Its that time again :) TMT #6

 

1. Robin wants to know what your ideal number of dogs is?

 

4, it makes it so easy around my house.  Though I currently have 5 dogs...

2. Lora wants to know if you find that your dogs are better or worse after time off from training?

 

I'd say yes, my dogs had to take an unexpected and unwanted vacation from work after my sheep were killed and they can back working very nicely, though they were a little pushy and hard to handle, the work flowed very nicely.

 

3. What is your favorite power tool? What power tool do you wish you had?

 

Well its a toss up, I use the drill a lot but I love my circular saw too....

 

Hmmm what do I wish I had.....I really have no idea.  Does a skidsteer count as a power tool LOL

4. What did you want to be when you grew up?

 

Veterinarian....always

5. How many of your friends are not "dog people"?

Ummm none?  Maybe not to the extreme I am though.  And if by some off chance someone I know isn't a dog person they have horses, so they are a horse person.....

TMT 2012 #5

  

Its that day of the week again....

1. Julie would like to know one frugal tip this week.

I had to come back to this question.  Hmmm....does it count that sometimes I wash out plastic sandwich bags and reuse them?

Or I've been leaving my house heat set at 55 and just warming the room we are in with a ceramic heater?  The verdict is still out on wether or not that is saving me $$$

Lately I've also been trying to cook bigger meals at night so that I have lunch to take to work with me the next day.  The $9 lunches are killing me!!!
2. What are you reading this week?

Reading?  Craigslist, emails, blogs...do those count?

No I have 2 books I'm flipping through now, one on farming on small acerage, the other on gardening on small acerage.  Just trying to get a plan for the garden this year.  I'd go broke if I got new books every time I finished one, most of the time I read the books my mom gets me for christmas in about 3 days :)

3. Barbara wants to know: do you hit the snooze button on the alarm clock, and if so how many times?

I set the alarm so it goes off 15 minutes before I have to get up.  It makes me feel good to have a few minutes to lay in bed and watch the news!  So I hit snooze once (my alarm goes off after 9 minutes) and then get out of bed a few minutes later

4. If you had to travel in a sedan (or if you already drive a sedan type car) and you had five or six dogs, how would you handle it?

I had a mazda protege and I had, I think, 4 dogs at the time and Tucker who had to still ride in the back.  Solution was to throw dogs in the back seat and one in the front and crates that folded up in the trunk.  It wasn't ideal or super safe, but it worked.

Now I have a mazda tribute.  Its the small SUV.  I have more dogs, 5 to be exact, which is lower that what I typically keep.  One rarely travels with us so that helps.  But I do Jen and Hep in a crate together, they actually do wonderfully that way.  Dutch and Cass ride seperately.  I'm searching for used Central Metal crates, they make them in narrower and shorter versions of regular crates, which would allow me to fit 4 crates of the same (intermediate) size in the back.  I can fit 2 intermediate and 2 mediums in the car now, but I'm still searching for cheap medium crates on craigslist :)  I've gotten 3 intermediate/large crates for $10 why do people want more for medium???

5. How much do you filter what you put on your own blog?

A lot, I love the super snarky blogs, but I also know that I have people that would offend and also some of my former riding students who read here.  I also work for a non-profit that is funded by the state :)

I guess it would be bad if I didn't answer my own TMT questions while they are in the spotlight?

  

1. How do you search for and then choose a trainer?

Word of mouth and past history.  I have a lot of experience being and choosing trainers in the horse world, not so much in the dog world but I think the same principles apply.  For myself I'm not looking for the most flamboyant trainer or the one who stands out.  I tend to be drawn to the trainers who are reserved and have a way with the animals that goes without speaking....they are the ones who will be in the world a long time, not the one or 2 hit wonders, and they may not win every time but they are consistently near the top even in unnoticed.

I have had my share of bad horse trainers, those who maybe were at the top but got their because of short cuts.  I don't believe in short cuts...  Most people today (again this is the horse world) just want to win, they don't want to take years of slow and steady work to achieve the proper training and form to win.  Sorry went off on a tangent :)

2. The dog world is small and... uh... talkative. After choosing a trainer how do you handle those people in your life who don't believe in that trainer/trainers methods and criticize them to you?

