Well, I've been trying since yesterday to get the videos of Clare and Ivy put on here and it keeps getting an error. Guess I'll put them on my
youtube account. They'll be up there sometime today.
We had some good rain last night along with a storm. We have one huge 10' oak tree branch down. Unfortunately it was a good limb. Two of our trees seem to have died out on the top. It happened in the drought last year I think. We probably have 20 huge oak trees in total. Thankfully it missed the end kennel- by about 6". Ben will have to break out the chainsaw this weekend.
Ella came out at 7pm to work Mary Jane and give Wren a turn. I didn't get many dogs worked since she came out, but I will have tonight too. It was pretty cool this morning, but I went back to bed as my body was telling me I really needed to. Tomorrow I have to be up in the early am to get Maddie to Surry Co. to be spayed. I have to be there by 8:30 and it's probably a 30-40 minute drive. It's not far from Ella's, so I will probably just head to her place while I wait for Maddie's surgery. Mary Jane and Ella are becoming a very nice team. MJ's not cheating her lie downs as badly and Ella is starting to see when MJ needs to be told to get back rather than be asked for a flank at places like a pen or a chute. She's also seeing when MJ needs to be sshhh'd on a flank with a lot of pressure. This can be MJ's "hole" and Ella's starting to see it in time to help MJ thru it, rather than just picking up the pieces after MJ has followed the pressure (rather than open up/kick out and cover it) and rattled the sheep. At the end of the session she sent MJ a couple times and it went well. Previously, MJ was unsure what Ella really wanted when she'd send her. The last few sessions she has been doing lots of big flanks with a stop at the balance point. This helped MJ gain confidence in Ella's sending and it pulled in the stop close enough that Ella could enforce the stop on the first command. MJ likes to take 3 more strides first.... She doesn't do it with me anymore and she's beginning to trust that Ella is not going to let it slide either. I'm still having to remind Ella to head towards MJ as soon as she doesn't stop. Don't ask 2-3 times first! She's getting better though!! LOL! Last night she walked to her and poked her on the nose with her pointer finger and said "YOU, lie down!" Yeah for Ella! LOL! I'm sure it's a little harder to be insistent with someone else's dog. Next week I'll have to take some pictures and maybe a video. By fall they are going to be a very nice team.
I'm gonna go play ball with the dogs for awhile so they all get some fun exercise and this evening get everyone a turn on sheep. I need to work on just walking a driving with Gwen. I need to back track and not do so much turning and flanking with her on the drive. I need to help her see she can just keep pushing on in a straight drive. Getting a little sticky on the drive is really her only weak spot right now. She flanks beautifully, so I need to quit with that for awhile and just do drives where I don't care where we're going, as long as you're going forward. Cruz can probably do some shed work. Toss needs whistle work. He's really been a good boy now for a few months, so hopefully he'll be on track for fall trials. He was a good boy at Carol's trial in April. He has a stop and there whistle, but his flanks aren't really there. He has heard them, but he doesn't always take them. I could actually pick a shady spot and work him this afternoon on just whistles and a 2nd time on some other stuff this evening. Deal needs fetchline flank work to remind her that if I ask for a flank on a fetch I mean it. She does wonderfully when I stay on top of reminding her, but if I don't she'll back slide into not giving me good flanks on a fetch. She can do some shed work too. I left her class entry blank for the end of August trial. I'm thinking of putting into Ranch. I think the added distance and time on the field will do her good. She's probably my best driving dog. Although Toss is very, very good too. Deal has a little more feel for her sheep though. She has a little more natural pace than Toss. I used to think Toss' forwardness was a con, now I'm beginning to see it as a pro. With the longer drives that forwardness is really an asset. I was told there would come a day I'd see that, and it's here. Toss was very slow to mature, but wow, what a dog he is now becoming! He's the dog I'm starting to pull out for this and that work and very much enjoying him. I need to work Kit a little and to keep her flanks and stop fresh and to keep stretching her send out. There is a tie up in the money with the lady who's buying her, so she is still here. I'm not in a huge hurry to sell her and this home sounds so wonderful. As long as the lady is reasonable about how long it's going to take her, Kit will still be going to her. She's a nice young dog who likes people, but is not the kind that is going to take to lots of bouncing around and I don't want her to end up a kennel dog somewhere. I'd just assume she stay here before that's the case. Sly is also going to this lady when he has some herding foundation. He's going to be a nice dog. He's more dog than MJ. He's going to be able to take more of a correction than her. He's turning into a very attractive young man and has a very loving temperament. He has turned back on to sheep, so I'll start giving him a weekly turn beginning next week.
I need to start tieing all of the pups (1 at a time so if they need to be corrected a well behaving pup is not insulted) while I'm working dogs. They are over 6 months now, so they're mentally ready for that. I also need to start putting them on a leash once in awhile! I teach great recalls and they are so good at just being with me, that I sometimes forget that they need to be leash trained! The places I visit with them don't require them to be on a leash, just have a good recall. Because I'm limited to 4 crates when I trial, I don't always get to haul along a pup or two. They often times come along to my training places because I don't need to have a crate for them- but like I mentioned, I don't need to have them on leash there.... It doesn't take them long at all to figure it out though. I few nightly sessions with each and they'll be good to go. All I want them to do is walk decent and pick a side. I don't care which side, just pick one and stick with it! LOL! If I teach them to tie first, the leash work really goes fast because they already understand, "when I pull it's uncomfortable and when I don't, it's comfortable." When I bathe the dogs I always tie them. I gave almost everyone a bath the other day. I didn't get to Jim, Ivy, and Clare, but did do Sly. He pulled, and fussed and screamed at first, but quickly realized nothing was really going to hurt him. By the end of the bath he was fine. I need to do the other 3. Not so much that they need the bath- but they need the exposure of being tied and bathed. Same thing goes for nails and brushing. They might not need much nail clipped off, but they need to be exposed to being laid down and having their feet handled without a fuss. They've had their nails done several times.
I do think Jim is improving, so do the people that have watched him recently. Ella pointed out last night that Jim was running and wrestling with Sly and that she hadn't seen him do that since very young puppyhood. As he was playing with Sly they went flying off and Sly cut a hard corner, Jim was on the inside and he did a full speed 360 spin, didn't loose his balance, and was off full speed and ducked under the picnic table without even slowing down. This morning I noticed he was jumping off the steps, 3 steps from the bottom. Again not something I think I've seen him do. I need to do some more research on his symptoms.
Wren keepin' a close on her rivals!
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