A word about sheep

 A lot of sheep-doggers start training on the sheep of their trainer.  These are probably GREAT sheep. Later, hungering for more frequent sheep-time for their dogs, a novice herder will beg , borrow, or steal, any local sheep they can find.
Eventually, a dedicated sheep-dogger will find a way to acquire a wee small herd of one's own.

If this is you , Congratulations!   You'll be thinking about sheep.

You have a new responsibility. You are no longer looking after the well-being of your good dogs, You will be considering the health and well-being of your flock. You'll concern yourself with your individual sheep.
If you have a ram and ewes, you will concern yourself with with the status and genetics of your fold.
You will be responsible, not only for your individual animals, but also you'll be responsible for what your flock will be.

What do you want from your sheep?  Think hard about this.

Today at work, a valuable breeding ewe came in with a dystocia. She could not deliver her royally pedigreed lamb without surgical intervention.  She came from a line of sheep bred for show. She was absolutely beautiful! A beautifully arched aristocratic facial profile, Long neck, Long back. Solid haunches.
Be very careful what you wish for, my sheep-keeping friends.
Huge single lambs make great show sheep. ....and a huge single lamb was what this gorgeous ewe  predictably carried.
 A very  few generations of breeding for Humongous singles cost this ewe her life.  Her gorgeous single lamb, survived, due to outstabnding veterinary intervention.. He will be bottle raised and will take his princely place in the pedigrees of show sheep of the future.


We sheepdog folks dont tend to be concerned with producing Suffolks for show,...(THANK GOD!)... Suffolks of any sort are headstrong , and not very good for our young dogs confidence.

But do, pay heed to what you are breeding for, regardless of what sort of sheep your aiming for.
Do you want a flock that only lambs with human intervention? Are you really all that happy about hourly night time checks during lambing season? Are you happy about sewing a ewes prolapsed vagina and rectum shut , to keep her alive long enough to breed another season?
Do you want a flock that you have to force your ewes accept and feed their lambs?


Think hard about what you'd like your sheep to do for you.
Sheep keeping should not be hard. Verifiable idiots have been doing it for thousands of years.

The single secret to improving a flock, is ruthless Culling.
If you dont cull, your flock will not improve.

.......and also, stay the fuck away from  suffolks.

Bed Dog

Its cold, and I like a dog to cuddle up with when I'm in my bed.

Watson, my late standard poodle, still missed, was a great bed dog.  He would cuddle up up, and decline to rise until I'd put the other dogs outside, and had made my coffee. He would join me for coffee and special "poodle-time" while I put my morning together. I miss Watson.

Rook. He was a good bed dog. Fantastic cuddler.....until he became incontinent in the number one AND the number two way, with advanced age. I think he understood. I hope he understood , when I bought him inexpensive discardable  dog beds and used thriftstore blankets and placed beside my bed.

Vangie. . Good bed dog. I hope she's enjoying a bed.

Its cold now, and I'm skin-flint enough to turn my heat all but off during nights.
I'm taking applications for a bed dog.

Star. She sucks my blankets! WTF,   Suckles my blankets, and thinks about her sweet mama (Tess)
This makes my bedding wet. Very wet, and unpleasantly dank.. Yuck! Also Star rates my breathing, and when its deep enough, she goes into the kitchen and eats my cookies , or meat that is thawing., or topples the garbage and spreads it about.
Star! You flunk bed dog! Get in your crate!

Jet. He doesnt really want to be in the bed. I can respect that. I, also, am a mammal who needs some space....but Jet also sneaks out to topple the garbage, and just yesterday, he spilled and ate a 20 lb bag of wild bird seed.
No No! Get in your crate!

Fitz! My loving puppy! He seems to get the whole bed-dog thing....at least, I am pleased to think so.He has the cuddling down. He is a natural.....; until I catch him.TAKING a SHIT right on MY BED!!!!!!   ON MY BED! while I'm in it!
Fitz. You flunk at bed dog.
Back to the crate you go.

Jones. It almost worked. He's a good cuddler, Doesn't shit. Doesn't pee. Doesn't pull midnight garbage heists....but every morning I let Jones in my bed, I wake up with the NASTY toilet plunger next to me. He LOVES that thing!
Sorry Jones. Crate time.

I'm about ready to invite my cats in for the night, and see if one of these might be a cuddle-muffin with no alternative agenda.

Or alternitavely, I read that the old timers used to go to bed surrounded by hot baked potatoes.

Click "Reset"

After some personal disappointment in my sheepdog 'game' , I was forced to set the dial on 'reset'.
Reset.
The world is new. Its an entirely new game.
There will be no worrying about qualifying for ....any damn thing. Not this year. Probably not next. Maybe never.
That did not make me happy.

I've always held goals for myself and my dogs. These keep my attention filled with the long term reach.
My goal , for recent trials is to give my dogs confidence-building experience , and , most importantly , to have a ROCKING GOOD TIME!

Target achieved.
Happier handler. Happier dogs.
My new game plan is slovenly, at best ,
No pressure. None. On me or my dogs. Fun will be had. NOTHING else matters.

The formally quirky, Miss Star is responding very well to our new minimalist regimen .
Being bums might be the best road for both of us.

Lord! I do feel like myself , and I'm liking it.
My dogs are happy , and surprisingly, performing better on sheep, then ever before.

No complaints.

Reset.
Total.

Finals :Goddam!

Well, thats why I quit Facebook.
But Fuck me, I can't look away.

Its a little hard to take.

Once THIS Finals is over........Things'll be great.
Till then, I'm rooting for everybody, or at least everybody who sounds sweet at the handlers' post. (Cant abide hollering handlers!)


Wish I was there.

It just takes so goddamed long to bring a young dog up to competant open.

Been there.
Done that...with the best dog in the world.

Then she was gone. I never even saw her again.

I am disheartened.
I have nice pups, but Its such a long road and I'm afraid I may not have the heart for it.

Oh jeezus, I loved that dog.

Its Finals Time. Great excitement

The entries are in.
 How many points will it take this year?
Who is going to Klamath? Who is not?

http://www.usbcha.com/events/sheep/entries.html

I am not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNzBgR0UoYo

Back in the Saddle Again

Upon edit-

I have retracted the forbidden name from post number 2.

There are others whos magic may yet be intact.

Might as well keep it that way.

In other news , I have some real nice dogs! Spectacular , even.
Introductions are in order.


Jet is a handsome young fellow by Helsley's Cap, with an upright working style. He could do with a little confidence, and wider flanks, and possibly a tad more 'feel for his sheep'.  I think I can help him with all of that. No, REALLY!

Jones , also handsome, also by Helsley's Cap, was born 1.5 years ago in my kitchen.  Jones   has been spending time with DD, because I had difficulty starting him.
He is going around sheep for me very well for me this week . Jones has 'feel for sheep ' in pleasing abundance.

Both of these young gents like working with me.

My Star is even starting to look like an open dog , when the mood suits her, which seems to be happening more often.
Star is , about 6 now, I think, so its due.

Fitz is a clever , confidant , even bold 5-month old pup. He was on sheep one time with DD. He liked it and looked good. At this point , nothing else to say about Fitz, except that he makes me laugh.

I'm entered in Athena.  Its been a while since I trialled.
I'm looking forward to being Back in the Saddle.