I listen, I catalog and I move on.  Everyone has a past, everyone does things that others don't approve of.  Its up to you to decide if you can live with them.  Every one can also change, just because you've see Mr. X do Y to a dog in the past doesn't mean that is still the method he uses today.  I've heard dogs can be ruined by letting them sleep on your bed, I know horse trainers that believe a horse can truly be ruined by letting them pick up the wrong lead one time.....

3. Do you believe that a person's personal life should influence your choice of a trainer? (i.e do you believe a person's choice to be a party animal outside of work would affect your choice?)

 

I asked this question because of an on-going debate in the horse world.  There is a decent lower level trainer in the area that has quite a flamboyant lifestyle, he is a homosexual man and likes to party.  People are trying to get his judges card revoked just because of the lifestyle he chooses to lead...

 

My thoughts are, if you can keep your home and work life separate then I don't care what you do.  However, I can't condone drugs, stealing or crimes against nature (rape, bestiality, etc...) so if I find out you are part of these then I'm probably going to part ways with you.

4. When you have a break through moment with your dog, do you feel that moment makes your connection stronger with that dog and makes the next step in training easier?

Having recently had a break through moment with my dog I find the connection between us amazing.  She has always been a great dog but recently its like things just clicked with her and she has now turned into an amazing working dog.  Its like there isn't anything she isn't getting right now.  Maybe its her age or the fact that she matured or maybe because I just started working her with no thoughts on where this training would lead.  But I'm blown away when I work her now.....

5. Do you stick with just one trainer, or do you go to multiple sources for help?

I would like to stick with just one trainer but he's too far away!!  But I tend to stick to trainers who have basically the same philosophy.  I do like to hear others thoughts, just to keep them in my pocket even if I don't use them right away or on a particular dog.


And now for pictures of my new curly coated retriever....just kidding she's really a border collie.  And she is out of a litter with 3 other smooth coats :)

 

TMT 2012 #3

 

1. What is one lesson you've learned this week?

Hmmmmm....Uhhh....my brain is fried, good thing today is my Friday :)

2. Who or what might you have been in another life? What might you be in a next life?

I was probably a horse in another life.  Though my best friend and I, in college, went to one of those psychic readers and she said I was a healer in a past life :) 

In my next life I just want to have lots of money...ha ha no not really.  Being another healer would be great!

3. What unusual things do you like the smell of but don't usually admit?

dirty socks..gross but true, vingear - I could smell it all day, horse poop

4. What are your thoughts on continuing on vs. retiring when a trial run is going badly? How do you decide? Where do you draw the line?

I dont' think I have trialed enough to have a definite answer.  I hope that I would be one who would walk away to help my dog before the sidelines are (Laura!) going OMG go help your dog, but I can't make promises on that.  I don't want to injure anyone's stock so....

5. This is a call for questions or subjects you'd like to talk about - I'd appreciate suggestions (and please come link up so that I'll be sure to see your post), so here's your chance!

I have a few questions...they all stem from things going on in my life :)  And believe it or not it is stuff that isn't going on in the dog world

1. How do you choose a trainer?  By word of mouth?  Watching said trainer work/train?

2. And after choosing a trainer how do you handle those people in your life who dont' believe in that trainer/trainers methods and criticize them to you?

3. Do you believe that a person's personal life should affect your choice of a trainer? (i.e do you believe a person's choice to be a party animal outside of work would affect your choice?)  and did I use the correct form of effect/affect?????

4. When you have a break through moment with your dog, do you feel that moment makes your connect stronger with that dog and makes the next step in training easier? 


And here is a personal plea!  I know some of you that read my blog aren't my facebook friend, so while this is my personal blog i'm going to post this.  (if it offends you let me know!)
I am a national board member of the Brown Dog Foundation (browndogfoundation.org), we have a national fund but without wonderful donors we are going to be out of funding.  Please if you can give, even if its just a dollar, consider giving to Brown Dog!

