Weavepoles! And Bring on 2022

Bryn’s weave journey was an interesting one, not that it’s at all finished, of course. The thing about weaving is that it is not an easy task for a dog that naturally flanks out like crazy when excited. Weaving is anti-flanking, and while Bryn COULD weave with low speed and arousal, when there was any sort of excitement her brain would explode. Then if I could get her weaving, her footwork was AWFUL, it was the most unbalanced, ungraceful weave performance you’ve ever seen. This was with 2 sets of 2x2s, she understood the concept, and she could do it, but not with any sort of rhythm.

Since she did understand her entries and the concept of weaving four straight poles, I moved her to six channel poles. That took a bit of re-introduction to the concept. And she was better once she started to get the ‘drive straight forward’ in the weave channel, it looked less horribly awkward anyway. But it was still ugly, her footwork was clunky and mismatched and crossing over – icky. Weirdly enough, closing the channel closer seemed to help her collect herself a bit better, but it still wasn’t great. So we went to 12 slightly open channel poles, looking for her to start getting some rhythm and flow. She transferred the behavior nicely, some popping out at 10 issues, but I was more concerned with getting her to fall into a rhythm. So I CLOSED the channel poles, and that actually forced her to decide a bit more on her footwork and got her actually to think about it less and fall into the poles more. Not great, but better.

So if closed channel poles seemed to help, what did she do on straight poles? Turned out that was actually the most effective at helping her decide on her footwork. More issues with popping out and missing poles – but it actually forced her to really focus on the poles and less thinking about wanting to flank with my motion. Keeping in mind, this was just with a bit of work over two days going from barely doing 2 sets of 2x2s to 12 straight poles, so it was still very new and so much to think about. I was actually pretty darn proud of how she generalized the concepts we introduced with the 2x2s and tried so hard to figure out this much more difficult puzzle. When it’s something she’s interested in, that girl can WORK.

So just in a couple days her weavepoles were looking GREAT, she’s figuring out some really nice rhythm and footwork, she’s getting faster and more confident – and isn’t imploding upon entry when she has to go from Flank Mode to Weave Mode. We’ve added them into some sequences to help her think about managing her speed getting into them and she’s just getting more and more confident. She still has pop out issues, but certainly not unexpected. Her entries have remained fairly strong when she’s thinking about them, but we have a lot more work to do.

As usual, with Bryn we sort of do everything backwards, circling back around and picking up the foundation behaviors later when she’s more solid with the full behavior. She’s funny like that. Knock on wood though, the behaviors she has learned that way have remained strong. But, yeah, she’s got equipment now – someone should maybe teach her sequence. Definitely doing it all backwards with her …

We’ve also mostly moved up to jumping 16, and she looks fairly comfortable with it. It was definitely a concern of mine when we started looking at jumping and she kind of wanted to ‘boing’ over things, but luckily that was just a phase. She can extend nicely when she wants to, and actually collect if she wants to as well – novel! I hope to be able to really focus on jump skills with both her and Asher once the arena here is up and running, I think especially for her they will really help her. Asher, on the other hand, I think it will HELP him, but I also think he’s just always going to be a maniac that doesn’t collect. I think he can be much more thoughtful about it though.

As for Asher, OMG, we can NOT get through a course. He’s so hard! I always end up with such ridiculously reactive handling, I’m never where I needed to be and he’s just everywhere I don’t want him to be. Good lord, how can we not pull our shit together? Maybe we’ll get through some AKC courses, but international or anything that actually requires handling? Piff. Love that boy, but Bryn is getting to be the dog I’m hoping I’ll actually be able to HANDLE. Asher and I will have a good time, regardless.

