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Dan and Sue's Excellent Adventure


Sue R

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Great play by play Sue i felt like i was there!

 

The Leo dogs are head control freaks so i bet he didnt want to stay when he thought stock was leaving. Sounds like a great ahhh haaaaa moment :)

 

Love the pics

 

L

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Great play by play Sue i felt like i was there!

 

The Leo dogs are head control freaks so i bet he didnt want to stay when he thought stock was leaving. Sounds like a great ahhh haaaaa moment :)

 

Love the pics

 

L

You have hit the nail right on the head, Lana! Absolutely, and just what Anna has been telling me over and over again.

 

So it is no surprise that this is something I need to be able to work on. It was a massive ah-ha moment (or would have been if I hadn't been huffing ahd puffing). Once Anna told me about it, I could see how it happened every single time but I wasn't very good at preventing it - I'm so slow!

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Just a quick note before we get out there again today..."head control freaks" is almost an understatement. I've never seen dogs like this (these lines) that are SO worried about controlling those heads. But the other complicating factor is that they also have a TON of power and presence, so that makes the stock want to get away from the dog all the more. So the stock are pretty much always trying to push past the person. It's a challenge, but it should all be worth it in the end...

A

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Just a quick note before we get out there again today..."head control freaks" is almost an understatement. I've never seen dogs like this (these lines) that are SO worried about controlling those heads. But the other complicating factor is that they also have a TON of power and presence, so that makes the stock want to get away from the dog all the more. So the stock are pretty much always trying to push past the person. It's a challenge, but it should all be worth it in the end...

A

Well put Anna. They are much happier with 500 head than 5, but they can gear down with work. Of course the good news is they never loose their stock and they always know who the lead ewe/cow is....and they don't ever want to quit. Mint really benefited from the 2-3 works a day, and tough stock/long hours. They make you crazy then u think "dang i love that freaking dog" Give Sue and Dan a pat for me :)

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Just a quick note, as we have company coming here soon for a potluck, to celebrate Sue and Dan being here. Sue and Dan are becoming a TEAM!!! After a pretty really rough morning on the calves (me & Dan) and the whole group of sheep (me & Dan), I sorted a smaller group for Sue, and she and Dan had a super wonderful (and fairly lengthy) session! Dan was staying behind his sheep, Sue's timing was getting really good, and they were working together so nicely! Woohoo!!!!

A

Oh, when Karma got here a month ago, she weighed 75 lbs. at 9 months of age...

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Day Five done! First, the scenic of the calf pasture -

 

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Anna had, shall we say, a very challenging time with Dan on the calves. He appeared to have left his brain at the house, but I got one shot that showed a rare moment of sensible work -

 

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He lost his privilege of working calves and was "demoted" to working the whole sheep flock, lambs included. He was not much better but, although he was diving, blowing off his downs, and doing some overflanking, he did not try to abuse the sheep or lambs. Good working photos were not easy to come by but here are a couple -

 

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When it was time for Dan to cool in the stock tank, it was a fenceline tank, and he got his front end in but was not patient enough to get his back end in. You can just see his rump and tail hanging out of the tank as Anna watches and relaxes beside him.

 

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The mid-day work was on six sheep, the three school sheep and three large lambs. Anna was hoping a larger group would be anchored by the school sheep, lightened by the young sheep, and easier to work with. They were, and I was really pleased as I put into work several things we had discussed - Danielle's suggestion to give the sheep more distance before I asked Dan to walk on (and Anna's suggestion to not let that distance get too far or Dan would get up too quickly); Anna's suggestion to pay close attention to Dan and the sheep, making sure to lie him down before the sheep starting moving past me, avoiding the flying around; a real attempt to walk backwards at a better pace; and getting him to respect the crook (and the lie down) by sending that crook flying in front of him when he blew through a down and dove by.

 

All those ideas payed off very well as I was able to walk the sheep around the pasture in a number of loops, with some nice, long segments of walking backwards without the sheep pressing on me or even passing me - and being able to see when he was coming up too fast and pushing the sheep, and preventing a problem by good timing and calm, quiet commands. Here is just one photo of what we were doing. He was seeming to develop some feel for his sheep as I developed some feel for Dan and the sheep, and my part in the equation. Anna was very happy, and so was I, and I think Dan found it much less stressful.

 

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Really enjoying your tales of adventure with Dan!

