Last Saturday P*trick gave an informal shedding clinic.

I love shedding. It's like trying to learn to juggle and play the piano at the same time. While crossing a freeway.

Shedding utilizes all the skills we are supposed to be accumulating in stockdog work and concentrates them into one small space and a few minutes worth of opportunity.There are several things to look for (such as lead sheep, lagging sheep, draw), several things to have in your mind at all times (like your pressure, dogs pressure, sheep pressure, hesitation and opportunity), and the constant need to physically react correctly without mentally processing first.

Watching P*trick shed is fluid and almost effortless seeming. He casually moves toward the sheep at an angle, his dog at a distance across, he walks parallel, subtlely turning heads, faces the two he wants off the back, communicating his intention to his dog, maybe he turns and …within moments, with no hesitation, stopping or exaggerated movements, the sheep part and he has a shed.

I've seen Susan move sheep like this in the pens and at setout. Sorting off always 5, or the correct number, usually a group that will work together. In the pens, too, if you don't act decisively, confidently, fluidly…you get clusters of sheep that don't want to cooperate.

It has always struck me that the people who know what they want and believe that they will get it, approach the task in that casual confident way and things happen smoothly. It's really beautiful in a way bigger than the work, really. Like most of the rest of this, and why I am so drawn to it…is that you feel if you can absorb these rules and learn this subtlety and confidence of motion and task on the field, it applies to everything in life.

Some Details:

Our pressure is in front of us. We've been told this. We understand the concept. Still, often even good open handlers face the sheep in the shedding ring straight on, and we all seem to like to attempt to stab our way through with our crooks.

The unawareness of our pressure is a mistake also made at the pen, where we hold the gate open, facing outward between the entrance and the sheep, our pressure acting as a barrier, while we ask our dog to walk up and compensate.

Your best chance at a good shed is your first shot at the shed. Use the momentum, act casual. If you can keep your movements flowing, instead of that jerky I'm Disarming a Heavy Explosive approach things tend to flow. Locate and use the lagger sheep. Use hesitation to your advantage.

In closing, I am always at least 6 seconds behind.  I have no 'bubble' as I've said before, I have stubble.  I'm going to trade my crook in for a chainsaw.  I've seen nothing prohibiting this in the USBCHA 'guidelines'…but then I've never really looked. 

Jaenne* picks up the TMT interrogations:

1. Where were you born? Did you grow up there?

I was born in Southern California and grew up in Northern Idaho, just like everyone else in Idaho who can read and still has teeth. JUST KIDDING! Just like everyone else in Idaho who can't drive in snow and thinks cows are wildlife…JUST KIDDING! Just like everyone else in Idaho who pronounces "CREEK" and "COYOTE" correctly, or looks coyly proud of themselves when they don't. 

Yeah. Just like everyone else.

2. How did you come to end up living where you are now?

I married, procreated and divorced as quickly as it took me to type that sentence and his family had enough money to make sure I couldn't live any further than, I shit you not, 120 miles from the city center of Buhl, Idaho. What center???

Google that little slice of farming shitheaven. Thus began my forced love affair with Boise.

Who names a town 'Buhl'? Germans! 

3. What is the most unusual trick you have taught your dog? Or the most unusual animal you have taught tricks?

 People always thought we taught Hank to surf an innertube– she could leap from the side to the center of the pool, landing gracefully, perfectly balanced smack dab in the middle of any floatation device and navigate skillfully to the next splash.  She loved to bite splashes.  Eventually she'd jump off into the water and swim to the side, biting the water all the way, and do it all again.  We never taught or encouraged this, however, because it was a serious pain in the ass at times and cost me a small fortune in 'tubes. 

My dogs have taught me more tricks than I've taught them. 

4. What is the most unusual food you enjoy?

I don't enjoy unusual food.  My daughter does and is always trapping me into trying some of these nasty esoteric things – the sauteed sweet bread of some unfortunate creature or candied, salted, WTF…but I almost never enjoy it. I feel martyred by my concession to even lick tentatively a fork that has occupied the same table as some of this weird shit that privaleged people find ironicly yummie.    

Wake me when we are eating fetus infused with a bank account and chocolate sauce.  

5. I know this has been asked before, but I'm always looking for a great book to read so what was the last book you read? Did you like it? Would you recommend it?

I just finished Schopenhauer's Porcupines.  It was good. 

*JAENNE, NOT Jeanne, NOT JANNNNAE, NOT J'Aenne.

The secretary for the Half Basque American Trial Dog and Clam Association, Chelsey Pickles, alerted me to a trial that our very own LAVON BASQUEFRACTION CALZACORTA is putting on in April.  The entry fees are a bit steep, but its for a very good cause.

http://basqueinginclams.blogspot.com/

PLAN ON GOING!!

BYOB*

*Butter!

Jai is in The Kitchen, as they say. Yeah, standing heat = in the kitchen.  I know I said this a month ago, but it turns out that I was wrong then.  I'm no dog biologist, I knew she was close by the calendar, but it turns out that Helsley's Cap pups are not indicators as much as Early Warning Detectors.

I'm talking about MULTIPLE Cap progeny worshipping at Jai's Lady Garden as early as one month ago.  She doesn't even lick it as much as they did.

But now it is Official.

Jai's wanton demeanor is like Christina Ricci in Black Snake Moan, and Pat isn't EXACTLY like Samuel L. Jackson…but there are parallels with their questionable taste in parts

Pat is enjoying food falling to the floor only slightly less. It has taken a back seat to the driver that is his Dick.  Although his tongue still tells both where to go.

Scout has elevated her privlages from Hunkered Down Rage to Present and Accounted-For Disapproval.  If I didn't know better I'd say she was channeling Pat Roberts. Or a Mayan.

My life with dogs in a tiny house filled with heat has become like a shell game: Jai out, Pat in crate, Scout glowering; Jai in crate, Pat out, Scout glowering.

Seriously, it's going to be a long  7 – 10 days.

I know you are all imagining my silence as being me just sitting around ignoring Pat dry humping the legs of the innocent, Jai hitting replay on her favorite Ewe Tube videos, Scout bending spoons with her mind, while I eat chips and watch Real Housewives marathons on Bravo. It's not exactly like that. Scout is also working on mixing up your recycling with her mind. Causing your milk to sour early. Pat is licking his dick more and humping other's less.

I worked dogs wtih the DDs last weekend, with Lavon the previous weekend. The former went very well; the latter didn't go so well.  Confidential to Lavon: Sorry! I'm sure you can still work your remaining two healthy ewes. DON'T USE DOGS! Work on singling one off! Add the llamas and you have enough to simulate a bad trial experience. If you need help, let me know.

Apparently It's My Way or the Highway is not just an expression… when you live on a highway…

I'm moving Jai up to open for whatever trial I get into next.- Big Willow here or Goring Ranch in Utah. It's not that we are SUPER READY, as much as our options increase for trialing, and Jai is ready. This means that I can't run Pat any more, which is a shame, but he also seems pretty happy to retire; just hanging out, really quite literally, enjoying himself. Also a new favorite is following me around waiting for food to drop. Long walks/runs in the desert. He has a full plate, so to speak, being Pat.

Next week my boy graduates from Boot camp and after that I will be seriously working on getting Jai ready for our big Open debut. 

Ewan, Trace, Jai, Scout and Pat on a hike in the Owyhees with me and the Pickles (alias Kelsey Nichols)