red russel

If you have already subscribed to the National Finals videos, Thank You for your support!!!! Here is a quick sample of the shedding video (great learning tool). Cheers. dave At the bottom of this page is a bonus feature... a sample of the shedding video. https://vimeo.com/ondemand/2015finals Lift, Pen, and International Shedding videos still to come.

Excellent!!!! Thank you Vicki! Let me know what you think. Cheers, Dave

DONE!!!!!! There are now 212 runs from the 2015 USBCHA National Sheepdog Finals available for viewing online. Only took 23 days! ugh! They can ordered here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/2015finals Cheers, Dave

Diana and Amy, Thank you! Glad to hear folks are enjoying them. I think I have another 90 or so to upload before this part is done. Then on to making the element videos. dave

This was our first year of competing at Soldier Hollow. We qualified for the finals on Monday so everything was gravy after that. Our run didn't go particularly well but we finished quite nicely. This video is about 5 minutes long. The international shed and pen. I have a lovely dog! https://vimeo.com/141823754

Jovi... There is an HD button on the bottom of each video. If you hit that button it should go to a lower resolution and be much easier to view. Give that a try. The link to purchase the Finals and individual runs is here: http://www.catbirdvideo.com/#!national-finals/cz02 The Semi-Final runs are all up. I'm starting to load up the Finals runs today. dave

Okay... So the link is now fixed and it should be much easier to order. https://vimeo.com/ondemand/2015finals

Hi Diana, I got home last night and am uploading videos as I type. Uploading 10 hours a day it will take almost a month to get everything up but it will be worth it! The sheep were devilish in the qualifying rounds,there were some fantastic drives in the semi-finals, Faansie Basson and Scott Glen did amazing work in the international shed. After all the videos are up and ready for viewing on Vimeo I'll go back and create 4 additional videos. One each for the Lift, Shed, Pen, and International Shed. Thank you for your support!!! dave

Sorry for my delayed response. Just returned home from Soldier Hollow and Meeker. If there is sufficient interest I can make the videos available for additional years. The hosting cost for the videos is significant enough to be a consideration. One can also purchase individual runs or the Double Lift Finals to be distributed on a flash drive. A sample of the work... Allen Mills and Sis from Meeker. https://vimeo.com/139412584

2015 USBCHA National Finals Video Pre-Order The Finals will begin September 21st. So exciting!!! You are now able to pre-order the coming videos and take advantage of a 10% discount. Over 200 videos of qualifying, Semi-final, and Finals runs plus videos for the Lift, Shed, Pen, and International Shed. Go here to order: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/2015finals Use the Promo-code: Prefinals to receive your 10% discount. I’m looking forward to a great event. Hope to see many of you there in Alturas and share the runs with everyone that won’t make it. Cheers, dave

it is possible and happens often with new folks to over think the whole thing. It was one day. One lesson. Just a few steps in a very long process of training both you and your dog. I liked what I saw from your dog. Young dog, second contact with stock. What's not to like? It went around, showed interest, took some pressure, went off to think about things, and then came back... What's not to like? It is a day by day, step by step, lesson by lesson process. If you look too close too often you can be frustrated with the process or progress. Sometimes it is best to stop thinking things to death and just go and enjoy your dog. If you listen to her she will tell you how far she wants to go. dave

Only Kristi would be able to remember all of those commands. Although she will make allowances and deem to walk among us, she is not a mere mortal.

you at 6:00. dog at 3:00. if you say come bye and the dog crosses in front of you to get to 9:00 that is an inside flank. Crossing between you and the sheep is what makes it an inside flank. if you were to say away, sending the dog towards 12:00 that would be a regular flank. doesn't matter which way the dog turns except that you don't want your dog turning it's back to it's sheep unless it is leaving them to go get others.

Cord is 9 months and had been on sheep a few times before he came to me for a month of training. We are in our first week. https://vimeo.com/116307232

sometimes best just to keep quiet and mosey on by.

if i was working a relatively young dog just beginning to help him understand his job i would probably just sort them off so my dog and i could have success and learn under optimal conditions. trying to help a youngster understand flanks or begin to drive while frick and frack are making like a banana and splitting all the time can be a real pain. the ewes become a distraction from the real goal. if i'm working on making sure my dog is responsible and leaves no soldier behind then i absolutely leave them in the packet. keeping things short and with a clear picture of what success looks like. i don't want to have my young dog try to hold mutinous sheep for a long time. get a hold, take control, them let them go on your terms. every dog will eventually get beat if the mutineer is determined enough. this seems common with bottle babies or sheep that have been tamed. we keep telling our clients that if they tame a sheep they better take it home with them because we will be eating it much sooner than the sheep that act and react like sheep.

words seem to always get in the way.

Some Border Collies don't like training. They can take offense to the continuous repetition. Asking them to do things again is like telling them they did it wrong the first time so must repeat. Some dogs, of course, just love doing the same thing over and over. Some dogs like doing meaningful things. Chores. absolutely. puzzle out how to get the sheep out of the corner and over the bridge or through the creek. fantastic. one more flanking drill because you can't remember which way is which? ugh.

Total agreement with Mark. Just an extension of the thought. I started a pup at about 8 months with things going great until I saw some tension building at about 13 months. Pup had changed and was no longer able to manage the corrections required. Or I was not able to make my corrections as he required... either way I wasn't getting the result I was hoping for... a calm, thinking pup. Put him up for 5 months to allow him to mature and started again at 18 months. Lovely dog. Held onto everything we had before our hiatus and coming along now wonderfully. They tell us when they are ready to go, or not, if we are willing to listen. dave

"Line breeding can concentrate good and bad genes, and of course anything that's a simple recessive, deleterious or not, will likely appear sooner or later." I LOVE the word deleterious and think it not used nearly often enough. Thank you Julie! I just started giggling with joy when I saw it in your post. Made me happy. dave

the only problem i can foresee with the gloves or some other crutch is that it may extend the time it takes for you to actually learn the directions.

You have listed so many states with so many folks that will have litters on the ground at one point or another it just seems an issue of not getting connected in the right place. You probably want to hook up with a hand or two in the know about what is going on in each state. Folks here can offer individuals to connect with or, send me a PM, and I'll get you hooked up with folks in at least 9 or 10 of those states. There is also a working dogs group on facebook that might be of value. https://www.facebook.com/groups/322067447939362/ Lots of available dogs and puppies available there. dave

I've watched many a dog save their handler's butt when refusing a flank they absolutely knew was wrong. After the handler gets done yelling at their dog for refusing a flank or going the "wrong" way they realize what was actually going on and become a bit sheepish and very apologetic to and thankful for their partner.

https://vimeo.com/110023214

think of: Comebye as Clockwise Away as Anti-Clockwise you will get it. just takes a bit of time. and you will lose it at some point and give a wrong flank at a most inopportune moment. You will then join the club the rest of us have belonged to for quite some time. dave