Belleview

I was very disappointed with this vote, and oppose it. I don't believe that someone who has decided to become involved with supporting the AKC to the extent I'm assuming one would have to be to become a judge in any AKC venue should be given the privilege of judging our National Finals. ( Several people have contacted me about this, but I did not run for re-election, and am no longer part of the BOD.) Lori Cunningham

Actually, there was a complaint made about a person's treatment of a puppy. However, the person was no longer there when I came over to deal with it. Sounds like the same incident. However, I did catch the 3 juvenile delinquents who were dropping cups of water in front of people in the muck to splash mud on them. Happily, I can report they were, um...vigorously scared straight.

Saturday, October 27th, 9am-5pm . One day SHEDDING TIPS fun day fundraiser at my place in Milton, PA = central PA, near the intersection of I-80 and rt. 15. Limited to 8 dogs. Beginner shedders are welcome as long as you have decent control over your dog to avoid chasing sheep into my fences! Everyone can work once in the morning & once in the afternoon. We'll provide lunch. $75 per dog. ALL PROCEEDS will go to the 2013 National Sheepdog Finals in Belle Grove next year. Interested? Contact me at loricunningham@windstream.net or call at 570-768-5953. Lori Cunningham Milton, PA

I couldn't stop myself from watching the "stutter step" dog video. Anybody run hurdles in track? I did, way back in high school. In short, ideally, you run as fast as you can while still maintainging the same number of strides between equally spaced hurdles so you maximize your efficiency as you approach & clear the hurdle. You can't run AS FAST as you really can because you would sacrifice the most efficient approach to the jump. It's a blend of speed and form, and you can work on perfecting the blend because the spacing between jumps is always predictable. Imagine now if the hurdles were irregularly spaced (as I imagine they are in agility due to different obstacle layouts or angles of approach?) and you had to run AS FAST AS YOU CAN. Bet you'd see two legged runners taking those same stutter steps approaching the jump to try to get to their fall-back most efficient jumping mode as they anticipate the jump. And, if the runner ( or dog) came to particularly dislike or fear taking a jump down, bet you'd see it more. What do I know? FWIW. Lori Cunningham Milton, PA

Another good outcome story: I had a 14 yo with pretty sudden & severe onset. I was sure it was a stroke and that I was taking him to be put down. My vet diagnosed ODVD & convinced me to wait two weeks. Apparently a tell-tale sign is a weird eye twitching. It can be side to side or up & down. The first 2-3 days were tough & then there was slow but steady improvement. A couple good tips I was given: because he was "dizzy" and prob. slightly nauseous, some anti naseau meds from the vet helped. Also, because his coordination was so poor, eating & drinking out of a bowl on the floor was tough & hydration was esp. importaint- we freqently held a water bowl to his mouth and he was willing to drink that way. Appetites are usually off for several days...we tried everything to get the old man to eat. My old guy recovered completely...now 15 1/2 Good luck. Lori Cunningham Milton, PA

Perhaps without fully intending to, you have made an really important point. It's not about "wholesale marauding." But, that's exactly what many novices think the level of *abuse* has to rise to in order to recognize abuse. I would certainly hope judges and trial managers are stopping "wholesale marauding," and I don't believe that is the type of action that was described by the vet in Nancy's origin post. Sheep don't have to be gripped and bloodied to be abused. Obvious, right? Honestly, I don't think the majority of novice hobbyists understand that splitting & chasing (owing mostly to novices not having working stops on their dogs IMO) is also harassment and abuse. Winning a NN clase with a score in the 30s or 40s or placing with a 20 just because a judge didn't call a team off shouldn't be seen as victory. I do a fair amount of set out in the NE and have cringed through disasterous novice classes. (And, I'm pretty sure you did attend a few of these, Julie) No, sheep weren't savaged, but they were chased & split & harrassed by out of control dogs. So, again, it comes down to a matter of perception, doesn't it? Lori Cunningham Milton, PA

Good topic, Nancy, and one on which I have some strong opinions. Whether we like to admit it or not, there is a fairly thriving business in some areas & among some sheep owners setting themselves up to "give lessons" or rent out their sheep for use by non-sheep owning hobbyists. IMO, many of these folks have no business *teaching* anybody to work a dog as they certainly don't show much skill in working their own...but that's another issue. It's not hard to recognize groups that train in some of these cliques. From my observation, they usually lack the level of control over their dog that I believe someone should have at even a novice level, owing in part, I'd guess from working broke to death school sheep, and in part to the fact that no one ever tells them that their pets are acting inappropriately and harassing the sheep because well, that would be bad for business, wouldn't it? The other hallmark of some of these groups is an attitude of entitlement, in that they simply believe that they have a right to x number of minutes of sheep time regardless of the mess they are making on the field. Perhaps they don't even recognize that that have made a mess. To hear many of them talking flippantly after their runs and shoring each another up and making light of their dogs' bad behaviors, one would think that would have to be the case. Personally, I believe that generally, judges and trial managers need to become more strict about the level of work they require esp. in novice classes, but at any level where the stock is being harassed. Perhaps if the bar was higher, folks who were serious about learning how to work their dogs would rise to the occasion, or go *play* in some other venue, or just go. I made a proposal last year within NEBCA to encourage trial managers to ask a few experienced open handlers to position themselves outside the exhaust gate during novice trials to chat with the novice folks as they come off the field and offer some constructive comments on the runs. It' great to encourage new handlers, but I wish we'd start encouraging the good work, and stop worrying so much about someone's' tender feelings getting bruised by telling them that it's NOT ok to to "play" with the sheep. Of course, wrecks are going to happen, but I believe that as a community, we need to get more serious about policing ourselves. Lori Cunningham Milton, PA

