Counting down the days...

...until Moss goes to Dianne's for training :)

Yeah, I'll miss him, BUT I know it will be a really good thing. He deserves the chance to get sheep time consistently, and with my crazy schedule, I owe him this much. We went out to Dianne's today for a lesson, and both he and Cedar did AWESOME! It was great to be able to work in the big field again after so long.

It was interesting working Cedar after taking over 3 wks off. She was pretty fresh, but good, for the most part. It was nice to see how much her outruns have improved; she was WAY wide and listened to me pretty well. She let me stop her when she started to cut in, and kicked out when I asked her to--from a LONG ways away. I was pretty proud of her, even though she was naughty a couple of times.

Moss did really well. Dianne worked him for me, and I was able to get some really good photos. He's a really fun dog to watch because he is so natural; Dianne doesn't have to correct him that much, and he truly learns from his mistakes. He has already become much more relaxed off the sheep; I can have him sitting by me without him completely tuning me out and fixating on the sheep. Dianne was even able to call him off when the sheep took off running towards the pens. What a good boy! As you will see from the pictures, he looked quite lovely. Dianne even had him driving... quite well in fact! I am totally in awe of this puppy, and can't wait to see how he grows up. I can't believe he'll be a year old in two months!

Some pictures from Moss's work:

Waiting his turn to work :)


(My favorite... <3)




















DRIVING!!!!!!

Dear Moss,

1:45 AM is not morning, play time, or breakfast time.

Neither is 5:45 AM, for that matter.

Therefore, there was no need to bark and wake me up to remind me last night. Twice. I know that you would argue that your annoyingly incessant barking was not only justified, but necessary, but I beg to differ.

Now, I am more than happy to let you out to go to the bathroom if you need it. I understand that sometimes these things come up at inopportune times. But PLEASE, at least pretend like you have to go! Running straight for your tug toy and tossing it at my feet does not exactly give me the warm fuzzies at (not even) two in the morning. At least have the decency to run to the back door and wait for me to let you out. It makes me feel like getting out of bed actually served some sort of purpose.

I don't care if you miss me or if you desperately need some Scooby Snacks.... I just want to sleep!

Bah, I hate being sick.

Blogging Fail

So, I completely forgot to write about Scully's first obedience trial!

DOH.

A few weeks ago, I decided--in a moment of what can only be described as sheer lunacy--to enter Scully in obedience at the Boise dog shows Oct 8-11.

Scully:


Had I worked her at all in the past two months (other than randomly throwing her in a match show a few wks prior)? No.

Did I feel like we were prepared? Absolutely not.

We've been training for a couple years, on and off, and she knows all the exercises, but she's not as polished as I prefer. Thankfully, it didn't go as bad as I thought it might.

We actually ended up having some success, qualifying 2/4 days and getting 2/3 qualifying "legs" towards our CD title! Not bad for feeling really unprepared.

Our scores left something to be desired... 173.5 and 179.5............. :-| She definitely was not in top form, but it was good enough to pass. Her off-lead heeling was atrocious! However, she DID do a most excellent job on the stays the first two days. A HUGE Newfoundland got up and loomed over her both times, and she stayed! I was majorly proud of her for that. I know we'll get that last leg sooner or later.

This morning, I decided to take some photos of Cedar and Moss in celebration of fall... I know, big surprise, right? :)

Cedar:


"Bang!"




"Leaves are NOT hats, asshole!"




Squirrel!


Nom nom...grass...nom nom.


Moss:

First, his wet pawprints on the deck *love*


Moss watched me from inside the house as I took photos of the prints. If you look close, you'll notice his tongue peeking out :D


My handsome boy at almost 10 months :)




SQUIRREL!


Wonky ears? I still gots them.


:)

I like books.

One book you’re currently reading: A History of the Kings of Britain, by Geoffrey of Monmouth.

One book that changed your life: Evelina, by Frances Burney.

One book you’d want on a deserted island: A bound collection of everything written by Stephen King. Or a book about how to survive on a deserted island.

One book you’ve read more than once: It, by Stephen King. And/or all the Harry Potter books.

One book you’ve never been able to finish: Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens.

One book that made you laugh: Le Morte D'arthur, by Sir Thomas Malory.

One book that made you cry: The Green Mile, by Stephen King

One book you keep rereading: It, by Stephen King.

One book you’ve been meaning to read: Cecilia, by Frances Burney.

One book you believe everyone should read: No particular title, but I think everyone should read a book that challenges them intellectually at least once a year :-P

Grab the nearest book. Open it to page 56. Find the fifth sentence: "His goodness must not be a partial and transitory act, but a conscious superfluity, which costs him nothing and of which he is unconscious." From Walden, by Henry David Thoreau.

Kid Genius

Went out to Caldwell this morning and worked Cedar and Moss at Dianne's. Jody R. and Circle were also there, as usual. I love having group lessons with her... we always have fun!

Before we started, I was a bit nervous because 1) We hadn't worked in like 4 weeks, and 2) It was COLD and I worried the sheep and dogs would be full of energy. Dianne also had put the trouble-maker ram into the mix.... he likes to split off and run.

I really needn't have worried, because it went GREAT! All the dogs worked really well. With the cooler weather, it was nice to not have to worry about anyone overheating.

First up was Cedar. She has really seemed to have turned a corner in her training (or maybe I have? I dunno) and is much more willing to work with me and keep her panic under control. At one point, the sheep ran for the corner of the arena (Dianne's hay field isn't quite ready to work in yet) which is pretty much the bane of our existence. Before, there would be no way that Cedar would go into that much pressure. However, we were able to get the sheep out of that tight spot without too much struggle. I kept blocking/messing her up (go figure) or we would have been able to get it done even faster. She is really getting better at taking my corrections and actually "getting back" when I tell her to. I guess all of my work is starting to pay off. I really like being able to send her on an outrun and having the capability to stop her and redirect if needed. I'm very proud of her progress!

Dianne worked Moss, aka the Kid Genius/Child Prodigy for me. He was amazing, as usual. At first, he was really impatient and didn't want to lie down and stay while Dianne went to get the sheep out of the pen. So, she spent five minutes or so on making him understand that he needed to stay. This carried over into the first part of their work on sheep as well. Dianne worked a lot on enforcing corrections; when she gave Moss an "aaaaggghhtt!" or "get back!" she made sure that he understood that he didn't have another choice. After a few minutes, Moss was being less of an asshole and settled down. He looked awesome. Towards the end, Dianne had him freaking DRIVING!!!!! He looked fabulous out there. I can't wait to see him in the big field, he's more than ready I think.

I think I may have cried a few bitter tears about the fact that Moss is doing on his tenth time on sheep what it took Cedar and I six or seven months to do. :D This puppy just continues to blow my mind with how natural he is at this. He takes everything (including corrections) in stride; nothing bothers him. He just.... knows what to do. Hurray for working Border Collies! :)

Even though he is doing so awesome on sheep, he still reminds me of Scooby Doo... all legs, kind of a doofus, and constantly looking for snacks. Yup, makes sense to me!

A comparison:



They even have the same ears! C'mon... it's uncanny!

In other news, Dante (my Brittany)'s son, Wesley, who finished his Championship a few weekends ago, has found his forever home!!! I am so pleased for him, he deserves it after all he's been through. Best wishes to him and his new owner.