Well for over a week anyway... I worked Rosy this evening to bring the lesson sheep up to the round pen and work area. She did OK, bit pushy going up but not too bad. Worked her in the round pen on stops and steadies; they did get better. I know I'll need to put the hours on her when I return but feel comfy leaving her home while I'm gone. She is young and will make some mistakes but has all the right pieces when they come together.
I worked Abby just a little since she is about 90% now. She was pretty awesome. Nice long outruns, still needs work on the top but overall good. Little driving not much, she's been pretty honest driving light sheep. Her fetching bringing them down the field was pretty nice, rating all by herself (not very Abby like!). Its really strange for the last month she's really slowed down and is reading her sheep and being pretty honest. Not that she never makes mistakes but overall her work is steadier and better.
Lastly Evy got to bring the ewes and lambs back up front and split off those that are ready to lamb (probably while I'm gone) as well as move the boys back to the goat field. Such nice work really... sigh. The ewes with lambs don't even challenge her anymore but they are very light for her, nice work though. Shed was fantastic to take the ewes off the ram lambs!
So only Abby and Sally are making the trip out west hopefully I'll have pics of our work there!
Showing posts with label Evy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Evy. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Redeamed
Got to work Rosy at the trial arena today. This was her first time at this arena, doing the course and working somewhere else! Bad me but good Rosy. The first run was a very nice heavier group of FL Natives. She did beautiful! Nice downs, beautiful outrun, good panel work, little trouble at the pen but she's never done that before either!:-)) Again bad me!
Second go not so good. Bad light group of lambs with no leader and pushier dog. She was quite sure that wherever I wanted her to go was WRONG! No downs, I finally had to walk her down and give her a talkin to (Come to Jesus meeting outside of church). We saw eye to eye after that. Overall a very good first time out for her.
Poor Abby, her toe still hurts and again, bad me, I tried her on the light group. She just got beat all over the place. Bad, bad all my fault.... So as a reward she gets to come to NM instead of Rosy. I need some serious outrun work and I'm not going to get anything until she is better. So we wait!
I took Evy in case we needed a set out dog. She did great very smooth set out work for us. Then the owner asked me to help bring in the ewes and lambs since they were being very uncooperative. I sent Evy and the guardian dog came out and looked to grab her across the top of her back. I almost passed out and yelled for all I was worth:-)) Evy on the other hand just kept going about her business. She must have known that the dog was ok and wasn't going to do anything. Evys never worked around guardians before so I don't know how else to explain it. Great job Weed!
Second go not so good. Bad light group of lambs with no leader and pushier dog. She was quite sure that wherever I wanted her to go was WRONG! No downs, I finally had to walk her down and give her a talkin to (Come to Jesus meeting outside of church). We saw eye to eye after that. Overall a very good first time out for her.
Poor Abby, her toe still hurts and again, bad me, I tried her on the light group. She just got beat all over the place. Bad, bad all my fault.... So as a reward she gets to come to NM instead of Rosy. I need some serious outrun work and I'm not going to get anything until she is better. So we wait!
I took Evy in case we needed a set out dog. She did great very smooth set out work for us. Then the owner asked me to help bring in the ewes and lambs since they were being very uncooperative. I sent Evy and the guardian dog came out and looked to grab her across the top of her back. I almost passed out and yelled for all I was worth:-)) Evy on the other hand just kept going about her business. She must have known that the dog was ok and wasn't going to do anything. Evys never worked around guardians before so I don't know how else to explain it. Great job Weed!
Monday, February 14, 2011
What next??
So this has not been a good dog work week. If anyone ever tells you that having your own stock is the way to train your dogs, RUN!!! Most of my time through the year is spent feeding, worming, doctoring the sick and moving stock; NOT working my dogs.
This week we had some sick goats and the two non sociable ewes with lambs are in that pasture now. So I took two dogs, Abby and Evy. All I have to do (I say that VERY loosely) is to bring the goats into the corner to catch and doctor the sick ones and check everyone else's eyes for anemia. So I send the girls out thinking this is going to take a bit to fight the two ewes up to the corner. One of the ewes made the mistake of going after Evy... She wears the marks of her mistakes, Evy did not give her one instant of relief. The other ewe followed in with no thought about changing direction.
So now I have all the goats and sheep in the corner, I catch the two not acting correctly. One needs wormed the other AB's. I then go back to the storage room in the barn and hear a ruckus. The ewes have again decided to charge the girls and Evy/Abby and the ewe went flying by. The girls brought her back promtly and all is good again. I doctor and worm the two sick and check for more.
So while the job is not constant it throws a wrench in working plans. This was the nightly chore for three nights. So its not that there are no dogs getting worked but only certain dogs can deal with the ewes/lambs so those are the ones that get worked. Everything seems in order so if I can get my back in order I'll be able to get back to work.
Thursday I get to go work on a trial field. Abby and Sally haven't seen one since early last year and Rosy won't be going this week since she is going to the puffy dog show but maybe next week...
This week we had some sick goats and the two non sociable ewes with lambs are in that pasture now. So I took two dogs, Abby and Evy. All I have to do (I say that VERY loosely) is to bring the goats into the corner to catch and doctor the sick ones and check everyone else's eyes for anemia. So I send the girls out thinking this is going to take a bit to fight the two ewes up to the corner. One of the ewes made the mistake of going after Evy... She wears the marks of her mistakes, Evy did not give her one instant of relief. The other ewe followed in with no thought about changing direction.
