Yikes - I'm out of shape!

This past weekend I was reminded that I am indeed out of shape!  Neither me nor my dogs have run flyball (in a tournament) since December. Sure, we practice with the team and I keep the dogs in shape, but nothing like running several dogs in a tournament setting to remind you of your age.  I counted it up and between my 3 dogs, I, the human, ran in about 60 races.  So by the end of the day Saturday, I was hurting.  So when I got home, I pulled out my trusty "Ortho Sport" massage oil that is loaded with essential oils and started rubbing it in.  It has anti-inflammatory and pain-killing essential oils and is perfect for strained and swollen muscles or ligaments. That night, when my head hit the pillow at 9:30 pm, I slept like a baby.  Well, that could have been  because I got up at 4 am that morning for my 2 hour drive to Madison, but the true test would be the morning after.   For my pups, this particular blend is a bit strong, so I located one of my many bottles of "Ortho Ease" massage oil and gathered around the 3 flyball dogs.  Starting at the base of the tail, I tucked the bottle under the fur and squirted a long, thin strip of the massage oil directly on their skin. I then gently massaged this into their back and muscles.  My old guy Satch (he's going to be 11yrs soon) loved it!  Riff and Twang did too.  They kind of had a "skunk stripe" down their back but it was very soothing to them. Riff normally goes wild when I put essential oils on him but this time he just stood and almost fell asleep with the massaging along his back.

Call me crazy, but on Sunday, I was up and at 'em again but this time, I'm off to a herding fun day.  Not as early as the day before, but the alarm went off at 5am.  As I eased myself out of bed, yup, pretty stiff but not horrible, not like normal. Those of us who run a lot of flyball call this the "flyball hangover." Your body was pushed physically to the limit.   But I've got to pull it together for my yet another 2 hour drive south to work on sheep all day, in the 30 degree temps.  I applied the "Ortho Sport" massage oil again - almost over my entire body since everything was feeling a little tight.  One thing I didn't count on is that it has peppermint in it and since I applied it after a shower on a cold morning - I was now FREEZING!  Quick, put on my multi-layers for the outdoors. But my stiff neck and arm from tugging, aching knee from kneeling on the mats, and my tight back from loading/unloading crates and the general running of flyball, were all feeling a LOT better.  All without any other pain reliever!

And, I'm happy to report that even after hours outside and all the activity of working sheep for quite a long time, I was still feeling pretty good.  Monday morning rolled around and me and all the "working" pups were actually ready for another fun filled, active day. 

I'll have my Ortho Ease and Ortho Sport massage oils at my side for my months ahead as I get back into shape.  Lots of "over doing it" ahead but hopefully, a more fit body to follow.

If you'd like to order these massage oils, click here www.youngliving.org/tresalaferty

A true partnership

When I first saw a border collie work sheep, I was mesmerized and amazed.  How could a dog do this?  The dog found sheep up a field, gathered them to the handler, turned them different ways, put them through panels far away from the handler and tucked them nicely into a pen.  All the while being given instructions from his handler by way of whistles or this strange "language" of trialing.  Why would you want your dog to get "away from me"?

I've watched many runs since then at various styles of herding trials. All the while still amazed by the independent work of the dog and slowly realizing that it is a trusting relationship with the handler that keeps them all on track.  Even though I have trialed my dogs in agility, flyball and herding venues, nothing compares to the connection and bond that is created in a field of sheep and working together with your trusty side-kick to get them where you want them. It is this connection and trust that has me thinking today.

These thoughts caused me to sit back and reflect on what is it that got me interested in this breed, caused me to actually buy sheep for my dogs and end up with 6 dogs in my house!  While mulling this over, I spent time watching people at herding trials and observing their relationship with these amazing furry companions. I learned that some people select a certain dog they think will give them the best chance of winning at a trial, others are there just to attain a "title" but a lot are there to experience something special with their herding dog. 

