Snowy Daze

We had a nice snowfall at home here. Now, the sun is out and it's just beautiful outside.

Mattie

Can you find the Smithfield Sheepdog in this picture?

Scott - not listening to me again.

Scott got caught with snow on his nose


This looks like an ant to me

Japanese Maple branches

Snowy branches up close

Backyard facing East

Snowy Chicken Yard

Snowy fence - isn't this the most beautiful thing you've ever seen? I love my new fence.

Snowy house.

Snowy neighbor

Snowy road

Snowy spaniel.

Happy Howlidays 2010

Tis the Season for pet themed ornaments and antlers on your dogs!

Well, some of the dogs are more comfortable in antlers than others...

Mattie likes wearing her antlers. She even has the santa-beard to really emphasize her holiday spirit.

Scott is, er, not a fan of wearing antlers (or dog-back packs, or coats or sweaters). This was the best shot of Scott I could get of him.

I tried to put the antlers on Lucky but he is so gamey, he was trying to rip the antlers out of my hands. For a little dog, he is very driven. Here is a tree ornament that looks like him anyway...

Jude would not sit still. The one picture I got of him (antler-less) does not want to load into blogger, so unfortunately, no festive pictures of the giant Border Collie puppy today.

GiGi, our cat, is a dilute calico. For some reason, the tree ornament makers in China love to make ornaments that look exactly like our cat.

Since I haven't yet found a blue-eyed Border Collie ornament - I guess I need two of these now anyway - I use this steer to represent Scott...

And, for Jude (aka Klondike Bar) - he gets to be repped by this fluffy Suffolk from Switzerland.

I found some chicken ornaments this year. Yes, I know this is a rooster. However, I think Russian Orloff chicken ornaments are even rarer than blue-eyed Border Collie ornaments. Myrtle and Mergatroid the Orloffs will just have to get by with this ornament for now.

This season was also the first time I have successfully grown an Amaryllis. I bought the kit at the end of October and planted it in early November. This thing has gone gangbusters in our living room. So much so in fact, that out of the one bulb planted I actually have two stems that popped out. The stem shown here is about 2.5 feet tall. It's pretty amazing. The other stem (you can see it peaking up on the bottom right in this photo) is well on its way to being as tall as its older sibling.

And, this is a picture of the delicious Swedish baked goodies my dear co-worker Sandy makes each year. I especially look forward to the cookies in this pile that look like Snickerdoodles. But, these are no average Snickerdoodles. These happen to be Swedish Ammonia Cookies. Yep, you read that right, ammonia! Sandy orders this special cooking ammonia from an online Swedish bakery. I can describe this cookie as something that looks like a snickerdoodle, but is crumbly, lightly sweet, airy and has a very slight chewiness, sort of like a homemade meringue. Sandy knows I love these cookies and so she filled up my plate with them along with other Swedish goodies she baked.

Fight Club

Welcome to Fight Club.

The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club.

The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club!





Third rule of Fight Club: if someone yells "stop!", goes limp, or taps out, the fight is over.



Fourth rule: only two guys to a fight.



Fifth rule: one fight at a time, fellas.

Sixth rule: the fights are bare knuckle. No shirt, no shoes, no weapons.

Seventh rule: fights will go on as long as they have to.

And the eighth and final rule: if this is your first time at Fight Club, you have to fight.

The Old Bat and the Newby

This a story of an Old Bat and a Newby. It also could have been called "the day Tess saved Janet's butt."

Well, it wasn't THAT eventful, but having Tess to help me today was a blessing.

Tess is owned and loved by Diane Pagel, my herding instructor and friend. Tess is nearly 12 years old. She is an accomplished stockdog, having run in and placing highly in the USBCHA Sheepdog National Finals among running in and winning other big trials. She is one of the best duck and goose dogs I have ever seen and she is also quite good at moving cattle, turkeys and the occasional guinea fowl. Tess is also a "mom" and "grandma" of some great working dogs and in her retirement from trialing in Open with Diane, she will help with chores at the farm in addition to helping Diane's student's dogs find their way. This picture is of Tess this past Autumn; she was helping my Mattie with herding ducks. This was Mattie's first time with ducks, so when the ducks would cluster up on the fence, we used Tess to push them off the fence (a novice dog typically finds it difficult to get stock off a fenceline; there's a lot of "pressure" and excitement can happen which is not a good thing). Anyway, here's Tess (aka "the Old Bat", aka "Monkey", aka "Atta Girl, Good Girl."