Your Dan sounds allot like my Mick, only I had no one to tell me he was a control, head freak and I was way to green to figure it out. He was a dog that I battled what seemed like forever, no quit in him. But I can tell you, once the 2 of you figure things out you will love him and his work more than you can ever imagine.

 

I remember one of the first times I put him on young steers (one of my first times too!) We were in a rather tight alley way, Mick was still young enough to have that fear he was going to lose his stock. He raced under all 7, right through their hooves to get to the head. I closed my eyes cause

I was afraid he wasn't going to come out the other side.

 

We have finally come out on the other side and are the tightest partners I could ever wish for.

 

Enjoy the ride Sue!

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As intense as Dan is with stock, I'm here to say he's a sweetheart at a party. Here he is cuddling Danielle (Chesney's Girl on this board).

 

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It was such fun to meet Sue and Dan in person. Both every bit as nice as you'd expect from their online presences!

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It was lovely meeting you in person, Jan! And thanks for the photos. I particularly love that other one of Dan and Danielle where he's kind of "melting" onto her shoulder. She worked him on Wednesday and he just loved her! And she gave us some excellent advice, seeing things from her perspective.

 

What a barbeque! Anna made smoked, barbequed pork ribs (lots of meat on those bones). Jan made a terrific salad. We also had cole slaw, baked beans, cheesy potatoes, artichoke dip, hot dogs, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something delicious! Oh, cream cheese brownies! We ladies sat around saying, "Oh, I really shouldn't but..." during the after dinner chat.

 

The head count was 11 people (I think) and 18 dogs and pups. A good time was had by all! And Dan enjoyed being the star of the party - all his siblings were there (his mother was in the house, as she would like to bite his head off - maybe she hasn't gotten over him leaving CA for the East), some relatives, and some non-relatives.

 

And we have leftovers to enjoy for some time to come!

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This is great! I am now just catching up on your journals, I'm so pleased to have finally met you in person. I can't wait to get back out there this Wednesday. Dan is a super fun dog to work and I think you will enjoy the end product, Sue. You guys did 100xs better just in the work I saw from him last Wednesday. Keep it up.

 

I couldn't resist posting a few of the pictures I got when I was there. Dan is a very cool dog. He's got a place to go in California is he ever wants to come back ;)

 

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It was a rough start to the day, with a new mother losing a lamb. Anna's good friend, Cindy, worked her Spur on calves and then I worked Dan. Thanks to Anna and Cindy, I have some nice photos of Dan on the calves, and some great video of Dan on the sheep later on.

 

This was the second time I worked Dan on the calves, and quite a bit better than yesterday, although not stellar. Yet, with Anna's and Cindy's help (Cindy and Spur helped "hold" the calves when they wanted to squirt past me and take off), we had some very nice moments when you could see Dan starting to feel his calves rather than just reacting to them and being so obsessed with heading them. He did some nice gathers, a bit rough at the lift, but progressing.

 

I've attached a few photos on the calves -

 

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This afternoon, we worked sheep again. Big challenge - Dan and I had to move school sheep plus a few out of a paddock, take a sharp turn back, and down to another paddock. That was the plan. The execution was not what you'd call "flawless".

 

The sheep had a heavy draw in the wrong direction, and took off that way. I sent Dan who did stop most of them (he learned a valuable lesson during our "road-eo" or work along the fenced lanes - you go far enough out in front of your sheep that you don't lose any). So, he lost a few. I decided to take what we had the we turned back to go to the next field but I had forgotten the shut the gate to the field we had just left. So we lost a few there.

 

Fine, we had about three left out of eight. Not good. I tried to have him take the three back to the few in the pasture and, well, it was all downhill from there. Lost three this way, three that way, and two way over by the covered arena.

 

But, instead of going to Anna to say, "We lost our sheep.", Dan and I picked ourselves up, put on our big girl panties (well, his big boy shorts) and took a hike to find and regain our lost sheep.

 

First order, up to the arena area to get the two big school boys. It took a little work but the important thing was that he was working with me all the time. By the time we got Big Daddy and Winston about halfway back to the pasture where we needed to work, we could see the rest of the group (well, minus one) waiting along the way, and so we regained them and headed on our way.

 

But there was that one errant sheep in the original field - how to get him? I asked Anna's opinion and she suggested I take the many to the few. Good idea but a possible problem as that would be taking them back to that corner where they could see the whole flock at the end of the lane. We could lose them all again.

