Tell Me Thursday #11

1. What movie do you love but are too embarrassed to admit you love it?


Well I like it, not love it, but I suppose I don't like to admit I like "Sweeney Todd"  All the blood etc.


2. Ann wants to know: How far do you drive/travel to attend trials, clinics, lessons. How far is too far?


The farthest I drove to a trial that I was entered in was 12 1/2 hours. Or to watch the finals in Sturgis was about 20 hours. I will drive 4 hours periodically to take lessons. I was lucky when I started out to be 20 minutes away from the ranch I trained at as they had top clinicians come in.


3. What is your theme song (circa Ally McBeal)?


Well last night driving home it was Supertramp "Take the long way home"  
 When I'm planning my budget I hear "Help" by the Beatles
This morning, and every other time I have groomed this same dog (Sally) I hear, as does Laura, Mustang Sally.


4. Laura S wants to know: If you had to choose a new dog activity, one that you had never done before, what would it be?


As working my dogs on sheep is the most fulfilling dog activity I have ever done I really think I would just have pets and do nothing with them if I didn't work them on sheep. Maybe teach them stupid dog tricks.


5. What would your dog choose?


Well, Reign would definitely pick disk dog. He loves to play frisbee. That is if he still had teeth. He wore them down from catching said frisbees

Mike would pick cat staring contests

Meg would like to be a movie critic

I feel fenced in

And its a good thing!!!

I had a "T-post" party last Friday and invited my students and a friend to help me pound T-posts. Well they told 2 friends and they told 2 friends and I ended up with about 11 people. It took only about 3 hours to pound in about 60+ posts and put up over 400' of wire. I've never met such really great people as I have living here. People I don't even know came to help me just because.  I still have one side of my property to finish fencing but it will have to wait till winter when the plant life (specifically the poison ivy) dies out so I can get in there and get the posts in.

Somewhere in there is my property line and some of the old fence posts and barbwire. I can't see it right now, but I will in the winter. Unfortunately there are unfenced portions and I can't let the sheep out to graze unless I am there, with a dog, watching them.

Tell Me Thursday #10

Going forward over the next months, what are your goals.

What Laura said! Almost all of Laura's goals are my own. Can I end it there?

Ok..

My #1 goal IS to get my finances under control so they will stop controlling me. I too am very tired of just surviving and I feel I have paid my dues and deserve to have just a smidge extra now. HEAR THAT?

My #2 goal is to get Crue ready to trial. We're doing well, but not making as much headway as I'd like. He works too wide due to insecurities and I just am not sure how to overcome the problem except by just work, work work. I have worked him in a tight space and for some reason he seems to do better, but I can't spend all my time working in a very tiny space.  We don't have much of an outrun yet, that concept isn't in his mind yet, but he's getting there. So 6 mos may be really pushing it for this goal and I may have to make it longer.

My #3 goal is to get my property completely fenced and fixed up so I can function better with my animals. Also included in this goal is to get my house completely finished. There are still a few unfinished things in the house that I need to complete.

For now these are my only goals. They may be few, but they are biggies!

Tell Me Thursday #9

1. If you're not at the 2011 Sheepdog finals this weekend what are you planning to do?

I'm working on Saturday and working with my herding students on Sunday.


2. One item you NEVER walk onto the trial field (any trial field, or training class will suffice) without?


My dog


3. Katy wants to know if you have a pre-run ritual that you observe?


Well I haven't trialed enough in my life to have a ritual, but probably pace and try to calm down before my run. It has never worked however.


4. How old were you when you had your first real kiss?


Two answers to this one.  It's been too long ago to remember, or maybe it hasn't happened yet? Having 3 kids does not mean it has happened..


5. Bonnie wants to know what you do for yard mud control during the winter?


What I have been doing lately is spreading out the hay that has gotten wet (under the tarps, I need a hay shed). I have one area where the water runs off and if it gets wet it's like slime. The hay has helped that area.


Sorry about the text background. I copied the questions from Laura's page and it won't let me dispense with the background color. I'm sure there must be an easy fix, but I'm too impatient.  So deal with it....said in a nice way of course.. :)

the visitor

My guineas were squawking up a storm this morning. But that's not unusual for them. Lots of things set them off. Although there did seem to be a more urgent tone in their cackling. But when the chickens started in too I knew there had to be something going on.

This is what was going on. A visitor.

My dogs mostly ignore my birds, except Meg and Seth will move them around a bit. This one was new though so it got their attention more.

At least for a second or two.

Then the food I threw down for the pea hen was much more interesting.

I'm sure Seth figured this new bird should be put with all the other birds. Chaos and birds all over the place is just not tolerated.

