With apologies to James Russell Lowell, it is the fall months that make my heart sing the most, although I’m not sure why. Perhaps because I know what’s coming?
I’m playing hookey today, soaking up knowledge from one of the UK’s top sheepdog trainer/handlers, Gordon Watt, who also judged the Nippersink Trial last Friday-Sunday. Thanks to advice from Kathy Knox at her great clinic the weekend before, Willie and I had a great second run at the trial, and did our best ever in the ProNovice class. I can’t resist a chance to work with Gordon, sort of like taking a tennis lesson from Raphael Nadal. There is only room for me to work one dog with Gordon (thank you Margaret for getting me in, not to mention organizing both the trial and the clinic!), so I’ll probably work Maggie because she is at such an important stage of development. This is my last chance until next spring to work with an expert with my sheepdogs, so it feels like a rare opportunity indeed.
Here’s what else is rare: The Midwest in fall. All the sheepdog trials and clinics we’ve attended have been in beautiful places, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be able to spend time in them. Lucky me.
Here is the sky outside of Hinckley MN last week. I thought these cloud formations were particularly lovely:
The fall colors were starting in full swing up north. These trees provided a gorgeous setting for us while we worked our dogs. How lucky were we? Gorgeous dogs, green rolling pastures dotted with white sheep, and a Kodacolor background of reds and yellows:
Here is sunrise as we left the motel to the Nippersink Trial in southeastern Wisconsin last Thursday morning. The photo is exactly as my camera took it. I actually considered damping it down because it looks so, well, uh, garish, but decided to put it in as taken. The sky did indeed stop us in our tracks. Many “Oh Wows” were said. (Yeah… I too thought of the viral video of the hiker guy and the double rainbows and the OMGs! Hopefully we didn’t sound quite like him…)
Sue says
I was at the Lake Michigan shore at Twin Rivers, and the Thrusday sunrise there was very impressive. At home, someone shot another variation near Cambridge. Lucky Wisconsinites!
Betsy Calkins BS CPDT-KA says
Even after over 30 years of living in Southern California, my heart still aches for the Midwest in the autumn. It’s a bittersweet yearning that is so primal: the constant uninterrupted days of California sunshine simply cannot compete. We’re heading up to the Eastern Sierra this weekend to try and capture a bit of nature’s autumn wonder to put in my pocket and bring back home. And the dogs are coming too, of course! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your photos.
Milissa says
Lovely! But if I’m honest the only question on my mind is, what did you learn from Gordon Watt?! 🙂
Trisha says
Betsy: I get it. I grew up in Arizona, with similarly consistent weather. I remember someone saying “Argh! Another G— D— sunny day.” I do love the changing weather here, although when it’s hot and humid I’m not much of a fan.
Gordon showed me a different way to handle Maggie being uncomfortable when the sheep “put pressure on her.” I loved it, very much like I would work with a dog-dog aggressive dog. Walk her up to sheep up against a fence, not too close, lie her down before her thresh hold, (of panicking and busting in) stroke and praise her, then ask her up another few inches and repeat. (This is the only time I’ve ever heard anyone say to touch your dog while working.) What’s different is that I am standing beside her rather than on the other side of the sheep, and I am staying quiet and calm to help her be quiet and calm. Only say Lie Down if she busts in. Loved it, will keep you posted. Gordon also helped me work on her driving; very similar to the method I’ve been using; always good to get reinforcement.
Jann Becker says
I’m still using the phrase from your earlier post, “Watch the sheep” as sort of an alternative to keeping one’s eye on the ball.
I live in St. Louis; last week the leaves were just turning a sort of olive green-fall colors can’t be far behind. Are your dogs allowed to jump into a big pile of leaves just for the fun of it?
