Rule of 10 - for stockdogs

Fly and I had a great herding session today, again!  Her stop is getting better and better. Laurie says she saw some indicators today that Fly is learning the meaning of 'come bye' and 'away'! We worked on a wider flank and partial flanks. Partial flanks means I only let Fly go about 2-3 hours on the clock , then ask her to 'lie down'. I'm still amazed by the amount of control i'm getting with her! See rule number 1 below.

I found this wonderful list at workingaussiesource.com.  I think I've heard all ten of them! Number 1 in just the last two weeks.

THE RULE OF TEN

by Jay Homan, Rose McCleod, & Darlene Lasko
1. TRUST YOUR DOG!
2. LEARN TO WALK BACKWARDS
3. KEEP MOVING
4. WATCH YOUR SHEEP!
5. KEEP YOUR DOG OFF THE SHEEP
6. DON'T WALK STRAIGHT ONTO YOUR SHEEP
7. PUT A GOOD STOP ON YOUR DOG
8. BE AWARE OF WHERE YOUR DOG IS
9. DON'T FOLLOW YOUR DOG
10. ALWAYS BRING THE LARGER NUMBER TO THE SMALLER NUMBER— DO NOT CHASE A SINGLE
THAT'LL DO! 

Come bye and Away to me

Fly and I had an awesome day herding!  Laurie says it was the best yet.  Fly was nice and relaxed and 'going nicely' around the sheep.  She was on the edge of chaos which Laurie says it good!  Now that I have control of Fly, we were working on letting Fly loosen up and get back her natural speed.

The last two months I've  been working on getting 'respect' from Fly.  She is doing great now, sits and waits at the gates, Lies Down when I tell her (without yelling) and finally does a 'That'll Do' and almost runs off the sheep!  I was able to stand 20 feet away from the sheep with Fly on a down just waiting , not running off like a crazy puppy.

So, with that control, I was able to get her going around the sheep , on wider circles so we can work on flanking commands , Come Bye (clockwise around the sheep) and Away to me (counter-clockwise).  It's hard to learn how to move properly and which side of the sheep to be on.  Fly and I are learning together and today it came together nicely!  

We started with a nice pickup at the beginning, and had two more nice ones throughout the session.  Fly and I walked out away from the sheep , NO LEASH :-), and i put her on a down.  Then i walk toward the other side of the sheep, not on a direct line but away from Fly, I then let her start walking, then ask for her to go around.  It wasn't perfect but I'm finally learning to take advantage of any fast running by continuing to move away from Fly.  This gives me the distance she needs from the sheep and allows me to set her up for another flanking command.

Things I'm learning and need to continue working on:

1. TRUST my dog. Fly WILL lie down when I ask her so I have to allow her to be natural and FAST (which can be scarey) because I now CAN control her.
2. Send Fly to the sheep butts, not the heads.  This allows her to turn the sheep, instead of running into them.
3. Take advantage of Fly leaving the sheep.  Use this time to get some distance and prepare for her return.  Get ready for a flank command when she gets back!
4. NEVER say a flanking command in a harsh tone.
5. Make sure she is moving BEFORE I give the flank command since she doesn't know them yet.  We are still learning.
6. KEEP it FUN!  If I shut her down, then Fly is not having fun.  Today was wonderful, I could see she was having fun.  I stayed loose and relaxed.  
7. Give her a job.  This is like number 6.  If she has work to do, it's more fun for her!  Again, this means letting her GO.

Next challenge, get more video! Thanks for following along.

Longarm quilting progress

I've been doing a lot of quilting lately and I've been pretty happy with my progress, especially since my class with the dealer.  Here for your viewing pleasure.
 

My attempt at 'McTavishing

Love this 9-patch by Janet Mehmert.

open feathers in the border

Cat tails to go with the kitty theme

The back of the kitty quilt, more tails in each corner.

continuous line with a twist, love this idea and how it turned out.

The back of the quilt above, again love how this turned out

close up

my attempt at 'sticky buns' free hand

the back

table runer, the green swirly print was my inspiration

I won a giveaway!

A few weeks ago I won this awesome giveaway from my friend Gerry!  I was forced to loan the recipe book to my daughter but I still have everything else!  And I love the little note pad.  Thanks Gerry!

 awesome apron.!

 Doesn't that look scrumptious?

Clinic with Gordon and progress update

We haven't been herding much lately because its been trials time and Laurie is busy helping with trials or competing with Bandit so Bandit can qualify for the 2011 Aussie Nationals.  I attended an AKC and ASCA stockdog trial to see how these things work and to get Fly used to the environment.  It happened that both of these trials were at the same farm in Washington MO.  It was nice to meet some people and I even got some experience moving stock when I was drafted to help at the ASCA trial. 