So now I have all the goats and sheep in the corner, I catch the two not acting correctly. One needs wormed the other AB's. I then go back to the storage room in the barn and hear a ruckus. The ewes have again decided to charge the girls and Evy/Abby and the ewe went flying by. The girls brought her back promtly and all is good again. I doctor and worm the two sick and check for more.
So while the job is not constant it throws a wrench in working plans. This was the nightly chore for three nights. So its not that there are no dogs getting worked but only certain dogs can deal with the ewes/lambs so those are the ones that get worked. Everything seems in order so if I can get my back in order I'll be able to get back to work.
Thursday I get to go work on a trial field. Abby and Sally haven't seen one since early last year and Rosy won't be going this week since she is going to the puffy dog show but maybe next week...
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Retirement sucks!!!
Well I made the very difficult decision to retire Evy from trialling this week. Still tough to think about but she is 7.5yrs old and has some mild lameness from time to time. Last weekend while working her she pulled up lame on the left rear, I still don't know what caused it. Vet thinks it is a tendon that may have pulled off but nothing was visible on the Xrays of her hips, back and leg. The chiro doesn't know either and deems her sound and ready to work. I hate to do it but we all have to do things we don't like! I had to pull her National entries and shred her local entries last night, very frustrating.
Evy is laying at my feet now sleeping. I just love all the things she taught me through the years, and the devotion that she gave. I only regret that I didn't feel enough urgency to trial her while she was younger! She is quite the dog and while she wil continue to work here at the farm; her trialling days are just over thats all.
Evy is laying at my feet now sleeping. I just love all the things she taught me through the years, and the devotion that she gave. I only regret that I didn't feel enough urgency to trial her while she was younger! She is quite the dog and while she wil continue to work here at the farm; her trialling days are just over thats all.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Grindstone...
We're back to it!:=)
Sally worked on outruns and driving flanks. Still trying to find consistent balance of control and idependent work. Some of the work was great other not so much but the good work was better, so I guess thats good! The weather was pretty warm today 76, so the dogs didn't work as long as I have been with the heat.
Evy had moments of brilliance and terrible too. Outruns needed some dusting off! Breaking off her stock on the fetch wasn't crisp enough either... bit sluggish. Driving went really well though good flanks and control on reactive sheep, though sloppy Way flanks. So good stuff to work on.
Rosy was last and did really well again. She started out a little pushy but quickly gave on flanks. Her outruns were really pretty nice across the board. She does not like to break on running sheep yet, that could take a while too. She goes out nicely with just body pressure ok distance just tightens up at the same distance each time. We'll see how that goes. I also penned the light whethers with her, penning and unpenning them several times. It was great fun for her to push and then get back off of them also working on her unpenning flanks on the corner of the pen, which she does not understand or care to do. (Haven't figured out which it is yet) All in all she was again the star of the day!
Sally worked on outruns and driving flanks. Still trying to find consistent balance of control and idependent work. Some of the work was great other not so much but the good work was better, so I guess thats good! The weather was pretty warm today 76, so the dogs didn't work as long as I have been with the heat.
Evy had moments of brilliance and terrible too. Outruns needed some dusting off! Breaking off her stock on the fetch wasn't crisp enough either... bit sluggish. Driving went really well though good flanks and control on reactive sheep, though sloppy Way flanks. So good stuff to work on.
Rosy was last and did really well again. She started out a little pushy but quickly gave on flanks. Her outruns were really pretty nice across the board. She does not like to break on running sheep yet, that could take a while too. She goes out nicely with just body pressure ok distance just tightens up at the same distance each time. We'll see how that goes. I also penned the light whethers with her, penning and unpenning them several times. It was great fun for her to push and then get back off of them also working on her unpenning flanks on the corner of the pen, which she does not understand or care to do. (Haven't figured out which it is yet) All in all she was again the star of the day!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Weekend work
Abby and Sally got a little work, though no training over the weekend. I used goats for lessons so we split the sheep and put them in the barn. Goats are pretty telling of dogs and what theya re capable of as well as exploiting any holes in the dog... Also had to doctor a couple of animals so Abby brought 2 out of the front pasture to fatten a little and trim feet, Sally helped get a goat that has not been doing well into the barn.
Abby, Evy and I walked 2 miles on Sunday (as well as doing lessons...) My legs felt like jelly but I think it will be great for all of us since doing a brisk trot for 2 miles is very good for the girls and I. Getting excited about upcoming trials this Spring.
Abby, Evy and I walked 2 miles on Sunday (as well as doing lessons...) My legs felt like jelly but I think it will be great for all of us since doing a brisk trot for 2 miles is very good for the girls and I. Getting excited about upcoming trials this Spring.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Day off...kinda
Well I'm not training dogs today but we did set sheep for Dianes last morning here, with Evy this am. Evy worked very smoothly even with sheep being stupid about Dianes dog and the cold weather. Outruns are anywhere from jawdropping gorgeous to "oh my god thats not my dog"... the story of Evy and I:-)) We took the "extras" to the barn and the two crazys tried to attack her in the barn stall, but she didn't take it personally (though the offender has a bruise on her neck). It seems I'm the only one still holding on to our two building years after the sheep got the better of a much younger Evy. That was such a big obstacle to pass, even made me cheerlead for a bit (which I don't do), as long as she will take stock pressure and push back I'm happy. I don't ever want to go back to those years! So other than feeding this evening and bringing sheep around for the lesson this afternoon, no real training. Oh forgot I have goats to treat so someone will have that job as well, maybe Abby, she needs a bath and some primping anyway for our shows this month.
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