" Rainy days and Mondays "....

Well you most likely know how that song goes. Can't say I'm sharing the rest of the sentence.
We REALLY need the rain here and am glad it is damp and misty today. We are expecting some good rain over night and am looking forward to be able to listen to it hitting the metal on the barn roof while the weather is still mild enough to have the windows open.


This past week was the USBCHA National Sheepdog Finals.  It was blistering hot down there  ( here too )and felt so sorry for all suffering in mid day draws. It was up in the mid and high 90'S for the preliminary and semi final running of Open as well as high 80's early in the week for the young Nursery dogs.
I got not much done as fellow sheepdogger Heather Nadelman was faithfully  "tweeting" the runs as they were unfolding.
For the Semi and Double Lift Finals we had a web pod running. What a treat, as this year due to some unforeseen financial setbacks I was unable to make it to the Finals.


Patrick Shannahan with Riggs is this years National Champion. Well deserved and beautiful run .
My hat goes off to Wendy Schmaltz and Gin for an edge of your seat finish, penning the sheep and completing their run with seconds to spare! Grabbing the fourth position in the final seventeen left in the double lift.
Gin was also crowned Overall Stock Dog for placing in both the Cattledog and Sheepdog Finals this year.
Tommy Wilson and Sly were as spectacular as ever. Gaining Res. Champion.
Lori Cunningham and her not yet three year old dog Matt finishing at a  respectable tenth place .

My friend and neighbor Nola Keill , meanwhile was down in Georgia at the National Paso Fino Finals  kicking serious butt. Her spectacular paint stallion "Calif " won "high point specialty horse" honors and  both will be turning and burning off to Kentucky to showcase the Paso Fino breed at the World Equestrian Games next week!

(Meanwhile back at the ranch...)
I have been working the two youngsters on taking sheep out and back to the far pastures for grazing. This is more just letting them work the flock than me asking for specifics. All that is asked is they gather the sheep calmly, take a stop correctly when asked and to stay behind the sheep to bring them to grazing.
It is not true driving as the sheep want to go where we are taking them and they really are just following rather than pushing them.
Still it is an easy stress free way for them to understand the POINT of taking  ( driving ) sheep away from me.

Flint  (just say the word)

Rush

Both are doing a fine job and are becoming useful partners in daily chores.
We are still working on becoming more reliable on correct flanks for off balance and inside but these little works that don't require much tweaking or exactness break up the lessons and give a break to all in some of the stresses that go along with learning, and teaching for that matter!