Fly and I got about 10 minutes of work after the first trial day of ASCA.  It was light attendance and we were just getting the stock ready for the next day.  We basically ran a 'started' course, thru two gates, along the fence.  Fly did pretty good considering it had been 3 weeks since she'd worked any sheep.

I met Jerry and Sharon Rowe from Kansas who have been in the Aussie world for about 40 years plus.  I then audited one day of his clinic and learned about the sheep pressure 'bubble' and how when dogs get too close into the bubble, the sheep explode.  Very good explanation!  Also , Sharon helped me with getting respect from Fly .  I realized that I'd been letting her get away with badness, pulling me around the field, etc.  We are making good progress here!  Now all the dogs have to sit/stay when I open a door, I go out first, then they come out and sit/stay again while I close the door.  THEN they can be released.  Its definitely taking a lot of the doorway chaos out of the picture!  I also need to work on 'with me' when walking with Fly . She is NOT allowed to be the boss!

Finally we had another lesson and we are working on smoother outruns.  Fly has a tendancy to cut in too close.  We need to round out that 'outrun' and make it smoother and calmer.   Then Tuesday of this week we had a clinic with Gordon Watts.  Back in June we tried to go but Fly wouldn't work for Laurie and I wasn't ready either.  Gordon said 'big improvement'!  yay!  Fly worked well and Gordon helped me out the outruns. 

What I need to do is be on the far side of the sheep before we start with Fly on a stay.  Then ask her just to walk, as in fetching. THEN I can turn a bit as I described in an earlier post, this sets Fly up to do a little outrun to get around the sheep.  I use the 'shhh, shhh ' sound to tell her to go around.  The fact that she is already walking helps keep the whole process calm.  I can also add the 'come by' and 'away' flanking commands to teach her direction.  We had a 2nd session at the end of the day , very short, and we did MUCH better.  Gordon also stressed that short quality sessions are MUCH better than training too long and getting bad results.  Can't wait for more sheep time!

Half Square Triangles awesome sewing trick

This way of sewing all around the blocks and then cutting twice is awesome!

Missouri Quilt Company HST trick

Zen sheep herding.

Had a good session sheep herding last Friday. and Monday about 5 of us are all going to spend the afternoon taking lessons and watching each other. Can't think of a BETTER way of celebrating Labor Day!

Some notes here to remember what we learned on Friday:
1 - Default action is to fetch those sheep. Fly and I have learned this pretty well. She balances nicely to me and amazingly doesn't push them too hard any more! I'm able to zig-zag about and she follows nicely! So, when things aren't working out well, FETCH!

2 - We want to teach Fly that she doesn't need to BAM into the sheep. There are other ways of approach. So, to teach this, during a fetch I would ask her to 'Lie Down'. At this point I want a good stop. I keep moving away with the sheep. Then I can ask her to 'walk' and to start walking again. Getting her to start walking during all this nice calm time will encourage her to be gentle.

3 - Get Fly to have a wider outrun. While we are fetching, I can ask Fly to 'Lie Down'. This time she doesn't have to stop but a hesitation would be good enough at this point. This gives me a moment or two to come round the sheep so we are only about 3 hours apart on the clock with the sheep in the middle. Then I use the 'shhhhoe sssshoe' sound (which means go round the sheep) to get her to balance to me on the opposite side of the sheep. If Fly is cutting in straight at the sheep instead of nice and round and wide, I can say 'HEY YOU' to get her to go wider.

4 - We also want a calmer pickup at the beginning. I need to be calmer myself. I need to get closer to the sheep, put fly on a stay, and then get between her and the sheep.. Then ask her to 'shhoe, sshhoe' and only HEY if she is too straight. One thing Laurie said is 'there is no emotion in herding'. I don't need to get angry with Fly , just let her know she should stop doing whatever it is she is doing. All the while, keeping calm.

Would that be Zen sheep herding?

Updated my blog design!

What do you think? It was time for a makeover. I really like the new colors and green is my favorite of all!

Also, a wonderful quilting reference for my fellow quilters was added to my favorite links. quiltinglibrary.blogspot.com. As Betty will attest, you can spend HOURS on this web site.

Go Cutter - what a great new tool for quilters!

Ok, today I'm just trying to win a Go cutter. If you haven't heard of it, its a new way to cut fabric for quilting and its a HUGE time saver. I've been trying to win one for the last month with all the great giveaways. If i don't win one before Christmas, this would be a great present! HINT, HINT! .

