Progress...

Seeker by Megan Quigley

Seeker and Gem have been going to herding lessons for the last few weeks that I have been off from agility trials. Some days, it takes a Herculean effort for me to make the long drive to Bedford. It is close to 2 hours one way to go to our lessons. Some people say I am dedicated. Maybe that is so, but really for me, it is the privilege of training a Border Collie to do what God intends for it to do with its instinct and drive. I know the potential and I know my goals for both of them. Seeker is blossoming and he has finally earned the right to be taken off the long line he had been dragging for so long. He has proven that he is mature and confident enough to make the correct decisions. He has learned his flanking commands, for the most part, and has started learning to drive. This is a challenge for him, but one I think he will be able to accomplish. 

    He will be moving out in to the big field this week which gives him more room to work and to make mistakes. My job is to keep that from happening. It took me long enough to figure out that as long as I stay quiet, confident and cool, he responds appropriately. If I get stupid, a sheepwreck will ensue forthwith. Duh... I have learned to not only watch him, but keep the stock in my vision as well. Not always easy, but very important. Stock sense is something that you have to learn so that in any given situation, the handler can watch the stock and gauge their reaction to pressure from the field, other sheep, the dog, the handler... it goes on and on.  


     This is a big step in helping Seeker in lengthening his outruns and learning how to handle the pressures in the big field, where there are many as opposed to the training ring. I am confident that we will handle it together. He is very responsive and biddable and has stopped the nonsense of trying to beat me to his stock. He knows that if he is correct and quiet, he gets them. If not, he must become so to have contact with them. He's a smart cookie... He gets it.


     Gem has made progress as well. She is a serious little thinker and trying to let her just have a go isn't always successful. She tries very hard, sometimes too hard in fact. For her last 2 lessons, we worked her with Jack's dog Gwenn. That seemed to give Gem confidence and loosen her up a bit. The first week we used Gwenn a great deal. This past week, Gwenn's only job was to pull the sheep away from the fence for Gem. This worked out very well. I can see Gem getting more confidence with each exposure. She isn't afraid to get between the sheep and the fence, even at her diminutive size. 


     I have high hopes for them both... I am hoping to have Seeker ready to get some experience at a few AKC herding trials this summer in preparation for having him ready by Fall to run Novice/Novice. For Gem, as a start, to get her Pre-Trial tested (PT) title this summer and get her ready for next year to run in Border Collie trials. The journey continues...

Gem starts obedience class...

     Due to my crappy work schedule and the fact that most classes are in the evening when I am working, Gem is finally (at 1 year of age) in an obedience class. It also helps that I don't have the boys in classes now and have the time to work Gem on the night they normally would have had class. Gem needs this... I need this... I am building a working relationship with her. She is finally seeing the value of working with me.
     A few days before her 1st birthday, I had her spayed. And now... she is finally interested in food. Not all food, but her interest is growing. Toys are not always appropriate, although I do use a tug with her even in obedience class. First and foremost, she has to learn obedience to do agility... My dog, my rule... While she is learning to "watch me", do stays and heel nicely on a lead, I am still working foundation exercises in agility with her. She is a natural in obedience I am finding. After her initial culture shock of being in a class with 9 other dogs, she is adjusting nicely. Week 1 was enough for me to not go back...Her arousal level and barking at the other dogs gave me a major headache. This week, although she still had some moments of barking, she was vastly improved. These are things we work at home, but putting her in a class is exactly what she needed.
     This week she gave me some short bursts of heads up heeling with attention, did her stays and likes to play the "Leave it" game with a treat on the top of her foot. She adores her instructor Linda and I may have to use the "Leave it" with her so Gem doesn't bounce on her. Gem is a social butterfly with people. She likes most dogs, but draws the line with naughty puppies and dogs that lack social skills...(ie staring) Although she likes pouncing and wrestling with Seeker, she doesn't want that from outside dogs. She currently thinks puppies are yucky... :-)

     I am not used to working with the girls... I love the boys and have always had great working relationships with them. My relationship with Gem is a work in progress and one that I am happily figuring out. She is independent, but wants to be right. She doesn't like lots of repetition so it challenges me to find fun ways to repeat exercises without losing her attention. All in all, she is making me a better trainer and handler. I am hoping that we will continue to enjoy doing obedience although that is truly up to me. I also think there may be a dancer in there somewhere. And of course, agility and herding as well. According to the Chinese, she is a Fire, like Piper. If she can accomplish half of what he has, it will be well worth the journey put before us. However, if she never earns a title, that's okay with me too. Gem is more like Piper than he cares to know... could be why she irritates him so much.
     The horizon rises before us... and I anxiously await each new day...