Today's story begins with me taking Mattie and Scott to the farm. Niether Diane nor Monique were there but I felt I had the confidence to work Mattie on my own in the lower pasture. When I'm working Mattie alone, because she is a bit more squirrely/hyper with me than she is with Diane or Monique (or anyone else for that matter), I have her wear a basket muzzle because that assures me that I won't have to worry about stitching anyone up (talking the sheep here) after the lesson. I think wearing it also shows Mattie that she can move the stock without having to bite the dickens out of the stock.

Moving on...

I used Tess to sort out five sheep. I made sure that I put the expensive Ram and the still-very-pregnant ewe into a safe place. Basically, Tess and I had sorted out 1 Katahdin ewe, 1 old Clun ewe (#7), 2 yearling Clun ewes, and, as I figured out at the end of the session, I believe the 5th sheep was a 3 month old Clun lamb named Patsy (she's a BIG girl, first born of the lot this year).

I had Tess put the the sheep into a corner area of the pasture and then left with Tess to get Mattie out of the car. I put Tess and Scott in the barn. With Mattie, I use a training flag and neither of the old dogs care for the flag and neither would have stuck around to help me be back up dog if I was using the flag. It is what it is.

So, I come through the main pasture gate with Mattie, and as I'm closing it, the sheep look at Mattie and then take off running full speed to the other end of the pasture, and race around the path that goes to the top of a big pond.

Dangit.

I should have put Tess or Scott at the escape area. I start to talk to Mattie, "Okay, let's get them out of there." Mattie is on leash and we walk calmly and obediently to the top of the pasture. As we get about 50 yards from the sheep who had cornered themselves at the top of the pond, they see Mattie approaching and, as a cohesive group, run swiftly by us and head back into the main pasture, all the way to the opposite corner, where the horse is, at full speed, of course.

Insert heavy 'sigh' here.

I proceed to walk Mattie, on leash, to the other end of the pasture. I'm feeling more confident now. Mattie has worked around the horse before, so I was comfortable with this situation. I look for the sheep and see that three are up against the barn and about 35 yards away are the other two next to the horse. Seriously, these sheep are turning out to be pains. I set Mattie up to fetch the three against the barn. I unhook her leash. I send her.

It's clear that Mattie has an Obessive Compulsive Disorder that goes beyond just being a hyperactive collie-dog. Mattie gets a bit panicked when her sheep are not flocking together in one sheep-unit. In her world, all sheep must be together and any rogue ones MUST be brought in at all costs.

Mattie raced, tightly and not-prettily, behind the three ewes at the barn and then raced over to the two rogues by the horse. She was gravely concerned about the two ewes by the horse more than she was by the three at the barn which, I assume, she felt those three sheep were in their "proper" place.

Sheep were running and she was flanking very ugly and tight and I was trying to flick the flag at her eye to keep her out. Then, when I felt it was the right time (that is, when Mattie appeared comfortable with the "gather" and I felt I could get her attention) I layed her down with a firm "Lie Down." She took it.

I should have quit on that.

The sheep were flocked together now, but were moving north, to the pond, at a fast rate. I figured that since this was an area I'd worked Mattie in before though, it would be okay and that the sheep would likely settle a bit. I tried to get into position, ahead of Mattie, but when she realized the sheep were moving away, she got up to start her gather.

Those two dang rogue sheep took off from the three - the two rogues were again #7 and Patsy. Mattie was able to turn #7 at the start of the pipeline where the main pasture narrows to a pathway that winds behind the pond and she trotted back to the three others. However Patsy, not knowing any better because she's just a baby, took off running back to the top of the pond pasture with Mattie in tow.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!"

