Smalahundur Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 It´s winter here in Iceland, and it came early this year, with a lot of snow in november. Because the climate here is relatively temperate (for an island so northly) we have had frost and thaw weather taking turns, which has lead to fields that are covered with hard snow and big patches of ice. At the moment we have beautiful weather, clear, mild frost. Gláma is not satisfied with the fact that ist has been weeks, eh, months since last training. But I don´t dare risk it, too slippery, I dont want to risk injury to dog, sheep or human involved. What do you think, am I a whimp, or is it more sensible to wait till spring? That´ll be months... Ah well at least I will shoe a couple of horses soon (with studs, good grip ), we can at least go riding, she can burn off some energy that way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynthia P Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 I use our winter as a mandatory break from training! We train when the footing is ok, and after that we pretend we are pet dogs C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildFlower Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 I live in WI - so I can relate! I normally take anywhere from a 4 week to 8 week break from training over the winter. I don't want to be out in bitter cold temperatures or fall down on ice. And I don't want any dogs or sheep to be injured either. And training stays sparatic until late March or early April. Last winter we were very fortunate, at least in terms of training, with mild temps and minimal snow fall. So I only took 4 weeks off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 I owned a dog who injured his CCL in good conditions, so I don't think you are being a wimp. A bad injury can ruin a dog's working career. If there isn't a good sized area free of ice or slick snow I hold off on training. Just last week I did a training session in my yard because the pasture was covered in sleet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maja Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 A break is needed. Glama will reflect upon many things. So it's not really a break from training. Maja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted December 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 Yeah, I think you are right, a break is not necessarily a bad thing (though it will be looooong....). Thanks for all the replies, feeling better already ;)/> . I do count myself lucky with autumn/early winter 2011, we had beautiful weather, and I could put in a great amount of training before the winter stop. Which was much more important than this year, as I had just gotten Gláma, then about 16 months old and untrained. We got a good handle on the basics in that time. So I suppose I better just count my blessings... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maja Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 Well, you can always move to Poland and freeze here . No outdoor training either . Maja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted December 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 Well, you can always move to Poland and freeze here :)/> . No outdoor training either :)/>. Maja Ehm, no doubt you live in a beautiful country, I saw your photos, and I´d love to visit some time, but how exactly would that help...? Wait, I know, I could drown my sorrows, the alcohol is cheaper there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maja Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 :lol:/> Well, winters are a bit shorter here and a tiny bit milder I think, and yes the alcohol is cheaper :lol:/> , and in the temperatures that are raging now it's very tempting too :D/> . Maja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted December 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 Shorter, yes, but I don´t believe they are milder in Poland, quite the contrary probably. Right now it is minus four here, Celsius of course. What I am actually more worried about is the phenomenon of "kal", this is the Icelandic word for frostbite, it is used for the bodily harm, and the damage done to grassland. Under conditions like now, a thick layer of ice is formed on the gras, slowly suffocating it. In the spring when it melts you notice thisvery nasty rotting smell(think dog turds, I am not kidding). And it does not recover that year, this can severely diminish the hey harvest. This could become a problem as last year was not good either, this because of a freakish drought period in the summer. Crazy country... Na zdrowie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maja Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 Lets hope and pray no "kal" happens. (in Polish "kał" means poop by the way). I remembered this vid from Iceland taken in November I think with the dogs (border collies of course) searching for sheep and finding them under the snow. maja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloria Atwater Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 I live in western Nevada, where we can - though don't always - get some pretty icy, snowy winters as storms come off the Sierras. When it gets like that, my friends and I put dog training on hold, too. It's just not worth it to risk injury to the dogs or the sheep - let alone the chance we could end up on our own behinds. But we figure between the icy, nasty footing and the chance of maybe having a stressed, overheated sheep (we're apt to be working yearlings, as the ewes are pregnant) contract pneumonia, it's just not worth the risk. So far our weather has been quite mild, just some good rains, but this may change as the winter wears on ... ~ Gloria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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