (Tess wouldn't take the "away" Amy was giving her!). I then showed Amy the basics of running a trial course with Tess and Scott (everything except the shed because I still keep doing that wrong!).

Now, Tess & Scott are THE perfect dogs for lessons and for beginner handlers to learn about working sheep. Tess & Scott are 11 and 10 years old, respectively, and have been trained very well to an Open level. They both can work any type of stock you ask them too - Tess is actually one of the greatest poultry-herders ever (ducks, geese, chickens!). These two dogs know more about sheep than me - heck, they know more than a lot of the other handlers I compete with! Getting to work with Tess and Scott is truly a priceless training opportunity and I am very fortunate I get to learn from them. One of the great things about working dogs like Tess and Scott is that you can screw up as handler and you won't totally mess up your dog. And, because they are slower, it makes it easier to learning correct timing. However, their solid training and history also means that Tess & Scott know they know more than I do about herding, and they use that to their advantage at all times. This is where handling a slower, older , trained, sassy dog is actually challenging; they will "cheat" more, they will 'push-back' if they don't agree with you, they will totally blow-you off and do their own thing if they don't feel like working that day. So, a handler of these types of dogs has to get a feel for how their dogs is feeling that day and guage the intensity of the commands and corrections they need accordingly.

I get what I want from these old geezers about 80% of the time now, I think anyway! A

Here are Amy and I workign 4 yearlings. Scott is in play right now, and we are going through a post-turn.

Turn is complete. Scott is running so fast, he's a blur.... well, I suppose that could be the small camera Jerill was using to take the photo that is giving him the blurry appearance. Scott and Tess are not the fastest dogs on the course anymore, but we all know the story of the Tortoise and the Hare, right?

After working the two old dogs, Amy and I went to help Jerill who was cleaning out one of the lambing stalls in preparation for the 4-5 ewes that were ready to blow with babies in the coming days. As we were pitching actual crap into a wagon, Amy said one of the funniest things ever...

"If I had known I was going to be shoveling shit today, I would have worn my soon-to-be-ex-husband's best clothes."

Sheepdog Trial Stars

On Sunday, January 24, 2010, the McDonald's held their final Eweful Acres Winter Series sheepdog trial. It was well attended in all classes offered. In the class I entered with Scott(ProNovice), there were 29 dogs competing! It was a good day and it was a long day. But most of all, it was a day where a lot of dogs got to show off their skills! Some great photos of the dogs in action were taken, and so I'm going to show those here, in my collection titled "Trial Stars." Be sure to click on the pictures to view them in a larger size!

Okay, this is me, posing with Scott (my dog) and Faye (Tony's bitch). Faye is a daughter of Nan and was being run by Diane at the trial in ProNovice/Ranch.

This little girl is named Bella. She is owned and handled by Lora W. and she recently had a litter of pups thus, she lost all her hair. She is running in ProNovice. Bella is a real sweetie.

This is Emma - she is the most flashy/photogenic/pretty red head dog you'll ever meet! Emma is owned/handled by Kathleen T. They are running in Ranch/Novice.

Here is Diane running Faye in the ProNovice class - heading toward the chute obstacle. Diane also ran Faye in Ranch and won that class! Faye is Nan's daughter.
Here is Lucy. Lucy is owned and usually handled by Monique F. but at this trial, Diane was running her in Open because Monique was in Florida.

Here is Nan. Nan won the Open class. This picture was taken right before Nan completed a great shed with Diane. Their shed and their pen/chute were flawless!

Here is Lora with her little bitch Nell. Nell is a smooth coat Border Collie and is cute as a button. She is running in ProNovice but will soon be in Open I bet!

Roo - the big red dog. Roo is working the sheep through the chute here while running in Open with Diane. Roo is "a lot of dog" on the trial field. He is also the sweetest big-red dog I've ever met.

Here is Ruby. She is being handled by Ron G. Ruby is working her stuff in Ranch.

Here is my baby, er, I mean my working Border Collie dog Scott. Scott and I placed 13th in ProNovice. I love Scott, even when he doesn't listen to me in trials (errr).
This is Tick - he's not a Border Collie! Tick is an Australian Shepherd, owned and handled by Trudy V. Tick ran in ProNovice.

This is Tigr - she got 2nd place in Open. She is from Spokane and is being handled by Ron G.

This is Zoey. I cannot recall who Zoey's handler/owner is but they make a lovely team. Zoey is running in Novice.

New Breed of Sheep

How very creative of someone to recycle telephones in this way!

Click on picture to see larger image...

Obscure Dog Breed of the Month

This month I will highlight a Russian herding dog; the Nenets Herding Laika.

First, "laika" is a Russian term used to describe Russian working dogs in general. The website, http://dogbreeds.bulldoginformation.com/, describes the Nenets Herding Laika as...

The Laika breeds are Russian working dogs of the Northern type. Laika is the Russian word for 'barker' or 'barking dog' and is derived from the verb 'layat', which means 'to bark'. The breed's name thus simply means 'a dog that barks' in Russian, referring to the fact that the hunting laikas are bark pointers, dogs selectively bred for their barking abilities.

Six breeds belong to this group: West Siberian Laika, East Siberian Laika, Russian European Laika and Karelo-Finnish Laika, Northeasterly Hauling Laika and Nenets Herding Laika. The first four are hunting dogs for bear, elk, forest birds, which are also occasionally used for pulling sleds; one is a herding dog (which can also pull sleds) and one, the Hauling Laika, is a pure sled dog.

They all have a tick, weather-resistant coat with woolly undercoat, a very strong and muscular neck and a feathered tail that is carried curled over the back when the dog is working.

The Nenets Herding Laika is a medium-sized working dog that owes its name to the Nentsy tribe, an ancient nomad tribe whose main activity is reindeer herding. The Nenets Laika looks very similar to the Samoyed, a dog developed under similar circumstances by the Samoyed people.

Their main distinctive feature is their coat color, which is solid or bicolored grey, tan, black or white for the Nenets dog, while pure white for the Samoyed.