When I look at my dogs I can only see greatness.
--Susan Garrett
Mesa
updated 9-21-09
Joe
updated 6-13-10
Elli
updated 6-21-10
Tess
updated 6-21-10
sat ci sat bene
(it is done quickly enough if it is done well)
Photo Credits The pictures of my dogs working on this website (and most of the better portraits) were not taken by me. Some were done by friends and forwarded to me. Some are courtesy of use rights purchased from professional photographers. All of the photographs are the personal property or courtesy of the following photographers as listed:
Detailed Photo Credits
You may not take, download, print, or use any photograph, picture, or snapshot from this website without specific permission.
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April 25, 2010 at 7:04 pm | Category: trainingI had a wonderful Saturday. Mesa, Joe, Elli & I were out at Dogwood for hours yesterday. Mesa and I got so much done at Larry’s a couple of weeks ago. This was the first time we could practice on sheep since we got back. We were able to reproduce and reinforce the great big outruns. We penned sheep. Worked on her hold. Tried (and did) an AKC intermediate course. We did all kinds fun stuff!
I worked Joe quite awhile too. He wants to work so badly. Mary Lou has made a couple really helpful comments about him and me lately. So helpful, that the last time we worked, we had beautiful, calm, control almost the whole time. Joe’s a fairly quirky fellow and, like Mesa, very strongly effected by me. I’ve just had to figure out how to effect either of them positively! He’s got a lot of great moves inside his head. I love helping them able to come out. He’s naturally works wider, squarer, and more calmly than Mesa ever did…as long as I have the right attitude. If not, sheep can get hurt. Trying to get a handle on him has been frustrating. I feel like maybe we’re headed down the right track. It’s so weird how what you are thinking changes what your dog does….true in all dog sports.
Elli got to hang out with people and stock all day. She was back in the aisle way where the pens are for a little bit. WOW, does she have attitude.
Sunday, new arrival. Tesse (tess-a) the Kelpie has come to live and work with me & the Aussies.
April 23, 2010 at 6:13 pm | Category: elli
April 21, 2010 at 8:36 am | Category: elli, everydaySomeone PLEASE tell me what my pup has against the poor hibiscus near the back door?
None of the dogs has ever shown an interest in it. Youngest chose and planted it as a preschooler so it’s kind of dear to me. Elli just can’t leave the damned thing alone. She’s digging up the roots! BIG hole. And it’s not the digging…she has a digging spot out back. She’s deliberately going after the roots and EATING them. This morning she went past the barrier we put up to protect it. Argh! Why do I turn my back on puppies??
< banging head on wall >
April 20, 2010 at 1:37 pm | Category: experiences, trialingThe Aussies & I spent the weekend at the HWASC spring stock trial. It’s an awesome trial. Nice stock, great place, fantastic hosting…you oughta come next time. Mesa was entered on Saturday. I had my first experience as an ASCA trial secretary. Elli had her first motel trip. Joe was along for the ride. All in all I thought things went pretty well.
Mesa was entered in AM/PM cattle and ducks. We stunk a little more than I was expecting actually. As I go into this explanation, remember the caveat that Mesa is pretty severely handler impaired in addition to whatever she may be lacking in training or ability. She may not be a finals dog, but I think she has a lot in her that has a hard time getting exhibited when her Nervous Nellie stock idiot of a handler gets in the way.
Our first cattle run was damned weird. I liked the calves a lot but Mesa seemed to be really confused about what we were doing. Firstly, she was apparently channeling my nerves and downed a lot of cow poop…Mesa running around clearing the fields (while working!) is just not something I ever see so I was really surprised. Then she seemed to be confused about what we do with cows. We almost never get to work cattle and this was a whole new place. I was trying to get her to bring them one way while she was just dead sure they needed to go the other. I called time after about 2 & a half minutes of “getoutofthat” and “stopgoby-no-stop-go-by”. She seemed genuinely confused when I told her “that’lldo” after she turned the calves the wrong direction for the 40th time. I’m sure she thought -I- was the one who was confused. The second run was a LOT more like working. She wasn’t in good control of the calves (too much pushing rather than controlled movement, I kept stopping her to keep her from pushing or going to head and turn them), but we went all the away around the course and re-penned without any serious weirdness (except for the one calf that didn’t want to re-pen) for our first ever leg on cattle. Yay!
I was actually surprised at all the trouble we had with the ducks. We had nice Blue Swedes. I was very proud of most of Mesa’s work and her respect for the ducks. We’ve come a long way. We managed to have quite a bit of trouble regardless and never qualified. I now realize a problem with working our ducks out at the club like we do…no draw to work against. Its a fair bit of tricky work to hold a group of ducks together and push on them at the same time. Out at the Club, the ducks are out in the open, in an unfamiliar place, fenced in and no cover in sight. It’s always an exercise in keeping them in control, not running away. Always more experience needed. I need to dream up a way of creating a strong draw out there. A car parked nearby is a powerful draw, but if they reach it…wow, what a pain to get them out from under. A car parked with snow fence around it?? Hmmm.
