Saturday, June 13, 2009

Herding Practice

In case I haven't mentioned it before... i don't particularly like sheep. My dogs however LOVE to move them around. Thus, I cross train in herding. I work very hard to convince myself that someday, just maybe, I might actually enjoy this sport more.


I have many dogs to train, but they all don't train on the same day (2 hours is about all I can take of sheep :). On this day we worked 4 dogs total. I start off with the more experienced dogs
and they herd...

more experienced sheep [gasp]. These three don't look too intimidated by me or my dog, or the fact that I have very little idea as to what Im actually doing :) The dog however... she knows exactly what she's doing. Still, Im not feeling the love from these three :)

First dog up is Frenzy, my oldest dog, who will be turning 10 years old next month! Frenzy amazes me in this sport. She knows so much more then I will ever understand in her lifetime. She has tons of patience with me and often ignores my commands totally because Im wrong :) I really do need to learn to trust the dog in this sport!








That'll Do... Good Girlie!

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Next up is Banshee, another amazing herding dog. Banshee however does like to throw in a cheap shot now and again with the sheep. So I have to stay on my toes... and for right now, carry a rattle paddle :).






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From there we move onto the baby dogs. This was Got'cha!'s first time on sheep!

He was immediately interested and never once ate sheep poop (yippee!)

These are the sheep we used for the baby dogs. Arent they pretty!






What a great boy he is! An amazing first herding experience if I do say so myself!

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Even Jack, the non-border collie, got to work. This was Jack's first time on sheep too and he was great! Altho he did look like he was going to pass out with excitement a few times :)



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All in all it was a great training day and so nice to be herding in the nice weather! 

PS:  getting ALL the sheep AROUND the freakin' traffic cone...
PRICELESS!

Sometimes I really am easily entertained :)

Dog Party

Gotta love it when you can commute to a dog show from home. You can come back to the house, hang out on the newly renovated porch, jam to some good tunes and watch the dogs play!

Yikes! of course only wanted to "schwim"


Jive worked very hard to keep his sheltie self from getting wet in the sprinkler ;)

DAMN! I think a drop or two must of hit him!

Got'cha! likes the sprinker best when its being turned off. THEN its a good time to attack it
!
This dog party thing... ummm... yea well like "whatever!"... I hate crowds... and loud music... and...
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Banshee looking good but thinking  "do you KNOW there's a squirrel in the tree? HUH? Could SOMEBODY PLEASE get with the program here?"

Torch was actually caught on camera being a dog! GASP!

Friday, June 5, 2009

This just might be the most fun a dog can have!


Flicker, Wow! and Yikes! ready to take the plunge!

The race is on!

Notice Flicker on the edge...

Notice Flicker not in the water... but she is wet... how can that be?...

her toes are in the water...

up to her wrists...

Wha-oh... GASP! This was not part of the Princess' Plan!

Why is it that the paparazzi are always around in your worst moments?...

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And her brother Yikes! is not much better when it comes to water... except he isnt quite as much of a dork ;)
Handsome Boy!

Fishes?

gators?


"I am magnificent aren't I... yes, yes, I beleive I am..."

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and then there's Wow!

Splashin', squealin', love da water more then anything else in da world, kinda guy!

I sling mud and squeal really loud... and don't care who I get muddy with me.

I run up and down the creek making the water all muddy...

I find pretty little rock ledges and walk nicely on them so the paparazzi can get my good side...

and then it happens... we spot the intruder! [editors note: he swam around this stick for a good 2 minutes staring and talking to it!]

what IS this thing and where did it come from?... [editors note: he actually dug it up in all his wild digging and running. Its connected to a huge branch]

I shall kill it and save the world! [editors note: the SCREAM that he let out when he did this was hysterical!]

arrrgggghhh! I keil you... I keil you...

then i try to find the rest of you! [editors note: he had his head underwater long enough for me to shoot approx 10 photos!]

GASP! Choke! Air... I forgot I need to breathe to be able to save the world from rouge sticks...

When are we coming back Momma??? When???

September buddy... September :)