Lomo Jane-ish: TMT #9

Free form, stream of consciousness TMT today.

Gracie

I'm not sure why Gracie's left eye looks twice the size of the right eye in this picture.  Magic camera effects.  I checked when we got back inside.  They are both the same size.  I am positive.  Three more months to the 13th birthday for this old gal.  She is spunky and HUNGRY!!!  And, she likes her sleep during the day and at night AND NOT EARLY IN THE MORNING WHEN I SHOULD BE FEEDING HER!!!  Just want to make that CRYSTAL CLEAR!

Pogo

Pogo has white plastic chairs for sale. Two styles. What do you need?  I took off work an hour and some early today.  Wanted to take some time to get some photos of the dogs, and Jane needed a good game of BALL!!!!  The light in the backyard was kind of funny.  But fun.  Pogo really hopes you'll buy some of her chairs.  She promises to use the money to buy Gracie some treats.  Please, sir. . .I also suffer slightly from the left eye is bigger than the right eye syndrome.

Jane

I don't have the camera to take the photos I wanted to take today of Jane. But, I like these.  And Lomo-ish, on the dying Picnik, is one of my favorite effects.  Focal soften looked nice on the pic of  Pogo above.

Jane and one of her favorite things.

We had too many cat ladies in the store today. They absolutely exhaust me.  I really liked it better when we had a cat lady who worked with us.  She handled them much better than I do, and she got more add on sales than anyone I know.  Full moon tonight.  Hopefully they all go back in their hiding places till next month.  The CRAZIES, not necessarily the cat ladies.  Not necessarily NOT the cat ladies.

Lomo Jane-ish.

Lomo-ish just works well with her colors, I think. And the dead grass and late afternoon/early evening light of our south facing back yard.

Beautiful Day

So, yes, I really did spend a good part of the day Facebooking (Verb or not verb?) with Katy and Jorgen.  You can read all of that hilarity on Katy's wall, if you are friends with her. 

• *Note to Katy:  Do not accept any new friend requests.  STALKERS!!!*  
• *Note to Jane:  We could have used that patience and steady walk up at the sheepdog trial yesterday.  Just sayin'!!!*

It's been a gorgeous day.  Nearly 70F and a brilliant blue sky.  High winds creating lenticular clouds.  The sprinkler system is still turned off for winter, so I've been watering once or twice a week with a hose and sprinkler.  Jane loves it.

Does anyone want to buy and agility teeter and some jumps?  Or, trade for sheep?

Two More Trips To The Post

It was just about as beautiful of a day as we could have requested, in Auburn, California.  It was a nice, small fun trial with about twenty dogs entered in Pro/Nov and Nov/Nov.  The trial host gave everyone judging assignments, so each run was judged by the other handlers in that class.  It was good practice and most handlers commented that the task of judging helped them focus on lines in their own run.

I am still at the point of being so busy trying to stop my dog, that I can't even think about lines.  That will come some day.  I hope.  Our runs were pretty disastrous. . .thankfully the plan of video taping them went out the window of peer judging.  It is frustrating to be doing okay in training and go to a trial and have everything fall apart so completely.   My dog is better than we showed.

But, I guess it's all part of the process.  The good news is we took two more trips to the post.  We didn't kill anything.  It was a beautiful day.  I spent the day outside, with my dog and friends. 

And, Another Thing!

I have been excited about the new pot pie restaurant opening in downtown Reno.  Yes, a pot pie restaurant.  Yes, very excited.  They opened yesterday.  I've been trying to figure out when I'll be home on a weekend and my husband and I can go enjoy a pie.  Until today.  I was browsing their website and to my horror, noticed a link to the nutritional information about their products.  Nervously, I clicked.

Choose your pie.  Steak and Cabernet sounds good to me.  Nervously, I clicked.

Are you kidding me?

Calories:  840
Calories from fat:  360

Image stolen from Z-Pie.

A FUCKING WHOPPER is only:
Calories:  670
Calories from fat: 351

The Whopper.  The pinnacle of the worst food choice available in America.

But, I love a good pot pie!

I am sure that I will not admit how many times I go there.

Blog Slacker: Winter Blahs?

Last post was Feb. 22.  Lame.

Just after I typed that, I found my long lost Yoga Toes!  Things are looking up!  My feet are going to be so happy!