So, assuming that dog names are required...is the problem solved? Is the BOD going to investigate & challenge a trial manager on a running order in which trial mgt's best running dogs are all in what are considered the "winning" the end of day slots? Is the BOD going to challenge a trial manager who allows someone with a long drive home to bump into an earlier empty slot? Is the BOD going to investigate a trial manager who changed a running order when a volunteer set out person wasn't relieved with enough time to get down to let a dog out to pee & get to the post in time for their scheduled run? Is the BOD going to investigate a complaint from a disgruntled one dog handler who had two draws in the perceived disadvantage of the middle of the day? Yikes. I agree with some of these moves & some I don't, but it's not my call. If a handler has problem with something, talk to trial management like a grown up. Fairness comes in many different forms, and some forms won't suit everyone. Hands off, BOD. Lori Cunningham Milton, PA

Sorry...pushed some key too quickly. I'm also against the motion. Mark is correct. One dog handlers are disadvantaged simply by having one dog. I can't even imagine having to defend that a trial manager complied with the awkwardly worded draw provisions of Section 15. Seems to me that one dog runners can still be drawn at any point in the order, correct? So, with regard to positioning, who thinks they're gaining what? Lori Cunningham Milton, PA

Hey Melanie- One more thing to consider- even when dogs are experienced & fully trained, some times there are significant changes as they age both in how the sheep perceive them & how they approach their sheep. There's a sweet spot when a dog is old enough to have the benefit of miles & miles and years & years of experience, but still has the physical ability and mindset to take full advantage of it. An older, experienced dog that is fit is a wonderful thing. At some point after that, it's not uncommon for some sheep to come to the realization that a dog isn't quite what it was and for a dog to realize that there are benefits to self preservation. Of course, I have no doubt that you would never put either of your older dogs in a position to be hurt, but some times this stuff is pretty subtle. Hope you find a solution or a more workable group soon. Best wishes. Lori Cunningham Milton PA

Just wondering- Our ABCA pedigrees can note dogs whose hips have been "Veterinary Radiogist Approved." Has there been any discussion on an addition to the pedigree noting dogs who have been DNA tested clear for CEA...take the guess work out of identifying those who are clear by parentage? Lori Cunningham Milton, PA

My 3 yo has a new, badly fractured lower molar. Looks like a big crack running the length of the tooth as well as a slab missing. The dog isn't showing obvious signs of discomfort, but I want to be pro-active in dealing with it, and it just LOOKS like it must hurt. My vet doesn't do any dentistry beyong routine cleaning, but I have a referral for an extraction with another fairly local vet for Friday. I've used this vet for dental issues in the past with older dogs. My other option is to go to either Cornell or U-Penn and see if they can attempt to save the tooth. Big $$$ and I've heard mixed results on the long term sucess of molar crowns. I'm really only toying with the idea of repair because the dog is young. Pulling it seems to offer the quickest, surest way to end the problem. Anyone want to offer reasons why I shouldn't go that route? thanks. Lori Cunningham

One of the things that I get the biggest kick out of when working with new handlers is hanging out with them before their novice trial runs. We watch the runs before theirs and talk about the goings on. The conversations usually goes alot like this. If we see a dog over-run the top and lose its sheep, I will inevitably be asked something like... NN: "So, I should stop my dog short at the top?" me: "Well, if you see your sheep starting to break early, yes. If your sheep are standing nicely, then, no." We see a dog not cover on the fetch. NN: "Um, so should I flank my dog over right away to cover that pressure?" me: "Well, if your sheep are pulling that way, yes. If not, then no." We see a handler misjudge the post and the sheep turn in front. NN: "So, should I send my dog around to stop the sheep from slipping past?" me: "Well, if your sheep are doing that exact same thing in that exact same spot, then yes. If they're doing something else, you'd better handle that instead." Now, all this is good spirited, but still really valuable and fun to watch as the lightbulb starts to come on in the new handler's head when they realize that you really can't always have a concrete plan. In training and trialing, you have to play the cards you're dealt and take advantage of the myriad of opportunities you'll be offered and likewise, manage the mountain of problems and holes that will surely appear. Obviously, you have to understand the foundation stuff, but training your brain to think on fly and handle things as they come instead of expecting something particular is an enormous part of what gives me a high when training & trialing my dogs. Flexibility is the key, for sure. have fun. Lori Cunningham Milton, PA

Jen- Just curious- how old is your dog? Lori Cunningham Milton, PA