After my last blog post I had a couple of comments and conversations that are helping me keep the farm trial experience in perspective. I have decided to stick with my Nationals entries and make the most of my training time between now and then. There are a handful of close friends who I know will be there to support me just as they were there these last few days when I was really down. For someone like myself who prefers to keep fewer but more meaningful friendships this means a lot. So, the pity party is over.!Diva very graciously decided to come into heat yesterday which means my training opportunities are even more limited. However It also means she will be done before Nationals and that, my friends, is the first good news I have had this week!
The Diva Chronicles
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Rain, rain, go away...
This post is going to be severely out of chronological order and the reason being is that I want to write this down while it is still fresh in my mind. Up until now I have been telling you the back story of Diva and myself but yesterday Diva and I entered our first farm trial.
Rain, seems like it has been in short supply a lot of places this year. In fact just one week earlier we were working dogs with temps in the high 90's and humidity levels that left you sweating in minutes. It was hot, wet, and miserable but we are stock people and we're hardcore ;-). This is why the idea of cooler temps and some rain didn't seem all that terrible weather for the farm trial. After all the point is to simulate real farm work and on a real farm you can't always wait for the rain to pass by.
To say my day started out hectic was putting it mildly. Due to my own errors my alarm wasn't set right so when I woke to a huge clap of thunder and opened my eyes it seemed very light out. A quick check of the clock showed me I was about an hour past my target wake up time and now in serious danger of missing the handlers meeting. I let Diva out to potty, threw on some clothes, and bolted for the truck. No shower, no breakfast, and no time for anything. Diva ate in the truck on the way (such a good girl) and I proceeded to speed as fast as I could the entire 2 hour drive from my house to the trial. It turns out the scattered showers that were called for were more like torrential downpours! Never fear, we are stock people and we're hardcore ;-).
Judge, Ken Silveira, gave us our handler's meeting and course walk through and the run order was announced. I was 3rd to go. Coming into this trial I had stressed about what would happen when we got to the portion where we worked the ducks. Diva loves ducks and she has very good focus but she had also only ever worked them 3 times and for probably a cumulative total of 30 minutes. I laid awake at night thinking about those ducks and how I would handle that part. In my mind the ducks were where we were going to have problems if any were to occur. In practice I felt pretty confident that we could get through the sheep work portions. Diva might still be fast and close but she is never tricky and she usually settles into her work. The longer time of a farm trial seemed a perfect chance for her and I.
When it came time for our run the rain was really coming down. It was what you might call really good duck weather :). Diva and I got set up, the sheep were put out, and the run started. True to young dog form she did her gather and fetch in the first pen with speed but the sheep came to me and we were off. Through the gate to the big field Diva covered well(if a little to enthusiastically) and the sheep did not get away as I closed and latched the gate. From there we were to go to the chute exercise. While the dog held the sheep in the chute we had to mark 3 head that we would later use in the sorting portion. Diva had a lovely chute and as I was heading with the sheep up to graze I was happy. We left our sheep at the graze and proceeded to the open handlers cone to do the gather. I have been working on Diva's outrun for some time but she still hasn't gotten the slingshot idea and she doesn't make the best arc around her stock. What we have noticed is that she prefers to cover most of the distance straight on and then she goes around when she is closer. She does this without influencing the stock very much so although it isn't "pretty" it does work for her. The gather was also fast but went well and we moved on to the next task of putting the sheep in the trailer. This time at the gate the sheep bolted for a very strong draw and I didn't let Diva cover. I asked her to sit while I closed the gate and then re-organized before sending her to fetch them back. In the corner by the draw Diva made a little mess but put things back together and brought the sheep to the trailer. Onto the trailer the sheep went and that was that. Getting the sheep off the trailer again was less than perfect because by now the ground was very slippery and the lambs in my group were falling when they ran :(. Diva and I collected our sheep and moved into the barn yard for the sort. This is where everything that was going pretty well fell apart.