Piper and growing older...

Piper by Cindy Noland

It both amazes and scares me that Piper will be 9 in April. Yes, he has slowed down a bit and yes, like me, he has his aches and pains. But "His Nibs", as we fondly call him, still thoroughly enjoys the game of agility.  I love the options we have available to us as he ages. After finishing his USDAA ADCH and the USDAA Nationals in 2010, I dropped him to Performance and 22". At the same time, I dropped him to his normal jump height in AKC which is 20" after running him his whole career at 24". He loves the lower jump heights and can still rock a course with speed. He no longer has to worry about jumping 24" or 26". He has adjusted very well to the lower heights and I know it is so much better for his body. And as he continues to age, we have even lower options in different venues, so as long as he is healthy and wants to play the game, we can.
     He gets chiropractic, massage and now acupuncture as a regimen for his health and well-being. I should take as good care of myself. He feels good, he is fit and conditioned and he has me watching over him, making sure he stays that way. This past weekend, he slipped and crashed a jump in JWW. The bar got caught between his front legs and must have given him quite a stinger. He took the last jump, celebrated, then lifted his right front leg and whimpered. Piper is very stoic... so for him to limp and cry, it had to hurt. I picked him up, sans leash, and carried him back to our crating area. Everyone was so concerned for his welfare... I love my agility friends! His shoulder and leg were immediately iced and his Back On Track jacket put on him. After Seeker's run, I took Piper out and walked him around a bit. He wasn't limping, but his shoulder was warm. I let him jump 12" and he stutter-stepped before jumping. He was sore, that was for sure.
     I love that I have many tools at my disposal to help out my canine athletes. The Back On Track jacket was the best investment. Piper received more ice, massage and a Chinese herb blend called Body Sore. He slept in his BOT jacket as well. In the morning, he dashed down the stairs as if his crash the day before was a distant memory. I was relieved to say the least. Once at the trial, I warmed him up, jumping him at his regular 20" and he was fine. Before his Standard run, I asked my friends to watch him carefully for signs of lameness. I knew that when he hit the 3rd obstacle ( the A-frame ), that would be the place he might show a problem. He hits the A-frame with force, too much for my liking, but I have never been able to re-train him to do the obstacle any other way. He got the first half of his 14th QQ with a 3rd place and no signs of soreness. Later that day, he got the second half of his QQ with a Q in JWW... He also ran Time 2 Beat for the first time, and although he dropped a bar with an ill-timed rear cross on my part, he ran with enthusiasm, fun and without any problems.
     I am his guardian. I know him better than anyone. And it is up to me to make sure he stays as happy and healthy as I can possibly keep him for as long as I can. I want him to be able to play his favorite game for many more years to come. I fully expect to be running him in agility when he is 12 or 13, or for as long as he wants to and physically can. It is truly a joy to be his partner and we are growing old together... I kinda like it that way.
   

Training Gem in agility...

Gem is an intense little girl. This picture was taken when she was about 4 months old. She is no less intense now at 11 months of age... I started some early agility training with her some months ago, but due to my injury, that was all put on hold. I am now back to doing foundation work with her.

I did a training session with her last week which involved wrapping around jump uprights in both directions and driving through tunnels. She has very little food drive and toys wind her up. Toys can also put her in herding mode as in the photo. She is stalking a tennis ball. So, I am trying to find a balance of what I can use for a reward with her. She does like to tug and I keep the duration short with her. Presently her attention is that of a gnat, but she still has maturing to do. I said today that Gemmie's focus needs focus!

I started her in herding to help with her maturity and focus. She has intense focus on stock which I hope will transfer over to other activities as she gets more confidence and ages. And now that we aren't going to the Border Collie National, I no longer feel any pressure to have her "ready" to be in an agility ring by a certain time. She will be a year old on February 28 and I am guessing that she won't see an agility ring until the Spring  of 2013, after she turns two.