Another full weekend of trialing in AKC, which I’m continuing to enjoy. Asher had some really nice stuff on Saturday, including a just lovely Open jumpers Q that was nice and connected. A couple bobbles in T2B (I didn’t trust him and fell behind so had to stop and regroup in the right direction), but still he hit his weaves, kept his bars up and brain was mostly intact. FAST also had a couple handling bobbles, but still connected (and of course no issues with the distance). Standard he knocked a bar and missed his dogwalk (hard turn off the exit), but still some nice things (I went back and trained the exit). I was feeling encouraged after Saturday, but he was all over the place on Sunday. Just demolished the 2nd jump in T2B so we stopped and trained that. FAST he was just staring at me and not taking things (but still got the send – so that was his Open FAST title). Jumpers he ALMOST squeaked out that last Q he needed, but he waffled on a wrap where he thought about rearing it and instead just knocked the jump – doh! And standard, OMG, I have never in my life used so much time in the ring and had to stop and train EVERYTHING. Fixed his startline, lied him down after flying off the teeter, went back and trained the dogwalk he flew off of, put him back on the table when he self released, and took three tries to get through the weaves. GOOD LORD. It was comically bad. And he did eventually fix everything, so I can’t complain too much. Someday the red thing will grow up … but not any time soon.

So we have training to do, as usual – I know what is on our list, and there is a lot. And we just need time to do it – so hopefully that arena will come together during winter break.

Navarre did really well at the trial, he’s so EASY compared to Asher – and who would have thought he’d seem so much more collected compared to Asher … He ended up with a double Q on Saturday, but I screwed him up on Sunday when I didn’t call him nearly as strongly as I know I have to with him. And he knocked a bar in jumpers. Nice runs though, he knows his stuff. It’s interesting as Asher is SO EXCITED about agility, and Navarre just never has been. He LIKES it, he enjoys it, and he loves the one on one time – but he’s so chill about it – and so not chill about herding. He’s such a funny puzzle. I also think he may feel a bit ‘less’ because of the neuter – it does take an edge off. He doesn’t have all his lovely muscling he used to either. He CERTAINLY has a lot more hair. I think it was the right choice though, not that he lost that much manliness. Asher continues to get to keep his balls, though sometimes I wonder if he was neutered maybe he would RETAIN BEHAVIORS. But you never know what it might do … and probably would not, with that issue.

Meanwhile, Bryn is both bulking up and growing her hair back – but she still hasn’t gone into season. I’m not entirely sure why she decided she will just eat everything you put in front of her now, but that’s certainly a relief not to have the malnourished waif dog anymore. Knock on wood, I hope that continues. And her season isn’t ‘late’, but I thought for sure blowing all her coat was a sign … but, so far, nothing. It is now six months since her last season. So, yeah, I’m considering entering her in a day of a trial in January – that would certainly bring her in. She doesn’t need to trial right now, but I think it would be good to go train in the ring as long I was there with the boys. I feel like Asher really should get out of Open before Bryn starts trialing, how embarrassing for him!

Haku is doing FABULOUS on Galiprant – he’s definitely way more energetic and bouncing around. Super pleased! We double checked his bloodwork after we started him on it, but everything looks good, so we’re going to stick with it. Happy to see him so much more active. They don’t make it easy to get though, and he has to get MORE bloodwork every six months if we want to keep him on it. No wonder vets are so busy, stop making me go in 10 times for every visit!

Finishing up with classes before my winter break, and boy am I ready for it. It has been a very gloomy December and I’m not making it home before dark a lot throughout the week. I’m so not a fan of that – and either are the dogs. I have a crapload of dog related books and videos I need get through during the break, I just haven’t had time to really focus on them. Hoping to remodel my bathroom as well as get in some herding if I can. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. If I have any sort of arena, going to work full jump training plan for Asher and Bryn. I’m feeling like I should refresh Navarre’s obedience skills, maybe someone will finish his CDX in 2022. He’s been having fun revisiting the behaviors anyway, we hadn’t touched them since I said he could retire a few years ago. He can still tell me if he doesn’t want to, but new and improved neutered Navarre may find them more amusing than he used to. I could even think about training Asher to get his CD, I’ve done zero obedience with him, could be fun. I think he’d like it more than Navarre.

