red russel

just so i can get some perspective... how many volunteer positions are there for the 2013 finals and how many volunteers are currently signed up? thanks, dave

yup. will be there running a dog. dave

So many decisions in life come with a whole host of unintended consequences... For the uninitiated, sheepdogging can feel like being run over by a truck. It is so much more than just a decision to have a few more dogs... it can quickly become a complete lifestyle and life path decision. I understand and support your husband's reticence and I'll bet he hasn't even considered the half of what he may be drawn into. This isn't a new hobby that, perhaps, consumes a table top in the crafts room... discussing the full ramifications of your dreams with him and understanding how you will mitigate the impact for him might be helpful... bottom line is he may see significantly less of you and a lot more of your dogs. If he isn't really a dog person you are asking a lot. I am a dog person and I find all the bodies and the energies of these sentient beings quite overwhelming at times. dave

if it gets loud and you are practicing in your car wear hearing protection. deafness kind of creeps up on you in the long run. it is the little things we do today that bite us in the butt years from now.

this might help. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

huh. it would seem painfully obvious to the most casual of observers that a forum full of folks that have clearly expressed to select exclusively for livestock working ability would be less than supportive of an effort to set ears. the question seems out of place in this forum... why do you ask the question? dave

There are lots of bleachers. Bleachers on the right side of field are great and have shade. Sun tan lotion. It will be hot. Hydrate!!!!!!! Remember you will be at altitude. Sun glasses. Binoculars. Get a program... it is worth it. You will have a great time.

I pick a dog by the dog. Just got my first pup 7 months ago. Before that I i got my dogs at just around 15 months old. This allowed me to see pretty much what I was getting. They have all been from trial lines but if I saw a farm/ranch youngster that struck my fancy I wouldn't hesitate. Papers provide a history, perhaps a look into the future. Nothing more than a tool in one's selection process. If I can I want to see parents work. Hopefully a video if I can't see them in action. One of the reasons I have taken so many videos of Suzy Applegate's Buzz. Love the dog. Now have one a son and a nephew. Just tools of the selection process. As Wendy said in her great post, one of the things necessary for a successful trial dog is an ability to generalize. They know their job and can do it anywhere, any field, any sheep. Adapt to the course, the terrain and the breed of sheep. Can a "farm" dog do that? Quite possibly but often is not asked of it so we don't know. Not a knock on the dog. They just haven't been given the opportunity to show their stuff. Not needed on the 15 acre farm with 60 head where chores can be pretty much the same everyday. The other thing necessary for the successful trial dog is balance... a balance between a natural ability to get the job done and a willingness to take direction from their partner. Breeding for the biddable dog. Again... farm dogs can be and most probably are biddable as well... but, again, not necessarily a big part of the daily job. My expectation of my "trial dogs" is that we can go to Lana's, Joe's, or anywhere else and move sheep, worm, trail, gather huge pastures, lamb... whatever the job requires. Well trained dogs that understand their job and listen well so they can learn to do new jobs in a hurry.

She was the only one left from what? How did he chose his puppy?

Riika, how did your brother choose that particular 10 week old puppy to purchase? what did he do to determine that particular puppy was the right puppy? dave

over the last 9 years: intact males - 5 puppies - 0 not a breeder. have working dogs. having a hard time getting my mind around someone suggesting legislation which would require one's home to be inspected. really? dave

www.dogfoodadvisor.com. rates kibble regarding contents and provides recall alerts. we feed a mix. raw in the morning, kibble in the evening. raw is either a chicken thigh or two (depending on the dog), bones from the butcher shop (ridiculous amounts of meat on them, or ground sheep (we know exactly where it came from) the chicken is typically just over a dollar a pound. Bone from the butcher are $20 for a 50 pound box and the sheep... i don't want to know because it would mean having to look my hay costs in the eye. prefer to be ignorant. Costco kibble (kirland brand) is a 4 star kibble (out of 5 stars). good food and less than a dollar a pound. there are four different kinds, lamb chicken, turkey, salmon,that provide 4 different protein sources. we switch regularly. a good diet can be done without breaking the bank. and completely agree... if a dog is putting on weight, feed them less. no rocket science necessary. cheers, dave

Faansie Basson, top trainer and handler in your neck of the woods, rolls a feed bag into a tight roll then duct tapes it to stay. Great tool for working your young dog. Slaps against your leg to put pressure on your dog also works like a regular stick. dave

I might have intervened while she was being mugged so it didn't have to get to that point. Especially with an unknown dog. Some dogs won't take no for an answer, become offended, and then things can escalate in a hurry.