April 10, 2010 at 10:10 am | Category: Mesa, elli, experiences, trainingThis morning I only have 3 dogs following me room to room. Because late last night Mesa, Elli, & I got back from a week at Larry Painter’s Cowcamp.
Elli was experiencing travel, meeting people and stock, hanging out:
Mesa was there to work:
There weren’t many people at this first Cowcamp of the year. In fact, this particular session was only half full. Larry’s answer to fill the time? Everybody works four times a day instead of twice. Awesome! Every day Mesa & I worked cattle and sheep twice each. My biggest accomplishments of the week are that I finally have Mesa rating (walking and flanking thoughtfully) on her drive. Once again she is beginning to flank freely all the way around and stop where I place her, but now we can drive or fetch as needed. We worked on penning too. Mesa and I re-learned the task. Mesa was beginning to cover, push & back off on her own to get the stock in the pen. We got a lot done this week! Now let’s see if we can do it at home.
Kaia, Joe, & Elli are following me around, laying under the table at my feet, playing, chewing, grumping, going in & out….
Mesa is asleep.
April 1, 2010 at 12:20 pm | Category: everydayThere are a couple pictures each of three more of Elli’s sibs:
Shay
Shine
Redi
March 13, 2010 at 11:52 am | Category: everydayHere’s some video of Elli’s brother, Mac/Tuff, and his first time on sheep. Elli has been on sheep once too, but…no video. 
March 6, 2010 at 7:52 pm | Category: everydayMassive walking of dogs today. The way my Fridays are laid out leaves the dogs fairly stir-crazy. (Sorry guys, it means I have time for more fun stuff earlier in the week.) I try to make up for it on Saturday before they chew my arms off. Incredible weather and no car (so no hikes or tracking). I took Mesa & Elli for a 2.5 mile tour of the town, came back home for lunch, then took Mesa & Joe for walk almost 3.5 miles long. It was a lot of fun really. Mesa rarely gets all the exercise she needs because Joe doesn’t have as much stamina. Also Joe is heat sensitive and needs to be worked into it. Yes, 50 degrees is warm to the Snow Joe. He got overheated once on a 60 degree spring day–very scary and unexpected. All the snow is gone, only little snow piles from shoveling are left (sidewalk water for thirsty dogs). This has left wonderful presents along the streets for tracking aficionados. Today I came home with 1 hat, 2 headbands (1 fleece, 1 cloth), 5 gloves of widely varied materials, 1 mitten, and one clear hard plastic mug. All clean & dry (so still needing washing, but not gross to bring home) and each completely different from the others. All that exercise and a veritable treasure trove of tracking articles for my training bin!
March 5, 2010 at 8:57 am | Category: elli
March 4, 2010 at 10:10 am | Category: elliHere we go into the ‘terrible twos’ of puppyhood. Elli is quite the character. I cringe and expect many more such anecdotes. It’s not too hard to distract me with 4 dogs, 2 older kids at home, work, study, and dog club stuff. I need to make a more rigid schedule to avoid these little lapses of attention. Play now, exercise then, train now, work then…puppy confined when handler is even momentarily busy! I need to be rigorous about this! Unyielding. Inflexible. Argh. (Banging head on wall..)
This morning, Elli got on the table (yes…AGAIN) while I wasn’t paying close attention. I am quite chagrined. She was actually right in front of me, but I had been seized by an idea for my class and was madly typing away before I forgot it. I had been going through dog treats & toys on the table a little earlier, so I guess it was a reconnoiter. She found a favorite toy, grabbed it and JUMPED from the table top, over a chair back, into the living room area. Honestly, I was so astounded that I measured the jump. Vertical drop…4ft (up & over chair back), Horizontal distance…8ft. Needless to say she thought better of it afterward. She appears to be completely unhurt, but she crashed and ganked her melon. She willingly went into her pen to chew on a toy and ‘rest’.
And I thought Kaia was ‘vertically gifted’! I do think Elli’s choice of the outrageous jump versus the option of returning back down the chair-stair gives you an accurate glimpse of her disposition.
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The first step in teaching any dog anything is for the trainer to decide that it is possible.
--Patricia Gail Burnham
Your training attitude should always be, 'it's you and me, dog, against the world.'
--Dana Mackenzie
RDB Events July 18 - CDSP Seminar @ TCKC
Aug 1 - SG's Recall e-course
Aug 8 - Daughter leaves for a year in Veracruz
August 27 - My birthday
August 28 - Brother's family coming to visit from CA I offer for your consideration this simple rule: If at any time in your training you must resort to force of any kind to achieve the behavior you want, you -and not the dog!- are doing something wrong. ... Take a break, sit down, and figure it out...
--Morgan Spector
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