Thought it'd be fun to change up the look of my blog. I think it's easier to read now. I went ahead and sent in my entry for the Long Shot Trial in December. Deal is entered in Ranch, Gwen in Pro Novice, and Cruz in... Open. The answer is "yes, I am terrified!"! We need to do it though, since Open the goal for me with all my dogs. I only want us to do our own personal best, I have no expectations for placing. I had Gwen entered in Nursery and then scratched it out. I need to keep her driving close at hand right now to keep her confidence up. She is on the right track and I don't want to push her... After being at this trial once, I'll know if I can put her in Nursery for the January trial. I'll also know if it's a field Toss can handle either ProNovice or Ranch. He is such a nice dog, but so intense and still needs to be fairly close at hand from time to time. He has been stellar lately though- as long as no one is in season anyway! Ella is going to run Mary Jane in Novice. There are still rumors of a cattle trial at Breezy Hill Farm over the winter... I'm in love with cattle work! I wish we could do more of it! It is so different. It's not easier or harder, but very different. The #1 difference is the behavior of cattle. They do not group like sheep. Keeping a group together can be quite a challenge, and keeping them together and putting them where you want them... that's a whole 'nother job! I do enjoy it greatly and Cruz in particular is wonderful. Last time at Carol's we had a heck of a time keeping "Sonny" from going back to the barn. He would drift back further and further because another steer was lagging way back and I kept sending Cruz to push him forward. We'd end up with 3 steers quite well spread apart in the field. Cruz wanted to go get Sonny and after sending him back to push forward the laggers, I finally decided to let my dog do what he thought best, as what I was doing wasn't working that great. Sure enough he was right, we needed to keep control of Sonny since he was the one going in the wrong direction! Leaving the other two to lag was fine, but leaving Sonny to walk (they cover some ground now!) towards the barn while he pushed the laggers wasn't such a good plan. Working cattle is constant work on the dog's part. With sheep there are moments of time where all the dog really has to do is keep doing what he's currently doing, or simply flick an eye, or take 2 steps one way or the other. Not the case with cattle- it's kinda like driving on a curvy, back road in a sloopy steering, stick shift, vs. the freeway in an expensive car. You are driving in both situations, but it's a lot more "doing" on the country road in the old pickup truck. I'm surely not putting sheep work down, (or simplifying it) only explaining the difference in my own words. Cattle will wear a dog out physically much sooner than sheep will. I wish I could work cattle more, as Gwen is more natural on them than sheep. She does not stick on cows. I think she is hardwired for cattle behavior- less following and more controlling at or towards the head. She loves to control her stock via flanking, and the dog has to do a lot of that with cattle- and do it quickly- another trait of hers. I've never seen a dog flank so fast (yet stay 100% square) and of course that isn't always want you want in sheep... Her flanks on sheep are generally "wayliedown" and "comeliedown". (or more often "waywalk"/"comewalk") She's doing well with the combination whistles and I can get smaller flanks. What saves her is that she is SO responsive and stops as fast as she flanks. I know I talk a lot about her wanting to come to their heads. Maybe it's because so far that's her only "hole". I need to get some videos of a few of my dogs. I don't even have any pictures of Cruz and Gwen on cattle...
I need to get outside and take of the other critters and then get myself ready for the All Hands Awards Ceremony tonight in Williamsburg. It's a Navy thing, a pretty big deal. I bought a new $150 dress (size 6- shamless grin!), shoes, the whole works... Might have to post some pictures over the weekend. Ben and the MEPS office he works at are both receiving awards tonight.
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