The task was to collect your sheep and move then into the center stall of 3 in the barn. At that point you were supposed to sort your 3 marked sheep into one stall and then put the group back together. The re-pen area is in the top corner of the barn yard and is obviously a very strong draw with all of the other sheep being there. With the rain coming down in buckets the barn yard was very muddy and getting slippery. When I sent Diva to collect them from the corner she did and they started to come to me. I wasn't fast enough with the stall door though and a few broke past me and ran back to the draw. What I ended up with was 4 sheep in the stall and 3 back by the draw. I sent Diva out to get them again and she did but the sheep weren't coming to me this time and they kept breaking back for the draw. In my mind this part wasn't supposed to be an issue. It hadn't been in practice and so instead of walking right up to the sheep and helping Diva I just kept sending her out to get them on her own. This went on for what felt like forever but in reality it was probably only 3 or 4 minutes and I was beside myself. Diva kept trying but without my support the remaining 3 sheep were not coming down to that stall. Suddenly the rain that had been so obnoxious was very much appreciated for it hid my tears. I'm not sure what good I thought crying would do but as I continued to try and make this work the tears poured down my face and no one was the wiser. In the end I decide to leave the 3 sheep and move into the stall to sort what I had. Diva did well in the stall but I was already feeling the low of knowing I had sealed our fate. We sorted the one sheep we had and then moved the group back out into the barn yard where we collected the 3 and headed to the pen for the duck work. I guess the good news was that I no longer was stressing over the ducks. I knew we wouldn't Q and I just wanted to finish the course under time. With the sheep in the holding pen I put Diva in a down while I opened the duck pen. I sent her to the outside of the pen to push them out and we started down the fence line for the bridge. Diva pushed a little to much and our ducks pulled off the fence but I circled around and let her fetch them back into position before we tried again. Success! The ducks went right over the bridge and Diva moved them over to the graze. We waited for them to settle and then while I was opening the pen gate I sent her out to gather and we penned them back up. How ironic that the portion I worried over the most actually went the best! The rest of the run was easy as pie, we moved the sheep from the hold pen back up to the take pen and put them away. When the gate closed we were done.
I can't tell you how many emotions were going through my head as I walked down to talk to the judge. I do atleast feel good about the fact that I remembered to pat Diva and tell her how great she was. She had done her best for me and the fault was not hers. Ken was very kind and had lots of nice things to say but in that moment I wasn't in a place where I could really appreciate it. He compliment her on her duck work and I do remember him saying that she was a very nice started dog. As I walked out of the pen I was smiling but on the inside I was still crying as hard as ever. It's a very odd gut wrenching sense of disappointment when you have wanted something so bad and have very little experience doing it. In my own little private pity party I felt broken. I immediately started second guessing my entries at Nationals and debating if I should give my started cattle run up.
The show (or in this case trial) must of course go on so I put Diva away and went out to time the remaining runs. It's good experience and in doing so I got to talk to Ken and hear many of his thoughts on dogs, working, and how to handle certain situations. The rain continued to pour down and periodically I would find myself grateful that it was doing so. 5 runs later the trial was over and some very nice runs were had. I think that despite the weather everyone had a good time and the dogs did a fantastic job. Diva and I stayed to get our score sheet and to chat up with friends before it was time to head for home. I had folded my score sheet the moment it was handed to me because I didn't want to look but when I got in the truck and pulled out of the drive I felt compelled to take a peak. Our score was 89/130. I had actually lost more points in the sort alone than I had in the chute, trailer, ducks, and gather combined. 2 hours is a pretty decent amount of time to reflect and I will admit that I had myself a decent cry once I was alone on the road. I cried because I was mad at myself and because I had let Diva down. I cried because we are better than how we trialed and because it all came down to that one area. But most of all I cried because I needed to. In doing so I was trying to let go of the hurt and self doubt. To move past the failure and see the success. There will always be another trial and God willing someday I may actually have a run that doesn't include me "getting through it" despite myself.
So this is where I am right now. I am still upset and yes, I am still feeling some self doubt. I want to call it quits because that is safe and I want to make excuses for why it didn't go well but the truth is it just wasn't my day. I will not give up because Diva deserves better than that and I know that I can be better. Tomorrow is a new day and there is stock to be worked and lessons to learned.....