I recently participated in a Derek Scrimgeour herding clinic in River Falls, Wisconsin.  It was held on the beautiful grounds of Kensmiur Working Stock Dog Center.  During this clinic, we received awesome instruction by Derek but more importantly, we got to experience his mind as someone that has worked with sheep and border collies nearly his whole adult life.  Experience not in the sense of trialing or training to trial necessarily but from the perspective of a working sheep farm using border collies to get jobs done that would be nearly impossible without them. Many of us approach "herding" from what we learn watching trials but this is certainly not the approach that true stock handlers use. After time with Derek, I found myself pondering tasks like sending your dog out to gather sheep off the craggy hills and cliffs (not something for the faint of heart) and that got me thinking of the basics of their behavior; thinking about all the components that go in to this thing we call "herding".  It really does boggle the mind.

Still processing what I learned at the Derek clinic, I turned my attention to analyzing just what do my dogs "know." I sat back dumbfounded at my realization.  These dogs are such amazing creatures and I stand in wonderment at the skills of my beloved border collies.   I am astonished at their level of commitment, independent thought, willingness to keep learning and trying a different approach, their ability to problem-solve and their never ending dedication to their job.  I think of people who have never tried herding claim - "oh, it's not that hard, the dog just figures it out." Perhaps that is partly true, but there does need to be a plan.  Just how is it that your herding dog figures out that when you put your hand on the gate, the sheep should go through it?  We expect them to know it, but really, how do they "know" that? And further more, how do they know the exact position to get in to get them through that gate?  We just think it is "putting them through a gate," but it is so much more than that.  If we've done our job right, our dog trusts that we have a plan and they are willing to help us with our task.  I have my part of the job and by pup has his part - a true partnership.

So the next time I feel frustration towards my border collie for the ever popular "he won't lie down when I tell him to", I will shift my feelings to the state of incredible admiration to the millions of tasks he CAN do without me even asking him.

Tresa & Fleck

I love sharing my life and heart with such special creations. The future is exciting to contemplate when I know that I've got such a team of helpers to guide me along the way.  Always here if I need them, anxiously waiting to see what we'll get ourselves into next, and longing for the moment when our eyes meet after a work session and agree, "indeed, a job well done!"

Our third (and last for the season) USBCHA Trial

Fleck & Tresa, Crook & Whistle Trial 2010

On Sunday, September 12th, we ran in our third and final (for the season) USBCHA trial.  The Crook & Whistle trial was part of the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool festival held in Jefferson, WI.  The novice portion of the trial is held Sunday afternoon, after the 2nd round of Open runs.  Done this way, the sheep have been worked for three days and are usually pretty ornery.

For our novice runs, the course was re-designed to where the sheep set out and exhaust were the same location.  This makes for a tricky "lift" especially for these little novice dogs.  We had watched the open runs that day and were pretty keyed up by the time our runs came around at the end of the day. The outrun was fairly short so we were all worried that we wouldn't have time to settle our pups and sheep by the time we came around the post - we were all right.  Fleck started out on his outrun to the left or come bye side.  He was very shallow. To my amazement, he took a lie down and a redirect and kicked out nicely to continue his outrun.  His fetch was not great (on the list for the winter projects) - therefore the sheep bolted back to their buddies just a few feet away.  Fleck bolted too and kept them from reaching the gate and then continued to bring them down the field towards the post.  He took his lie down and flanks nicely and we continued around the post, through the wear panels (two chairs) and calmly walked them straight into the pen.  Yay!  We had a good run!

With a small novice class (I think there were only 6 of us) we were up again pretty quickly.  Both our adrenaline levels were still maxed out so it was anyone's guess how this was going to go.  He left the post in a nice kick out to the left, picked up the sheep and started his quick push down the field.  Fleck (and I) were feeling the excitement and lost our concentration.  The sheep escaped a couple of times - once took shelter at the feet of the judge and scribe along the fence (oops!).  Fleck got them off the fence very well but I was a bit flustered at that point.  We struggled to get them through the wear panel and then they bolted back to the exhaust/set out and we called our run.

