Days 2 and 3 of the KK Clinic...

Now that I am chillin' at home, it is easier to finish my thoughts on the next 2 days of the clinic :) There is so much to learn and try to absorb, not sure if I will be able to.

Lots of great dogs, dogs that have issues I have never seen or worked with before. Dogs that would NOT go one direction, not just didn't like the direction, but wouldn't hardly GO that way. A dog that layed down all the time and wouldn't get up, dogs that were SUPER grippy...just a great group of dogs to learn off of. I learn more off watching everyone else's dogs!

I really like Kathy's clinics because the method makes sense to me...and she has the patience of a saint :) Day 2 I was still having issues with Lynn not covering her Come Bye side...so we worked more on that, but Lynn was just still not giving me what I wanted, Kathy suggested during our second turn to put her on more sheep, to maybe break up her eye a little bit, she thought the pressure of a smaller group was kicking her eye in too much. So later in the day we did that, about 20 sheep(she has never worked more than about 9) and she was LOVELY! Hit balance, covered every time, she had to tuck in sides on the group and if she came up short the group of sheep showed her JUST where she was wrong...I will admit, I got a bit teared up. We have had this issue for awhile and I was just not sure how to deal with it. And here Lynn is working that group very nicely. All the movement, flanking, tucking in etc helped free up her eye a bit and she was not falling into the sheep at all. So it sounds like I will be traveling to work bigger groups for awhile...no biggie, if she does that nice I will be so very very happy :) Then once she is doing well with that, we will work smaller and smaller groups and she will be able to not let herself get sucked in so much. Lynn for sure doesn't have a sticky eye, but her eye does draw her in, making her fall in a bit on the end of her flanks...just like Klink used to as a young dog. So...more time on bigger groups will help that.

And for now NO driving...the dog wants to drive as much as she can anyway...so until she starts covering all the time and not letting her eye pull her in, we will wait on that. Letting Lynn drive sheep is just going to feed into that type of problem...so we need to get her flanking well on the fetch...then add driving in later :) Which, the way it looks, driving won't be an issue at all for Lynn.

Spot (from Zip's litter) worked in the round pen. Donna was working him and she did a great job. They are really starting to team up, and she is making some great breakthroughs in her understanding :) They are both progressing very nicely :) He reminds me SO much of his sire Jake...great dog for Donna!

Zing (also from Zip's litter) was there as well! I LOVE seeing the puppies! She was in the field, and has less eye than Lynn, more free moving like her mother Zip. She is doing great! My friend Christy is working her for Patty, and Christy is doing a great job with Zing :) Doing small gathers and she is looking good...

Even of course did her rehab, but was VERY into watching everyone working sheep...I can't WAIT to get her on stock...tick tock, tick tock...it will happen I know.

Sarah (the person that took several pictures in the video below) came with her dog Reese, who is making huge leaps and bounds in her training. We were working on Reese being OK with coming to balance and not diving. It will be a slow process, but she is really getting there! And for the first time Sarah was in the pen with Reese! They looked GREAT! So happy for Sarah :)

Klink...all I can say is WOW...I love this dog. I want to run her in PN this next season, and Kathy agreed she would have no issues with that and I could easily run her now with no problems. She is taking all her whistles very nicely, pacing down when needed, taking her downs like clockwork. It is so much fun to run her. I LOVE it!

So on Sunday I wanted to work on Shedding as that is all she needs to run in Open at this point...never thought I would actually ever say that. But I did :) I have been working a TINY bit at home with her, but I was having some tension issues with her...and well...lets be honest. I am learning from books. So I wasn't surprised we were getting hung up a bit. Kathy asked me to go out and show me what I was doing (which I did NOT want to do in fear of looking like a moron...but we have to learn and failing is how we get things figured out--that was not the time to get self esteem issues)...it only took about 30 seconds for her to see what was happening :) I was going in the hole...and Klink can't come into the gap if I am IN THERE...brilliant Loretta :) So...Kathy ran me through setting up the shed, getting the gap and calling the dog in. Klink came RIGHT in, NO hesitation and took the sheep Kathy wanted. OK...so KATHY can shed, we all know this :)

So she said, your turn. And stepped out. And it WORKED! We did quite a few pretty nice sheds!! :) Klink came right in, took control of the group and I was able to call her at first to the butts of the group I wanted, then I was able to call her to the heads of a group. No real issues, other than I was nervous and my voice was a bit frantic...and Klink LIKES frantic :) So she was a bit tight, but I think once I start relaxing into it she will also relax :) It was a lot of fun, I felt like we really MIGHT be able to run in Open...and that is a great feeling...and I have done all the training on her...and to me THAT is an even better feeling!! :)

So I am thinking of really scaling back agility with Klink. She will probably finish up her ADCH Silver just because, and then she will probably trial less and less. I want to run her in herding trials, I want to get back into that and she has the talent for sure. She is 5 and in her prime and we are really clicking as a team. I am very excited for 2011!

Here are some pictures from the clinic of our dogs and Zing and Spot from the Zip x Jake litter too :)

I LOVE HERDING!!!!!