Crash Course

On Sunday afternoon, I loaded up the four Border Collies and my mom. We were headed to the local grazing reserve, hoping to walk on the trails. Well the trails were still snow covered, so we decided to go down the oil service road. It was dry and the dogs would spend part of the walk on leash and part off leash. When we met horses we'd recall the dogs and leash them up. Sitting them down and waiting patiently for the horses to pass. We even met some people who were also walking their dogs there. Most of the time this isn't an issue. But sometimes people just blow me away.

A lady on a bike with a German Shepard was quickly approaching us. We called the dogs in, and put them all on leash. Simply because the babies don't always listen well, and Reba and Tessa are cranky pants. I wasn't interested in starting a dog fight. We sat our dog down and waited for her to pass. Except she didn't. Her dog came loping towards us. She called out he was just coming to say hi and he is very friendly. I called out my dogs were not. Did she recall her dog? Nope. Why bother? So there we were four dogs on leash, and one rapidly approaching. What do you think happened?

Reba raised her lip and uttered a growl, causing me to correct the behavior, and put her back into a Lie Down. I walked away from my mom so we weren't all together, trying to slow the train wreck I knew would happen. Dogs down again, I turned just as Tessa surged forward, causing Diva to leap with her. My mom hit the gravel, sliding with the forward motion of the dogs. Meanwhile the German Shepard is still trying to engage my dogs. Leaving my mom he comes towards me. The lady was delusional. His back hair was standing on end. Not generally a "friendly dog" look. Did she recall her dog? Nope. Meanwhile my mom is struggling to get to her feet. Tessa is wild, causing my mom to fall once more. The strange lady grabbed Diva. I told her to let her go, she'd recall to me. So there I am calling Diva with her leaping at the end of her collar trying to get to me, and the lady refusing to release her. I once more tell her to let her go. And she looks at me blankly. Seriously?? I was getting annoyed by this point. Her dog is still roaming loose, circling me, then circling my mom. Finally getting Diva, I hold my three while my mom regains her feet. Did I mention mom is waiting for knee surgery?? Worried, I watch her, while trying to encourage clueless lady to move on. When mom limped up to me I asked her what happened. She didn't know. She thinks the dogs pulled her off her feet, the bad knee giving out on her. I kept a careful eye on her. We still had a good 30 minutes walk to get back to the staging area. In my head I was making contingency plans. Figuring how I'd get my truck back in there to drive her out. She managed to walk out and is okay. A bit roughed up but okay.

I'm still a bit befuddled by the lady. What would posses her to think having her loose dog approach four leashed dogs (from the same pack) is okay? That's never got a good outcome. Even the babies who are generally pretty happy with other dogs were not. Tess with all her training went into protect mode and Reba went into attack mode. Tessa and Reba have enough training that I can generally lie them down and they'll wait patiently until the dog passes. The pups are learning to sit when we meet someone new. Greeting dogs on leash is a different thing. It's not like the dog park where they can greet, meet and move on at will. I would have been better off leaving Reba and Tessa off leash, reducing their protective/possessive instincts. But most people are respectful. They ask their dogs to heel or put them on a leash when passing.

All it takes is one...

Ouch!

We've had a week of gorgeous sun and I'm enjoying every second of it! Yesterday, after work I (with mom's help) took the dogs for a walk down the road. Mom usually takes Reba and Tessa, and I take the two pups. I was a bit naughty as I didn't work on the heel with the babies like I normally do. Instead I tied the two leashes together and had one handle for both, letting them walk a stride in front of me and just to the side.

Mom and Tessa turned around at the 1/2 mile mark. Tessa can't handle going much more than 2.5 km (about a mile) before she starts to drag her feet. Literally. It was so nice out I grabbed Reba and continued on with the three dogs. We ended up doing about 4.5 km. Not a massive walk by any stretch of the imagination but I was very aware of time, not wanting to over do it with the babies. I had asked the vet about starting to run with them and she said no more than 30 minutes. (Don't want to damage those growth plates.) When I returned to the house I brought the dogs in. I wanted to do some training with Ryder and Diva. Continue playing our game of Lie Down and Okay with treats.

I wiped down the feet and funneled them into the great room (its big), as I used one foot to pull off my Bogs (lined rubbers) I was gripped with the most intense pain! My leg felt like it was being torn in two! Swearing and moaning, I clutched it, causing Ryder great distress as he came whimpering to my feet. As the pain abated, I sat and once again tried to remove my boot, causing a shot of agony. My calf and hamstring were shrieking. Bearing down I carefully yanked the boot off. Trying to stand my leg buckled and let out another wail of pain. Mincing my way to the coach I gave the dogs their Bull Sticks. Flopping down, I propped the leg up. Ye gads, what the crimminey did I do???

I spent the remainder of the night sitting on the coach. I was able to do limited weight bearing on the offending leg. Today, I'm limping away. I must tell you, this certainly puts a crimp in my style! Here's hoping it fades quickly...

