Spring, or was it summer, arrived in Lakeland at the end of March in the form of a heatwave! The clocks were put forward and we enjoyed some lovely, warm and sunny days ...
The days are getting warmer
The last remains of snow on the Lakeland mountains
The hedgerows are bursting with daffodils
The ponds have been ... busy!
Arctic Fox - happy in her work
Cafe Latte Girl ... fed up with waiting for her turn to work sheep
Handsome Lad in full concentration mode ... with a little help from his shadow
The Mad pup ... half-sister to Cafe Latte Girl & Aunty to Pocket Rocket
High Noon
Cafe Latte Girl and mate New Boy ... relaxing in the sunshine
New Boy in action
"Wait for me" ... Pocket Rocket
New Boy and Cafe Latte Girl's Search Puppy - with us for her hols
Hector arrived, along with some of his mates, almost four weeks ago. They have come to help us with our sheep work!
The arrival of the sheep hasn't been without it's problems and frustrations. Within the first week, one was decidedly off colour and another came down with a bad leg, so two were removed from work. I had an idealistic image that arrival of sheep might mean being able to train my dogs on them daily and within a month see some advances in our training. Sadly that's not been the case. I have seen progression, but not necessarily in what I was wanting to work on.
Handsome Lad stretching out
The sheep haven't been worked by dogs before so they aren't what we call 'dogged'. This has led to incredible frustration on my part. Whilst the sheep are ideal for Pocket Rocket, they're calm and there's much we can do with a bunch of calm sheep, Handsome Lad has struggled to move them. He had started to drive and I need him to be able to move them, but they just wont budge. Nor will they budge for my friend's Trials Girl and she's supposed to be a professional. It's been suggested I'm doing something wrong ... that may well be the case, but it's yet to be suggested what I'm doing wrong and I haven't got the fogiest what it might be I'm doing wrong, if I am!
So, for the time being, Handsome Lad and I are working on improving the start of his outruns, and his flanking.
I am very pleased with the work Pocket Rocket is doing. She's now worked sheep about four or five times. This short video shows her lovely right handed flanks, she's gentle with the sheep but she can be tough with them too.
Last week was the week. I'd been waiting a long time for this ... the time to introduce Pocket Rocket to sheep to see what she did!
She has been 'working' the other dogs for some time now, and a couple of weeks ago developed the most amazing outrun when they all went through a gate, going out wide and dropping at the 12 o'clock position to me. Nothing close to being the same as working sheep, but ... what she was showing me was she had some very lovely, natural moves.
At 7 months old, it was time to see what she was made of. She has seen sheep in the distance, she has seen them in my friend's yard when they've been penned to worm, etc. However, I haven't walked her close to sheep and never through sheep. Until I decided what I wanted to do with her I didn't want to put her in a position where she showed interests only for me to flatten it, or not to have interest at all only for me to worry about it!
So, off we went, the Collie Mobile loaded with doggies and accompanied by my friend Sue to Thomas Longton, a very experienced handler, trialist and trainer and very importantly, the owner of Pocket Rocket's father!
I've given up editing the footage taken on Sue's mobile, so it's pretty much in its entirity. I also gave up trying to put explanatory titles in the footage.
The first 5 minutes' of Pocket Rocket's work is not included. She started off loose outside the round pen, just left to her own devices to see what she'd do. Well, she just had a general mooch around to start with, until ... a sheep in the pen moved. Then. Well, 1 circuit of the round pen running around fast and with tail held high. Then, magic, a slower pace and tail dropped to a beautifully relaxed manner - watching a dog's tail whilst working sheep is a big indicator of whether the dog is relaxed or not.
The first words uttered by Thomas were ... "she's stylish". Result!
Thomas took her into the round pen for a couple of minutes then it was my turn. That was a surprise, I hadn't expected to handle her - in my inexperienced hands I had concerns over wrecking what might be there. Needn't have worried!
Things to look out for in the clip - she starts off working on a long line. This enables a stop if needed ... that is, if she wont stop when requested you leap on the long line! Not always easy in a rocky, slippy, muddy round pen.
Watch out for the set of her tail - perfect
The stick is used to create 'space' and the bag on the end is for a bit of noise - good to get attention when otherwise adrenalin takes over
I move to create a change of direction of the sheep and in Pocket Rocket
She's keeping well out from the sheep, nicely balancing
I call her in (she understandably doesn't want to come to start with) to remove the line - things go a bit hectic here for a moment or two. That's absolutely fine, remember she's 7 months old and this is her very first time, ever, with sheep.
Towards the end of this first clip she's encouraged to work closer in
After this the sheep start to stand up to her ... she moves in to them. That's very impressive, believe me it is :)
This move is very much encourage to build confidence - not something she was lacking particularly.
In this second video clip Thomas takes Pocket Rocket into a big field with sheep, again on the long line to start with. Not something that would normally be done at this stage of training, however, I am in the process of deciding whether to get some sheep. I have the offer of some fields for 6 months, maybe more, so it was a case of seeing what she was going to be like in the situation I may be working in a month's time.
I think given the space and the speed of the sheep she ... well, I'll let you make your mind up about how that was going to end!
So, the Pocket Rocket ... attitude, enthusiasm for life, intelligence by the bucket load and looks like workability. I wonder if there is anything she wouldn't do well ... am thinking she probably wouldn't be suitable as a pets for therapy dog - not yet awhile anyways!
The Pocket Rocket was outside with me this morning. Whilst I was distracted doing one job she’d apparently busied herself doing another job. All had been quiet for a little while, this isn’t normal when the Pocket Rocket’s around, so I went off to investigate.
I found Pocket Rocket, she’d certainly been busy ... with a bit of gardening!
Life is never dull when there's a Pocket Rocket about!
As this is not our garden she’d decided to remodel, we both felt we’d better repair the damage. I hope the owner of the garden will agree it’s actually an improvement on what it was before.
Pocket Rocket's excavation work!
Pocket Rocket after the planting up - she doesn't look approving
Pocket Rocket says she’s available for hire should anyone wish an excavator.
It's been a hot, sunny day in South Lakes and the dogs have enjoyed a lot of out time today.
The trip to this particular field always amuses me as we always seem to have Cafe Latte Girl at the gate catch, waiting to go through the gate first. However, it's always New Boy who is first into the field. He can't be bothered to wait at the gate like everyone else, he has his own route in. I just love the way he stands in position waiting for everyone else to run through!
I have the good luck to live with five fabulous Border Collies. I have competed in agility with Womble Bum, who also enjoyed flyball, but an early injury led to retirement. She was dragged kicking and screaming into the world of obedience and took me to compete at Crufts in 2009. She was joined in obedience by Handsome Lad. Two very gifted and talented dogs who could achieve great things, sadly held back by a fairly hapless handler! (I don't think they mind too much.) Handsome Lad, Cafe Latte Girl and New Boy all work sheep and one day I dream of competing in trials with them. They know what to do but are having to train me! Arctic Fox has yet to decide what she wants to do in life ...