I ran. I ran as fast as I could in Muck boots that feel like they weigh 10 lbs a piece. I ran as fast as I could through the ankle high mud. Mattie and Patsy disappeared behind the brush at the top of the pond. All I could hear was sound of my boots in the mud "schlock, schlop, sclock, schlop..." and then Mattie started to bark. I was yelling calm, but assertively "Mattie, LIE DOWNs" throughout my pathetic run. Since Mattie had her muzzle on, I knew she wasn't eating Patsy or anything gruesome. My fear though was that Patsy ran herself into the pond.

Now, running sheep into the pond is nothing new for me. Scott and I did it once last year. And, I think even Tess and I did it once. But both those times, the sheep went in and were able to get themselves out of the water quickly.

I approach Mattie and she is still barking across the pond, at the little unaccessible island. Sure enough, Patsy had swam over to the island and was just standing there, probably wishing Mattie would go away. I called Mattie off the situation. She actually listened to me and came over. She was nervous about leaving the sheep on the island though. I leashed her up and walked her calmly back to the barn.

On my walk back to the barn, I decided that I would take Tess with me, and not take Scott, to get Patsy off the island and back to the farm. Although Scott is a great dog, he is a bit of a doofus when it comes to these types of tasks. Tess is methodical, caring, calm. Scott is a bit more pushy and arrogant. Tess uses her eye and, honestly I think she uses subliminal messages with the sheep to move them (think "Bah, Ram, Ewe" in the movie Babe), while Scott uses his eye and grip to move stock. I didn't want to freak the lamb out anymore than she already was, so Tess would be the best choice today.

Tess was more than happy to come out with me. I buttered her up and explained the situation to her. I brought a rope just in case I needed to make a lasso. I also told myself that if I needed to go swimming, I did have a spare pare of pants in the car. I just really, really, really did NOT want to go into that pond though.

I grabbed a long branch to see just how deep the water was going to be. This branch-test yielded a result of "it's up to my boobs deep." This is not good.

Tess didn't see the lamb at first. We were directly in front of Patsy. I state to Tess "Look. See the sheep? Get up. Away..." At first, Tess thought she could do the Away without having to get in the water. I think she forgot there was no back-door to this island. I called her back. Instead of using an "Away" at the start this time, I got her into the water by razzing her up with a "Get up there!" She jumped into the water and then I flanked her while she was swimming across. She took the "away" and was able to come off the side of the lamb, up the bank and get behind the lamb at the top of the island's bank. She was dead on in terms of her pressure she was putting on the lamb. I asked her to "walk up" and she started to come down the bankside directly behind Patsy. The lamb saw her and started to get nervous. I asked grittily for another "walk up" and Tess pushed on. The lamb decided that she was not going to face off with Tess. Tess stopped as soon as the lamb started to turn and go back into the water. Patsy then swam across the waterway and onto the main pasture land. Tess was in tow.

I could tell the Old Bat knew she saved my butt. Once she got on shore, I thanked her and hugged her profusely for not making me have to get in the water to get Patsy out. She shook when I was going in for another cuddle and the mucky water went all over me but I didn't care. What a super dog she is.

After Tess saved the day, I used her to sort five sheep into the round pen for Mattie to use. I didn't want to leave the farm with Mattie's last experience there to be leaving a sheep out on an island but I also did not want to set my dog up for failure by trying to work her by myself in the pasture again. So, into the round-pen we went. Mattie did great in there. I was practicing the flick-at-the-eye thing with the flag and doing some short walk-abouts. We spent 15 minutes or so in the RP and then quit on a really good mini-outrun, lift and fetch to my feet.

We quit on that.

Meet Mattie

Meet Mattie...

Mattie is my Smithfield Sheepdog, an old-school type working bearded collie. We adopted Mattie from the Seattle Animal Shelter on April Fool's Day 2007; she was 11 months old then and will be turning 4 this May.


