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 #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

TMT a day late and probably a dollar short :)

Yes, Yes I know I'm late this week...whats new???


But here we go anyway!

1. What are you thankful for this week?

I'm thankful I have a job that sometimes pays the bills, I'm thankful that i'm done dealing with the lady with horrid Rottweilers that she doesn't keep contained.  And most of of i'm thankful for the strength I find within myself, especially on the days where I feel like everything is falling down on top of me!  Oh yeah and Tucker and the dogs because they don't get mad when I take it all out on them ;)

2. How do you deal with a squeaker/shrieker/noisy dog?

Ummm they leave?  Seriously I can hear dogs if they roll over in crates, I can't take shrieking.  I have one now that does some talking and we are working on correcting that EVERY SINGLE TIME.  But she doesn't do it much inside.  Its like nails on a chalkboard to me...

3. Barbara wants to know: what would you say is ONE skill or attribute needed to be successful?

I have to agree with Laura on this one.  I think anyone who is determined to do something is going to make it happen.  I think they also have to have the strength within themselves to overcome the obstacles that get in there way as well.  Ok so that's 2 shoot me..... 

4. Pippin wants to know: what are your favorite games?Games?  I mean I regularly attend baseball games but that can be attributed to the fact that my son plays baseball.  And I don't mean just baseball in the spring...the only time we dont' play baseball is in the dead of winter.  I may complain about baseball but I really do love it.  I mean I dated baseball players in college.  I have withdrawals when we dont' have baseball and have no idea what to do with my extra time for weeks after it ends. 

But that wasn't the question.  I don't think I play any games...Well...nah I'll just hush

5. What are some of your strategies for dealing with winter?

I hate cold!  I dont deal well with winter.  It makes me cold and tired just thinking about it.  I like LOOKING at snow but really don't want to go out in in.  I do love to snowski but I like it in the spring when the snow is slushy and its warm enough for a light jacket :)

I have a VERY old house that does heat well, so basically we freeze all winter and live under blankets.  My dogs are all hot natured so they love it.  I however do not and make them snuggle up with me at night.  I'm looking at a woodstove this weekend to add to the house.  Then that can fuel my OCD to be in a state of panic about burning the house down daily!

TMT shortened

I for one am glad you shortened TMT this week, its been a busy day at work and I just got back from fire safety training as well as getting my flu shot for the year.  My arm is already burning...its that possible?

What obstacles have you overcome this week, and what did you learn from them? This can be training obstacles, life obstacles, whatever obstacles you want to talk about.
Well I'm trying to over come an obstacle right now.  My battery is dead in the parking lot.  I get off at 4:30 and my son has a baseball game at 6 pm.  I must get AAA here, jump off my car, make it to the battery place to get a new battery and then to the baseball field in time for his game.....

My mind is working beyond the here and now right now so I can't tell you what other obstacles I have over come this week, though I feel there were many given how tired I am :)

Its TMT...I've lost track of my number and that's probably because this week grosses me out

So here are Laura's questions this week one induces nausea in me....


1. What is your favorite Little Debbie snack? If you hate Little Debbie then I bow down to your greatness. (I suppose you can include some other favorite snack. Maybe it'll inspire me to get over LD for today.)

Ummm yuck, how does anyone eat those and not want to vomit?????  I mean I guess if I was dying and that was all there was I could manage.  But gross, my child eats them and even the smell gets to me.  I'll take straight dark chocolate with almonds Thanks!!

2. What do you use for laundry detergent?

Glad to know i'm not the only person using the Xtra brand LOL.  But now I may need to steal your version of homemade detergent.  I have old bottles, I'll keep them out of the trash in case I can re-use them.

3. Tighty Whities or Boxers? (this, obviously, is open for interpretation)

Who wears underwear anyway??  Kidding...boxers or maybe those boxer briefs.  Tighty whities make me thing of redneck men who are drunk walking around in their tighty whities and wife beaters!

4. Dogs: On the bed? In the house? On the furniture? Never? What are your rules?

Well some are allowed on the bed, some are restricted to the floor...yes annoying dogs who can't be still at night are restricted to clicking around on the floor.  On the couches yes when there is room.  e don't really have rules, except muddy dogs are confined to the dog room!

5. Favorite dog-related website (aside from my blog, obviously har har har)? Favorite NON-dog related website? Can be blogs, or whatever.

Well like Laura, border collie boards are frequented but rarely posted on.  I like fugly horse of the day too, though its recently changed ownership and isn't nearly as controversial which takes all the fun out of it!

Tell Me Thursday #4

 So this week Laura wants to know......... 

1. If you won the lottery (a big one... I'm talking stupid muchos cash) what would you do with the money?

Ohhh I would buy a huge farm where I have various places to work my dogs and keep LOTS of sheep :)  And pay off other things such as student loans and cars.  Maybe then I could fly whatever trainer I chose out to my place to keep me and my dogs working properly too!  Other than that i don't think much would change.

2. After winning the lottery would you work a day job? If so, what would you do?

 

Yes, I would keep a day job but it wouldn't be working in an office.  I think I would go back to doing something with animals...vet tech, run a kennel/dog day care, back to being a horse trainer.....soemthing like that

3. Do you have any auxiliary dogs? Auxiliary dogs are dogs that are not essential to your main purpose (usually tiny, but not always). If you don't have an auxiliary dog what might you choose?