She is fast... wicked fast and different from the boys. Piper was fast when he was younger, but not nearly as fast as this little rocket. I want to take advantage of that speed, so I am planning on teaching her running contacts. People say I am crazy, but I think we will be awesome. Because I no longer have a deadline, I am taking my time in training her and trying to not make the same mistakes I have made with the boys. I am sure, however, that I will make different ones given her speed and intensity. But anything worth doing, is worth doing right.

Gem is currently just about 18" tall. She is going to get measured... a lot... until she is over the age limit for each venue we will compete in. But because she is over the height to jump 16" in USDAA and will have to jump 22" Championship, I will run her at 20" in AKC even if she is supposed to jump 16" there. Right now, that seems like a tall order for my little sprite. But I have seen her jump... and jump she surely can! Now, let's see if I can harness the enthusiasm, get some more focus and keep working towards my agility goals for her. And the journey continues...

To go or not to go...

Well, while I don't usually use my blog for any other reason except talking about my dogs, this subject is troubling to me. I recently volunteered to be on the AKC Border Collie parent club's committee to revise the breed standard. While I have 24 years in the breed, I wasn't found to have relevant experience for this particular committee. Hmmm... really? What this means to me is that I don't show my dogs in the breed ring. My reasoning is sound... I refuse to finish breed championships on my dogs and lose their working registrations which is far more important to me. I have also been turned down twice to do judge's education as well. Considering I have had Border Collies for 24 years, I think I know what the breed standard says and I should be able to discuss and educate breed judges intelligently on what they are looking for in a quality Border Collie. I may not agree with the breed standard, which is only one of the reasons I wanted to take part in this committee, but I know a good dog when I see one.

The working line BCs rarely get a fair shake in the breed ring. The judges seem to want the same cookie cutter image over and over again. When presented with something different, although absolutely correct, they can't bring themselves to put that dog up. For example, in 2009 we went to the National Specialty and I showed Seeker in American Bred. He was the only working line bred dog in his class. He was in hard working condition, not an ounce of fat on him. The judge on the first day barely looked at him and treated him as if he were diseased when he did a cursory examination of him. Now, Seeker is a handsome male, with a gorgeous head. He is black tri with white factoring and his markings are deceiving. Which is why a judge needs to put hands on him... in a real effort to examine him. He was dumped to the end of the line, even though he behaved and moved better than other dogs in the class. I expected no less. On day two, the judge at least examined him, but still dumped him to the end of the class. Also no surprise. I told Seeker he wouldn't have to go in the breed ring ever again. The only reason I showed him then was for more points towards the coveted versatility award. If memory serves, there were only 3 or so working line dogs in conformation at all. Uh yeah...

In the parent club's last magazine... the current president's message made me shudder. Why? Because he obviously has no clue about what the hell is going on in his own breed! Right now, there is a Border Collie Health Survey being undertaken by the club. I participated. In his message he said, and I quote, "Given the genetic component for some cases of epilepsy, it would be interesting for someone to look at pedigrees of Border Collies that have epilepsy to see if there are any commonalities back in the pedigrees." Unquote. Is he seriously for real????? Does he have any idea about the current studies that are going on for epilepsy? Sound-sensitivity? Early onset deafness?Border Collie Collapse? Absolutely unbelievable... or maybe not. Scary? Indeed...

I was told that there are other committees that would benefit from my experience. Hmmph... What that tells me is that they don't want someone from outside the breed world to be on a committee to revise the breed standard. There are volunteers with "more directly applicable experience" to be on it. I was told to send in my opnions for changing the standard. I will be heard. I have to wonder if that is true or will they just keep going in the direction they are going. :sigh:

I am up in the air now about going to this year's specialty. I love going and seeing all those Border Collies in one place,  having a great time, doing the activities that they enjoy. But I can also go to any working Border Collie trial or any agility, obedience or rally trial to see that. More importantly, I can look at my own dogs and see their joy. Do I really need a parent club to validate that?  

Going it alone...