Rain, seems like it has been in short supply a lot of places this year. In fact just one week earlier we were working dogs with temps in the high 90's and humidity levels that left you sweating in minutes. It was hot, wet, and miserable but we are stock people and we're hardcore ;-). This is why the idea of cooler temps and some rain didn't seem all that terrible weather for the farm trial. After all the point is to simulate real farm work and on a real farm you can't always wait for the rain to pass by.
To say my day started out hectic was putting it mildly. Due to my own errors my alarm wasn't set right so when I woke to a huge clap of thunder and opened my eyes it seemed very light out. A quick check of the clock showed me I was about an hour past my target wake up time and now in serious danger of missing the handlers meeting. I let Diva out to potty, threw on some clothes, and bolted for the truck. No shower, no breakfast, and no time for anything. Diva ate in the truck on the way (such a good girl) and I proceeded to speed as fast as I could the entire 2 hour drive from my house to the trial. It turns out the scattered showers that were called for were more like torrential downpours! Never fear, we are stock people and we're hardcore ;-).
Judge, Ken Silveira, gave us our handler's meeting and course walk through and the run order was announced. I was 3rd to go. Coming into this trial I had stressed about what would happen when we got to the portion where we worked the ducks. Diva loves ducks and she has very good focus but she had also only ever worked them 3 times and for probably a cumulative total of 30 minutes. I laid awake at night thinking about those ducks and how I would handle that part. In my mind the ducks were where we were going to have problems if any were to occur. In practice I felt pretty confident that we could get through the sheep work portions. Diva might still be fast and close but she is never tricky and she usually settles into her work. The longer time of a farm trial seemed a perfect chance for her and I.
When it came time for our run the rain was really coming down. It was what you might call really good duck weather :). Diva and I got set up, the sheep were put out, and the run started. True to young dog form she did her gather and fetch in the first pen with speed but the sheep came to me and we were off. Through the gate to the big field Diva covered well(if a little to enthusiastically) and the sheep did not get away as I closed and latched the gate. From there we were to go to the chute exercise. While the dog held the sheep in the chute we had to mark 3 head that we would later use in the sorting portion. Diva had a lovely chute and as I was heading with the sheep up to graze I was happy. We left our sheep at the graze and proceeded to the open handlers cone to do the gather. I have been working on Diva's outrun for some time but she still hasn't gotten the slingshot idea and she doesn't make the best arc around her stock. What we have noticed is that she prefers to cover most of the distance straight on and then she goes around when she is closer. She does this without influencing the stock very much so although it isn't "pretty" it does work for her. The gather was also fast but went well and we moved on to the next task of putting the sheep in the trailer. This time at the gate the sheep bolted for a very strong draw and I didn't let Diva cover. I asked her to sit while I closed the gate and then re-organized before sending her to fetch them back. In the corner by the draw Diva made a little mess but put things back together and brought the sheep to the trailer. Onto the trailer the sheep went and that was that. Getting the sheep off the trailer again was less than perfect because by now the ground was very slippery and the lambs in my group were falling when they ran :(. Diva and I collected our sheep and moved into the barn yard for the sort. This is where everything that was going pretty well fell apart.
