June 12th

Our training weekend was a fabulous success, with people coming from all over, making a total of almost 40 people attending over the weekend. Many thanks to those who helped me, Richard Mcguire, Sam Weaver, Andrew Gorton and Jean Hydleman. 

Not only did those attending learn heaps, we all benifit from watching new dogs, and dogs just starting out can always teach us something new. We had a good mixture of Border Collies and Kelpies as well as a couple of very nice Koolies. Some people were just starting with dogs that had never seen sheep before and others had done some work but had reached a stage where they were not sure where to go next.

The main issue I was seeing is people who were not giving their dogs enough space to work properly.  The sheep would get a little close to the fence and the handler would then move in to try and shift the sheep or stop the dog crossing. This then created a situation where, as the handler tried to push the sheep out the dog would only block them more and become more stirry and excited  and the sheep would stick more to the fence. So in this situation it is better to move away from the fence, giving the sheep room to follow the handler and the dog room to bring them off the fence. Most young dogs will find it difficult to push throught the sheep at first, so they need space until they get the confidence to do it. In some cases it is best to move straight to a bigger area if the dog is uncomfortable in a small space as long as the sheep are quiet. Also handlers must  try not to stare at the dog all the time, this can stir the dog up or intimidate him. You know where the dog is by the position of the sheep.

There were some lovely dogs there, and handlers must trust their dogs a bit more, and try to relax. I have really struggled with this and know how hard it is, but we must learn to take big breaths, walk calmly, dont glare at the dog, use lots of praise and relax, relax,relax and the dog will relax with us.  Even if we need to discipline the dog we must do it without anger and then get on with the training without holding a grudge. Dogs dont do the wrong thing to annoy us, they usually do it because they dont understand what we are asking. So think about what we are asking our dogs if it is not going well.

On the farming side, we are having an incredible season, so much rain and so much grass, very unusual, so nothing to whinge about at all.

Caleb is coming along very well after he hit a difficult patch. I am pleased with him. Rio needs a litttle more work but is getting there, and as usual Driftz needs heaps of work. The border pups Kimba and Yinda are working well. Particularly Yindi, my daughter Sams pup. Sam is doing a good job with her and she is balancing nicely. Kimba is a little more untidy. I started Mango, the Rio/Caleb pup and liked what I saw. Plenyt of guts and go in that little package. She is still too young yet so I have put her away for a while.  Angel is still lacking maturity so am not doing much with her yet.

Lara has a litter of Pups from Simon Leaning's dog Fleetfeet Axle. Seven lovely little guys unfortunately six were male but can't be helped. These are well bred pups and should be great utility dogs with style and class. A couple of males will be for sale.  Axle is a state level trial winner.  A very calm dog. Contact me if you are interested. Photos in the gallery.