Trial Report etc.

Well, the weekend is over and I am bushed. Seriously tired. It was a great weekend, and now it's time to get back to normal, what ever that is.

I met my friend at the Finality farm sheepdog trial on Friday. That was after a day of work, and trying to meet the guy who cut down all the trees for me, to pay him. I waited 45 mins and he never showed up. He calls me several hours later to tell me that he thought I meant another time. Jeez.

Well, I get to the trial anyway, and we commence to watch the runs. These were Kathadin/Dorper sheep. These are not your well dog broke animals, and they made every dog work hard. Sometimes they ran, sometimes they stopped. Real test. The judge scrutinized each run with equal firmness, and being that these were not trial sheep, and the scores were not high. The second day, the winning open score was a 69. These sheep were not penners either. I think there were less than 10 pens for all the weekend (and that includes the novice runs too). I saw some of the best pen work in my life, yet still no pen. Since the shed was after the pen, there were even fewer sheds.

After watching for a while, I started to get a bit sick. I did not really want to run Lucy under this judge, I felt like we didn't belong. I mean, if an open dog can score that low, I just don't want to even try. I basically had an upset stomach all weekend. I was just plain intimidated.

Friday evening my friend and I had a nice dinner out at a local restaurant. The next day, Saturday, more runs were watched and Danny and Lucy got to hang with me for a while. We hit the same restaurant on Sat night, and had more good food. When we returned home Sat night, I found that Ginger had peed on my bed. Great. Laundry until 10:00 pm, and I was TIRED.

Sunday was our turn. I had Lucy out for a long time (mistake). When we go up there, I was mildly nervous (that's an understatement). I get out there, send Lucy come by, she does a marginally good outrun, lifts okay an then does not take a stop on the fetch. She rattled the sheep, and a dog cannot rattle these sheep and EVER make up for it. It was terrible. I did get her to lay down a few times to start the drive, but it just was bad. I was not happy. Lucy was, as an open handler said- in panic mode- just covering and so worried that they would get away. Another person said I had her out too long. Whatever the case may be, be I was mortally embarrassed and just ready to just stop with her. She gets in this panic/must control mode and it's not helpful. So, after that run, I put her away, and just chilled. I thought maybe I ought to just stop throwing my money away. But, I do enjoy doing this- when it goes right, and I don't have another dog yet.

Okay, so then it was time again to run. This time I brought my stock stick and as Lucy and I waited in the hide, I tried to make it clear to her that she had better behave. I really just wanted her to listen. One of my friends came up and reiterated that to her.

So, we walk out to the post and I tell the judge that I have my magic scepter and she smiled (no doubt wondering what visual disaster was next). I get to the post and push my stick into the ground and set Lucy up and send her on a left outrun. As she got to the last 25% I yelled "You better listen". And I meant it. I needed to get in her head before she got to those sheep. So, she came up gently behind and I gave her a whistle and she took it. Then, the sheep made it to the post, and I gave her a left flank to turn them, and they stopped. These sheep were not run away at all cost sheep, unless there was a draw. Lucy had to walk in on these sheep, even though she was already quite close. One sheep stood a bit, I gave her a lie down, and the ewe, on her own time turned and went with her friends. GOOD GIRL Lucy (and good handling for once, Julie). So, I then started on the drive, and we were almost there, but either Lucy turned them back, or they did something, anyway, I had to set it up again. This time it was OUR TIME to shine. I set them up the best I could and asked Lucy for a walk up. She did. I asked for an away flank to line them better, and she took it. Then I walked her up more and they went STRAIGHT through the CENTER of the panels. At that point I have Lucy a left flank, then stop, and then another left to turn them. That was a mistake. I should have given one come by to keep them in the right direction, as there was a big pull back up the hill.

So, now I had a group where one had split off and was higher on the hill, while two stood down the hill a bit. Lucy being a good girl went up to bring it. It stood. Lucy walked in and then well, did what she had to to get the sheep back with it's brethren. She tried diplomacy first, and when that failed, she gripped or went to grip it's nose to turn her back with her friends. She was successful, and single ewe went back with her friends. It is interesting to note, that the other two sheep did not attempt to fly down the hill to the exhaust.... We got them to the pen, and we ran out of time.

I was MUCH happier with the run. Lucy tried to go under the judge's trailer to cool off, but I got her out and we went to the stock tank to cool her off. She was well tested and our score was horrendous. We got exactly 0 points on our drive. But, heck, she did it, and once all was said and done, she did it well.

I hung out and watched the Novice classes, and then headed for home. I was beat, so beat. Just needed sleep. Now, I've got more stuff to do this week. Get my car fixed, meet with chainsaw guy #3, work dogs, and goodness knows what else.


Here's to a quiet week.