Winter blahs?  In this year Northern Nevada, where we have had virtually no snow, plenty of blue sky and warm-ish, or at least not bitter cold weather?  Maybe I am just programmed to to feel the blahs in February.  The no snow thing has not made me happy.  Yes, it is convenient in every day life, not to have to move mountains of snow out of your way, so you can do things like let the dogs out.  Walk to the mail box.  Drive to work.  But, it makes you worry.  About farms, feedling livestock, irrigating crops, watering lawns, rose bushes.

We worked dogs last weekend.  I was a disaster on Saturday.  Maybe some good came of it.  Sunday was better, ended with seeing a pair of bald eagles (my first) circling over head.  Just a trying week at work, among other things, one co-worker had a seizure while driving, totaled his car, fractured three vertebra, yet the airbags on his fairly new car did not deploy.  Tonight, I'm headed into a three day weekend and blaaaaah.

Tomorrow, we are setting up a practice trial course and Sunday we have a fun trial with two runs for Jane.  Jane has been on restriction all week, without unlimited access to me.  I left her home from work all week and put some extra rules on her, here and there.  My goal for the weekend, both in tomorrow's practice and in Sunday's fun trial is to continue to build on the trust we worked on last Sunday.  If I can trust her to stop and not slice, I can let her get further away from me and thus take more pressure off of her.  She needs to trust me, too.  I will let her have her sheep and keep moving, if she will keep moving the way I want her to move.

So, Welcome March!  Welcome the time change!  Four more weeks, and welcome home Pearl!  Her homecoming will certainly lift my spirits. 

I Have A Date!

I have a date for bringing Pearl home.  Maybe not home for good, but home for now.  Sorry about the glow eyes.  I got to watch video of her working, taken on Monday, and I am stoked about how she's doing!  I can't wait to start working her myself!  Exclamation points!!!  Bear with me through March.  Thank you.

Weekend Update

 

Who doesn't start their weekend with an oil change? While we were waiting, we went out to the vacant lot by the Jiffy Lube to play a little ball.  The field was pretty muddy from the recent snow.  After the game of ball, we went in to the lobby to wait.  Jane was her usual charming self.  The older couple who brought their early 90's Crown Vic (Bay 2, behind my dog hauling mini-van) immediately asked me if Jane was a working dog.  I said yes, and as a matter of fact, we are on our way to a sheepdog trial in California just as soon as this oil change and fifty other errands are done.  They thought that was really cool and told me they enjoy watching sheepdog trials on TV.  Are we in England?  Then, the cute little girl and her mother came in.  Jane positively adores little girls.  So they played and Jane got belly rubs and I had to talk to a child.  It's probably good for me.  

Finally, we headed over the hill and down south to Oakdale, California for one Novice/Novice run.  Only four hours each way, this time.  Better than 8 hours each way to Paso Robles.  Though, with no friends with me, I didn't stop for any wine tasting.

All that ball playing in the muddy field left Jane with hard, dry mudballs packed in her feet.  So after we arrived at the well appointed Motel 6 (it has a BATHTUB!). . .no, actually, if you need to spend the night in Oakdale, CA, the Motel 6 is actually pretty nice.  For a Motel 6.  Anyway, Jane got to soak her feet in nice warm water.  We got all the mudballs out.  Visions of the trip to Paso Robles and her shredded pads danced in my head.  I wanted her sound and able to run on Saturday.  I did use my own towels. . . so no thin, scratchy motel towel was stained during this exercise.

When her tootsies were clean and dry, the favorite squirrel came in from the car for a game.  That dog loves her squirrel!  I looked it up at work recently.  Since we got the computer system that tracks my purchases, which is maybe two years ago, I've bought 17 of these flying squirrels.  ChuckIt TradeMark Brand, you are welcome!

We went to the trial.  Meh.  Nothing horrible happened on our run, but nothing great either.  There was a ton of pressure on the field and Jane felt every bit of it, and I didn't know how to help her.  Especially on the fetch.  We lost all but one fetch point!  It was all over the place and a fast, hot mess.  I finally got her stopped and under control when the sheep made it to the post.

This is not at the trial.  This was today, back in Nevada, working on our favorite field.

Our turn around the post was controlled, if wide. On the drive away (this is Novice/Novice class), I was able to keep her backed off somewhat, so while the line was non-existant in my head (you try running this dog, keeping her backed off, and think about lines!), we got the sheep to the panels and most of them went through.  When I flanked her to turn them, she took a huge flank and put everyone back through the panel.

