Walk-Up Champ

Champ...no down time for this boy!

This boy has some STAMINA.  His mother has the best stamina of all of our dogs and she passed on the good genes.  Not to mention, I'm sure Buzz passed on the good genes to this kid, too.

The neat thing about Champ is his temperament.  I call his Mom a junk-yard dog.  She is tough and down right mean to strange dogs.  Champ just goes with the flow loving everybody and everything.  He is easy to travel with, easy to live with, and just a real pleasure.

He is 16 mos. old now and he is like a sponge absorbing anything and everything right now.  I  have to be careful that he is absorbing the CORRECT things.  Suzy put almost 8 weeks of training on him at one yr. of age.  That was the best investment I could have made on Champ's future.

Now, he needs EXPERIENCE.  And, that's what he is getting at the ranch.  He is a slow maturing in comparison to the girls, but he is learning at warp speed now.  Plus, he just LOVES to work.  He can't wait for his turn :0)  His turn is just about all of the time now.  

He is working sheep, goats, and geese.  He would like to try his paws on the cattle, but I'm too much of a sissy.  I'd like to have a little retirement money versus putting it all into Vet bills.  He is just starting his outruns off of set-out people.  He is gaining experience working the pens and sorting.  He is doing some baby sheds now.

He is fairly clueless about panels and penning, because I don't practice those.  We just try to keep practicing the basics and the rest will follow.  I have entered him in his first AHBA trials coming up in a week or two.  June 1/2nd, he will try started ranch dog trial in Gardnerville, Nevada.  I am taking his mother and half sis, too, for the advanced ranch classes.

The next week I will put him in AHBA started field geese and field sheep.  I am keeping him out of arenas.  It is too much pressure at this point in his training.

The week after, I "may" put him in Ranch at our USBCHA trial.  He is not really ready, but everything I do with him I try to make it fairly pressure-less and work him very quietly.  If he needs help, I assist him.  He is a FUN pup.  He always tries to be right. :0)

TEXAS

The song, All My Ex's Live in Texas keeps coming to mind :0)  But, now most of my family lives in Texas.  My brother and his two girls and now, three grandchildren.  Nice that they can all be fairly close.  I flew into Ft.Worth/Dallas International last Wednesday.  Kind of thought about the Wizard of Oz.  With all of the tornado weather it was a bumpy, hair raising ride.  That International airport is one of the most confusing airports I have ever tried to navigate.  They have signs everywhere.  In fact, they have too many signs that say too little.  It's crazy.  Anyway, I made it.  My brother, Jim, found my luggage before he found me :0)  It poured all of the way to his home in East Texas....Tyler, Texas.  I said."Looks like tornado weather."  Jim said, "Nah...those aren't tornado clouds."  I knew he was just trying to cheer me up.  A huge Tornado hit Northern Texas that very night doing a ton of damage.  The rest of the weather was hot and muggy, but the rain and tornados stayed away from us. Phew....  I hate tornados.  Jim and I grew up outside of Kansas City (Tornado Alley)....we have seen our share.

I got a deal on Virgin Airlines...like $235 RT.  I have never flown them before.  Their seats were comfy and they have purple (meditative) lighting throughout the plane.  Glad they did.  I needed that for the bumpy ride.

This little 3000 ft. dream cottage is my brother and wife's new 'forever' home.

The view from the Master bedroom.  4 bedrooms, all with walk-in closets, 3 full bathrooms, 2 dining areas, living room, TV room, and a kitchen to die for.  Walk in closet?  What's that?  LOL  Their bathrooms were bigger than my kitchen. :0)

The TV room.  They have Docs living on each side of them.  Very quiet community right close by the University of Texas and several other colleges.  Not that Jim and Linda are thinking about going back to school...haha

The live on a lovely small lake that has a paved pathway some 3/4 the way around.  The pool is the perfect size.  3 feet on each end and 5 feet in the middle.  It's a great lap pool.

They have been there 4 months and have not been in their pool.  Lordy!  I walked out before 8 am and jumped right in.  My brother says I have more guts than 5 men together.  LOL  I love to swim.  I didn't care the pool wasn't heated.  I now have the distinction of being the first of their family to use the pool. 

This is a picture of their lake from the other end.  There are swinging benches along the walk way so you can stop, swing, and just think about nothing.

My brother and wife have yet to walk all the way around their lake.  In 3 days I walked 12 times around the lake.  So much to see and so pretty!  GREEN!

Spill way at the other end of the lake.  They have tennis courts, a community pool, and a club house.

Also, there is a fountain in the lake.  They turn it on around 10 am until 7 pm each day.

My pocket camera didn't do this Blue Heron justice.  He is different from the Floridian Blue herons.  He has a purple crest on his head and when he flies, his wings are outlined in purple.  He was gorgeous AND he was getting pretty tired of me sneaking up on him.  They are pretty territorial.

Most of all this is what intrigued me...the snapping turtles.  The lake had 100's of snappers.  They are hard to sneak up on.  They come out in the early morning to sun themselves.  They are as fast as Alligators.  If they catch a glimpse of you, they are GONE.

There are several large birdhouses around the lake.  I had trouble getting clear pictures because of the humidity.  My lens kept fogging up!

This was the other lake resident, a large white crane.  He and Big Blue hang out at opposite ends of the lake.  They are NOT friends.

This little bridge with the Lillies is down below their pool.  They have room for a little garden, spa...whatever.  It's like a little rain forest. :0)

Jim and I got 'skunked' the one day we tried our fishing luck.  Though, Jim's grandson caught a 7 lb. catfish one day.