The task was to collect your sheep and move then into the center stall of 3 in the barn. At that point you were supposed to sort your 3 marked sheep into one stall and then put the group back together. The re-pen area is in the top corner of the barn yard and is obviously a very strong draw with all of the other sheep being there. With the rain coming down in buckets the barn yard was very muddy and getting slippery. When I sent Diva to collect them from the corner she did and they started to come to me. I wasn't fast enough with the stall door though and a few broke past me and ran back to the draw. What I ended up with was 4 sheep in the stall and 3 back by the draw. I sent Diva out to get them again and she did but the sheep weren't coming to me this time and they kept breaking back for the draw. In my mind this part wasn't supposed to be an issue. It hadn't been in practice and so instead of walking right up to the sheep and helping Diva I just kept sending her out to get them on her own. This went on for what felt like forever but in reality it was probably only 3 or 4 minutes and I was beside myself. Diva kept trying but without my support the remaining 3 sheep were not coming down to that stall. Suddenly the rain that had been so obnoxious was very much appreciated for it hid my tears. I'm not sure what good I thought crying would do but as I continued to try and make this work the tears poured down my face and no one was the wiser. In the end I decide to leave the 3 sheep and move into the stall to sort what I had. Diva did well in the stall but I was already feeling the low of knowing I had sealed our fate. We sorted the one sheep we had and then moved the group back out into the barn yard where we collected the 3 and headed to the pen for the duck work. I guess the good news was that I no longer was stressing over the ducks. I knew we wouldn't Q and I just wanted to finish the course under time. With the sheep in the holding pen I put Diva in a down while I opened the duck pen. I sent her to the outside of the pen to push them out and we started down the fence line for the bridge. Diva pushed a little to much and our ducks pulled off the fence but I circled around and let her fetch them back into position before we tried again. Success! The ducks went right over the bridge and Diva moved them over to the graze. We waited for them to settle and then while I was opening the pen gate I sent her out to gather and we penned them back up. How ironic that the portion I worried over the most actually went the best! The rest of the run was easy as pie, we moved the sheep from the hold pen back up to the take pen and put them away. When the gate closed we were done.
I can't tell you how many emotions were going through my head as I walked down to talk to the judge. I do atleast feel good about the fact that I remembered to pat Diva and tell her how great she was. She had done her best for me and the fault was not hers. Ken was very kind and had lots of nice things to say but in that moment I wasn't in a place where I could really appreciate it. He compliment her on her duck work and I do remember him saying that she was a very nice started dog. As I walked out of the pen I was smiling but on the inside I was still crying as hard as ever. It's a very odd gut wrenching sense of disappointment when you have wanted something so bad and have very little experience doing it. In my own little private pity party I felt broken. I immediately started second guessing my entries at Nationals and debating if I should give my started cattle run up.
The show (or in this case trial) must of course go on so I put Diva away and went out to time the remaining runs. It's good experience and in doing so I got to talk to Ken and hear many of his thoughts on dogs, working, and how to handle certain situations. The rain continued to pour down and periodically I would find myself grateful that it was doing so. 5 runs later the trial was over and some very nice runs were had. I think that despite the weather everyone had a good time and the dogs did a fantastic job. Diva and I stayed to get our score sheet and to chat up with friends before it was time to head for home. I had folded my score sheet the moment it was handed to me because I didn't want to look but when I got in the truck and pulled out of the drive I felt compelled to take a peak. Our score was 89/130. I had actually lost more points in the sort alone than I had in the chute, trailer, ducks, and gather combined. 2 hours is a pretty decent amount of time to reflect and I will admit that I had myself a decent cry once I was alone on the road. I cried because I was mad at myself and because I had let Diva down. I cried because we are better than how we trialed and because it all came down to that one area. But most of all I cried because I needed to. In doing so I was trying to let go of the hurt and self doubt. To move past the failure and see the success. There will always be another trial and God willing someday I may actually have a run that doesn't include me "getting through it" despite myself.
So this is where I am right now. I am still upset and yes, I am still feeling some self doubt. I want to call it quits because that is safe and I want to make excuses for why it didn't go well but the truth is it just wasn't my day. I will not give up because Diva deserves better than that and I know that I can be better. Tomorrow is a new day and there is stock to be worked and lessons to learned.....
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Versatile
ver·sa·tile (vûr
s
-tl, -t
l
)adj.1. Capable of doing many things competently.
One of my main goals when getting a new puppy was to find a dog that would mature into the above definition. What I didn't know when I started looking for a puppy was that this term was now used widely to market certain kennels or lines. I quickly caught on to that fact and over time my opinion of versatile has changed. I still appreciate dogs with titles at both ends but now that I have trialed some in various venues and disciplines I give some titles and accomplishments more weight than others. Versatile is as subjective as the person using it to label their dog.
Diva and I might have been fumbling with sheep but we during the same time we were excelling at Obedience class and Rally. Diva graduated puppy obedience with the highest test score in her class and I became a member at CTA. We quickly moved into a novice class where she continued to be a stand out. I can clearly remember on of the obedience instructors pulling me aside and telling me that I had an amazing working dog on the end of my leash :). We also tried our hand at AKC conformation even though Diva isn't of the AKC "type". I was a nervous wreck that day but we did have some fun...I think ;-).
