Upcoming Events

Let's see - Collie Regionals (Joy, Charlie, Lyric, Thorn and Armani) in Fl at Sherry Lee's next weekend, PBCA AKC Herding trial (Charlie, Joy, Pow, Brick, Whiskey, Blue, Nari) in Rougemont,NC weekend after that, and the rally/obed/conf Sheltie Specialty (Joy, Charlie, Blue, Nari) in Mebane, NC the weekend after that.

Sigh - choices. I'm missing a shot at working cattle to go to the Regionals, missing a shot at the C course title to go to the PBCA trial, and missing something else good to go to the sheltie specialty. Bleh. Ah well, not like I could afford to go to anything other than what I'm going to. I haven't been to Sherry's before, and if the sheep are good for C that would be fun to go to next time she holds it, and maybe I'd have Nari ready as well as Pow.

The pups are really starting to pick up the sheep stuff. Punch shows signs of doctor dog - found Tosha who got bit a few days ago in the middle of the flock and followed her a bit. Funny when that happens - it is much like those old cartoons where the scent trail grabs the dog by the nose and leads them in a daze to the source. Punch obviously didn't even know where she was going or why, just got pulled to Tosha and along with her as she walked. I wouldn't have picked Punch to have that skill, but hey, I'll take it. Pretty valuable.

Busy Busy!

I have a lot of posts to do:
A sheep breaking job
Goat clicker training job
The kelpie nationals fun day duck bowling
turkey goblets update
corgi herding demo and instinct testing for the annual corgi picnic


But right now heading out to get shavings, straw, turkey food for the next few days. You'll have to wait!

Second rate Silkies

Well, the results are in from the Chatham County Agricultural and Industrial Fair:
Buddy and one of his hens - Jersey Giants, 1st place
Drummers the turkey - Slate Cross, 1st place
Golden 300's brown phase - ? I think they might have eaten their ribbon
Golden 300's black phase - 1st place
Indian Runner ducks, Blue and white - 1`st place
Silkies, Partidge - 2nd place

Poor second rate silkies

I think that Drummers had a good time, she got to ride home in the front seat of the car at my feet.

ES HCT/JHD at Maple Grove English Shepherds

We provided sheep, entries and stock handlers for a local AHBA test Friday at Maple Grove English Shepherds. The sheep worked wonderfully at their first event ( every single one got to go), being calm with the dogs, not ever thinking of bolting into a fence, and being good little heavy sheep when the dog was working right, and wandering off when they weren't. A few of the gates were a little loose, so there was one incident of Mikey testing a gate latch and then making himself half his width and squeezing through, but that was at the repen anyway, and on one of my runs, and we fixed that situation for later runs by putting me and Pow in there.
Pow and my client Meredith with her BC Terra worked stockhandling - Meredith has only had Terra for 2 mo now and she's done a great job. So I handled DJ ( ES), Snap (ES), Lyric (Rough Collie), and Patsy (Kerry Blue Terrier) for clients- all got their JHD's. My clients were also there in droves with their own dogs - Janine and Duncan (GSD), Lindy and Bree (Smooth Collie), Meredith and Terra (BC) and Connie and Sophie (ES) and Jane and Maggie (Pem corgi) all got their JHD's themselves. A really nice ES named Honor his JHD's handled by his owner. The HCT dog did well, but as it was her first time on sheep, didn't have the control she needed to get her second leg, but she was well turned on and loved every minute of it.
Pow worked all day, and even played ball after - you'd never know he was 10! He was so happy to be working, and very professional when I was handling him - he was a complete handlful when Meredith traded Terra for him when Terra needed a break!

33 dogs tested for the Collie Rescue Reunion

Whew. Instinct tested 33 dogs in a row. 2 Shelties, 1 corgi, 1 chow/golden/something or other, the rest were collies, both rough and smooth. Pretty good results overall. A couple of dogs I would pick for chores - the big rough tri boy that shoulder checked and gripped, the corgi Marley who was very easy to work with and had plenty of guts and power, and the rough sable older girl named Lady who just did her job with ease and calm, totally an easy dog for her owner to learn on. Hopefully raised a bunch of money for rescue!