Petes Mom

It's been a long time since a clinic has been posted here! Where are clinics posted now?

I have not used one, but a good friend did, for her Sheltie who was having some lameness issues. She said it didn't work for her dog. Pet insurance covered it, though, so she wasn't upset about the price.

Just watched this. What an amazing run! I had to watch that shed several times over! They made it look so easy! James McGee is such an impressive trainer/handler. I remember watching a video of him & Becca in a big trial in the UK years ago, and just being blown away by how she worked with him.

This was all before the Dexter the Peacock incident. Now, things are going to get really tough, getting your dog on board in the cabin.

Haha!! What an amazing guy!

You may want to take him to a chiropractor. I'm wondering if it's his back, or maybe his digestive system? Has he had any problem with gas or moving his bowels?

I only wash my BC and my Aussie/ BC/ whatever mix when they get into something stinky, like when they take a dip in a mucky pond or roll in stinky poop. I also use Buddy Wash, and I love that stuff! I've even used it myself! I love the green tea & bergamot scent.

I love your little trailer!! I want one just like it!

I posted this question in the "ask the expert" section, and several people suggested I post it here in the training discussion, so here goes! My dog, Pete, loves to run his "away" flank so much that he doesn't want to stop and hit that balance point. He just keeps going! On his "come bye" flank, he'll stop at the top, and want to turn around and do his anti-clockwise zoomies. I believe that this behavior is probably a good deal my fault, as he is my first border collie and my first experience working a dog on sheep. He has always been a strong, fast dog, and I believe that made me nervous about being run over by stampeding sheep (it's happened more than once), so I'm wondering if I have frustrated him by asking him to lie down too much, or by not moving with the sheep fast enough (after he has lifted them and is bringing them to me). I have worked with several different people, as far as training goes, but most of them work towards the AKC titles, or AHBA and ASCA, which are fine but are quite different from the border collie trials that I would like to run with Pete. I now have a larger farm, with bigger fields to train him, but I need to help him to understand how to do this work with me. It was way too hot to do any work this weekend, but last weekend, he did some nice work with a group of about 15 yearling lambs. I have started using a "rattle-paddle" that I found on the farm, which I smack on the ground to get his attention and turn him around. It worked well, but I'm wondering how long it will take for him to understand about hitting that balance point, and I will be able to ditch that thing? Any experienced insight on this situation will be most appreciated! Thanks! Rachel

All the best to you & Dora! And, yes, you must post a picture soon! Rachel

I apologize! I did not read past the first page of posts!

Maja, not sure if you will see this or not, but I am curious about Darinka's hips. It's been almost 2 years since your last post, and I really enjoyed reading about your training dilemmas and breakthroughs. She is a lovely girl! I'm just curious about how you & she are doing now, and about how her hips turned out?

Thanks, Amanda! I'll give it a try! Rachel

Also, Luana, the video looked good! Whoever was taking the video, and mentioned something about using "shockers" to keep Spillo from gripping the sheep, please tell him to keep his shockers to himself!!

Hi Luana! I was concerned about Spillo after your lesson last Saturday! Please tell me that he is ok! Did you take him to the vet? I've noticed that you and Maureen have very long lessons (2 hours!!). That is a long time for a young dog to be going through this kind of training, and is especially hard on them when the weather is as hot and humid as it has been! One thing that I've noticed in your work on the long line, Spillo seems to be getting more and more frustrated and stressed. You have to allow him to move around the sheep, and find that balance point. If he gets a bit aggressive with the sheep, you have to move through the sheep and get him to back off. He barks a lot, and I think that is his frustration. You have to allow him to gather, that's his instinct. Constantly interfering with that frustrates the heck out of him, and could cause him to quit on you. Again, I hope that he is okay. Rachel