Sunday practice.  Not at the trial.

On the cross drive, I did get her backed off and the sheep even stringed out a little bit and flowed through that panel.  Stringed out?  Really, Ann?  They were walking nicely, not packed into a mad, panicked ball of wool.  Got them to the pen.  Had one chance to get them in, but never really settled them.  But, we never allowed them to circle the pen.  Timed out.  Or, the judge got tired of watching us and called time.  Didn't get video, so that's just my recollection of how it happened.  I know from video evidence that I do not have a great ability to remember it accurately.  So, anyone who was watching might have seen something completely different.

All the bad stuff was stuff we are working on.  I didn't get any surprises.  This is just where we are.  Jane is trying.  And I am trying.  And here we are.  I can't tell you how frustrating this is that it's taking so long to feel even a tiny bit accomplished.  I have chosen a sport or past time or hobby or passion that takes years to learn, much less master.  

The good stuff was I was out doing something with my dog.  I reconnected with a couple wonderful friends.  I made a couple new friends.  I saw a part of the country I haven't seen before.  Today, we came home and went back to practice.  Had a really good practice.  Reconnected with my training buddy.  Made her laugh; she made me laugh.  We had a beer.  Spent most of the day outside with my dog.  And, my dog is now asleep at my feet.  It's good stuff.

TMT: Going Out For Sushi; Not Sure I'll Get Through This

 
1. Jorgen would like to know what skill would you like to have that you don't currently have? 
With the dogs, I'd like to learn to read the stock better and have better timing.  I'd also like to be more convincing to my dogs when I whistle commands.  Well, Jane.  I haven't actually worked Pearl yet. . .I'm sure she is going to be just PERFECT!

2. If someone were going to play you in a movie, who do you think it would be?
I just asked my husband and his immediate response was Julia Roberts (for playing me, not him).  I said, REALLY??  He said "no, Janeane Garofalo."  Yeah, that's better.  Paul Newman would play my husband.

3. Kelsey wants to know what is a quality that you admire in a dog but would never fit with you?
Kelsey knows Jane.  And has seen me work her.  I rest my case.

photos by Carolyn Harwell, Look Back Photography.

If the dog in Photo #2 isn't just as pleased as punch with herself, I don't know my own dog!  I love that dog.  And she's just what I wanted in my first Border Collie.  But she is hard on my nerves and voice and heart at times!

4. If you had just enough money to pay someone to do one chore for you, what would it be? 
Clean the F'in' house!  Maybe I would end up like Katy, but I could really use some paid help to clean this house.  I'd just tip extra big, and maybe half clean before they got there.

5. Are you a procrastinator, a doitnower (I made that word up), or something in between?
I can't answer this now.  I have to find the perfect picture to accompany question #3.  And, I have to meet Mary M. and Mary H. for sushi at 7-ish.  At a huge casino.  Mary M. likes sport, so she's not telling me where in the giant casino to meet them.  I'm hoping there is only one place to buy and eat sushi at this casino.  Maybe I should leave now, and not even find a balls to the wall, eyes bugging out of her head picture of Jane.  It might take me a while to find them (the Marys).  Well, that picture of Jane in the sidebar is a typical trial picture of her.

***And no, thanks for asking.  We were not practicing shedding in those photographs!

Sundays = Favorite Days

 

We went down to work in Gardnerville this morning.  This is the ranch where Grace, Pogo, Jane and I all first started our herding careers.  I haven't been there to work in some time, but I needed a new field and sheep today and Sandy was kind enough to rent me some sheep and the alfalfa field today.  Jane definitely prefers a bigger field without fences, buildings, trees, or any other sort of pressure.  I told her she had to deal with her pressure issues and enjoy the beautiful backdrop!

These sheep are school sheep for two trainers who primarily train upright, loose eyed dogs for arena work.   So, Jane out in the field with her eye, was a little different for them.  Jane was ecstatic to find water in the ditch!  I think water in the ditch at the Haase ranch is a close second to sheep, on Jane's list of favorite things.

These sheep are knee knockers, compared to what we usually work.  Which proved to be not very useful on the lift and fetch, but on the drive away, she really had to keep her cool and push, which she really likes!  They also have a really strong pull to the end of the field, and I think covering the draw is second only to her love of the outrun.  Jane was a really happy dog today!