We ended on a little bit of a downer but after thinking about the first run and portions of the second, I was very happy with our progress.   I am really proud that we have steadily improved after each trial and I have seen that Fleck has matured in a short time and is starting to fit into his "herding shoes" quite nicely.

Our big thing we learned at this trial - focus on your sheep!  Once my attention was set on settling the sheep and getting them through the course - things went very well.  The moment I lost that point and my attention switched to "what is my dog doing" then the whole thing didn't work.  For those of us who are in novice, we spend a lot of time worrying about "what is my dog doing" and forget that the whole reason we are out on the field is that there are SHEEP out there.  For sheep dogs, they look for someone to be in charge.  They're more than happy being charge of the sheep as long as we are in charge of where we're going and what we're doing with these woolly creatures.  When we has handlers forget the plan or worse yet, don't have a plan, well, then that's when things get interesting.  So I must always remember my map and directions when stepping out onto the field.   I just need a GPS that says "flank him right at the next turn" and all would work out fine.

Not sure if any of you have attempted it or not, but try to move unwilling, flighty sheep away from their group and through panels and into a holding pen that they cannot escape from - all without a dog.  It doesn't work.  You need your trusty pup to get the job done.  AND - they need you. Most stock dogs would be just as happy to sit watching "Sheep TV" for hours on end.  So it truly is a partnership of handler and dog.  You need each other to get the job done, but both of you must focus on the sheep all the while staying "connected" with each other. Talk about multi-tasking!

Stay tuned for more reports from "Fetching with Fleck" as we have a couple more trials before the end of the year but they are in smaller "arena" style courses. We look forward to continuing our progress in the "off season" to be ready for an amazing year ahead.

Our second USBCHA trial experience

Last weekend we ran in our second USBCHA trial, held in Portage, WI. The trial site (MacLeish Farm) is a spectacular site nestled in a heavily tree-lined valley accessed by a very long, winding road.  The Novice class was to run after Ranch on Monday morning so Fleck and I loaded up and departed our house at 4:30am that day to arrive at 6:30 am.  Sleepy pup and person.

When we arrived, I walked up the field to see what was happening and low and behold, they were doing the Novice briefing as they decided to run our class first! Yikes!  The walk out to the field where we were running was so long, I had to just grab Fleck and start our trek.  We missed the briefing so relied on fellow competitors to let us know what the course was going to be.  This was a big class - 19 novice teams.

We were about mid-way in the running order so had several people to watch in hopes of seeing the course as it should be run.  The sheep were pretty flighty and it didn't help that most of our Novice dogs were as well.  Hmmm, this might be difficult.

Our turn came and we walked up to the post.  Fleck did a beautiful outrun (the judge thought so too since he got a 20 out of 20 score) but the sheep didn't care for his "lift" and bolted.  Fleck did a nice job covering and brought them quickly down the field towards me - at a pretty good clip I might add.  We struggled at the post but got them around ok - well, if you count backwards as "ok".  They kept wanting to bolt away from him and we had to retrieve them a couple of times on the way to the panel.  They (Fleck and sheep) finally settled down after we rounded the panel and headed for the pen.  We had been working on the pen since the last trial and we put our lessons to the test.  He was a bit tight at first causing them to squirt around to the exhaust but after some corrective words from me, he listened and took a nice flank to bring them to the mouth of the pen.  Once they were all facing the opening of the pen, I took a deep breath and asked him to flank around to push them the rest of the way in.  He did take the flank and helped push them in.  Yay!

We finished the run with about 10 seconds of the 4 minutes left.  Whew! Good boy Fleck.

We didn't finish in the top part of the class but we were among the 7 who actually got a score so not bad.

We then spent the day watching the top 12 qualifiers compete in the Double-lift and International Shed.  For those who don't know what those are:  a double-lift is when the dog retrieves the first set of sheep (in this case 8) and brings them down the field to the handler.  They must then leave this set and then "look back" for the 2nd set.  It is predetermined which side they must do their outrun. In this trial, the first outrun was to the right or Away To Me side and the look back or 2nd lift is to the left or Come Bye side.

