I can't believe that there used to be a time I was on the computer daily! In hindsight, what a waste of time! "Talking" to people you really don't know and be involved in "discussions" that really, in the grand scheme of things, don't matter one bit! I don't miss it! I'm not on any lists anymore, don't visit public forums, etc... People that I want to stay in touch with I talk to on the phone or in person. Emails are used just to stay in touch with a few people, that's about the extent of it. I'm going to go ahead and let my website drop too, if it hasn't already- I don't even know... I do like the blog though. I can type if I want, and if I don't, I don't...
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I've been able to work dogs more regular the past 10 days or so, and that feels good. It's been a long hot summer! I opted to not go to the trial last weekend. 3 days off at home was too hard to break up with traveling. And although I'm sure we would have been fine, I was hesitant about the amount of work my dogs had been getting previous. I'm glad I stayed home, I had time to be both busy and have fun.
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The puppies sure are coming on nice. They're getting to be "teenagers" (they're almost 9 months now) and are learning how to be "big dogs". They're tethered close to the herding action now when I work dogs. Patience is a huge working dog attribute in my opinion- and learning to be tied and watch without a peep is one thing my dogs are 100% required to do. (even though Deal doesn't always think that includes her when I'm working another dog!) I also prefer the kind of dog that can be loose and be honest. That is, he is right there when work is asked of him, but will stay out of the action if he's not. "Working" stock isn't something my personal dogs get to, or even think they can do solo. I can honestly have my dogs (yes, all 13- even the pups) and sheep in the same area and not have any one of them rush off to move the sheep around on their own. Yet all I have to do is make the slightest gesture of wanting to do something with the sheep and I have everyone's undivided attention. The other day just for giggles I let Deal, Gwen, and Cruz all work together on a short course (no real outrun, just a flank to start off). It was a trip. They all worked perfectly and it was interesting to see at the same time where each dog would put him/herself with each command. Particularly the difference in Cruz and Deal- he works much closer than she (of course this wasn't an eye-opener to me) does- especially on my sheep. She has so much "presence"- which has pros and cons- which is why different dogs excel in different areas. Using Deal to quietly hold sheep for shearing, feet work, or deworming is a pain because she just kind of spews pressure and personality wise she thrives on pushing. Can she do it? Certainly, but it's easier to use a dog like Cruz who can almost become one with the sheep and only put pressure on when it's needed. Cruz much prefers to be able to be a gentleman, and usually that is 100% what the stock needs. He is a gentleman, but will not be "walked" on either. Cruz will give his stock the chance to be right and maybe even change their mind about something. Deal has a zero tolerance for it. If Cruz were a person he would say "okay, this what I need you to do for me, and if you just go ahead and do it, we'll all get along. If you decide you don't want to, I'm going to make you do it anyway- so lets just do it my way so we can all get along"... Deal would say "This what we're doing, and we're doing it NOW!" LOL!
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Back to the puppies. Clare is awesome on sheep. She has a very natural cast, albeit preferring to the left something fierce for the time being. She balances lovely, but in a cast really wants to flip to the left. Not a worry right now. She has natural pace behind the sheep, never wanting to come to their heads to stop the forward motion unless the sheep get past me. She was able to put them thru the fenceline chute (in a fetch) even when the same ewe kept turning around at her. She kept her head about her and with very little encouragement realized she was able to change the ewe's mind. :-) She's very, very sensible and serious like her mother. I'm quite excited about her!! Ivy is fast, fast, fast!! Just like her mama! Thankfully though so far there's no speeding to their heads and clapping down! She stays on her feet 100% and she is very easy to keep behind her sheep. Knowing what could be lingering in her hard wiring, you can bet I won't be asking for anything that is going to encourage going to their heads or stopping on balance with her as a youngster! She's going to be kept on her feet and learn pace behind her stock. Long fetch lines with no change of direction.... Ivy also had zero trouble pushing them thru the fenceline chute or flanking around them tight on the fenceline- very serious and confident- no rushing the cover just because it's tight along the fence. Ivy will bite at heels, which I love to see given where she comes from. Makes me think more and more that although Gwen's desire to Head-N-Hold was there from the get-go, I didn't do the right things (early on) to loosen that up and encourage more control from behind- none of her puppies are doing that. Well, I guess Ivy wanted to do. Hard to know if I just