On The Road Again...

Yes I can hear the Willie Nelson song playing in my head.  We are headed out tomorrow, on the road again.  The Sioux Falls show is this weekend and we are once again headed to Minnesota and the hospitality of the Runge household.  I'm truly looking forward to having some extra time to hang out with Jean, we don't get to do it often enough.  As usual Jean and Don have opened their doors to all my dogs.  If they ever tear down the old boarding kennel I will cry!  Is it a good thing or a bad thing that my dogs all recognize the area when we hit the exit ramp and Maddy (the usual front seat navigator) gets all excited when we pull into the drive?  Yea, they've all spent many hours up north.  Poor Don, I feel for him sometimes when I visit.  Guess I'll have to stop and get a pie or something to ease the pain. 
The show should be fun.  I truly like the venue and am terribly excited to trial with Trace (fingers crossed he should have his RN this weekend!) and Spice.  Spice could be the highlighted entertainment for the weekend.  We have worked on rally a few times because I realized there were bits of rally that she didn't learn in her novice CD work.  She hasn't had a lot of work for her CD, but is solid enough and such a happy worker that I figure what the heck.  If she bombs I'll release it to the universe and move on.  I suspect we will all have a blast no matter what.  There will be a large group of us showing this weekend and I have such fun with everyone that is attending. 
I'll update next week with hopefully good news and at the very least some amusing antedotes. 
Until next time...

OVERBOOKED AND LOVIN' IT!

I feel fantastic right now and so I've booked a few activities along with the daily training routine.  Now I'm not so sure I haven't overbooked myself a bit.  I realized the other day that I have no free weekends until Christmas.  I was in a huge training and showing slump.  Now, I don't mean conformation-that's been an ongoing project depending on the dogs.  But for a long time I felt like I had lost my drive to do other activities with the dogs.  No more of that, I have my mojo back. :-)

This next weekend it's off to Sioux Falls for obedience and rally with Spice and Trace.  Followed by Jam,Trace,Spice,Harold at the UKC trial for rally, then Spice and Trace at the International show, Declan and Trace at Shakopee, and assorted dogs (because I'm not sure who to enter in what yet) at the DMOTC rally and obedience trials.  Herding on Mondays, puppy and adult obedience classes starting on 11/16 and that's just November.  Can't quite decide on Dec for sure.  There is a UKC show in Minnesota on the same weekend as an obedience and rally trial in the same area.  I am entering the APDT show followed by the possibility of Skokie which depends solely on who has coat or not.  Agility classes start after 1/1/11 and I have options for 2 training centers, and I've already signed up for another obedience class starting on 1/3/11.  Hmm...I think I need a nap after thinking about all that.

Until next time...

REID HERDING

I do believe that Sahra has created a herding monster in Reid.  He had his first exposure to sheep on 9/26/10, all on leash and for a brief time.  He showed real good interest and about pulled Sahra off her feet.  Due to his age, John has said he can only herd once a month and then he will progress to every other week and then up to every week.  Reid's next time (pictured above) was on 10/18/10 and after a brief on leash period, Sahra unhooked him and OMG! that boy has some talent in there.  Or at least a ton of drive to work with.  Ahh the promise of youth...

ANOTHER REID UPDATE AND PICTURES

Reid at Puppy Class Graduation - of course he would be the puppy to sing his own praises!

Reid at about 4 months - doesn't he just make you melt?

REID UPDATE

Here are pictures of Reid that Amy Ross took, I have lost track of what age he was here, maybe 10-12 weeks?  I don't even know what to say about Reid.  I call him the "Uber-Puppy" because he is the smartest puppy I have ever seen.  Not that he doesn't have a quirk or two.  He learns easily and quickly but Sahra has said he requires a different approach than alot of puppies.  That's fine with me!  Sahra has had Reid everywhere and he has experienced both tracking and herding, both of which should be potential titling areas.  I am drooling to get my grubby hands on him for agility too.  I just love him to pieces, can you tell?

INTRO AND HERDING

I'm very behind and way out of order on some of my posts, so bear with me.  On Sat. Oct 10th I added another dog to the group.  Meet "Declan" - a tri smooth boy FINALLY!  I met him at the Lake Elmo shows and as it usually happens fell in love.  Amy Ross and Brian Elwell of Oak Knoll Collies were kind enough to say okey dokey, but then the potential of moving and a new job interfered.  With that all worked out I asked about him again and Sahra and John Jola brought him down from the Hutchinson MN shows.  I am thrilled with him, he is structurally so sound and light in movement and his fun loving, bouncy and outgoing personality is reminiscent of his daddy, River.  This is Oak Knolls Riverton aka "Declan" a week after arriving here at his first herding lesson.   Also, there are pics of him as a baby puppy and about a week ago here at the farm.  He has a future in herding for sure and debuts in the show ring in November.  

Mason CIty Day 2

Quick report from day 2--it was definitely Trace's weekend--today he was Select Dog for his first Grand Championship point!  He isn't all that jazzed about showing in conformation anymore, I had the chalk box out and he just looked at me like "are you serious???"  I do believe he enjoys rally much better, at least yesterday he had a wagging tail and happy face. 

Onward we go--Sioux Falls for obedience and rally, UKC rally, International showing and more rally and obedience.  Maybe we'll even through poor Trace in conformation again just to see that look again :-)

Until next time...

Quick Update and Mason CIty News

I have been having a wonderful time lately training the dogs.  I try to do something new every day and change it up, so one day we do a little obedience, another day some agility, some days it just a walk.  Harold and I made a couple of attempts to lay tracks, but had horrid crosswinds and that's just too hard to start a new dog with.  I'm waiting for a nice calm day or two--but it's nearly always windy here, just need it to be a calmer one direction wind.  Spice and Trace started herding lessons.  Oh and we have a new arrival, Declan a tri smooth Collie boy.  He is just working on standing and looking gorgeous at this point.  Sahra has baby Reid out dipping his paw into various activities, a little herding, a little tracking (which he is a grade A whiz at), a little obedience and loads of social time.  I just marvel at how of all the puppies that could have survived in that litter, Reid has turned out to be such a stunner and so dang smart it's downright scarey at times. 
Jam, Trace and I headed out this a.m. to the Mason City show for rally.  Trace had a fab run and only my handling error of getting him tangled in the leash and screwing up his swing finish prevented a higher score.  But then I was thrilled with a 95 and 4th in a class of 9.  That's leg #2, one more to go!  Trace is already prepping for transition into Advanced/Excellent.  Jam, poor Jam, so impaired by his handler.  Jam was totally up and ready to rock today.  He actually WANTED to be in the ring.  It was a dead on amazing run with a minor bobble on the Halt, Stand, Down.  He sat, stood and then only did a 1/2 a down--the butt just wouldn't hit the floor.  Then on the Honor Exercise I totally messed him up and NQ'd him.  Dumb, dumb, dumb Judy.  Poor Jam-he worked so hard.  But we had a happy time and I'll take that. 
Tomorrow it's back to Mason City again, hopefully we will have a successful day again.
Until next time...