A Confession

I have a confession to make... it doesn't reflect well upon me... but for the last couple of months I've kinda, sorta, well, not been liking Reba. I know!!! Awful! The more stand offish I get, the more needy she gets. Not a nice cycle. After a conversation with Thad the other day, I've decided that I need to do better. Be better. So Reba has moved up the priority list. I'm making it a priority to take her with me to the stable when I go. This is her private time. Yesterday, I made an effort to play with her. Just her. No other dogs about. She loved it. Tail in the air, smile on her face.

I also need to get her more exercise. The limited amount she's getting just isn't cuttin' it for her. And you know what? Last night I enjoyed having her around - just like the old days. There was a time when I really enjoyed working her. Then I listened to too many people, and stopped following my gut. I need to listen to myself and follow my instincts where she's concerned. Because she's so soft and sensitive, she's challenging to work. I need to look at myself when she's making mistakes, accept them, figure out how to help her, and move on. And not be frustrated with her. If she were a child I wouldn't be getting mad, I'd be problem solving. This is my confession. It's not a nice one. The resolution is to do a better job with her so she can reach her full potential. And to enjoy her for who she is.

Because she's a nice dog, one I'm lucky to have in my life.

Roxy Resolution

Roxy has been at Cedar Crest for the last two weeks. And I've been there once. Having Roxy home has put additional pressure on my schedule. My already packed schedule. Thinking, I called up Jason. He's going to put some feelers out and help me work on selling her. She's not worth as much now, but it will alleviate some of my issues. Today I plan to go ride her. I do plan to try and ride every day this week. Will it happen? Not sure about that. My biggest problem is I have to decide between riding her or working with the dogs. I just don't have enough time for the animals I have and something has to give. That something is Roxy.

Diva's Class

On Monday nights, Diva and I head into the city to attend an agility groundwork class. Basically we play games, learn new skills and she gets exposed to a variety of different obstacles. It's funny, Diva, the shy reserved girl should not be good at this. But she is. She has been gaining confidence with every day. She happily hops up on the table and sits. She runs through the tunnel. She'll even stand on wobble boards, wiggle seats, and exercise balls (with hind on ground). She is a smart, smart cookie. When we switched skills - we had been standing on the wobble boards - to the jumping part (no higher than her ankles), she walked up to the jump and put her paws on it. I really shouldn't laugh but it was funny to see. You could tell she was tired because she was getting silly. She'd look at me with this happy expression - saying look at what I can do. While she loves to jump things at home, she wasn't overly interested last night. I'm looking forward to seeing what she can do next week. So much fun, playing with the pups.

Puppy Works

On the weekend I hauled Ryder with me to Valleyview. I thought he could use some exposure. He ended up getting two works and showed a tremendous amount of improvement. At this point I believe he just needs confidence. On Sunday we went to Waseteneau to work sheep. I brought both pups. A reputable and skilled trainer was going to be there and he'd asked to see the pups. Because I was worried about Ryder I wanted an "expert" opinion. And I got it. Ryder's going to be okay. In fact, with time he might just be excellent. Diva was a wild child. But showed her willingness to work. She was a little fart to catch. Very interested in the Barbados sheep - she'd never seen one before. The trainer will take one of the pups in July. Right now it looks like he's most interested in Ryder. I turned down two queries of purchase for Ryder this weekend. I'm obviously not a good business person. But I'm really undecided if I want to sell him. I know one dog needs to go. I don't have time to work with three. But Ryder will go to a special forever home if I decide to sell him. In the meantime, I'll keep plugging away.

Like A Skunk

Like a skunk. Reba and I stink like a skunk. Yep. That bad. After three days of "dog time", straight up herding, I've come to the conclusion that the wheels most certainly have fallen off the bus. I'm not entirely sure what happened to my nice little dog. The quiet one with the great outrun and willing to work personality. This hard headed hyper one can go. I'm sure that I'm a large part of the problem. That's usually how it works. I was equal parts horrified and embarrassed when I realized how poorly she was working. I was reprimanded for not immediately correcting her behavior. What can I say - I was in shock. My reaction time was a bit dull. Last night I called Abe, almost in tears, asking him when he could take her because I was obviously wrecking her. He reassured me that I should keep working. That it was very likely a spring aberration and everything would settle down with more work and exercise. I'm sure hoping. The only other variable is the herbs I've been giving her. She's been on them for close to a month now, and has been acting strangely the last week or so. I don't like it. I'm pulling her off the herbs, simply because her personality is all wonky. She's not acting like herself and that's the one thing I've changed. I'd far rather have my quiet cranky dog, then this hyper kind of friendly dog. I've been watching the daylight in the mornings. In another week or so I should have enough light to get in a quick run before work. This should help her burn off some energy. All I know for sure is that this stinks. I hate not being good at what I want to do. And I'm frustrated with her which isn't fair. I need to take a deep breathe and get back to the basics. I've not done a good job with Reba. Tessa's training was far better. My plan is to focus on one skill and work progressively on it until she goes to Abe. Once at Abe's she'll get regular intensive work and should settle down. And now I'm frustrated with Blogger which won't let me publish with paragraphs. Grrrr....