The pea hen was not intimidated by either me or the dogs. I figure it may be someone's pet. The only thing that seemed to ruffle its feathers was, of course, The Poodle. Nobody likes the poodle. The sheep hate him, the guineas hate him. Not sure what it is about him, maybe the curly hair?

I'll check the lost and found today and if she is still there when I get home I'll call whoever lost her.

The day late, Dollar short Tell Me Thursday

1. What is the biggest thing that grossed you out over the past week?
Being a groomer and having dogs poop and pee all over my table, in the tub, on the floor etc, it takes a lot to gross me out. I'm thinking it would have to be the Seth farts all week. It's so bad it is permeating my shop. I have to light scented candles to cover up the odor. Not sure what's going on with him, same food, same routine. Guess its just old dog farts.

2. What do you feed your dogs?

Diamond Naturals, either lamb & rice or Chicken & rice, whichever is cheapest or whichever I can find. They get the occasional guinea or chicken egg or treat and all the grass they can eat.


3. If you could move anywhere where would you live?

I'm pretty happy where I am now, but I'd love to live in Scotland or Ireland. My ancestors call to me.


4. What is the funniest thought that occurred to you (or thing that happened to you) this week?

Well it wasn't a very funny week. Too much rain, not enough customers. Not enough money to pay the bills. Did lots of hiking in the woods checking out sightings of my stolen sheep that must have escaped their captors. Two were spotted a few miles away from each other both in different parts of the woods. So my week hasn't been too funny. I guess the best I can do is the race between Reign and Crue every morning on my way back home from our walk on the golf course. As soon as I turn my body to head back the race is on. Crue is fast, very fast, and he has youth on his side. He's 2 and Reign is 8, but Reign seems to always nose him out. Nobody else can even catch up with them at all.


5. If you couldn't have your breed of choice what would be next on your list?

Well my breed of choice before Border Collies was GSD. I've owned a few in my life. My last one, Icon, was a great dog. His parents were imports from Czechoslovakia and E Germany. All working police dogs in his pedigree. I learned he actually had some sheepdog sense after I got into Border Collies. Unfortunately he was already 8 years old so I couldn't do much with him. I'd like to have another but seeing how the breed isn't very sound and its very hard to get one with a good mind and body anymore I doubt I'll ever have one again. The other breed I've always liked for some weird reason, is a Boston Terrier. I'm NOT a terrier person nor do I really like small dogs (even though I do have the token small dog) but I am drawn to the breed.

Tell Me Thursday #7

1. What five things can't you live without?

1. Dogs
2. Sheep (for the dogs)
3. Money (to buy sheep for the dogs)
4. Food (for the dogs and sheep)
5. Music (for my peace of mind)

2. How do you transport your dogs? This question suggested by several peeps, including Mara.

I drive a 2000 Chevy Silverado. Not sure how many miles on it as the light for the odometer hasn't worked in years. It will hold 4 crates plus whatever else I need in the bed, plus I have a shell on it so nothing falls out. I don't transport the dogs this way however since the tailgate has to be manually locked and if I forget it will open. Found this out on the way to the dump with a full load. Shell window won't stay up either, so you have to hold it up manually. Won't lock either. Has only one screen on the windows as a goat ate it out years ago. It did transport my 3 new ewes all the way from Kentucky a month ago without problems. Of course they were stolen from my property last week so that was all for naught. The dogs ride in the back seat in the cab with me. Otherwise they can't get treats at drive thru places.

3. What role does obedience play in your training or running of your dog(s)?

I do need my dogs to be fairly obedient, but I will admit to being a bit lax in this area. They know when I mean it and when I don't. Seth has always been smarter than me and he knows way more so I've always been pretty obedient for him when he's working sheep or running in a trial.

4. At what point do you start putting commands on your dogs?

When I'm starting out and the dog is flanking fairly good both ways and will turn well when I change position, I will start to just say the flanking directions. I'm not asking them to do anything with them, but that way the words get in their heads and eventually they will come to associate those words with the way they are going. I've just started this with Crue and when my sheep got stolen I opened up the gate to put the chickens and guineas, which were outside of the pen, away. My remaining two ewe lambs were in the pen. I was giving Seth flanking commands to push the birds back into the pen. Crue was there so I lied him down to block the birds from going the wrong way. Well the birds disregarded Crue's authority and walked right by. So I was telling SETH to come bye and I guess Crue thought HE should be doing something so he ran into the pen to get the lambs out. I called him off and he was OBEDIENT and came right back to me. Good dog Crue. I guess I need to teach him what those flanking commands mean and also teach him to listen for HIS name when I give them.


5. Do you talk to strangers in elevators? Question posted by Laura

Geez...I haven't been in an elevator in years. I don't think they have buildings with them here in E TN..LOL But if I was in one I'm sure I would talk to someone riding with me.