Lazy J January SDT

Always a good opportunity to spruce up our hair sheep handling at Dawn's winter trials.  The dogs have been doing lambing work at home and none of us were very prepared for slipping into trial mode.  The Open course this time was the front field run from the top of the hill (where the set out usually is) down over a ridge and crossing into the lower field.  It really made for a difficult outrun. At the top of the ridge there had been cross fencing that separated the two fields.  On the right the perimeter fence jutted in and the t posts from the cross fence were still in place along the top of the ridge the whole way across to the fetch panels. On the left side the cross fence was still in place from about 15ft away from the fetch panel to the perimeter fence, where there was an open gate for the dog to go through.  On both outruns you couldn't see your dog to prevent a cross-over; on the away outrun the dogs also saw the set out pens across the field which was yet another thing to draw them in. When deciding which way to send, each side provided unique drawbacks.  Saturday I chose to send both dogs right.

We were so far behind schedule due to bad weather that you got DQ'ed if you crossed.  Gabe crossed below the ridge when he looked in and spotted the set out across the narrow field.  Livy as I was told, tried to find her way thru the perimeter fence that stuck out but ended up crossing below the ridge as well.  Luckily we were allowed to bring the sheep; Gabe started well but then singled one off with his eye near the post and wouldn't let go of it as it turned on him.  I was not happy about that.  Liv worked well but they drifted to my left after the fetch panel and when she flanked to cover she ended up on the far side of the cross fencing and the sheep on the near side!!  So she had to run the length of the cross fence to the gate to get back to her sheep.  In the meantime, our one black sheep left the white ones and got in the woods.  I couldn't see to help her as that one completely blended in with the background. The helpful judge had walked out to tell me to just bring the two when suddenly Livy had the black one back with the others.  She brought them nicely and did the first leg of the drive before we exhausted them. Really happy with her effort!

Sunday I sent both dogs left and they both made it out through the gate on their own.  Gabe didn't work well and after fighting to keep them together on the first half of the fetch, he decided to just brought me a single and wouldn't let go of it.  We have been doing that sort of work at home.  I was very disappointed because he knows better, but I can give him a break because he's been working lots of troublesome singles at home.  Livy had sheep that went 2 and 1 around the course.  We worked our butts off to get things under control for the first part of the fetch, she was listening well but I ended up letting her do it herself for the second half because I had trouble seeing.  Sometimes she took the single to the others, sometimes she took the two to the single.  I figured she knew better than me, anyway.  Good first leg and decent cross drive but missed panels because of my poor judgement.  Quick shed and pen...we had almost 4 minutes left!  The run wasn't "trial pretty" but I was happy again.  Found out later that we placed 10th of 51 dogs!!  Yay Livy!!!!  Our first Open placement :D

Lena got her first turn in the PN on a very tiny field.  She didn't work nearly up to her potential, but I'm sure she'll get the hang of it soon.  I don't want to crank on her too much because she is so young at 18 months.  At home she can outrun 500 yards, drive, and shed a single.  She wasn't quite ready to do that at the trial, but we did finish the course both days and she had nice pens, especially for a dog who has never seen a pen before!

 

Lena starts the drive

 

 

Gabe and Lena may not have had a great trial, but Livy made me so happy!  She was using her brain instead of just going through the motions at warp speed.  As she matures she is becoming quite fun to work, it's just taken us awhile to get on the same page.

 

Bon Voyage, Spain!

Yes, it was hard.  I've never parted with a dog, but it was time for Spain to move on.

She was progressively showing me that she didn't want to trial in Open any longer. In fact, the last several trials she had to be on leash before our turn or she'd run off and not come to me. I have *never* treated her harshly in the least bit and really, didn't put much training pressure on her at all.

We had a long year of hitting a lot of trials.  I gave her a couple months off. I checked her for tick diseases and have her on thyroid meds, but she just lost her spark when working.  She was perfectly happy to be a pet and loved to race around with the other dogs, but I was worried she'd get lost in my pack and not get the attention she deserved.  Whatever was going on, she wasn't happy working for me anymore, and she is still so young and talented that I thought if a suitable novice home presented itself, I'd place her.  Several people were interested in her, but for various reasons I didn't find them to be the perfect match, and I wasn't going to settle for anything but the best for everyone involved.

It just sort of worked out that a friend who wasn't even looking for a dog was tempted enough to convince her husband to add a 3rd dog.  Lynn has Gabe's younger brother and a puppy.  She is thoughtful and compassionate, and understands Spain's needs as a working dog and pet. We talked a lot and decided it could be a good fit, so I decided this might be 'the one.'

The closer the time came to give her Spain, the more I felt sad about placing her.  But it wasn't fair for her to stay with me and not get what she deserves, she is a special girl!  My bitches were never mean to her, but she was low in status, didn't like all the activity in the house, and preferred to keep to herself. I could tell that she wanted to be a bigger part of my life, but was too intimidated by the rest of the pack.

Spain has now been in her new home for almost 2 weeks.  She has opened up and sounds to be doing great, friendly with the other dogs, cat, and family members.  Her new household is much quieter than mine and with 2 younger males as her housemates, she is experimenting with being the Top Dog!  She even went to work for Lynn her first time out, which was something I worried (too much) about.  Yay!!

All in all, I am happy, but it's still weird to see pictures of her on someone else's FB page!  Lynn takes far better photos than I do, anyway.

 

At Rural Hill, our last trial

 

 

 

 

2013 USBCHA Finals

 

 

Thanks for the fun, Spainie!  Love you!