Does a non-working border collie count as an auxillary dog?  That's all I got, well and a retired, deaf, partially blind, loves to bark working dog!  But up until recently I had a pit/lab mix and a collie/greyhound mix as auxillary dogs.....I have kept my mom's min pin and while he's nice to snuggle with I don't think I could keep a small dog in my house, Jen tends to think small dogs are cats and wants to eat them!

4. Do you have a favorite crock pot recipe (or other recipe) you can share?

MMMMMMMM Crock pot macaroni....I want some now!

Crock Pot Macaroni & Cheese

 
1 - 8 oz pkg elbow macaroni, cooked and drained (= 1 3/4 cups dry pasta)

1 – 16 oz pkg sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 – 12 oz can evaporated milk

1 ½ cups regular milk

1 tsp salt

1 stick melted butter or margarine (I think you could use less…)

2 eggs, beaten

Combine all ingredients in crock pot; mix well.

Cook on LOW heat 3 ½ - 4 hours.

Tell Me Thursday #3

Wow everyone should be impressed, I've managed it 3 weeks in a row!!

OK so this week Laura (and friends) want to know this....

1. What movie do you love but are too embarrassed to admit you love it?

Ummm embarrased no....a silly chick flick YES.  Sweet Home Alabama.  And yes it is on every weekend over and over again and yes I watch it at least once every weekend, though usually in parts :)

2. Ann wants to know: How far do you drive/travel to attend trials, clinics, lessons? How far is too far?
Well hmmmm I haven't trialed much, but I did back in spring drive 8 hrs to a clinic for the weekend, it was great fun and I planned to do it again but alas I will not be able to through not fault of my own.

3. What is your theme song (circa Ally McBeal)?

I'm supposed to have a theme song?  Sorry this I do not have

4. Laura S wants to know: If you had to choose a new dog activity, one that you had never done before, what would you choose?
Well hmmmm maybe agility or search and rescue....

5. What would your dog choose (or scribe, if you're Pippin)?

Spottie would choose barking and she says don't argue with her that it's not a sport

Jen says is cat herding a different sport than sheep herding?  Ok how about cat biting?

Duke says he would like to take up sheep herding (and will need to find a new handler to do so!!)

Dutch would like anything that involved jumping on top of crates, etc...so maybe agility would be the sport for him!

Tell Me Thursday

Today Laura wants to know

Going forward over the next six months, what are your goals?

Hmmmm......that's a hard one since right now I am just trying to survive!

Lets see

1. Continue to improve my property (add fence along property line, add flowers/shrubs, etc...) and improve the pasture fencing as I can (horses are behind 3 strand hotwire)

2. Finish indoor home improvements (painting, putting floors down, more painting, putting up doors, etc...)

3.  Get my dogs out to work more places and try to have them both ready to trial in PN by spring - I'm down to only 4 dogs, 2 of which work so it really shouldn't be too hard, just need to find the time!

4. Become more organized - this may be scary for those who know the OCD me, but maybe being more organized will help curb the OCD?? :)

5. To continue to grow in my career and not get stuck in a rut - I like change and get more fairly easily at work, if it doesn't challenge me or soemone doesn't keep me super busy I find things to amuse myself like blogging....

Tell Me Thursday

So after my trauma of losing Oliver to hermangiosarcoma, having 1/2 of my lambs stolen and then the super traumatic experience of walking outside to Rottweilers killing my flock of sheep I'm back, maybe I'll keep up with my blog this time.

Here's what Laura wants to know for this week:

1. If you're not at the 2011 Sheepdog finals this weekend what are you planning to do?
2. One item you NEVER walk onto the trial field (any trial field, or training class will suffice) without?
3. Katy wants to know if you have a pre-run ritual that you observe?
4. How old were you when you had your first real kiss?
5. Bonnie wants to know what you do for yard mud control during the winter?

1.If you're not at the 2011 Sheepdog finals this weekend what are you planning to do?
Well Saturday is my birthday so mom and I are coming up to the Raleigh area for a huge tour of farms in that area.  I'm planning to look at some BFLx lambs while I am there and hopefully pick up some great naturally raised food as well.  I might even get to deliver Julie's puppy so that will make me extra happy to have puppy time :)  Sunday if I can borrow a computer I hope to watch some of the finals (we dont' get internet access at my house unless you want to pay like $125/month...i'm just can't justify that)

2. One item you NEVER walk onto the trial field (any trial field, or training class will suffice) without?Well usually its the nice yellow stick I work dogs with.  I don't know why but I feel a need to have it, I rarely use it, but one well know handler with the initals P.S. has used it to anchor me in one place since I tend to want to move with my dog!

3.  Katy wants to know if you have a pre-run ritual that you observe?
Well considering I haven't trialed much no.  I do tend to be very stressed that I am going to miss my run so therefore get my dogs out probably way too early.  But thats just me and my OCD.  Though I think that will come in handy with Jen since she needs to have that tendon warmed up before doing any work.


4. How old were you when you had your first real kiss?
I think 14.  A boy I met at the beach and I remember nothing of it other than it being dark, it was super hot and he wasn't a very good kisser though who can blame him I'm sure it was his first kiss too!

5. Bonnie wants to know what you do for yard mud control during the winter?
Your supposed to control the mud?  Ummm yeah I just don't.  I have a "mud room" which is where dog crates, etc are so I just let the dogs in there, I try to wipe feet and I do a lot of mopping of that floor!