TMT #2 for 2012

Laura's question for the week are as follows:

1. Stopping your dog - what do you prefer? On their feet? On their belly? Some combination?

Depends on the dog in my case.  When Jen stops is is smack to the belly, as of recently she thinks stopping is optional so we are working on simply stopping.  There are cases when I would like to have a stand on her so my next task is to teach her to stand. 
Dutch on the other hand does NOT lie down behind sheep, no way, no how.  He's always had a standing stop even as a puppy.  I did eventually teach him to lie down off stock and he does it.  And on rare occasions he will lie down when we are setting for an outrun but this is not the norm for him.  He is quiet and not scary to his sheep so I'm OK with that.
Hep seems to think that it doesn't matter if you stand or lie, its a mixed bag with her.  Maybe its because we are just getting a feel for each other but I sense that I am going to have to enforce a lie down because she can be a bit of a bugger behind sheep :)

2. At what point do you start teaching this?

Jen came with a beautiful lie down and when she listens she still has that beautiful lie down.  Dutch never was one to lie down so he got the stand command from the start.  Once I get Jen's stopping issue back in hand then I am going to start trying to teach her a stand, though I think its going to be hard because the lie down is so ingrained in her mind that any form of a stop means lie down to her.

3. Do you have a favorite dog? I won't tell.

Favorite dog overall?  Yes, Jen everyone knows its not a secret.  No matter how hard Dutch sucks up and is a wimpy mommas boy Jen will always be my heart. 
Working?  Depends on the situation.  When the sheep are flighty and likely to run like bats out of he!! then I prefer Dutch, he settles sheep and can get right up their butts without spooking them and he will stand all day holding sheep without pushing them while I do things like trim feet. 
If I have tough sheep I prefer Jen.

4. What is the #1 thing a dog can do to push your buttons?

Off stock - not come when called.  It is one of my pet peeves and makes the "evil mom" voice come out and me come after said dog :)
On stock - to bust in or make a mess of things when I am trying to perform a task, i.e. trimming feet.  I hate that, don't keep pushing and pushing until someone bust off or runs me over.  Jen used to be the worst about that, many discussions later she is better, though not perfect :)

5. Brrrrr... it's winter. What is your favorite soup recipe?

Hmmm I'm a sucker for potato soup.  I have a great recipe which is not with me at the moment.  Maybe I'll remember and add it tomorrow

The passing of a great

I was fortunate enough to get to keep Robin French's Spottie for her retirement years.  I trialed her a few times but mostly used her on the farm to help with my small flock of sheep.  She was a great teacher and taught me so much in the 3 years she was here with me.

She was an amazing trial dog for Robin and a great teacher for me and I will never forget that.  Thank you Spottie, may you now run free without pain. 

TMT 2012

 

TMT is back...Thanks Laura.  I didn't see this yesterday before I left work, so I didn't get a chance to fill it out...

1. What is your favorite new toy? I know you have one, so you might as well go on and fess up.

I didn't get any new toys this year.  I'm sitting here trying to think of something interesting and toy like but I have nothing....

2. If you're going to be caught under the mistletoe, who would you LEAST like it to be with?

That's probably a longer list than what anyone wants to sit here and read!

3. New Year's Resolutions - for your dogs - share!

Hep - to get her to take my away whistle and flank and to get her trialing.  She needs to be more fit before doing that so we are working on it.

Jen - to get her healthy and get her trialing as well.  She is driving quite well now even if she tends to get dyslexia on the flanks! 

Dutch - keep building his confidence and get him out to new places.  I think we have figured out his weight issues, so I would like to make sure that he says at his new chunky weight :)

Duke - he is going to be trying out agility for fun and so that he has a focus, his resolution is to focus!

4. New Year's Resolutions - for yourself - share!

To be more organized

To get out to see my friends who aren't close more

To get my dogs to trials, even if just the local ones

5. How did you handle the holiday food situation?Oh, I wasn't supposed to eat everything in sight?  We have 4 Christmas's, I ate a lot....I now wonder why I have a muffin top.  Maybe the getting Hep fit thing will help me lose said muffin top?  Lets pray :)