Piper at AKC Nationals by Great Dane Photos

After several years of taking agility classes, I recently made the difficult decision to stop for awhile. At first, I thought I was crazy... but now I have gotten into a rhythm of working with the boys on things that I know I need to work on.... rear crosses, back sides of jumps, threadles, complicated jumping sequences, blind crosses, wraps and just about everything and anything challenging I can dream up. I finally feel comfortable enough as a handler and trainer to go it alone for now. I have found a new freedom in planning my own training sessions. And I think the boys are blossoming under this new twist in their training lives. I am constantly challenging and pushing myself and them during our sessions. I want to continue to grow as a handler and trainer and I truly believe that this is a step in the right direction for us. I will still do occasional private lessons from those wiser and more experienced than me, but for now I am content to strike out on my own and take no classes and see the effect that has on me, the boys and our teamwork.  Soon enough, Gem will benefit from a class environment and I will go back, at least with her. But I am enjoying this time with the boys and taking this particular journey with them, wherever it may lead...

And the serious journey begins...

Seeker wearing... photo by Megan Quigley

Seeker is now 5 years old. He was introduced to sheep at 11 months of age and I have toyed around with it for too long now. Because I can't afford and really aren't willing to send him away to be trained by someone else, it is a much longer process. Much longer...

Lessons are almost 2 hours away in Bedford, PA. Going generally shoots my day most of the time. I wish there were options closer, but there isn't. Other options are further... Much further... like 4 hours away. Not an option to do on any regular basis. Agility and other sports are much more accessible for sure, but not more gratifying for me. I love being outside, in the snow, cold, rain, heat, sun, wind, whatever, doing what the Border Collie does best, working livestock. There is nothing more exhilarating for me than sending a dog silently on his outrun with a wave of my hand. I love watching their innate talent come alive. There is nothing more awe-inspiring.

I started my journey in Border Collies 24 years ago with Kastle. From working lines, he was a tough dog to train for a beginner. He was pushy and strong, not exactly the most biddable on sheep. In other dog sports, he was a genius... More, higher, faster were all of his mottos. Not very appropriate for livestock... Zoe came next... easier, more biddable and a natural talent. She taught me so much... and she gave me time to learn about watching and learning sheep... how they move, why they move, where they feel pressure, when they are most likely to be cooperative. She loved real farm work. I so miss those days and having my friend Alison as a trainer and mentor. A senseless death, which that story is for another time.

Recently, I decided to stop taking Piper and Ceilidh to lessons. Why? Because God bless my Piper, but he has no power and the stock have no respect for him. And Ceilidh? Because her medical issues are many and the spondylosis in her spine and arthritis in her feet have made it difficult for her to take the varying temperatures and terrain. So now I make the trip as often as I can with Seeker and young Gem. They are my focus for this journey.

Seeker is back on a long line, learning the rules once and for all. He is not to dive in, he is not to circle aimlessly, he is to lie down when asked. He has gotten away with naughtiness once too often and he thought that was the norm I'm afraid. After a particularly bad lesson, my instructor turned to me and said "We can't ever let him get away with that again." And we haven't... Since that day, he has been on the long line, kept in check in the round pen and is working at a proper distance and with obedience. He is widening himself  on his outruns when I ask him to and walks up quietly without busting sheep all over creation. Good boy... If he continues to progress, he will get out of the round pen, but not off the line for a time yet.

I have learned that I need to take command, be purposeful, quiet and direct with him. If I don't get flustered, neither does he. If he even thinks a naughty thought, I remove him before he has a chance to make a mistake and blow weeks of work. He gets put away for a time to think about the lesson while I work with Gem. Then I bring him back, usually in a better frame of mind, with the lesson in mind.

Gem is different. She is sticky and my goal is to keep her moving with short sessions. I actually WANT her to be a little naughty and have fun. She is far too serious at times and I know that if she gives too much ground at this age, she will only get wider as she grows up. Not what I want... We keep her sessions lively, active and short.

My goals for these two are the same, but with a different time table. I am hoping to have Seeker running in Novice/Novice by this summer, if the weather holds and I can continue my trek up the mountain. I want both of them running confidently at whatever level they are ready for by the BCSA National Specialty in October 2012. The journey has truly begun and I can't wait for the next chapter...