Let's just say I did NOT lose any weight this trip.  Linda insists on preparing feasts of food...worse than a Jewish mother :0)

A cardinal by the pool.  Lots of cardinals :0)

We only went out to eat once while I was there.  We tried a new Mexican restaurant.  New to Jim and Linda.  It was FABULOUS. I was introduced to a Sangria Swirl.  YUM!

Jules, the Chihuahua sunning herself on the back porch (just like Trouble would do)  Jules is 11 or 12 and has all of the weirdness of a small dog.  She chokes, barks, has a dozen or more allergies, and  makes weird content noises, etc.  One night she was choking on her food.  Linda said, "I think this is it.  I don't she will survive this one more time."  I got up from the dinner table and did a Heimlich maneuver on the Chi.  Yep...she will live another day.  That was a first for me.  Hahahahaha

It gives me great PEACE to know that Jim and Linda have found their 'forever" home near their children and friends.  I could never repay them for the wonderful care their gave to our father in Florida during his twilight years.  They deserve the greatest of happiness.

I had a lovely four day trip.  But, they can keep the humidity and the tornados.  LOL  I'll continue to live with the fires and earthquakes. :0)

Trouble makes a deal

Saturday, we decided to go look at cars.  We made one stop and in less than 3 hours came home with a new car off the showroom floor.  LOL  Trouble cinched the deal for us.  This is what we purchased.

Yeah...Happy Mother's day to me.  It is a VW Jetta TDI (diesel) Sportswagon.  It gets 40-45 mpg.  It was time to stop driving the gas guzzling trucks all of the time and have at least one economical car to drive.  I LOVE it.  It may take me 6 months to learn about all the bells and whistles in it.  Plus, I love the sun roof :0)  We took crates out of my truck and brought them in right on the show roof floor...fits 2 in the back with the passenger seat still up.  Trouble test rode in it with us.  It has lots of pick up and go.
Wayne and i didn't even quibble a bit....SOLD.

Just got home from working the last 3 days at the hospital and I'm off for LAX airport early AM to fly to Fort Worth/Dallas.  I am going for a short visit to see my brother and his wife's new home in Tyler, Texas.  Every time I think of the fabulous care they gave Pop in his last years down in Florida my heart fills with love.  Jim had just retired, but Linda opted to retire and they both moved to Florida so Dad could stay in his home on the water till the very end.

My most favorite photo of my brother, Jim and Pop.  You can FEEL the LOVE.

And while i am in Texas for a whole 3 1/2 days, one of my nieces (Erin) and her hubby are coming to visit on Saturday and bringing my great nephew.  Look at him.  What a chunk!  The icing on the cake would be if i could see my other niece, Megan, and her two boys.

I can't wait to pinch those chubby cheeks.

Till next week, I leave you with this.....

Have a great week :0)

Baby Steps

It's been over 4 years since I had a puppy Border Collie to work.  You forget.  It's all done in baby steps.  Champ is the first dog ever that I sent out for almost 2 months of training.  He was a bit nervous and difficult for me to stop him.  He came back much calmer and with a stop.  He got calmer working with a pro and with the perfect sheep for him to work.

Now, he needs confidence which equates to experience.  I don't have perfect sheep for him to work, so he will have to use his head now.  He doesn't take after his mother in respect to penning.  Kilt could peel sheep off fence lines and out of small pens at 6 mos. of age.  It was her forte.  It still is.  Yoko at 10 mos. of age could jump up on a hay cart and knock goats off with her teeth.  My girls have always been superb ranch dogs.  I'm not saying they have perfect flanks....yadda, yadda, yadda, but they get the job done.  I like that.  Trialing is icing on the cake.  First I need and want a good ranch dog.

Champ loves going to the ranch with me and he can't wait for his turn.  He is learning lots.  When he first came home he had some pretty style points, but he was ranch puppy stupid.  If she sheep split, he would follow one bunch and not put them together.  He didn't and still isn't happy about scooping them off the fence and working the pens.  He doesn't really think goats are workable if they are with sheep.  He will leave the goats and bring me the sheep.  If a sheep challenges him with a bit of a head nod, I'm not sure if he is even aware.  When he doesn't know what to do, he lies down and waits.

All this tells me he is just young and dumb (puppy stupid).  He so wants to do right.  I am encouraging him to make some mistakes now.  We are doing lots of pen work.  When he doesn't pick up the goat stragglers.  I whistle a look back and walk towards him quietly saying 'look back.'  He is just starting to get it.  "Oh...you want ME to pick up that mama goat with the nursing baby?"  "Why yes, Champ."

I am careful that he doesn't get overpowered.  He hasn't been.  He has a few ram lambs, a few goats, and one blazed face ewe that will turn on him.  But, he just walks calmly at them.  If they don't turn he nips their nose and keeps walking.  This I love about him.  My girls would jump in, nip, and jump out.  Champ is what I call a 'steady eddy.'  :0)  That's an attribute for sure.

He still wants to cue off my body.  That is how he must have learned his flanks up north.  He only has his directions down about 80%.  He wants to see if I am going to move my shoulders, etc. to give him a hint. I am trying to stop this now.  He is far along enough to start thinking and using his own brain.  He needs to stop using me as a crutch.  It's all a work in process.  So much fun.

The nice thing about Task Farms field is that I can scatter sheep across the field.  That way when I send Champ, he has to REALLY look, in order to fetch all of them to me.  We are doing a bit of lane work.  He isn't putting the right pressure on the sheep driving up against a fence.  This is going to take a few months.  He is lovely on the geese, because I am sure they remind him of Suzy's sheep.  I move and you move.  They move so easily off of him.  He was comfortable from the first time I put him on the geese.  So, now I am selling my agility equipment and buying geese :0)  I have a nice arena to work geese in.

Baby steps Suzanne.......Keep reminding yourself....Baby steps :0)

                                                    Buzz                                                                    Champ