Range ewes 1, Fly 0

[Guest SoloRiver]

On Monday, Fly and I went to the Zamora Hills SDT out by Sacramento-ish and encountered those fabled western range ewes for the first time. We were almost the last team to go in Pro-Novice. The ewes were getting tougher as the day went on, with a lot of folks timing out, but they were still fair and workable and even as far as I could tell. Most everyone was getting through at least the first part of the drive. The course was very hilly, and the outrun longer than Fly and I are used to running at this level, I think about 400 yards. I worried that Fly would cut in too soon and miss her sheep.

 

That's not what happened. I sent her left and she executed the most gorgeous outrun I've ever seen, probably one of the best that day since many dogs went out very wide and an equal number cut in too soon or crossed over. Fly's outrun was pretty, economical, and just wide enough.

 

Had she managed to lift the sheep, I'm sure we would have had a perfect outrun/lift score.

 

So she gets up to the top, and nothing happens. I give her walk up whistles, I gaily shout encouragement, I try little flanks to loosen her up. Nothing. The sheep turn around and face her and she flops back forth ineffectually. I know she won't be able to move them, and I know the judge is probably ready to call it a weekend and have a beer, so I leave the post to help my dog. The set-out person ends up needing to send her dogs to help Fly start the sheep moving, and Fly finally brings them and we get them off the field.

 

Fly is seven years old and has never gripped in the four years that I've had her. We had a fair amount of success on the smaller fields and lighter sheep back East, but there were also times that Fly had trouble moving them along at a good pace. Still, it has never happened at a trial that she simply couldn't shift them. It has happened a couple of times doing chores that I couldn't get sheep moved with Fly, and had to go get Solo instead. (Sheep only have to be told about Solo, and they start moving right away.)

 

I've always known that Fly was not the most powerful dog, but have never seen her this weak. In my lessons with my new trainer we have been working on giving her real tasks to do, not drilling for trials, and increasing her confidence, because he recognized this problem in her. He believes it is possible that whatever she had was taken out of her in her early training in the UK, because she is too classy, talented, and well-schooled to have been this weak from the start -- if she had been, the trainers would never have bothered to take her as far as she's gone in the first place. Fly came with everything but a shed, including, apparently, the beginnings of a look-back since she'll take one in many circumstances. We are also working on shedding with her and she is progressing nicely with that.

 

What can I do to work on this problem with Fly? We are limited in our amount of sheep time, and I think not drilling her during the time we have is the right thing to do. I'm more worried about my attitude and how I can impart confidence to her than specific exercises, since I trust my trainer on these points, but any advice is welcome and I'm interested in all insights and comments.

 

<small>[ February 22, 2006, 06:19 PM: Message edited by: SoloRiver ]</small>

[Guest Amanda]

I think not drilling her is the right thing to do as you say. Her being seven years old works against you. Old dogs do learn new tricks but with difficulty, and she is better than middle aged. I see that you live in Philadelphia—you won’t have to encounter the range ewes so often, which will bring you better trialling experiences than the one you hade at Zamora. Getting her accustomed to range ewes while you are near her is as good as it will get. Suddenly having to shift from eastern sheep to range ewes is hard and the other way around too. So maybe she has a bit more than that for which you are now giving her credit—the jaded view one takes of a dog that just let you down. I have looked at dogs that way too. Try to get on sheep like the ones at Zamora. They have them all over the west. They thrive in arid conditions and do not do so well in our wet climes. They look and behave differently to eastern sheep and surprise dogs not accustomed to them. Heck, they surprise dogs that are accustomed to them. Don’t take it too hard.

The other let downs, at home, or on the job, are more troubling. Too bad she hasn’t gripped in four years.

I leave grip in a dog if for nothing else, to give them the confidence of a measure of last resort. I grip off a lot, but sometimes (not always) the view of the grip has been what I call suburban. Dogs can grip in trials when a grip is required. We can all recall instances when that has been so and dogs have been called off unfairly. Workmanlike work is what is required. Grip free is nice but sometimes the gripping has to be done. Judges have more options than being terminators. The justifiable grip can be left on, and pointed severely. I imagine you would have liked a grip on command, at Zamora.

Your attitude, while problematic, has been justifiably developed by your dog not meeting your expectations. It shows a sound critical view of your dog. Eventually, in your dog career, you may come to the point where one that disappoints you over and over again, will make some one else happier than it makes you. I am not saying to junk every dog that has a little trouble, but people come to recognize what they like, when they work through faults, what problems are resolvable, what character type suits them. I am not an advocate of bashing your head against a wall over a dog, at least not for too long.

[Guest Amelia]

The sheep at Zamora have not been dogged. They're worked from an ATV and toughened from fending for themselves way out on the great big range. Mostly they're just left alone. As Amanda knows well, these are not pampered, bucket-fed little lambies. On Saturday they were wary and skipped around pretty good. By Sunday afternoon they had the dog-thang figured out; they got wiley and back in touch with their inner strength. More than a few good dogs, mine included, had trouble with the lift. No shame there. While Slaven turned them out in a trap to graze after every 3 or 4 runs I don't know how well they were fed at the top. I imagine Monday saw them pretty "dun" or recalcitrant if you like. I have no idea if the contributor's dog is weak or strong and would never dream of pre-empting anything the expert has to say, but here's some moral support for you; the Zamora sheep got tougher as the trial progressed.

[Guest SoloRiver]

Hi guys,

 

Thanks for the advice. I forgot to change my location on this board; I've moved to San Francisco. So, I anticipate seeing a lot more range ewes in the near future.

 

My training time is limited, and we don't have sheep of our own. Luckily we have a fabulous trainer. I haven't had a chance to work with him since Zamora, but will be sure to describe exactly what happened. I do think it made a difference that the sheep were so much farther than Fly was used to -- perhaps she would have had the gumption to bring them if it were a shorter outrun, more like she is used to. (We were running Ranch when we were back in Philadelphia.) If I get the chance I will try close-up exercises on tougher sheep, with me right there to back her up if necessary. And it would be nice to install a grip. Should have done that sooner but back home we didn't need it and never got around to it. Unfortunately, I have seen Fly actually get squashed by an ewe before, and she didn't even open her mouth.

 

I thought the Zamora sheep were perfectly fair. When I got there and saw they were running five in a bunch I got a bit worried, but it was obvious from the runs I watched that they were workable and not sour, just tough and really really quick at sizing up a dog. I knew by watching them that Fly would have trouble with them, but I thought it would be on the first leg of the crossdrive (away from the exhaust), not on the fetch.

 

Thanks again, Melanie (and Fly)