Around 8 months old we also started basic/puppy agility classes. Diva loved doing agility what she didn't love was watching her classmates work quietly! Like everything else I asked her to do Diva did it with enthusiasm and she did it well. Her handicap has always been and probably always will be me. If only I learned as fast as she does!
Looking pretty while waiting to go in the AKC ring (the dog atleast :))
Note that diva has her "good ears" on...lol
Entered our first AKC Rally novice class when Diva was just 8 months old. She not only got the Q but she won her class!
Playing the "bang" game in agility training
Down stay on the table
One of my main goals when getting a new puppy was to find a dog that would mature into the above definition. What I didn't know when I started looking for a puppy was that this term was now used widely to market certain kennels or lines. I quickly caught on to that fact and over time my opinion of versatile has changed. I still appreciate dogs with titles at both ends but now that I have trialed some in various venues and disciplines I give some titles and accomplishments more weight than others. Versatile is as subjective as the person using it to label their dog.
Diva and I might have been fumbling with sheep but we during the same time we were excelling at Obedience class and Rally. Diva graduated puppy obedience with the highest test score in her class and I became a member at CTA. We quickly moved into a novice class where she continued to be a stand out. I can clearly remember on of the obedience instructors pulling me aside and telling me that I had an amazing working dog on the end of my leash :). We also tried our hand at AKC conformation even though Diva isn't of the AKC "type". I was a nervous wreck that day but we did have some fun...I think ;-).
Around 8 months old we also started basic/puppy agility classes. Diva loved doing agility what she didn't love was watching her classmates work quietly! Like everything else I asked her to do Diva did it with enthusiasm and she did it well. Her handicap has always been and probably always will be me. If only I learned as fast as she does!
Looking pretty while waiting to go in the AKC ring (the dog atleast :))
Note that diva has her "good ears" on...lol
Entered our first AKC Rally novice class when Diva was just 8 months old. She not only got the Q but she won her class!
Playing the "bang" game in agility training
Down stay on the table
I have but one speed....fast
The title to this post is the mantra of the typical young Aussie when working stock. Ok, probably when doing anything! Diva, I swear, must have chanted this over and over in her head anytime we approached the sheep. It was almost like a talking to a teenager with their headphones on. I would say something, she wouldn't do it, I would yell louder, and she would run faster. For someone who wasn't very familiar with sheep and having this speeding young dog I often felt like the ringmaster to a circus. In my mind I knew I was supposed to walk somewhere and give the sheep room to move to off of the dog but my feet simply disconnected from my brain. This in turn caused me to get flustered and I would stop saying anything of use to Diva. This was how we spent a lot of our early training sessions. Diva was trying but I wasn't fast enough with my commands or the stick to help her be in the right place. We continued to have our monthly lessons and I did pick up some very useful exercises but what I also picked up was a tendency to expect to much from my very young puppy and an over bearing need to push her way off of the sheep.
Around the time Diva turned 8 months old I noticed that she was starting to really check out when I applied any pressure and we got the default behavior of bombing off to eat sheep poop. I now had a little more education and had gotten some good advice about the difference in BC's and Aussies so I made the decision to stop taking monthly lessons with our first instructor and give Diva some time off. This was by far the best decision I made in those early months.
The thing was Diva wasn't doing anything that a typical Aussie pup doesn't do. She wanted to work close and she wanted to be fast. She was also to young for the type of pressure I was asking her to take and I was too green to help her. I consider the fact that we made it through that point real proof of Diva's heart and devotion. She probably isn't the most talented stock dog but she is biddable and that will get you a long way.
Green handler and green dog
I wish I knew then what I know now....
How many times have you thought this exact thing? I know that when I watch back old videos of Diva and I getting started on stock that I do. Where I found myself in Summer of 2008 was like being lost in a foreign land and not speaking the language. I had a puppy that was very keen on sheep, I was excited to work with her, and between the two of us we knew nothing! If you have read my earlier posts then you will remember me talking about having your foot in the door and the difference that can make in your choices. Let's just say my door was still mostly closed. I knew of people and I had met a few casually but I wasn't in the loop. My one truly great resource was The Aussie Board forum.