Go to http://www.ryanwalshquilts.com/ for a giveaway this week.

I'm going to ask for the 2.5" strip cutter, Winding Ways, and Blazing Star templates. If you need that web site, here it is accuquilt

FYI, we are semi-finishing the unfinished space, will have to rename it the 'Quilting Room' and then i'll have a nice warm, bright space to play with quilts.

Loving the cool rain today, its kinda overcast and gray but I love the sound of rain.

Yes, we CAN move those sheep

Well, its been 4 months since we started herding with Laurie. I've been working fly since early July. We've both learned a lot. Fly has a decent pickup of the herd and does well with fetching them to me. She is balanced now which means she stays on the opposite side of the herd from me. We are ready to learn 'come by' and 'away' now! These are long videos but a very good example of what we do at each lesson. Laurie will tell me one or two things to correct each time. Wow, this is so much fun! Be sure to listen to Laurie on the audio, some interesting comments about herding, Fly , and the first time her dog ever saw ducks (at a trial!)

Part 1 of the Lesson


Part 2 of the lesson

Yes, I DO have other hobbies!

Ok, just so you don't think that dogs and horses are my only active hobbies, here is a quilt that my daughter made. I did finish the border for her and also pieced the backing. We skyped to make decisions and I'm very happy with the final product. What do you think?

The day that changed everything!

I was just reminiscing about how Fly and I got started with sheep herding. Thought you might enjoy a video of Fly the first time she ever played with sheep. I didn't know there were two methods of training at this time, small pen vs. field, but she had a lot of fun! Now 5 months later, Fly and I can work in a 10 acre field and move sheep! yee haw its fun! I promise to get an updated video of Fly soon.

For now, here is a picture of her cuteness at home. She is being shy for the camera as you can see by her ears.

Fly and Callie playing - these are GOOD sounds you hear. 

Fly's first time EVER on sheep. March 2010

Fly working with Laurie April 23, 2010

its HOT here.

Man its been SO hot this summer. But i'm trying not to let it slow me down.

Fly and I went herding today for the first time in TWO weeks. I have been experiencing withdrawal! She did VERY well again and was balancing to me and starting to 'rate' the sheep which means she is not pushing them to me too quickly. Only a couple of times did she push so hard that the sheep went around me and I ended up on the wrong side of the flock. She also did a nice easy pick up the first time. We need to continue working on the initial 'outrun' until we get to the point that she starts by my side, goes OUT to get the sheep and fetches them to me. Fun fun!

I've also been busy quilting charity quilts to get experience with my new quilting machine. I think i'm getting better with each quilt and also trying to get more creative as well. The last quilt I did with McTavishing and I think it turned out ok!

Alas, twodraftmom is no longer true - and long overdue herding update.

I lost my wonderful Belgian mare Babe a week ago. I have no idea what happened but last Monday she was just dead in the pasture and had been for at least 12 hours. I found out that draft horses live 20-25 years and she was about 20. She was my best horse (sorry Bob) and will be sorely missed. Bob and Pepper have taken up quarters and I saw them grooming each other heartily last night. We are down to 3 horses now, after the loss of my Missy last fall as well. I have made the decision not to replace her at this time.

On a happier note, sheep herding is progressing nicely with Fly. I signed her up for a clinic at the end of June but she managed to pick THAT DAY to stop working for Laurie. The very last session just before the clinic I had been in the field with Laurie and maybe she just decided it was time to work for MOM! So, time for Claire to get out there and DO it instead of just watching. It was a slow start but I have been watching Laurie closely and have picked up what to do fairly well(according to Laurie). Yesterday Fly was balancing sheep to me! This means that as i would move one way around the sheep, she would follow to keep the sheep balanced between us. And, as I would move the other way, she would also move. Fly is hearing 'Lie Down' and understanding it means she is in the right position to balance and then fetch the sheep to me. I'm so proud of her! If you know me, you know i hate to sweat but i have to say , as Fly gets better, this gets more and more fun! The sweating is ok by me and maybe i'll lose some weight!

Things to work on:

1. Try to get better fetches, both initially and whenever she is going towards the sheep. I need to push Fly out earlier from me to prevent her from side-swiping the sheep. She needs to respond to my pressure and start working on a nice 'get out' to gather the sheep. On a fresh fetch, I need to stand between fly and the sheep, let her go, and then again , push her further out to prevent herd busting.
2. More switching direction once she is on the back side 'fetching' them to me. Last night she was paying attention and did switch from left to right at least 2x!

