The best things I ever did

1. Switched the dogs to a raw diet.





It's true, I went over to the dark side a little over a month ago and I can honestly say that the dogs have never looked or felt better than they do at this time. Lola's fur is soft like silk and JC will sit at my feet looking up at me with the eyes of his ancestors when they were just beginning to trust that man and fire might be a good thing. In a strange primitive way, I believe it has bonded the dogs to me like a bowl full of kibble never could.
Of course, feeding and preparing raw meals has been an experience all on it's own.
I have become the weird lady who buys pigtails for a buck and day old stewing beef at half price. I scour the supermarket meat fridges looking for turkey necks and chicken gizzards.
With my cleavers, and cutting boards, my plastic gloves, and even a hammer; I laugh and compare myself to the Swedish Chef from the Muppet Show.

Here chicki chicki chicki means SUPERTIME!




2. Changed our herding instructor

Sometime in August (August 11th), the herding world as we knew it completely imploded into itself. That day, the class started with our instructor putting JC on geese for the first time and he just stood there looking at me and wouldn't, or couldn't move them. I explained to her that he didn't even chase the ferrets at home so I wasn't surprised that the had no interest in the geese. She gave me the firm lip/head nod she uses when she feels I'm making excuses for my little dog.
We gave up on the geese and moved into the big field where she informed me that JC was going to help us separate the lambs from the ewes. There were a hundred sheep in this field and Frodo the maremma livestock guard dog. I was completely confused and beginning to be very miserable.
I sent JC to fetch the sheep and he did. Then Frodo chased him away. I called JC back to the sheep again, and Frodo chased him away...again. When I complained I got the firm lip/head nod.
I can't go into any more details only because I don't want to relive them. Needless to say that afternoon became an intense pressure cooker and when JC pooped in the field, I finally called it off.



I was angry at the mental torture we'd just imposed on my dog and frustrated with out instructor who had so readily set him up to fail. During our heated talk after class, she used his failure to criticize his herding ability and to denounce his character. I cried, I wiped snot on my sleeve, I was done. That was to be our last class with her.

All was lost and then we found Grant.
He trains with all breeds and he works with the big picture. There's no nitpicking of details with him. If the dog makes a mistake, then meh, he made a mistake. Suddenly all pressure was off and for the first few classes with our new instructor, JC spent most of his time running around like a spazz.



The fun was back in herding! In a sense, we let JC work through his own issues without micromanaging him and that was the best thing we could have ever done. Over the past 2 months, I've seen his confidence grow and his decision making improve greatly. Just last week he worked the sheep with both Grant's horse and maremma in the field.

It might take us a long time to get to a trial, but we are definitely enjoying the journey.

And finally, the third best thing I ever did?

3. Hitched my agility wagon to Andrea's horse.

In the spirit of Susan Garrett, and her spirit is with us often, I'm grateful for the agility training that Lola gets every week and for the people we get to train with.




Now that my first summer of trialing is over and Lola and I are taking a bit of a break, I can look back at all the dog/handler teams that we've come across and say with certainty that I'm very glad to be in the middle of the pack, so to speak. Maybe Lola and I will never go to the Worlds but at least we'll never be painful to watch. I just want us to be the best we can be and I believe that by continuing to train with Andrea (even in the smelly barn!) that we will be.