 

So, we took the many down the lane to the gate to the work pasture and put them just inside that gate. Then I placed Dan to cover, and opened the gate to let the last sheep cross the road and join the rest. And then we went to work! By this time, Dan seemed to have a whole new outlook on sheep work - work with me, not for himself. It was a very good work! Dan was doing well enough fetching that we progressed to short gathers, and he just seemed to get better with each one, taking a better cast, coming in less flat and tight at the top, and taking his downs nicely - putting on the brakes with a cloud of dust at times!

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No photos though, just video of Dan and myself taking the sheep out of the pasture, up the lane, down to the field where the flock had been, and then on into their field for some well-deserved rest.

 

I think we've turned a corner - each day, there has been a little progress but this weekend, we seem to have taken a leap together - we are working more as a team, Dan is listening, putting some things together, working for and with me. Life is very good.

 

Oh, and we topped off the day with leftovers for dinner, and delivering a healthy ram lamb at evening chores. Did I mention that life is very good?

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Day Six, and an early start as Dan had the opportunity not to put sheep out (from the night pen to the pasture) but to gather the flock up and sort with me. We had to take about 120 sheep (a few school sheep and wethers, but mainly ewes and lambs - 75 adults and 50 babies) with the youngest lamb less than 24 hours old.

 

Dan and I had to gather the flock (not pretty but some nice and improving work) and move them all into a gathering pen at the end of the second pasture. What a learning experience for both of us! I needed to sort off half-a-dozen or more of animals with a certain eartag color and number (above 25) to produce a light, undogged working group for a person coming to practice outruns.

 

Easier said than done! I have not very much experience with sheep, and it showed. I managed to let out a large number of the "right" sheep and lambs, but also most of my "wrong" sheep. So, Plan B, was to take the sorted-off group, and then sort them since that group had the required animals.

 

With this smaller group (and fewer younger lambs), I was pretty successful. Dan's job was to stay back and hold the sheep (not too tightly) to the gate so that I could let out just the right ones. Eureka! We did it, and then helped gather the "candidates" and move them through several different areas most of the way to the 120 acre pasture where they were going to be used, and we just had to hang out and watch.

 

That was a good experience for Dan because he had to learn (in that big pasture) that any and every command, movement, etc., was not necessarily aimed at him and a reason for him to take off. He learned to relax and lie down and chill, while there were other things happening near and far. Good dog!

 

We helped bring those sheep back afterwards and then Anna took me along on a trip to the feed store in Valley Center - the highlight of my "tourist" mode. Here's my favorite view from the road coming back from Valley Center -

 

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The groves on the valley bottom and in rows on the hillsides are citrus, mainly Valencia oranges. The deep green plantings on the steeper slopes are avocados. Surrounded by yum!

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The afternoon was the best part - working calves! It was my choice, calves or sheep, and I chose calves. I think Anna was thrilled, and so was I, to see Dan doing so much better - taking his downs much, much more regularly; getting relaxed and calm and quiet; pacing himself very reasonably; keeping me in the picture. We are still working largely on fetching with just a bit of gathering and a small amount of balancing. Here are a few photos.

 

Bringing them along, nice and easy -

 

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Channeling Gandalf in Moria - "You shall not pass!"

 

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More of nice and easy, a little change of direction and balance -

 

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Another nice fetch -

 

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Tonight, we'll be putting sheep up in the night pens. And, by the way, Dan's work yesterday involved some paved road work, with some quick flanks and turns. His pads got a bit sored up but the discomfort would "vanish" once he was on stock. I love the stoicism. I wish I had some of that!

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Well, Jan, the breeder is trying to convince that Dan's no good and has no future as a stockdog, and I should sell him back to her for what I paid for him - and use that money to buy one of those mini/toy Aussie pups for sale on the bulletin board down at the feed store.

 

And if that didn't work out, Danielle wants me to give him to her for her to take him on as a project. It's a thought.

 

Decisions, decisions!

 

PS - If anyone thinks I'm being serious, please rethink that idea.

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Ed wouldn't let you back in the house without Dan.

You've got a very good point there. Danielle offered to keep him and work with him as a training project for me but I'd better not board the plane without the dog, or it would be pointless flying home. Ed loves his Danny-Boy. So do I.

 

As for those mini and toy Aussies, I could fit two under the seat. I did see that the Mini Aust Shep Assoc now has a National event, with all sorts of titles, including "herding" and "versatility". I could sell Dan back, get those two pups, and train them for Mini Aussie titles! What a great idea! I wonder if they use mini-sheep and mini-cattle for those events?

 

PS - Again, leave your credulity at the door on that idea.

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