Mireille says
Autumn is my favourite season too. Some pics from a glorious morning walk last week, this is where we walk every day, lucky us
http://huskyheren.blogspot.nl/2014/09/herfst-ons-seizoen-foto-topic.html
This autumn also makes me a bit sad though, a friend lost her “one-in-a-million-dog” to kidney cancer. She rescued him form an awful situation when he was five years old, sick, starving, beaten. She and her husband were do dedicated to bring this dog ” back on track”. Not an easy dog to start with (a very stoic Riesenschnauzer, a tough guarding breed) it took so much love, time and dedication to get his trust in humans back and to show him love. Only last week she apped me this beautiful picture of her husband and this dog PLAYING, something which took years of building trust to happen. And now, after only five years and 4 months, with feels much to short for them, they have had to let him go. It’s just not fair. Here is a picture of the big guy: https://www.dropbox.com/s/mvy0z4pgq6sbo33/Gorby-Antique.jpg?dl=0
The most valuable lesson that I learned form my friend; never stop training and trying, for even at ten years of age they saw progress.
ABandMM says
Thanks for the pictures Trisha. Feel free to post more of the trees and colors. I’m in South Florida and I so miss autumn, apples, pumpkins and cider. Right now we are waiting for the arrival of the “not humid” season.
Interesting comment about Maggie and the sheep. I am volunteering with an organization that trains service dogs and doing some public access work and that is what the trainers have me doing: bring the dog in the store, find a place (out of traffic) for the dog to lie down and acclimate to the environment, move forward to a busier spot, rinse, repeat.
Barb Stanek says
Days like this call for all of the “Oh wow!”s that we can get in! Love Wisconsin!
Kat says
It’s always so helpful to work with an excellent trainer. I’m glad you had this opportunity. I just returned from Finna’s lesson with our excellent trainer. Finna, my psycho bitch from hell, did awesome! She even decided that smell over there needs investigating despite the fact that there are two people only 12 feet away! Today’s big break through was Finna’s discovery that she can tell me when she’s at the end of her comfort zone and I’ll listen. We’d get close to the scary people and Finna would look at me as if to say “isn’t this the point where you click and we walk away?” I’d click and we’d retreat and treat. When Finna tried the looking at me about four feet from her safe zone (probably close to 40 feet from the people) it was click and retreat but no food reward. You could see the light bulb go on as she realized we could walk away at any point but I was only paying for serious efforts to approach the people. She could control what she wanted to work for, distance or distance plus food. It’s a powerful tool when the dog can choose. It’s good for us working with a trainer because I have a tendency to push Finna and the trainer constantly reminds me that lots of easy approaches build up Finna’s tolerance making it possible to make closer and closer approaches. It’s not easy rehabbing a dog that’s as profoundly damaged as Finna was/is and having a great trainer’s help makes all the difference.
Sarah at LolaThePitty.com says
What a beautiful sky – too funny that you mentioned the “double rainbow” guy as I just had to show this video to a friend last week, ha. The leaves are really beginning to fall in our backyard…not quite sure I’m ready for winter though.
Suzi Scholtz says
I took a workshop with Kathy Knox several years ago, when I had a Rough Collie. He was a young dog – under 2 years old – and had never seen sheep except in a pasture, and I had never done ANY herding. We were uber-green rookies! He worked impressively and I soaked up everything I could. She was VERY nice and said my dog had a lotta potential and was the best upright working dog (for his age) she had ever seen! IF I had outdoor space, I would have Collies again, I loved their temperaments and the work-with-me, work-with-sheep attitude. But I am stuck in the ‘burbs with just my Afghans – for now…
Mary Sue Love says
I am addicted to Herding breeds! After owning three Australian Shepherds in a row and having a litter of “Aussie pups, we adopted a 4yr. Old Welch Pembroke Corgi. He has been a challenge and a delight and we have become addicted to Pembrokes. We are 80 , so we are not as physically active as we once were. A challenging game of fetch keeps our Corgi in shape. We are amazed at their speed and agility as well as their intelligence. They are indeed a big dog in a small dog package! A perfect companion that will keep their owner/ parent moving!
Mary Sue Love says
PS Thanks for sharing your fall photos! I. Live in northern New England where “fall foliage ” is practically a “cottage industry” but it’s obvious the Midwest has a lot to offer in that department also. Some of my favorite autumn views in Maine are when those fall colors are reflectd in the ocean and lakes!