glennkopp

Susie is finally developing a wide outrun. Unfortunately, it looks nothing like this at trials. Liz, will you be going to Ron's trial this year? I'm looking forward to it. Glenn

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/23704317 5 month old, b/w, short haired female in SC.

I find that the snow and ice drag the electronet down, and the it freezes while pulled down. The stays and posts get warped, and the fence is never as good. When the first snow falls, I put the electronet away until Spring. I use the standard fence. Glenn

A little video of Susie's daily routine. She starts off holding some bulls and steers while I feed. She was a little pushier than needed, so we did some reinforcement at the end to remind her where she's supposed to be standing. Then we worked some pigs. This was just the second time for her and the pigs, so they're trying to figure each other out. These pigs will soon be going on the trailer, so Susie needs a little practice. We finish with Susie and her co-workers. They don't really care to play with her, but they get along well enough. All comments are welcome. Glenn

I've never seen a picture of Willie, but here is his sire, LR Alexander's Griz. http://www.stockdog.us/cowdogs.html Glenn

Thank you, Julie. That's a lot of great information, very well explained. I am the worst with whistles. I think I'm getting a good consistent tone when practicing, but when I get out with the dog and sheep, there's no telling what will come out. I need to practice, practice, practice. I will start figuring out my flank whistles (even though I'm in no rush to implement them), so that I have clear distinct whistles for each command. I'm lucky when I can get a high-low or low-high. It scares me to think about drawing out whistles, and speeding up, and half whistles. Hopefully, it will come with time and lots of practice. And hopefully, I won't screw my dog up too badly. I will start working groups of three. This group has gotten very heavy, but they lighten up well, with a strong draw back to the flock, when split up. Thank you, again. I will refer back to your post as I move forward with my whistles. Glenn

Susie's 'lie down' has become pretty unreliable at trials and clinics, so I started using a whistle a week ago. She is taking to it well. I know it won't be the same with lighter sheep and outside distractions, but it's a good start. Here is Susie practicing a figure 8.

I forgot to mention my heavy Romneys. They have been very nice for training because things never get to fast or wild. I like that they can be stubborn and stand up to the dogs, especially when the ewes have lambs. We get to work on using calm, quiet power. They are not the best for preparing to trial, so we go to a friends once a week, where we work lighter Barbados and Katahdins. Glenn

Thank you toney, hopefully next summer we can do some travelling and get to some cattle trials in Iowa or down south. Thank you for your comments Maja. You're pretty well correct on all points. When I give an 'away' or 'come by' for the outrun, our default is to get to balance and bring the stock. If I want her to stop before balance, I'll use a 'there'. If I want her to continue the flank, I'll give a second 'away" or 'come by'. It may not be the best way, but often when we are gathering cattle, I can't see the stock or Susie, so I expect her to find them, stop at balance, and bring them to me. If I have no idea where the stock are, I'll use a 'hunt em up', with the same expectation, except that, she can choose the direction. I'm sure I confuse her by changing my approach between farm work (few commands) and trial work (many commands), but we are figuring it out together. You're also correct on the 'here' command. It is my crutch for inside flanks. In general, 'here' means 'come to me'. When teaching the inside flanks, I would use 'here away' or 'here come bye' to get her moving in the correct direction. She has learned that when driving, I use 'here' to get her moving in my direction, and then I will give a 'there' to stop and approach the stock, or I will give a flank command to continue the flank. It is a poor use of 'here', but I know she will stop and come toward me, even when I'm not confident she'll take the 'away' or 'come bye' on the inside. I need to stop using 'here' and start trusting my dog. We are both a work in progress. Glenn

Susie is a 3 year old cattle bred Border Collie. Most of her work has been on cattle, where she works quick and tight with a lot of bite. She had no real outrun two months ago. We've been working hard to slow her down and widen her out. We've also taken some bite out of her so she can start trialing on sheep. Unfortunately, we don't have any cattle trials in the Northeast.

I won't say there is any comparison between ASCA and USBCHA, but ASCA did add three new courses (D,E and F) this year. They're still arena courses, but there are more obstacles and they've moved them off the rail. Nothing like a field course, but they're at least more of a challenge than A and B, and more interesting. Also, ASCA offers ranch trials on a field, but I've yet to see one. This has little to do with the ongoing debate, but I thought I'd throw it in. Glenn

Two good descriptions: www.charliescowdogs.com/hangin-tree-cowdog.shtml www.allisonsstockdogs.com