Nothing but kudos from here about the wonderful Finals webcast today!
My old and slow computer got an upgrade to its guts last night -- I very carefully opened it up on the kitchen table and added memory -- so the webcast worked just fine this morning. The dogs woke me up at 5 AM; I tried to go back to sleep but suddenly realized, hey, it's 8 AM in Virginia! I was so pleased to find out that my scary computer work had done the trick.
I can't imagine that there is possibly one blog reader who doesn't have the link for the Sunday finals, but here goes, just in case:
USBCHA National Finals Streaming Video Link
It's hot-hot-hot here.......so the dogs got just one quick work apiece after another run to the feed store for hay. Now back to chores put off due to streaming video!
Good luck to all the competitors in the Sunday finals and a special shout-out to our trainer, Bill B. and his fine dog, Mike, for getting into the final round.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Virginia Finals TV Interviews
There are three short interviews (each about four minutes) on this Washington, D.C.-area TV station website. The reporter is covering the USBCHA National Finals and the Belle Grove Plantation where the Finals are being held.
TV Interviews Link
They are pretty well done and give you a picture of where the action is happening this week!
It makes me a bit sad to think it has already been a quick year since we were at the Finals outside of Klamath Falls, where we had such a good time and met so many friends!
Good luck to all the competitors this week.
And a hearty "job well done" to our District One gals who did so well in Nursery.
TV Interviews Link
They are pretty well done and give you a picture of where the action is happening this week!
It makes me a bit sad to think it has already been a quick year since we were at the Finals outside of Klamath Falls, where we had such a good time and met so many friends!
Good luck to all the competitors this week.
And a hearty "job well done" to our District One gals who did so well in Nursery.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
More Humility, with Tri-Tip
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| Coal last Sunday at the Hagemann Ranch fun trial (photo by T. Tucker) |
We were treated to fresh sheep who had no use for a dog. This proved to be quite difficult for those of us who (a) have no opportunity to train on fresh sheep and/or (b) have dogs who have little to no experience working truly fresh sheep. Coal lifted them and then eventually I retired on the fetch before he blew up. I was told later that I should have let him blow. It is all about factor (c) the handler who has so little experience running the dog on fresh sheep and knowing what to do with that elusive split-second timing. Another comment from one of the judges was something along the order that our trial dogs of today might be too obedient. Something to think about. Well I would think about it more intelligently if I understood the concepts more completely. Let's just say it's all more of that humbling learning experience that is dog trialling and the tricky balance between what is just enough and what is too much.
Afterwards we had a wonderful potluck that was centered around grilled tri tip at the Hagemann Trout Farm, a lovely location. If nothing else the Redwood people do truly know how to serve and eat a great meal!
Fortunately we do not have any trials for a few weeks. Whew! Coal, Rime and I are working on our various assignments until our trainer gets back from the Finals. I am hoping to show progress or if nothing else, no de-evolution! Sigh. Pass that jug of humility this way, would ya?
Monday, September 6, 2010
Labor Day Weekend 2010
The dogs and I have been relishing a three-day weekend with me away from the office and having time to rest and recuperate. And work dogs! We've put in three solid days of dog work, two of them at the home field working with a setout partner/dog (thank you, thank you, you know who you are!) and the middle day working at a friend's place to get that "away from home" effect, especially for Rime. I am hoping we see improvement and progress from the three consecutive days of scheduled training and handling efforts.
The Labor Day weekend ritual in the past few years has consisted of frequent checks at the computer and refreshing the Soldier Hollow Sheepdog Classic scores page. Congratulations to all who have made it to today's final round! As it's not over until it's over I can't congratulate the winner yet but they are all champions to have made it to this day.
Last night I finally got a chance to watch the documentary, "Sweetgrass". It is really worth watching and savoring if you are at all interested in the sheep industry, ranching, and the American West. Oh yes -- and the occasional border collie plays a role too -- but really the movie is all about the sheep and the family that cares for them. Even in the rough moments, the care shines through. I imagine it was really impressive in the movie theater on the big screen with all of the panoramic photography. But even on my old TV I really enjoyed the film. Put it in your Netflix queue!
Once again I was lucky enough to have a friend taking pictures of me working with Rime. This time we were at a friend's place where we went to get Rime working 'away from home'. The sheep were lovely white (yearling?) dorper/dorset crosses who are much bigger and stouter than the sheep we normally train on. It is great to get Rime (and Coal too) out on sheep that they don't know and to work in a different place. I just wish we had more places to go. Rime turns 21 months old today so I am feeling bits and pieces here and there of his maturity starting to kick in and that his work is starting to come together. Anyway here are the latest and greatest up to date photos of Rime learning a bit of an assisted drive and also of us working on a bit of pace and feel on his sheep. Enjoy.
Photos by T. Tucker.
The Labor Day weekend ritual in the past few years has consisted of frequent checks at the computer and refreshing the Soldier Hollow Sheepdog Classic scores page. Congratulations to all who have made it to today's final round! As it's not over until it's over I can't congratulate the winner yet but they are all champions to have made it to this day.