Mattie is my first herding dog and exhibits all the traits, good and bad, of such. In the beginning, we had some big problems with Mattie, many of which were attributed to having a handler (me) who had no clue about how to handle a working dog. It was never an option to return or rehome Mattie although we will occasionally tell her that we're leaving her at my mom's house, or a cattle ranch. Honestly, behind the snarling-biting furball monster is a sweet, loving, mindful little dog who will fight to the death for you.


To put it bluntly, like her handler (me), Mattie is a social-retard. Now, I realize that she emulates my own behaviors as to her reactions with strangers and other dogs (peers). She is, at first, quite stand-offish/reactive with new people/dogs, just like me. But, once you gain her trust, you will be loved dearly as a member of the pack (just like me I guess!).

Mattie's way of saying "Don't get any closer dumb ass"

A couple years ago, I decided to find an outlet for Mattie to channel all of her energy - she is really the kind of dog that will literally bounce off walls. We tried Lucky's sport, Flyball, first. Lucky, my Shih Tzu mix, is a titled Flyball Dog (FD Ch.) and I was already established with a local flyball club. Mattie learned how to run a flyball race in just 3 hours of training, including doing a proper box-turn. However, her fear that another dog was going to steal her tennis ball was too overwhelming for her. It was obvious Mattie wasn't going be a team player on a flyball team, so we decided early on that flyball was not going to be her thing.

We tried agility classes next. We managed to get through 5 beginner classes - Mattie figured out all of the equipment early, sans the weave poles. However, Melt-Down-Mattie would rear her ugly face anytime a new dog came to class that she hadn't met. Although the agility instructor was willing to continue working with us, I was the one who called it quits; I was truly embarrased by my dog, and my handling (or lack thereof) at this time.

About the time we ended agility I began to take Mattie to Diane Pagel and try out sheep herding. Although there were other dogs around, there weren't really any dogs out in the field that Mattie might feel threatened by - this is a good thing! We had our first lesson in the round pen.

Some of the descriptors Diane used for Mattie in the beginning included "sporty," "tight," and "barracuda" as well as exclaiming "you couldn't have started with a much more difficult dog!" Ahhhh, beginners in sheep herding.

One of our round-pen sessions...

Mattie had a reliable "lie down" from the beginning and we utilized that to our advantage in the round pen, week after week, after week. It was a long process but I don't blame my dog for it taking so long - again, the handler was the thing holding this team back!


Sometimes, you have to live and learn things on your own and sheep herding is definitely one of those things. "Bubble" - What the heck are talking about? "Pressure" - From me? Her? Them? "Timing" - What do you mean I'm 2 seconds too late? "Lie her down" - Will this really stop me from getting knocked down by sheep?

More Round Pen...

Mattie was such a good dog through all of this early trial and error with the sheep. During these roundpen lessons, I learned that Mattie is truly a forgiving partner and will always try her best - she simply wants to please her handler. Mattie takes correction quite well, doesn't hold grudges, and learns from her mistakes.


In February, after many months in the round pen, Diane felt it was time to take Mattie out of the round pen and work in the larger pasture area. This was a day of joy for me and my dog! In training, moving out of the round pen is viewed as a graduation to "the next level" of sheepdog training. I was so happy that my little dog and I were at the next level!


So far, working in the larger pasture area has been, thankfully, non-eventful. With the extra space, Mattie is able to keep off her sheep more - she is getting a feel for them in fact, and even feeling and reacting to the draws in the field. She is becoming more mindful and independent with the sheep; however, I am still in the picture. This is a good thing! As we put more hours and miles in the new pasture, I am certain Mattie and I will progress to the next level of training; that would be training on the skills necessary to trial. For this year, my goals with Mattie is to stretch her outrun to 100 yards and begin driving.

2009 Herding Reflections

I am very happy that Diane, my herding instructor and friend, has given me nearly 2GB of photos she has taken over the past year or so of me working with Scott and Mattie. As I look through the library of images, I am actually quite surprised of all I've accomplished in the past year with my two dogs.