Agility updates : Callie is temporarily taking a break after she came up lame. We are doing anti-inflammatory for 2 weeks then will do a recheck. Since the last blog we started advanced agility and she did great. Since she came up lame last class, I was able to run Barb's REALLY fast dog. It was lots of fun and will be something to aim for with Fly. Fly finished agility teamwork and we did well, I need to teach her weave poles and keep working on simple jumps, front and rear crosses, watching me, and following me around a course. I also need to start working her at a distance.

Dog agility week 4 and herding update

I took Fly and Callie to agility class Tuesday. We are 4 weeks into a 6 week session.

Fly is taking Jumps class. So far she has learned to jump 6 jumps in a row with a single 'go' command'. She is also beginning to follow me from jump to jump, especially as we go around corners. Fly is still a pup and doesn't pay much attention to me in the ring. She especially is easily distracted by other dogs. Our homework this week is to work on 'watch me' and more angled jumps with a final goal of jumping in a circle. I need to slow down and keep a closer eye on Fly.

Callie is taking beginning agility handling mostly so I can learn handling skills. So far she is the star of the class and has received many accolades of 'perfect run'. We learned 'front crosses' and Callie did well with that. When we tried 'back crosses' however we ran into Callie's weak spot. She does NOT like being handled, she has NEVER like to be picked up. To teach the back cross I first had to teach her to 'switch' away from me. Basically , if she is on my left, I want her to do a left hand turn away from me and at the same time I'm also turning left. Then Callie ends up on my right side. We were able to do this to the right using her 'spin' command but doing this on the left was much harder and of course when I tried to cue her by touching her side, she just backed away. Anyway, after a few days we got it worked out and now she basically has a spin both clockwise and counter-clockwise.
Now, lets return to the 'back cross'. During class we didn't do well. We decided that I can basically outrun Callie ( she IS 10 ) and we don't really need a back cross! Ok, thats wimping out but I DO need to learn this for Fly. Homework with Callie; Work on a 'go' command to get her to work in front of me.

Herding update:
We are about 4 weeks into herding lessons for Fly. She has a lot of natural instinct so I'm taking her to Brazito to play with sheep. She is learning how to get the sheep to move. These last two lessons she has been in the 5 acre field. The first time she ran at 110% speed for the first two minutes and then she crashed. She did get back in the game but MAN she has a long tongue. At one point she was running with her tongue hanging out 4 inches and it was FLAPPING! Monday she only ran at top speed for about 30 seconds. She then settled down a bit and was doing great circles around the sheep. Laurie is working on getting Fly to go 'out', that is , not so close to the sheep. She is also trying to get Fly to change directions and go counter-clockwise (Away) as well as she does clockwise (Come by). Fly took a couple of direction changes well and was also doing a nice 'balance' of the sheep to Laurie. The goal is to be able to move the sheep in a figure 8 with Laurie leading and Fly pushing. Updates to follow!

p.s.
You'll be glad to know I bought a belly band for the single horse harness so we'll have no more repeats of the cart incident from the last post! Can't wait to use it and I hope I measured it correctly and its big enough to get around both Babe and Bobs bellies.

Sheep herding lessons and driving lessons for Claire/Babe

I took Fly for another Sheep herding lesson today. Its really just slightly organized sheep chasing at this point. Laurie says Fly has lots of potential! She is doing better at going AROUND the sheep. They also worked on pushing the sheep out when they get stuck on a fence. It's Flys job to make a space between the fence and the herd in that case and she's getting better at it. I'll work on getting a video next time!

Sunday we took a little drive with Babe, my Belgian draft horse.
Let me share with you our little forecart experience. I was
driving Babe single in our forecart. I was using the team harness with the loop
holder attachments that snap to my harness. I had told my husband (i'm the
horse person, he just helps me) that I really needed to get a belly band
attachment to keep the shafts from going up .

Well, my husband said, "lets go this way through the pasture, no problem, i take
the tractor this way all the time", It was down and up a rather steep draw..
so guess what happened when we got to the other side?

RIGHT! , the shafts, helped by TWO people in the forecart slid up and over her
shoulders and head! yikes. Fortunately there were trees all around, no where
for her to go really and BAbe stopped when i told her. The backrest of the
forecart almost on the ground.. Randy stepped off, and went to Babe's head.. The
shafts were kinda caught right on her bridle and he was able to get it off and
push the cart back down.. Randy then led her up to a flatter spot . So yeh, i
REALLY need to get the full belly band attachment made..

Disaster averted.. thanks to a good solid mare even though, based on her
behavior, I'm not sure she's ever driven single before! . O, did i mention my
husband walked back to the house ? hehe.. I guess he doesn't trust me ?