Last night I finally got a chance to watch the documentary, "Sweetgrass". It is really worth watching and savoring if you are at all interested in the sheep industry, ranching, and the American West. Oh yes -- and the occasional border collie plays a role too -- but really the movie is all about the sheep and the family that cares for them. Even in the rough moments, the care shines through. I imagine it was really impressive in the movie theater on the big screen with all of the panoramic photography. But even on my old TV I really enjoyed the film. Put it in your Netflix queue!
Once again I was lucky enough to have a friend taking pictures of me working with Rime. This time we were at a friend's place where we went to get Rime working 'away from home'. The sheep were lovely white (yearling?) dorper/dorset crosses who are much bigger and stouter than the sheep we normally train on. It is great to get Rime (and Coal too) out on sheep that they don't know and to work in a different place. I just wish we had more places to go. Rime turns 21 months old today so I am feeling bits and pieces here and there of his maturity starting to kick in and that his work is starting to come together. Anyway here are the latest and greatest up to date photos of Rime learning a bit of an assisted drive and also of us working on a bit of pace and feel on his sheep. Enjoy.
Photos by T. Tucker.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Victory!
SB250 has been defeated, at the eleventh hour (literally) in the California Assembly. Details are as always on the Save Our Dogs website. A huge thank you to all who helped!
Let the good times roll!
Let the good times roll!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Every Picture
Every picture tells a story! Our fab Oneforthebook team photographer has taken some nice new pictures of the gang over the weekend. The pictures kind of tell the story.
Saturday we had a RESDA trial at Oak Springs Ranch in Santa Rosa. The weather was absolutely perfect. Coal and I ran in the Open class and his run started out OK, then disintegrated. This is becoming the story of our summer trialling season. I am ready to make some changes to get us out of the bottom of the upside-down bell curve that Coal and I are in! Anyway luckily there are no pictures of that run (mercifully). It's too bad we couldn't have fared better since it was Coal's birthday weekend. He has now turned 4 years old, which is plenty hard to believe. Coal has been such a blessing for me though and I know we will work out our trialling issues and get back on our game.
Anyway after the Open class was completed, and the sumptuous potluck consumed, we held the Pro-Novice class. I entered Rime non-compete in his first RESDA outing, just to get him some experience in a new place and on different sheep. He did OK. The saying goes that when you take a green horse or green dog out away from home the first few times you are lucky to get 50% of the performance that you get "at home", so that is what I expected from Rime. I was pleasantly surprised and can say that he gave me probably 65% or better! I just tried to enforce his stop and keep him behind the sheep moving in the general direction of the obstacles, not staying entirely true to the course if it wasn't working for us. I did retire before attempting the pen and pushing our luck.
The next day we got together with friends to work dogs and review the prior days' activities. I concentrated on working with Rime at a friend's place and Coal got to play setout dog for another friend from out of town who was looking for new experiences for her 2 yr old+ dog. It was a fun and relaxing day. All the dogs got a good run at the sheep field while we set out hay and filled waters for our sheep.
Chiefie has had some arthritis problems flare up in the past few weeks. But with some rest and anti-inflammatories, he is getting back to normal. The swelling in the tendons around his wrists has gone down and he is running more freely again. I just have to monitor his activity more carefully so that he doesn't go overboard (which he would if I didn't stop him).
The dogs love to run while we feed hay and fill water tanks for the sheep. They have their running and chasing order and in the above photo they have stopped the action momentarily before they start again!
Photos by T. Tucker.
Saturday we had a RESDA trial at Oak Springs Ranch in Santa Rosa. The weather was absolutely perfect. Coal and I ran in the Open class and his run started out OK, then disintegrated. This is becoming the story of our summer trialling season. I am ready to make some changes to get us out of the bottom of the upside-down bell curve that Coal and I are in! Anyway luckily there are no pictures of that run (mercifully). It's too bad we couldn't have fared better since it was Coal's birthday weekend. He has now turned 4 years old, which is plenty hard to believe. Coal has been such a blessing for me though and I know we will work out our trialling issues and get back on our game.
Anyway after the Open class was completed, and the sumptuous potluck consumed, we held the Pro-Novice class. I entered Rime non-compete in his first RESDA outing, just to get him some experience in a new place and on different sheep. He did OK. The saying goes that when you take a green horse or green dog out away from home the first few times you are lucky to get 50% of the performance that you get "at home", so that is what I expected from Rime. I was pleasantly surprised and can say that he gave me probably 65% or better! I just tried to enforce his stop and keep him behind the sheep moving in the general direction of the obstacles, not staying entirely true to the course if it wasn't working for us. I did retire before attempting the pen and pushing our luck.
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| Rime getting ready for his first RESDA run |
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| Rime on course at Oak Springs Ranch |
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| Chiefie after his run in the pasture with the gang |
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| The oneforthebook gang (at least part of it) setting up a chase game in the pasture |
Photos by T. Tucker.
Assembly Still in Session
Monday Aug 30 6:22 pm Update : The Assembly is in session today and will work until late tonight. They are trying to get through the pending bills before the 2009-2010 session ends tomorrow. SB 250 is on the schedule but has not been dealt with yet.
The above is from the Save Our Dogs website. It's not too late to make your voice heard.
The above is from the Save Our Dogs website. It's not too late to make your voice heard.
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