After the second set of sheep are brought down the field, through the center panels and joined up with the 1st set, all 16 sheep are taken around the course.  Around the handlers post (which for this trial is a cute stand that has three steps up so the handler can see more of the course), through two panels and then to the shedding ring.  Here, the real fun starts.

Of the 16 sheep, 5 have collars around their neck.  Without touching the sheep, you and your dog must "shed" those specific sheep out from the rest all the while staying inside the shedding ring.  Talk about a test of nerves and patience. Once you have these 5 separated, you must put them in the pen.  Puts things in perspective since I was thinking the pen was the hardest part of the run I had with Fleck.

Out of the 12 finalist, only 1 completed the shed and got to the pen.  Oddly enough, that person did not win.  The handler/dog team with the most amount of points won, Alasdair MacRae and Star.  Absolutely beautiful run and very precise work.

So the biggest lesson I learned from our second trialing experience didn't come to me until days after the trial.  I realized that quiet, respectful work - throughout the course is what it is all about.  It isn't a race to the finish line, it isn't even about completing all the tasks (although that IS part of the goal) but it is about doing each piece to the best of your "team's" ability. This might sound like a simple statement to some but when you are on the field with a novice dog and both of you are trying to figure out how to get these squirrelly sheep around a course in 3-4 minutes and your mind is trying to process all the details - feels like you need to hurry. 

For now, Fleck and I have a lot of learning to do but are having fun participating in one of the most rewarding (and sometimes frustrating) team events out there.  I feel blessed to have such a willing partner at my side that never seems to tire from my endless mistakes, lost tempers and confusing directions.  Good boy Flecky.

Our first USBCHA trial

If you follow me on Facebook, you already know - Fleck & I participated in our first USBCHA "novice" trial this past weekend.  If you are unfamiliar with this venue, USBCHA stands for the United States Border Collie Handlers Association.  You can read more on their website at www.usbcha.com. The trial we participated in was put on by the LOLBCA (Land of Lincoln Border Collie Association).

Fleck and I have run in several other herding trials including AKC and AHBA but never the USBCHA. Thanks to my flower essence blends and essential oils, I actually wasn't nervous even though we were to do an outrun of about 600 feet (or 200 yards), bring the sheep through a center line panel, around the post and then pen.  For those who are familiar with the other venues, even at the "novice" level, which is what Fleck and I are at, the handler cannot leave the post until the sheep have come around it. So once you step up to the post and send your dog, your pup is on their own to figure out how to bring you the sheep and keep it all in control - all things Fleck did with style.

One of the concerns of a Novice handler is "will my dog find the sheep."  We arrived on Thursday afternoon and I took Fleck out near the field and just sat for a few minutes.  The sheep were grazing in the field and I wanted to see if he could "find" them.  After the wind shifted and his nose started twitching, he turned his head and spotted the sheep. He smelled them first then followed that K9 nose to find his sheepies :) Yay - I felt better...

The Novice runs were first thing on Friday and started at 7am.  Good thing as it was very hot an humid in central Illinois that day. We survived the two Novice runs and ended up with placing 3rd in when the two scores were combined.

Two things we'll be working on - picking up sheep off of a spotter and penning.  He is so used to sheep that see a dog coming and take off to the handler he was a little uncertain with sheep that weren't too impressed with a dog that didn't "respect" their space.  The spotters held the sheep nicely and he was uncertain how to maneuver around that and pick them up.  Cool to see him learn how to do this during his runs.

I don't have a pen at home so we really need to work on this.  We had them in the mouth of the pen several times, but without practical knowledge of how to get them in smoothly, we struggled with getting the two ewes and 1 little lamb in there.