Internet training, even with video, is sketchy at it's best. People offer advice and they explain things but, when you are new and without a clue, sometimes what you are reading still makes very little sense. I poured through archives watching other peoples videos and reading everything I could trying to take the next step with Diva. I think that if you asked some of "regulars" in the stock dog section I was a little bit of a nuisance :). The problem was most people are only willing to share their videos or stories when things are going great. While it's nice to watch a great dog working it does very little for those who want to know how to get to great. So here I am with Diva who is just 4 months old and once a month we meet with a BC trainer to take a lesson. In the meantime I have gotten permission from the owner of the sheep to rent time on them on my own. Ideally I would have been with a known Aussie trainer, Diva would have been older, and I would have taken weekly lessons. I was about 1000 miles from ideal and running purely on enthusiasm :).
If you don't know me then let me explain a little about myself. I love to train my dog, I am wickedly independent, and if I want to do something I will find a way to make it work. I am also very open and if I struggle to find my way through something I always try and help the next person I notice behind me struggling with the same thing. I don't mind hearing the negatives but you better be willing to say it straight up. It is from this attitude that I decided I would share videos, pictures, and ask questions about working Diva even if they weren't perfect. I know that people thought (and maybe still do) that I was an accident waiting to happen but that kind of thing just drives me on. I really wish that I had started this blog 3 years ago so that the feelings and experiences that I will share would have been fresh and raw. Unfortunately that is not the case so I will just have to do my best to not taint these posts with my current feeling and knowledge. To watch these early videos back now I cringe at some of the things I do and where I went wrong. I may watch now and say "Wow, she did a really nice square flank." but back then I didn't know what a square flank was. Heck, I didn't know what "Away" or "go-by" were. I have heard it said that you always ruin your first stock dog but I really hope that isn't the case. To get where we are now has been a long and frustrating journey but through it all one thing has stayed the same, I love to work Diva and she never ever quits trying for me.
So let's start with a special picture. This was Diva at 14 weeks old. We were at a herding fun day hosted by the late Dicky Renn. I never really new Dicky all that well because he passed shortly after this event, but I did appreciate that day and I know many who thought well of him.
Photo taken by Mary Mynaugh
Here is one of our earlier videos. As you can see I forgot to actually walk and give her somewhere to fetch to.
How many times have you thought this exact thing? I know that when I watch back old videos of Diva and I getting started on stock that I do. Where I found myself in Summer of 2008 was like being lost in a foreign land and not speaking the language. I had a puppy that was very keen on sheep, I was excited to work with her, and between the two of us we knew nothing! If you have read my earlier posts then you will remember me talking about having your foot in the door and the difference that can make in your choices. Let's just say my door was still mostly closed. I knew of people and I had met a few casually but I wasn't in the loop. My one truly great resource was The Aussie Board forum.
Internet training, even with video, is sketchy at it's best. People offer advice and they explain things but, when you are new and without a clue, sometimes what you are reading still makes very little sense. I poured through archives watching other peoples videos and reading everything I could trying to take the next step with Diva. I think that if you asked some of "regulars" in the stock dog section I was a little bit of a nuisance :). The problem was most people are only willing to share their videos or stories when things are going great. While it's nice to watch a great dog working it does very little for those who want to know how to get to great. So here I am with Diva who is just 4 months old and once a month we meet with a BC trainer to take a lesson. In the meantime I have gotten permission from the owner of the sheep to rent time on them on my own. Ideally I would have been with a known Aussie trainer, Diva would have been older, and I would have taken weekly lessons. I was about 1000 miles from ideal and running purely on enthusiasm :).
