ASCA DAY 3

Dare and Dually both had nice goat runs with beatiful take pens.  Dare only had a bobble on the y chute and maybe on the way up to panel 1. It was very nice. Dually started to give my a hard time on taking the Away to me flank on panel 2 on the goats and it continued into the ducks badly.

Dare had a good first  and 2nd duck run. Dually's first duck run was a really nice take pen followed by a bite and a Thankyou. The ducks were really really hard to get off the back fence and one hen kept splitting off and that is the one he flew off and bit in front of the judge.
His 2nd run was much better (better ducks) and we made it to panel 2 without losing them but he would not take the away flank and kept going go by  which caused the ducks to get hung up in the corner and we finally just moved on and got them thru the chute pretty well. I bit of a bobble but ... and then he had to bite and split again at the repen. Surprised we didnt' get called again.

Geez we had some more good runs and we ended up with 2- 4th places out of 12 runs.

But we are done and I have a lot of finals points , but not sure that will really matter at all in the long run .

There were 10 WTCH's earned at this trial.  And many titles.  

TRIAL DAY 2

  Dare had a decent run on goats.  We could not get the center pen and then one goat got caught behind the repen and he would not release it with his eye.  Roger was telling me what to do from the outside but I let Dare get too close and he still held it.  Finally he got pissed and went in and bit it and then we repenned them.

Dually started out a little hot ,b ut I got right on him and ran down the field. We got them thru 1 and 2 nicely but  on the center pen had trouble getting them in.  I walked out a number of times to out him and to make him take a square flank. Once I did that , he was much better about squaring off. Only got 1 goat in and then repenned them. 

I was working on calm quiet work with no yelling and I succeeded.

Dually had a decent duck run and got 3 in the center pen and no yelling or biting.

Dare had a bad duck set and we couldn’t get them anywhere and finally repenned the little B*tds. Poor Dare, I really thought he was going to have a good run.   Lunch now and then another duck trial and 2 cattle trials and this means we will be trialling in the dark again.

Dare’e 2^nd duck run was really nice.  Bing bang boom,right around 1 and 2 and then I got them off the fence by using the away to me and HE put them in the center pen.  Good dog Dare.

Dually’s 2^nd duck run –can’t remember

Dare ‘s 1^st cattle run-They re both having trouble gathering the cattle. They both want to rush in and stir things up .  I am running in but I can’t stop them from doing it from the center pen. I can’ t get there in time.  He got them around 1 and 2 fine and then a perfect setup for  the center pen and he over flanked or something. We got them in the opening (all 3) and they just stopped there.  I switched sides with Dare and put him behind and he got them in.  Then at the repen, he was holding them but he was too close and it was an issue getting him to release and repen. Not too bad, but I had to get in his face with my stick and insist.

Dually’s  1^st cattle run was almost like Dare’s at the start where he runs in to create havoc and then nicely puts then thru 1 and 2 and sets up for the center pen but kept overpushing which caused a little calf to be flighty. We never got them in and I repenned them.

Now it’s raining and it’s 4pm and we still have the 2^nd cattle trial to go. Not just sprinking either, but pouring now.

Rain stopped and Dually’s 2^nd cattle run. I sent him 15 ft and stopped him and sent him again and stopped him so he walked in quietly on them but they turned on him and were hard to get started without a bite.  He dove In on them of course and didn’t hold pressure but got them moving , We had to daylight 1 and then they came out on the cross drive and we had to daylight 2 also.  I got some in the center pen  and  the repen was okay I think.

ASCA trial day one

First of all I have fresh water leaking out of the back of the trailer so I will have to drop it a Camping World  and get it fixed on Monday.   So I can’t leave the pump on—no big deal, but it is a big deal that it is leaking.   Rooster woke me up at 2am but I found my good earplugs so I could get back to sleep.

I have done 4 goat runs, 4 duck runs and 2 cattle runs so far.  None of them were very good.  My last cattle run with Dually , I gave up  and repenned them.  They kept turning back on him and he was going to dive in and fight and not hold pressure which is what he was doing and it was not getting any better even with me right there helping him.

2^nd cattle run with Dare was much better.  Not sure how much better but we got them in the pen fairly easily and then we had a nice repen and we got all the panels.  Had a little trouble starting them and I did ask him to go in and bite but he jumped at them and that was good enough.

2^nd cattle run with Dually was better but we still didn’t get the center pen because he gets wild on me and then his flanks are too wide and too fast or too close and too fast. 

Duck runs weren’t too bad. I made it thru all of them. 

Goat runs were this morning and I really don’t’ remember them.  Sorry  I should have blogged earlier.