saw it and put a stop to it, or if Ivy just naturally decided that isn't what she was going to do. She did want to circle around to their heads, or at least over-flank when I played with her a month ago and I made sure she didn't get to. I couldn't stop Gwen- she would beat me. But, maybe, almost 3 years later I'm just seeing things sooner and have that much more ability to put a stop to it and encourage a more desirable behavior- I don't really know. Ella had a sore back, so I worked Wren and we had some serious "alpha to pup" discussions about blowing off her recall earlier that morning, so she was a little uneasy with me. She did fine, but was not herself. She is the most like Cruz on sheep I believe, which will be lovely for Ella. She is just going to be nice. She's easy to handle, has great balance, stays behind her sheep very easily, doesn't back down, readily goes both ways, will hit a heel for fun once in awhile, etc. She's doing everything a very nice 9 month old pup should be doing, in my opinion. Ella's going to step up the pack order tactics a bit as it was evident that Wren has hit the testing stage and there will be moments that Ella needs to step up and be right assertive with her! She's been such an easy pup that Ella really hasn't needed to do much of that, and she won't need to do much now either, but Wren was doing a few things that I would have definitely been "standing" on her about. Unfortunately I didn't any pictures of any of them except Sly. My darn batteries were dead!! :-( Sam, Clare's sister is here for awhile and she did a stellar job as well. She worked very much like Clare, with a bit more push. She's a very nice puppy. She's bigger bodied pup than Clare, but they are very similar in build and temperament. I know Amy adores her! :-) Sly was a good boy and stuck with the sheep while there were people sitting all around- so that was a great improvement for last month! He did some very big boy things, including hanging with it if a ewe turned to look at him. Last month he would not have. He's a very natural, easy pup like his mother. I'm sure his goosework home will be perfect for him! He has the right ability and the very best temperament for that kind of work! He loves EVERYONE and LOVES the water! He is ALWAYS a mess because he is forever wet and with that long, wavy coat, it is quite the look! He walks on a leash like a trained obedience dog, has a great recall, jumps in his crate on cue, stays in his crate until asked to jump out, ties beautifully, and is a very socially correct pup- with both people and other animals. He's getting sheep exposure and will learn to sit, lie down, and stay and then he'll be ready for his new home. I'd say by the 1st of Oct. he'll be go to go.
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Work's going fine and I'm full time now, so that's a good thing. My first profit sharing check will be right before Christmas and I'll have a week's vacation earned in a year. I doubt it's worth paying to have any extra insurance- we're 110% covered with the military. It's possible that wal-mart would put some additional money towards the boys' braces (teeth), but it's doubtful it would be more than what it would cost monthly to have the coverage. Weight loss is going good too. When I started work in April I was 165 and in a 12. I'm now 133 and in a 6, going on a 4! I'm shamelessly proud of myself- it's not an easy thing, but has become how I am. I'm very, very aware of calories and what I've done in the day and what time of day it is. I'm almost a bit compulsive about it now. The thought of eating something like a donut or a bagel or more than tiny handful of plain nacho chips or pretzels sickens me! I usually eat once, maybe twice a day and it's simply amazing how little your body really needs! I never let myself (although I admit I did in the beginning because I was so used to eating too much) get to the point of feeling like if I don't eat I can't keep on with my day. I've kind of gotten used to always feeling mildly hungry, but I think that's an okay thing. I think food is way too much what our day revolves around- as a general population. We've become eaters for taste, not for sustainability- that's a slippery slope. I eat close to nothing, but eat what my body can use- low fat, high protein meat like chicken and tuna is about all I eat for meat- maybe pork once in awhile. When I make tacos I have ONE soft shell that only has re fried beans, lettuce, and spicy sauce. Sometimes I may add just a LITTLE bit of cheese. I used to EASILY eat 2 LOADED shells. Cheese has been a weakness for me forever and that was one of the hardest things to nearly completely cut out. Only recently have a started trusting myself to buy it and have just a tiny bit every few days. Bread was another hard one- but now it's no problem. Lastly was all the sugar in lite beer. Hardly have that anymore either. I try to make sure to do my floor exercises several times a week. They're mostly geared for abs, butt, and thighs. I also use bands for my arms. I really want to buy a Pilate's machine because I think I would enjoy that, and that is the type of body I want to have. At least for the time being I can stand to look at myself and I ENJOY buying yet more size smaller mid-rise blue jeans and size small shirts- rather than dreading trying to find clothes that are somehow flattering on an overweight body!!! :-)
