Delinquent...

Ok, I admit I have been delinquent with the blog. Maybe I should have planned on monthly posts instead. ; )
 Anyway, on the working front, I admit that after my last post Vivi and I had a couple of bad working sessions, we were not gelling. She was too "hot" and then I got too ~hot~ and it felt like a lot of two steps forward and then three steps back… Kind of hard to talk about the not so great days.
 But on the flip side the last three sessions, the third being today, were Wonderful!


Three sessions ago, we worked two sessions. Things started out a bit rough and I was really frustrated and ready to throw in the towel. I told Marti that I was sick of having to seemingly re-teach the same things each session. I know Vivi is plenty smart and knows these things, because when Marti works her, she does it. For me, however, she isn’t always so good. So, Marti and I chatted a bit about it and she told me something valuable. She told me my biggest issue: Andy.


For those of you that may not know, Andy was my first working Aussie. Andy was a wonderful dog, extremely biddable, to a fault; he never wanted to be wrong and would go out of his way to please me. He was a dog I could drill and make improvements in one or two sessions. Sadly I lost Andy to Hemangiosarcoma July 2009. I am still quite heartbroken over it too. We were just getting to the point in our working relationship where I was willing to try some different venues, AKC, AHBA and the like. He was to the point where we were working finesse and not basics… It only took 6 years. ; ) So, I really miss my working buddy. We had finally made it to the point where we were a real team...


Vivi and I are not to that point yet.


But in Vivi’s defense, the past few sessions have been great, (maybe she heard my rant…) So, we go out for session two in the south pasture (about the size of an ASCA arena). And she is giving to my pressure, taking the steady, still pushing, but slowing then speeding up. Taking the down with some pressure, but generally just listening, doing her job and not giving me a lot of fuss. I found a good spot and called it a day.


On to our next session, I let her run in the yard with Marti’s dogs for a bit to burn off some steam as she had been cooped up all day. She was pretty amped when we hit the south pasture, but she settled in nicely in a few minutes. Again she was thinking and working with me. Wearing behind the sheep or taking the steady as I asked, downs were a bit rusty today, but I have learned with working dogs, there is a lot of give and take. Her pressure on the stock was good, she will forever be pushy, but when she gives it is just beautiful! She was even getting a good feel for a steady off the fence and keeping the sheep on the fence, the beginnings of a cross-drive. She was working so nicely, that Marti had us try the center… It went splendidly! She held her down while I opened the gate and gave nicely to fetch them to me, took the down to hold them in the pen and then we had a big party! Lots of pets and praise! Then to get them out… Set her on a down about 25’ behind the pen, ask her to walk-up and she does, flank her go-by with the stick and down her on the far side of the pen… sheep walk out… and she whips around to put them back in, lol, end her out and around again, down her at the far side of the pen again and tell her to wait. Sheep walk out, I close the gate and we fetch them around a bit more and find a good place to end. It went so well we decided to call it a day. We worked for a good half-hour and it was a very good session.


So then to today, Marti says to me… “Let’s take her out back.”
“Out back?” I say, “In the Big Field, do you think she can do that?” Marti says, “I think she can and we’ll find out soon enough.”


So after a quick game planning session, we head out to the back field which I would guess is about three acres or so. Marti warns me, when we get out there that these are lighter sheep, so Vivi will have to pay attention and work hard to keep them with me. I was a bit worried at first, but she did sooo well, better than I would have expected! She was even better in the ‘outback’ then she has ever been. It was almost like once she had to cover them and there were ‘no fences’ creating extra pressure, she could do this all day long… Just keep the sheep with Mom. She was taking her downs pretty well and giving me some pretty nice little outruns, thinking about cutting in, but then turning away from my pressure and getting out and around nice and wide. We went on walk about in the ‘outback’ for a good half hour or so, working her outruns, squaring our corners, steadies, and downs. Called her off and gave her big loves and scratches, you could tell she knew I was so proud of her, she was grinning from ear to ear and so was I. Marti even told her what a good girl she had been and gave her lots of loves. Again we decided to call it a day with only one good session. I have no problem with this and it was a valuable thing I learned with Andy. When you have a great session like that, sometimes it is best to end on the high note even though you may want to go out and try and re-create the greatness, it rarely happens twice, so it is best to keep it very positive for everyone.

Obedience is going well for the most part.  For some strange reason though Vivi has decided that she no longer wants to jump the broad jump, it is just as good to do everything but jump it... so I borrowed a set of jumps from Evie and we have been working on it at home.  I think when we practice it next time in class, we should be on the road to doing it right again.


All is progressing nicely on the puppy front. New linoleum is installed and hideous wallpaper is removed.  Yahoo!  We spent some time today planning the best way to get the puppies out when it is time for them to be going outside to potty, but haven’t come to a solid solution yet… I think it will come down to a fencing vs. ease issue once it is decided. Vivi is virtually bare naked… Dale called her “Baldy-locks” the other day, poor naked girl. I do think this is about the end of the shedding cycle so that is good. My carpet and vacuum will be getting a break until Jaki decides it is her turn. I think she is still on schedule to come in at the beginning of April, which would coincide great with a trip to Oregon to audit a stock clinic at the Lyles’ and also with the 25 anniversary of the Silver Bullet in CA, of course you know how it goes when you “plan” these things, but time will tell.




Well, until next time… “ )