Anyway –10/12 Q’s and one 2^nd place and one 4^th place.  Not very good

So tonight we went to Mexican and I took my car because I needed to make a stop at an RX to get a script which of course wasn’t there.  Then I  went to the restaurant which we had been to last year and it’s pretty good. I got the check and left a little early so I could stop at the grocery store which I did, but then on the way home, I was on the right road but missed a turn off and I was coming up on what I thought was an accident so  I made a uturn and the cops were on my like white on rice.  Apparently it was a roadblock check and they thought I was avoiding it.  Yikes and I had had a big margarita.  Anyway they checked me out and sent me on my way which was still down the wrong road. I had to fire up the GPS to get on the right road.  Slept well though

Moved to Rogers today

I woke up and  leisurely packed the trailer and got ready to move. Roger called me about 10 and said to come on over.  I was almost ready to go so I was there in no time.  Rachel Vest was here already working  a dog which I didn’t know until I parked and set up the trailer.  I took Dare down to the pens and she was there along with Chris Caldwell.  Chris is judging this weekend so he didn’t have any dogs with him.  We worked Dare on pressure on the nasty assed goats and then we worked one of  Rachel’s dogs.  Then I switched to Dually who is a piece of work. Chris, Roger and I were all in there trying to get him to go around the goats without picking a fight everytime. Dually was very bitey and divey.  But Chris worked him for a while and Roger worked him and I worked him and he eventually after a long time stopped  diving and and slowed down and worked nicely.

Another thing we did, that Roger is promoting , to get used to pressure is to use a big pole and get the dog to stay put while you bang the pole down on either side of him and the rear eventually being able to bang it pretty violently. You start it much less vehemently.  The dog should learn to lie there and just take the pressure. Dare was fine. Dually kept trying to bite the stick.  Apparently I was supposed to lay him out flat for that. Tomorrow is another day.  The pup was fine , but we didn’t get too violent with it.

We went out to dinner en masse tonight. JoeSheerhan and wife, Chris Caldwell and wife, Roy Sage,Rachel and STeve,Roger and Kathy and 2 other people I didn’t’ really get to meet. The food  was basically a Chinese buffet with some sushi and hibachi grille too.  It was ok.

I get an extra hour of sleep tonight because we are on  central standard time. Cool beans.  Hopefully the ducks will be cooperative tomorrow. The cows look good and the goats should be fine. Today’s goats were picked  because of their tendency towards arguments I believe and they  did try to beat Dare’s ass into the ground.  He was getting pissed at them.

leaving Peacan Point RV park today

Yesterday , I did 3 oads o laudry and went to Camping World where I was going to spend some money but couldn't find the stuff I wanted. I came back to the trailer had lunch and went out agaiin to try to find a Radio Shack but couldn't find one and stopped at Walmart and bought the stuff I needed.

I got the metal part for the ends of the tv cable that had broken as soon as I  used the brand new ones that I bought at a campground in SC.  Must have been old.  Easy to replace but I still could not get the cable to work on the TV.  Not sure if the problem is in the camper on in the camps wiring.  Oh well , no cable at the next stop anyway.

I picked up some drinking water and a dustpan and brush because the broom just doesn't get everywhere in here. Some candy(of course)and some more stuff that I can't think of right now.

I have to pack up the camper today and move to Rogers which isn't very far away, probably less than 15 miles. Hopefully, I will be able to let the dogs out to run there.

Onions

I forgot to mention how much North Carolina smells like onions.  They must have wild onions growing in their lawns. 

Arrival Day in Dothan Al.

   I tried again this am to get the internet to work at the State Park campground but no deal.  So I left around 10 and I found my way out of Greenville SC fairly easily.  Only a couple of wrong turns and on the road. I have apparently fixed the problem of the puppy barking when the care starts. I used a bottle of water and kinda sprayed him with it.  He is still twirling in his crate but at least he  is not yelping. 

I really hate driving without a really good GPS especially with the trailer. I am going to see if Verizon can fix  me up with a new phone with internet and GPS for RV'rs .  If not, they do make a gps for rvr's and I will buy one for the trip back.  It's impossible to read a trip tik and drive at the same time.  I need a copilot.

I got to Dothan around 5:30 and found the campground that I stayed at last year fairly easily and they gave me the good rate again . $25 nite.  I have internet and cable although I can't get the cable to work yet.  I think my cables aren't hooked up tight. 

I had trouble with the electric cord.  It fell inside and I had the guy from the park help me get it out.  It wasnt' pretty and I do need to replace the plastic cord holder now , but I had already bought a new one because I the cover fell off of this one.  Anyway I am up and running and so happy to be back on line.  

I called Kathy Stevens and told her I was here and she is going to have Roger give me a call. Hopefully he will have some time to work with me this week.  If not... I will find something else to do.  laundry for one and Camping World for another.