If you don't know me then let me explain a little about myself. I love to train my dog, I am wickedly independent, and if I want to do something I will find a way to make it work. I am also very open and if I struggle to find my way through something I always try and help the next person I notice behind me struggling with the same thing. I don't mind hearing the negatives but you better be willing to say it straight up. It is from this attitude that I decided I would share videos, pictures, and ask questions about working Diva even if they weren't perfect. I know that people thought (and maybe still do) that I was an accident waiting to happen but that kind of thing just drives me on. I really wish that I had started this blog 3 years ago so that the feelings and experiences that I will share would have been fresh and raw. Unfortunately that is not the case so I will just have to do my best to not taint these posts with my current feeling and knowledge. To watch these early videos back now I cringe at some of the things I do and where I went wrong. I may watch now and say "Wow, she did a really nice square flank." but back then I didn't know what a square flank was. Heck, I didn't know what "Away" or "go-by" were. I have heard it said that you always ruin your first stock dog but I really hope that isn't the case. To get where we are now has been a long and frustrating journey but through it all one thing has stayed the same, I love to work Diva and she never ever quits trying for me.
So let's start with a special picture. This was Diva at 14 weeks old. We were at a herding fun day hosted by the late Dicky Renn. I never really new Dicky all that well because he passed shortly after this event, but I did appreciate that day and I know many who thought well of him.
Photo taken by Mary Mynaugh
Here is one of our earlier videos. As you can see I forgot to actually walk and give her somewhere to fetch to.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Here's to the ears!
Ears... if you have Aussies and you know show people then you know how much trouble these two little body parts can cause. Given our current breed standard revision and the heated debate that is going on over prick ears no longer being considered a "severe fault" I figured this entry was fitting.
Diva came with these cute little button ears but it wasn't long and I began to notice they had a mind of their own, lol. The would change from moment to moment between button and rose and sometimes even near prick. I never taped or glued and though I stressed, wiser people than myself assured me that once teething was over they would be set for better or for worse. Diva changed her ears so many times that it became a joke in our house. We used to tell her to "put her good ears (button) on" if she wanted our attention :-).
"What do you mean there is something wrong with my ear?"
"Seriously! I have no idea what you are talking about."
"I do not have wonky ears!"
"See, I told you they were perfect!"
All of these pictures were taken on the same day and actually within a 2 hour time frame :-). so how did her ears turn out? The truth, they haven't stopped changing though these days they spend a lot more time highbreaking and rose. So where does this leave me in terms of the standard revisions? I honestly don't want to see a bunch of prick ears but I'd take a nice prick eared working dog over a hound eared one any day ;-).
Doing what comes naturally
When Diva was 13 weeks old I got an email from my friend Sally that she was going to be out at a local farm having Paiva instinct tested. She asked if I wanted to come out to watch and of course I jumped at the opportunity. Watching Paiva turn on was fantastic and I couldn't help but wonder what Diva would do if she was given the chance. Since Paiva had used up only half of her time slot the decision was made to put Diva in with the sheep. I think I will let the following pictures speak for themselves :).
Watch out sheep!
Her little legs weren't fast enough to catch them but the desire to get around was there
She kept on trying though...
Good puppy!
*Photos taken by Mary Mynaugh
Watching Diva go in with the sheep and seeing her instincts kick in made my heart flutter. I am not sure which one of us walked away from that experience more excited, perhaps it was equal. What I can tell you was that moment set us on a path of learning and working together that is by far the hardest and yet most rewarding thing I have ever done with a dog.
Days go by
Time flies when you are having fun and in those first few months I had tons of fun with Diva! She made her first appearances in ASCA non regular and started obedience class at CTA. Diva showed tremendous focus when working for a puppy of her age and had terrific play drive.
This was at one of my hubby's RC car race events. Loud noises and speedy cars, not a problem!
Diva's first non-regular ASCA class in the 2-4 month old group.
Always playing
This may not make me popular but.....
The search for my next Aussie started in 2007. I was interested in getting into agility now that I had my family underway and I knew I wanted a versatile Aussie that could do what they were ment to do. I also wanted to dabble in the conformation ring. I started looking at websites and finding dogs I liked and from there I set about contacting breeders that were in my general area (Mid Atlantic/NE). I had hoped to meet my future pups parents as I had Pausha's and to find a breeder I could have a relationship with. What happened though was not as I had hoped and I quickly became frustrated. Everyone wanted pretty hefty prices for their puppies, they wouldn't let you pick a color you liked, and if you wanted to keep your dog intact it came with a co-own and a list of things you needed to do. Now don't get me wrong, I can appreciate that breeders care about their puppies but when spending over $1000 on a dog I am the type of person that would just like to own my dog and be free to make my own responsible choices.
