2017 Nov Dec

Finally, Finals!
for that level of competition. We really need to get some things
ironed out and be more consistent; more precise. My goal is to walk
into the arena feeling confident in our abilities, not going in there
on a wing-and-a-prayer.
Both clinics gave us much to work on, and I’m steadily seeing
results. We’ll be hitting up a few trials before Nationals to put our
improved skills to the test, and hopefully I won’t regress too terribly
beforehand.
Mystery Pup Dude – Still slogging up the hill
have a good time. It certainly is more gratifying to see the sacrifices
you’ve made and the work you’ve put in to training produce results.
There is no need to apologize for it, however.
Our training this summer has been spotty due to work schedules
and weather. I just can’t enjoy training in the heat and humidity
when I’ve been in it all day. So it’s mostly chores and serious
training when circumstances allow. It’s September now so we have
picked it up a bit, focusing on remedial issues and introducing a
couple new commands that will help us down the road. One of
these is a “back,” where he turns and releases pressure on the stock.
This has been the most difficult command for him to grasp, and
we’re struggling with it. We have a couple trials coming up and I’ll
be able to see if he really understands it in a more pressure filled
situation.
This will be our first Nationals and Finals, and we’re looking
forward to the trip. By the time this issue is published, we will
know whether our hard work has produced results. Regardless of
the scores we receive in Texas, getting to that point has been a most
enjoyable experience.
Mystery Pup Nessa – Fine tuning
Patton
Last time you heard from me, I ended with the hope that Nessa
will someday get me trained. I’m pleased to say, she’s getting closer
to achieving that goal. She’s not quite there yet, but I’m an old dog
so it might take some time.
In the meanwhile, we’ve been to two training clinics and no
other trials. I had intended to trial more, but the reality of it is that
even if we ran for Finals points and qualified, we’re just not ready
Dude and I are still struggling, but I think I’m finally beginning
to see improvement. After participating in a couple of clinics with
him and having the clinicians scratch their heads as well, we’ve
come to a couple conclusions: (1) I jumped from A to Z, as I have
a tendency to do in my training and (2) I’ve been too much in
the picture and Dude honestly doesn’t know what I expect him
to do once I step out of it. That comes from the first problem. I
had a few successes, saw some results from my foundation work,
and immediately catapulted into trying to push Dude into more
advanced training than he was ready for.
He’s been a challenge, I won’t lie, but I’m sticking with him. I
created the problem, it’s up to me to fix it and give him a fair shake
at achieving our goals. And I’m pretty sure he will. He’s a smart
dog, still pretty immature, but eager to please. He never quits on
me, and each time I work him I see a bit of improvement, so long
as I remember to be clear and patient – very, very patient.
Mystery Pup Talent
Still trying to figure out what kind of partner he is going to be.
He loves to work, but doesn’t have much stamina because of his
nose issue which is still ongoing. He flanks like a bat out of hell but
walks up quietly and deliberately. He knows what get back means
and lies down on command. His call off is getting much better so
now I am putting more emphasis on not taking off when we walk
into the pen to work. I have been letting him get away with stuff
because he is my favorite and I think he is cute. He is about 14
months old now but I’m still not doing a lot of training with him.
He gets worked a couple of times a week if he’s lucky. He has more
personality than any of my other dogs and he’s very endearing.
Mystery Pup Lessons To Learn
Weather sure plays havoc on training! We have dealt with
heat, humidity, and lots of rain. I keep building on what we set
as foundations. Most of the work has been pastures and distance.
He is still very hot on the heel of cattle and backing him off isn’t
always easy. I’ve moved him to a small pen, then to a larger area.
He is strong on heads and heels. We just need the speed to slow. I
keep thinking with age he will slow down. But it seems he needs
more miles and longer time to work. He will soon have that with a
larger pasture area to work in. He sure shows some great instinct.
As always, training proves to be two steps forward, one step back.
Happy Heeling. ;-)
AUSSIE TIMES November-December 2017 79