 

It was a beautiful morning, and great to see some friends I haven't seen in some time.  I hoped to get over to visit some other friends in the same area, but I ran out of time.  Great weather, beautiful day!!

It's Friday Night . . .

And I'm a wild and crazy guy!

TMT 2012 #6

Let me just start by saying, if you have a cold/cough and you need me to mix up some custom cough syrup for you, I can do that. I knocked myself out last night and I might need a second dose tonight. I slept through the entire night, a first for me, in recent history. This cold is just about kicked, but the cough is clinging to life.  For the nighttime cough, I can kill it with my concoction.  Daytime cough, if you are driving or operating heavy equipment, I can't help you.  Even light equipment.




1. Robin wants to know what your ideal number of dogs is?

My top is four.  In my current housing/no livestock situation, four is the max.  Two is ideal, I think.  But, I like pairs, so three is tough for me.  I get a new dog every four years, whether I need one or not.  Give or take.  If you compete in some venue with your dog, you usually have a retired dog, a seasoned dog, an up and comer and a puppy.  Well, if you're me, that's about how it works out.  I like that age spread, so you don't end up with everyone dying at the same time, hopefully.  And you've got dogs to work with, and dogs you appreciate for what you've done with them.  And, hope for the future.  Given a different job, home, land, access to stock, my answer might be different. . .but four is my max for now.

2. Lora wants to know if you find that your dogs are better or worse after time off from training? 

I think Jane would benefit from real work six or seven days a week.  She's/I'm lucky if we get twice a week in.  But, I think time off a couple times a year is good for everyone, no matter how much they love their job.  After a little lay off, Jane usually hits hard right out of the truck, but settles in and does well.   That said, the more I work her, given our availability to work stock, the more the better.

3. What is your favorite power tool? What power tool do you wish you had? 

I love that power drill.  I want a cordless drill and a cordless screwdriver.  Table saws and etc. are excellent and dangerous and something that I like my friends to have and to love.  Also, iPod and Droid Camera  and iPad!





4. What did you want to be when you grew up?

The only thing I've ever known for sure I wanted to be when I grow up is a philanthropist.  So far, don't have the budget for that.  Aren't you surprised I didn't say veterinarian?

5. How many of your friends are not "dog people"?

Now with the whole Facebook thing, I have more "not dog people" in my life than ever (not that many, really.  I'm being dramatic.).  I have worked for twenty years to rid myself of them, and now they come clawing back.  Thanks, Zuckerberg!

Having Pearl Home

Pearl has been home for a week now.

It's been great to have her home. Everyone was very happy to see her.

She's been going to work with me every day and seeing her friends there. At home, she settled right in and seems to be surviving without sheep every day.

She's home for four more days, then her vacation is over and she goes back to work.

Urban Herding and Custom Collars

My training partner, Mary, and I met Eric and Mia at sheep camp.

We all bunked together at Casa del Pato.  Both Eric and Mia are talented photographers with a great eye for a shot.  Eric makes super cool, custom collars at http://www.outrunnerdog.com.  And, now this great video!

Texture Tuesday

TMT #4: New Year's Resolution and Vision Boards

1. How do you search for and then choose a trainer?

I started working with a local trainer who trials in arena trials.  She's very good at what she does and very successful in trailing.  Along the way, I heard about a clinic with a top USBCHA handler; I went to that clinic, liked the clinician very much.  Went back for another clinic.  When I decided that what I was interested in was USBCHA style trialing, I stopped going to the local trainer and started traveling for lessons and clinics with that clinician. . .oh, you all know I go to P*trick and DD.

At any rate, I liked the way they handled their dogs and themselves.  I like the way they treat me, my dogs and my friends.  I think it's important to find someone who has achieved success at the highest level to mentor or coach you.

This was true in agility, as well.  It used to blow me away that I would see local people who were in the Open class giving lessons as a "trainer."  If you haven't gone all the way, so to speak, you don't really know what the end result looks like, so you don't know if what you are doing in the Novice class is going to come back and bite you in the ass.


2. The dog world is small and... uh... talkative. After choosing a trainer how do you handle those people in your life who don't believe in that trainer/trainers methods and criticize them to you?

