Double V Stockdogs

A Training Blog….

Posted 5/15/2010

Working a cast

starting a cast

Today Newt and I concentrated on our casting skills.  I want to keep him thoughtful and searching for balance and he casts around his sheep.  His “away” side remains his stronger side, still occasionally running tight and/or lifting early on his “comeBye” side.  But I am so pleased with his ability to check in on his sheep while he is outrunning.  I am careful so send him quietly, so he isn’t feeling rushed.  I have been having him lift sheep off of a set out person or some grain, so he is able to get behind them better.   I am still not sending him significant distances, so I can keep his work clean and precise.   I think that this is paying off.  I am starting to see some more eye

developing more eye

develop and he is thinking more on his lifts. 

posted 5/10/2010

Springtime Training

maintaining nice contact while flanking

Between lambing and working we are getting time to enjoy the nice spring weather and do some training on the dogs.    Tick works pretty hard with the lambing, so she isn’t getting in much training time in.  Newt however is still in school:)

We are concentrating on making his fetch and lift more consistent.  He still likes to push a bit, but for a young dog this is to be expected.   He is learning about keeping his distance and rating properly.  He is starting to feel for the proper flanking positions, so he is able to flank without disturbing the sheep and also maintain the proper amount of contact with them.  His driving is getting better and better.   He is learning to hold the pressure point to hold his drive line properly, and I am able to trust him to take more pressure from the sheep while doing so.

holding a drive line

Posted 4/22/10

Lambing 2010!

#708 and her ewe lambs

We are a week into lambing and so far we are 200% lambing percentage this year!  Not bad, but we still have lots of ewes to go, and several of those will be first time lambers.

Tick loves helping with the lambing, and she is very good at her job.  Our ewes lamb out in the pasture, we do not use lambing jugs.  After a ewe lambs, she is caught out in the feild, her feet are trimmed and her udder is checked.  Lambs are caught so we can record the health, sex and condition of each lamb, tails are docked and rams are castrated.   A calm dog, who is gentle and firm is needed to keep the ewes relaxed but allow us to catch her and the lambs.  Tick’s job is to balance the ewe to me, and keep her held while I come up behind to catch her.  Some ewes are very protective of the lambs and she must be confident and steady to do this properly.    Tick will come in and work when asked but will back off and lay quiet when not needed.   Newt will need a bit more maturity under his belt before he is steady enough for this job.

Posted 4-21-10.

Vancouver Island

Waiting for the ferry at Victoria, BC

 Just home from a beautiful trip to Vancouver Island.  It was a great trip, nice weather, fun people and lots of very nice dogs.  The ferry was quite uneventful compared to last fall, when we were visited by a pod of ~30 Orcas, jumping and leaping out of the water right along side the boat.  I felt like I had been on a whale watching tour! The dogs had fun on this trip.  Tick got to work some really adorable shetland sheep.  Newt learned about clinic and social manners, and he even got to work a bit too.     

posted 4/2010.

March Herding Camp

"Well done, Newt, well done."

This years herding camp was another huge success!  It was a great week, hosted by Brigands Hideout.  Three clinicians came to give new ideas and share some different perspectives on working stock dogs.  Larry Painter from Missouri, Lynn Leach from British Columbia, and Dianne Deal from Caldwell, ID.   The three trainers have complimentary styles, sharing some different ideas on subjects, but whose working styles were all geared to the same ideals.

Double V supplied to cattle, and I stock handled for the week.   I had three dogs available for the work; Tick, Newt and Gilly, a bearded collie I have been trianing.  The three dogs took turns doing tasks and I was esp. pleased with how well the younger two dogs did.  …seperating cows who were mixed in with sheep, sorting and dealing with tight areas of pressure, keeping cattle out of the RV camps while moving them through the parking lot.   It is nice to see these young dogs rise up to the challenges and think through some of the situations presented to them. 

I really enjoyed camp!  I had a great time watching the dogs, visiting with people and discussing training ideas.  On a few of the lessons with Diane, we really pushed Newt on distances farther than I would’ve thought he could handle.  Larry, Lynn and Dianne have wonderful ideas to share and great ability to communicate method.   Everyone  had a wonderful experience and learned a lot!   We are all thankful for the trainers who came out, and to Nancy Ward for her hard work organizing everything.        

posted 2/28/10

A fun past time?

Emily and Newt preparing for class

Traditionally our dogs are stockdogs and do not get trained in dog sports.  But this winter Newt made an exception!  A local Junior handler was needing a dog to train in a Pre-agility class.  Her geriatric Husky was not quite up for the task, but Newt seemed willing to learn!     Emily is teaching him to go around obstacles, through tunnels and over bars.  She works him on both sides, and runs him through his commands at class each week.  She expects him to lie quietly at her feet while the other dogs work or the instructor is teaching.  hmmm, he will not lie quietly at my feet while watching other dogs work sheep.  Maybe I am needing to raise my expectations:)

posted 2/2010

Balance work…

Tick working a lift

Today I sorted out 4 of our Clun Forest ewes and brought the camera for some training.   I wanted to get some nice pictures of the dogs, but I decided working green dogs and taking pictures at the same time is not as easy as doing this with a broke dog.  My camera needs the subject to be so close for a nice shot that I think the sheep are looking better than the dogs.  But either way, I got some pictures and had some fun doing it.  

Newt fetching the ewes

Newt is coming along nicely in his balance work.  He sometimes running a bit short on his Come-bye side, and needs a few reminders there.  I have been concentrating on helping him follow through on his flanks properly, so he doesn’t lift until he has hit balance for the past month.   Lots of quarter-flanking exercises, and feeling for balance.  He is doing a pretty good job at holding and finding the pressure points now.    He has such a nice initial cast that it makes me tempted to send him farther.  But, since he is inclined to draw in early I am restraining myself.  I want to be sure he understands his job before stretching him out to much. 

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Jan 2010

Tick holds sheep off the feeder while I feed

Great start to the New Year!  The weather was beautiful, cool temps and dry skies.  We even saw the sun today!   I took advange of the good weather to get a few pictures of my dogs.  Tick always enjoys holding sheep off the feeders while I feed.  She takes it very seriously and it definately makes feeding so much easier.  Newt got some nice training in today also.  Worked on some small gathers with him, first time I sent him, the flock was spread out grazing.   I was pleased to see him take note of the out lying sheep,

Newt practicing his drive

careful to include everything in his initial gather!   I did some work with him on a hillside to get him accustomed to adjusting his flank shape going up hill or down hill and we keep plugging away at getting that drive started!     

All of his work is pretty close at hand, but as he learns and gains confidence, I allow him to make more choices and give more oppurtunities to feel different types of pressure from the sheep.

 

 

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December 2009

Newt practices a hold

Fall has past and it is officially into winter now.  Our ewes should all be settled now, so just waiting for springtime lambs.  Newt is continuing to progress in his training.  I really think my patience in waiting to start him is paying off.  With only a little over a month of training on him, he is learning things quickly.  He is mature enough to take the pressure of training and able to deal with the mental pressure of controlling livestock. 

He understands the basics of balance, and I am now trying to challenge him with variations on that, and allowing him to make the correct choices.  We are doing short driving legs and lots of holding pressure.  He seems to be in a great learning phase, and is soaking things up almost as fast as I can teach him.  He still has periods of puppyness, but it is intermingled with moments of brilliance.  I think I may have a stock dog hiding behind those long legs!

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