Biggest thing I learned - trust my dog!  The first round of runs, we were the last dog in the class.  So I spent the time watching what other people were doing - which way they sent their dog, how did the sheep react - all those things. I determined that a "come bye" direction would be the best approach for us.  I entered the field and approached the post and Fleck quickly settled into the "Away to me" spot.  I flipped him around and set up on the "come bye" side but his head was still facing "away to me".  I hesitated but realized that he must be reading the pressure of the field differently than I was and I set him up on the "away to me" side.  He was right. They wanted to bolt up the field to the exhaust and if he went the direction I originally wanted to send him - he would have lost his sheep.  He did a great job covering the draw on the away to me side.  I am very glad I was observant of how he wanted to go :)

Overall, we survived our first USBCHA trial and have two more coming up.  I can see we have a lot to learn, but it was such an incredible bonding experience - hard to put into words how special it is to experience this with one of my best friends and the little red dog in the class. Good boy Mr. Fleck.

Satchmo turns 10!

Today, my buddy, Satchmo turns 10 years old. Some of you have seen him performing flyball, agility or herding but you may not know much about him. So I thought it would be fun - today - to talk about the unsung hero, Satchie or officially known as "Satchmo Hits A High Note".

We don’t know too much about Satchmo’s former life but he originated somewhere in Florida and was bought by an “over the road” truck driver to serve as his traveling partner. The first 6 months of his life was spent with this driver as they traveled throughout the United States in their big rig. He had “vet” stops in the Dakota’s, Iowa and Florida, so who really knows where he’s been. His owner lost his rig and money luckily here in Wisconsin and Satchmo was turned over to the Humane Society as his owner had no place to live. Herding Rescue was contacted and he was placed in foster care.

It took us about 6 months to finally get him and he was welcomed home by his new brother and sister, Duncan & Meg. Meg is a pretty hard judge of character and she took to Satchmo right away - long lost pals.

In the 9 years he has shared our lives, he has learned flyball, herding, swimming, agility and the art of shaking a toy till it goes flying off into the distant field. In flyball, Satchmo has earned his Onyx Title, which is 20,000 points and has been a consistent team member for years. In agility - he was a late bloomer as it wasn't until about 2 years ago did he "decide" to weave. Since then he has earned multiple titles including:

NADAC: NAC, TG-O, TN-O, NCC, NJC
AKC: NAP, NJP, NFP, OAP
USDAA: PS1 & 2, PJ1, PK1, PD1, qualified for Grand Prix and Team Performance

Now on to the real part of the story… His first exposure to stock came at Merrily Steffan’s where we were going for herding lessons. All of the coaxing and happy voices I could make was not going to get him to look at those sheep or even fake an interest. When I had given up and was standing around chatting, Merrily’s guard donkey came strolling by. After it had passed us, Satchmo ran up to it and bit it in the, uh, behind… Such a brave boy, ha, ha!

I clipped him to the fence to watch as I brought out Duncan to work for his lesson. I’m out in the field working and Merrily called to me. Apparently, Satchmo need an example to follow. He had a big, herding, light bulb turn on in his head and he has been awesome ever since. It wasn’t until we moved from our small, city lot in Des Plaines, IL to our 8 acres in Wisconsin that we decided to get some ducks for herding. They were actually a “present” for Meg since she wasn’t too mobile and we thought she would like to push the duckies around. After several months or even a year, we thought to try Satch on them. He had a history of gripping when under pressure, so we weren’t too keen on putting him on fragile little ducks. To our amazement, he is an awesome duck dog. Working ducks took the pressure away of the larger stock and he has done very, very well working his feathered friends. He has even earned a High In Trial score on ducks. We don’t trial much but he has earned the following titles in herding.

AKC: HSa-SD, HIb-D, High in Trial in his first trial on B-course ducks and recently got Reserve High in Trial in Intermediate B-course ducks
AHBA: JHD-S/G, HTD I/II-D, HTD I-S, HTAD I-D

Satchmo is such a wonderful companion and addition to our family. He is very loving and enjoys his massages every morning. He is always doing something goofy to make us laugh. His agility class members chuckle as he's in his crate just banging around with his Frisbee "Satchmo, party of 1" they say. He looks out for his ailing friend Meg and sorely misses his good old pal, Duncan. He continues to amaze me with his young at heart attitude as we enter event after event and the common question people always ask is “How old is your puppy?” Truly confused when I say, “He’s 10.”

Satchmo has hit a high note for sure.