Everything is sort in limbo at the moment. If I could predict when the arena may be ready to use I could start planning workshops and thinking about presenters to bring out and changing all my classes around … but I just can’t say when it will come together yet. It will eventually!

Did finally get back out to do some herding practice at Maddy’s, it’s been WEEKS and no Ron clinics on the schedule at the moment. Maybe in January? Might not be until Spring though. Asher looks so good when he’s in ‘his’ field at Maddy’s, so I know the skills are in there. Just need to get them in other places too, so trying to make arrangements while I’m off to do that. Have a friend with her own sheep in Yamhill that we’re going to try, and then going to try to see an instructor down south of Eugene, she has several trials at her place during the year. I’ll keep my eyes open for other opportunities as well, probably get up to Fidos at some point. At least in practice and with keeping right on top of him, getting him to consistently slow down on his lifts and stay pretty thoughtful throughout. Can even do a bit of a shedding, his driving looks pretty good. Need to work on more precision in driving, small flanks, pen work … all sorts of things.

Bryn continues to have just amazing natural ability. She has lovely feel and pace for sheep (when she wants to), more than any of my other dogs have had. She can get a bit ‘rushy’ if she is uncertain, but she’ll kick herself out on outruns and slow herself down on lifts too (when she wants to!). I started adding verbals and getting some stops a bit off balance. The goal is to try to look like we’ve actually trained something before we go to see Robin (where she came from) in March. That will be a fun little herding adventure trip, looking forward to that – I’ll get to run both dogs two days in the clinic. I’m also planning to come early and possibly take a lesson and work at Fidos a bit. Making it worth my while to go all the way up there! Maddy is also looking to bring out a new presenter in April, so that will be fun.

And, yeah, it’s almost 2022 – how on earth did that happen? I’m just going to be optimistic and assume that things will be happening in 2022, despite the neverending pandemic. I have baby dogs that need to trial and get new places, and Navarre is going to be seven, he needs to actually get out and about before he moves to the veteran category! And the thing about the magic age of seven, that’s when you stop trying to ‘fix’ things and just run the dog you have, and I’m very happy to do so with Navarre. It’s time for him to just get out there and show off his Navarre skills. Haku doesn’t have a lot on the goal list, but he’s already proved everything he needs to in herding, agility, obedience, tricks and whatever else in the world. He gets to be gloriously retired and get whatever he wants. After all, he’ll be a teenager in 2022!

2022 Herding Goals:

• Asher: Running confidently in PN in new locations, learning to shed, small flanks, standing up to sheep, AKC trials with Carol, lots of new locations and keeping his cool (SLOW DOWN)

• Navarre: AKC trials with Carol, USBCHA trials with Carol or Ian? Getting him some practice in-between, being Navarre without expecting him to be anything else 😉

• Bryn: Ready for some Novice/Ranch trials – AKC? Working on a variety of sheep in lots of different locations, learning to drive, starting whistles

2022 Agility Goals:

• Navarre: Finish MACH, UKI Open? (probably not …) Qualify for AKC Nationals and/or tryouts, UKI trials? Refresh international skills with the younger dogs

• Asher: Running confidently in AKC Masters, go through Shape Up online courses, total jumping training, UKI Open? (probably not), UKI trials? Try to get to as many presenters as possible, new locations, different equipment

• Bryn: AKC debut! Running confidently at trials with solid obstacle performance, go through whole Shape Up online program, UKI trials? Be fricken adorable

2022 Obedience Goals:

• Navarre: Finish obedience Open title (if he seems to be enjoying it), finish training utility behaviors (just the go-out, I think?), trial in utility? Fun matches?

• Asher: Train for Novice with the assumption he’s going to be wrapping and forging the entire time … compete when working with Navarre, fun matches?

• Bryn: Ha! Yeah, Bryn isn’t doing obedience …. at least at this point