I haven't actually counted but I think I ran Scott in 12 USBCHA Pro-Novice trials in the past year - that's about one a month I guess. I've learned a lot, such as the basic shepherd whistle commands, the nuances of pace, timing, control, draws and pressure and how it all varies with different courses, sheep and even weather. I've also learned how to have a rewarding working relationship with my dog and I've learned a lot about myself as a handler.

Running such a well trained, powerful and stylish dog such as Scott has its advantages and disadvantages. As an advantage, Scott has the ability to rate his stock and adjust his power to suit the stock naturally. This makes my job much easier as the dog is applying the proper amount of "push" so I have to think about one less thing out there. It really becomes my job to utlize Scott's power and control of the sheep he has but keep him "listening" to my commands to push the sheep around the course as accurately as possible. However, as I found out over the past year, as a new handler with a dog like Scott, Scott was totally aware that he can get away with "stuff" on the course (like slicing, gripping, flanking to his own desired side, etc.). Thus, I will say the disadvantage of being a new handler and running a "pro" dog like Scott is not being able to tell when he is "self herding" and blowing me off. After a few clinics and lessons and quite a few trial experiences, I am finally beginning to see his "cheatin' ways" and I'm getting quick enough and assertive enough to correct him so that we don't completely get off track on the course.

In our first few trials, okay probably our first 8 trials, Scott was definintely in charge and we were making some "interesting" mistakes around the courses. I suppose it's a testament that Scott and I make a great team though as we don't seem to make the same mistake more than once or twice. At some trials we'll lose tons of points on our outwork, while on some we'd lose it all on the drive. Once or twice we couldn't pen at all, and sometimes we were just too slow and timed out. It seems that once I think we've fixed a problem, a new one comes up! I am thankful that Diane is usually watching my runs and is extremely observant as to what I am doing right and what I am doing wrong.

Lacamas SDT, Camas, WA

Heading to the post: On the River SDT, Acme, WA

Winter Series, Acme, WA

Carnation Fun Day SDT: Carnation, WA

On the River SDT: Acme, WA

Winter Series, Acme, WA

Winter Series, Acme, WA

Scott fooling around, Lacamas SDT

On the River SDT, Acme, WA

My herding training with Mattie is also coming along well. We are out at Diane's farm about once a week now and although we are still in the round pen, Mattie is turning into quite a nice little farmdog. In fact, this past weekend was Mattie's first time with ducks and she did very well.

When we first came out to Diane's, Mattie and I had some big problems, mostly because we both lacked confidence in one another. Let's just say that if you're a passive-aggressive handler you will have a passive-aggressive dog. Anyway, Mattie is a Smithfield Sheepdog and the breed is notorious for being "sporty" on stock and being a bit of a biter. Honestly, Mattie wasn't the best choice of dog to start herding with but she is my dog and she isn't going anywhere so I will just need to work it out. Mattie can definitely move stock - no one argues that. She does have quite a bit of power to her but she doesn't know how to reliably wield it yet. She exhibits a bit of "eye" like a Border Collie but will also growl like a Rottweiler and nip/bit/tear like a Australian Cattle Dog. She's quite a gem and perhaps in 3 more years we'll be able to rely on her to move just about anything.

Mattie comes to balance naturally on stock, she has learned her come-by and away flanks and I even got her drive sheep 30 feet through a panel in a calm, controlled manner while practicing at Fido's Farm in Olympia. I am very pleased with how far she and I have come this past year. My goals for 2010 with Mattie is to get into bigger spaces and start working on driving. The Smithfield is a drover and I feel that she'll be an excellent driving dog. My other goal for 2010 is to run Mattie in a Novice trial next Winter (arena trial perhaps). While she may be able to do the work required in a novice trial, it will be difficult for her to ignore the distractions of the trial itself - specifically, the offleash dogs in the parking lot! We'll take it month by month and see where we're at.

So that's my reflection on the past year with regard to my herding with Scott and Mattie. It's been a great year and I'm looking forward to the coming year.