In no way do I mean to discourage but training a new dog with little to no experience for either of you may not end well for all involved... you, cattle, or dog. I would suggest finding a competent trainer in your area to assist your efforts. If you let us know your general location someone here can, perhaps, direct you to a hand with experience. dave

Bring your dog. Bring a chair. Bring binoculars. Water for your dog. As Sue said, a crate and shade tho Susan (trial host) has some nice trees to park under if you get to the trial early enough. Should be nice weather but, you live here... you know what can happen. Ask any and all questions. Handlers will be more than happy to explain anything and everything. Food and snacks are always a good idea. The trial should go most of the day, dave

Yup. I have a six month old pup that has been introduced and on sheep a few times. I'll have him on sheep every week or so until I start his training in a few months... (when he tells me he is ready). We'll go into the round pen with 5 - 6 sheep that I know won't challenge him and I'll let him, help him, go around. The most important aspect is neither the sheep or pup get hurt. Positive experience for the pup... not asking him to do anything really but what might come naturally. Encouraging the good things and ignoring the puppy stuff. (as long as my sheep are okay) Pressure and corrections will be used in training. He is too young to really take a significant correction or pressure so if that were to be needed I'll pull him off the sheep. There in lies the difference. But... as you have stated. lots of folks to things different. Some folks will never use a round pen. Some folks start dogs pretty young. Some dogs don't get started till well after a year because they haven't told their trainers they are ready. Some folks sell a dog if it isn't ready for serious training at 8 months. As you said, you will have to figure this out for yourself. and the last but... keep in mind what Elizabeth said... you can take A LOT out of a dog at this age that can be very difficult to put back.

and that is the beauty and struggle of it all. you will always get conflicting information or opinions. no surprise and apologies that things aren't always black and white. i know i struggled with it for a long time until i had enough information, knowledge and experience to choose what made sense for me and the particular dog i was working at the time. also, completely agree that your pup left to her own devices is probably not such a good thing. possibly too young to be doing any real work or training. important for me when the pup is ready is it his job. bring the sheep to me and control them. letting the pup figure it out with some coaching and encouragement. once it feels good/right to control them, then control them to you, they can often figure out a stop on their own. some dogs don't have the instinct to do this or the instincts haven't yet blossomed... hence 6 months is reeeeeeeelllly young to do any real work with a pup.

hmmm... that is a lot of control on a six month old pup.

i guess i'm with the others... i don't quite understand the question. Two dogs on the field at the same time? More than one dog in your kennel? If one had the energy and skill I should think they could start/train quite a few dogs at the same time. As was stated above... train a dog, put it up, grab another and train again... I know some folks that make a living doing just that and their dogs turn out quite well. Well being defined as competent Open dogs. dave

sheep dog related... i watch video of quality runs to learn how to improve. I watch video of my own runs to learn my weaknesses and mistakes. Watching my own runs is also helping me learn how to run my dog. During a trial I watch runs more for what the sheep are doing than what the other handlers are doing. Their dogs are different than mine so it only makes sense they will handle different. I'm looking for draws, trouble spots, lines on the drive, how much pressure the sheep will take at the shed and pen... dog pressure vs. people pressure. This, of course, can change with the time of day, temperature, etc... I will watch how top handlers manage particularly challenging spots on a course. Have learned a lot that way. Has influenced how I will run my dog. Getting worse from watching others who are struggling? I don't think so... As Albert said, we are just learning what didn't work. dave Sorry! didn't pay attention to the fact this was in agility, flyball, etc.

Elizabeth... you might want to define big. I think that might be a relative term depending upon where mickif is from. dave

Don't vets send their samples to commercial labs? Unlikely they are doing the DNA testing themselves.

We use melatonin for a sound sensitive bc. Also use alprazolam (Xanax) if things are really bad. Have used Rescue Remedy in the past. Worked well with one dog, not with another. When storms come we will crate the dog in as sound isolated a room as we can and crank up a radio to create white noise.

often it is difficult to tell if changes come about because of our changes in training or just the fact that our dogs are a few months older. We can get ourselves in trouble when starting dogs too young with just a little time and patience making all the difference in a long career. dave