I've had a bit of pressure to go to a trainer who is closer to me than Idaho.  I wouldn't say that people have been critical of the methods or trainers I use, but I've been pressed to go to someone closer.  I just explain that I'm happy with where I'm at and let it go.  I am limiting myself by this approach and things are taking longer, I think, than if I lived nearby and could take weekly lessons.   But, to use the J-word, it's my journey and I'm taking it as fast or slow or long distance as I like!

3. Do you believe that a person's personal life should influence your choice of a trainer? (i.e do you believe a person's choice to be a party animal outside of work would affect your choice?) 

If I'm getting results I like and I feel good about how I'm being treated and how my dogs are treated, I don't think it matters. 

4. When you have a break through moment with your dog, do you feel that moment makes your connection stronger with that dog and makes the next step in training easier? 

Yes.  Until we backslide again.

5. Do you stick with just one trainer, or do you go to multiple sources for help? 

Being so new to this, I've really tried to stay with just one or two trainers.  If I was getting multiple, conflicting veiwpoints, my head would explode.  As I said in #2, I've been invited to go to someone closer.  I have really resisted that because I didn't want additional views.  As I grow in this endeavor, I can see seeking out different methods or trainers, especially, if I was having a problem I couldn't fix.  In October, I went to the Helsley/Shannahan sheep camp.  That was my first time working with Don Helsley and I really enjoyed that.  Both are great handlers and trainers.  Helsley had a little different focus, which gave me more to think about.


I had a bit of an "ah-ha" moment with Jane yesterday.  It has nothing to do with sheepdog training or DD or P*trick or Helsley. . .or does it?  

I had Jane at work with me, as usual.  She was running around the store doing her thing.  She started doing something I didn't like, so I told her to knock it off.  She didn't.  I sort of ignored it.  I told her again, she ignored me.  I ignored her bad behavior, she ignored me.  Then I got mad and went to her and corrected her.  I finished what I was doing, then called her to me and asked her just follow me around while I was helping customers.  She stayed right at my heel without further correction.

This has been our struggle from day one.  I am not consistent about getting what I want the first time I ask.  When I do insist, she is happy to give me what I want.  When I consistently insist, she is happier to give it to me and we are a happier team.  There!  My New Year's Resolution: Consistently insist!  January 26, 2012.

At sheepcamp, I bemoaned the fact that Helsley wanted me to be more consistent.  One of my fellow sheepcampers replied that he thought my dog probably wanted me to be more consistent.

I've heard lots of things about Jane over the last four years. . .she's not a team player.  She wants to do things on her terms.  She's flipping you the paw.  Helsley told me, "She's not trying to be bad.  She wants to be a good dog."  I have taught her to blow me off, because I haven't always given her consequences.  I've been terribly inconsistent.  And they have all told me that.  And, I've heard them.  Yesterday, it was clear to me.  Again.

OMG!  Do I need to make a vision board about this, so I always am reminded of it?  Craft project at Katy's this weekend?  Glitter?

Hmmmm, Laura, what a can of worms you have opened here!

Wordless Wednesday

Jaenne Wanted To Know. . .

While everyone is waiting for TMT tomorrow, Jaenne was asking me about one of the dehydrated dog food diets.  I don't have any of the one she was asking about, but my dogs did have Honest Kitchen Embark for breakfast this morning, so I took some pictures.

I'm not sure why the light in this picture is so bad. Well, this isn't art, so I'm not going to go back and take another. You get the idea!  This four pound box retail at about $43, I think.  The box says it makes 16 pounds of fresh food.  The ten pound box retails at about $84-ish.  The four pound box says it will last about eight days for one highly active medium (31 - 50 pound) dog or 16 days for a medium, average dog.

The zip top bag is new and a welcomed addition!

This is what it looks like right out of the box, dry.

Add some water and salmon oil. Wait five minutes. Try not to get frustrated with the dogs who think they ARE ABOUT TO DIE!!! Dogs. Starving. Right now. Right here.

It's sort of the texture of thick cream of wheat. The Honest Kitchen Zeal (grain free, white fish) is much different. . .not was creamy. Breakfast is served.

Gracie

Our old Gracie.  She is 12 1/2 years old.  She'll be 13 in June.  What a lot of fun I've had with this dog, and what a world of wonderful people she has introduced to me.  Keep barking, Grace!  As long as she's barking at me for cookies, and to fix her meals, I think she's doing ok!