What happened next I think is probably more common than we would like to admit in this breed. I continued looking for Aussies on the net and I had certain lines/dogs in mind but I found a breeder who didn't show conformation, wasn't worried about what I wanted to do with my pup, and ultimately was willing to let me pick the pup I wanted. Incidentally the price was significantly lower. Diva was the last female left in her litter and I fell in love with her from the minute I saw her pictures. Would I buy a pup again from this type of situation, probably not. The difference is now I have my foot in the Aussie community and doors are open that were not before. Do I regret buying Diva, not for one second!
Diva flew in From Arkansas in March 2008. It was the first time I had flown a dog and I was a nervous wreck. Turns out it was all for nothing because Diva came out of the crate like she owned the world and couldn't have cared less. I would later learn that this is pretty much how Diva lives life.
You know how you hear horror stories of puppies teething and what not, that was never Diva. In fact I can't remember a single thing she destroyed other than her given toys. She housebroke almost immediately, slept through the night, never whined in her crate, and was very well adjusted. I started taking her to agility trials for socialization right away and it was here that we met our good friend "Auntie Sally", or as I like to think of her, my agility guru :). Sally had her own new pup at the time, Paiva. Paiva has grown into a wonderful agility dog and recently she and I are trying our hand at stock work together.That however is it's own story ;-).
In those first few weeks Diva made herself right at home and though I wasn't over the hurt of losing Pausha I did find my heart growing to make room for this feisty little black tri.
Pausha
Sometimes to tell a good story you need to start long before the first chapter ever begins. Such is the case with Diva and I. This is the story of Pausha, who had no titles or fancy kennel name but was the best friend I could have asked for.
I met my first Australian Shepherd in the fall of 1995 when I went off to college at the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio. When you are 18 you see all of the possibilities ahead of you and think you know it all. The freedom, the fun, and the independence of college. This was me as I set of from my hometown of Watkins Glen, NY with my horse Shadeau. Shadeau was stabled at a barn off campus and this is where I met a fellow UF student who had 1 purebred Aussie and an Aussie/BC mix (I know, I know...*gasp*). Taura and Molly opened my eyes to the wonderful world of herding dogs and how great they could be. They were regulars around the barn, sweet with their friends, and always willing to lend a hand if needed. The girls owner, Amanda, and I quickly became friends and come the spring semester Amanda found an ad in the local paper for a litter of Aussie puppies. "Let's just go look", she said. Hmmm, famous last words!
I'm pretty sure that most everyone who reads this will have seen a litter of Aussie puppies but if you haven't well let me tell you, there isn't much cuter! Pausha's litter was a big one (10) and from the moment I walked in that horse stall I was smitten :-). The little blue eyed blue merle ball of fluff picked me from the get go and before I knew it I was writing a check and walking away with my puppy. Remember that part about not thinking of much other than fun when you start college? Yes, so here I am with a puppy in my car and I am driving back to the dorm I live in. Problem, of course...no pets in the dorm! Pausha lead to a lot of changes in a hurry. I got my first apartment and I had to break it to my family. It wasn't a hard sell since Pausha was such a wonderful puppy. She did everything right from the get go and she was my constant shadow. I never did any formal competitions with Pausha but she was as obedient an helpful as any good barn dog and house pet could be.
When I started looking for another Aussie to add to my family in 2007 it was my intention to let Pausha help me "raise" this new member. In my opinion there is nothing better that an experienced older dog to lay down the ground rules for a youngster and to teach them the routine. However my plans did not work out because just 2 weeks before Diva was arrive Pausha suddenly got very ill and I had to let her go. I will never forget holding my sweet girl while she took her last breath or that terrible drive home with an empty truck. One of the greats was laid to rest that day and she took a piece of my heart with her.
RIP Pausha 1/23/1996-3/13/2008
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