Adventures into a new way of Life

Chapter Six

          She still doing good in her sheep heading classes, but it’s a long way to drive, a lot more money and gas to do. It my understanding it will take about a year for her to reach any level of skill for herding. I’m not sure where it would take us even if she became good, I don’t live on a farm where she could use her skills, and the sheep trials are mostly far away from here, a lot in other states.

            It was the last day of Novice II classes today and on her test she did Ok down to the Stand for exam and them she did her thing, resistance letting them touch her pass her head. Because she has to get 50% or better on all exercises, and she did good on all but that one, again she did not pass. I knew before they came over to tell me, it was a lot like someone coming to tell your best friend had pass away, their heads were hanging low. As I listened to them gently explaining, I was thinking of the long road we had come down and the progress we had made. But the one thing she needed to learn most, she just could not do. She try to stand still, she knows I think they need to touch her, but she just can do it.

Just as I was thinking I hope Dixie can be happy just being my best friend, my buddy and put schooling behind us I hear the Open Obedience instructor say” I’ll tell you what I’ll do” the rule is they must pass Novice II to move up to the next level, and I’m not sure Dixie will ever get totally over her aggressive ways, I been watching you all and she’s smart, she good and this is what I willing to do. There is a empty ring next to where I teach Beginners Open and if you willing to work in it at the same time I’m teaching the rest of the class Dixie, then I let you move on up to my Open class. Her reason being that everything is off lead in open and it could be to disruptive to the rest of the class if we were in the same ring. She felt Dixie would have no problem leaning the exercises which are things like: Jumping over jumps and retrieving a dumb bell and other stuff we have not gotten to do yet and I know she can. What a wonderful end to what was feeling like a sad day.

While we wait for the new classes to start we have been trying to keep up our practice time so Dixie can be sharp when the class begins. We add some new exercises to the routine, like during the 3 min sits stays and the 5 min down stay I go in to the garage out of sight and she doing good. We also have been getting her to take in her mouth a small wood rod until I get a dumb bell, she dose it, but she not should she like to. We are doing some downs on recalls and other down while moving which are helping her in her sheep herding class. The biggest change has been we are now starting to also do the basic obedience training with our (Now ours) 3 yr old Weimaraner (Sophie) which my youngest daughter had to leave with us now that she has moved to LA. It has never been to an obedience class but will be starting beginners obedience at the same time Dixie starts Open. Sophie is doing ok in practice for a beginner, but she doesn’t have the drive to work out like Dixie, but she dose want the treats.

My wife, whom I will never be able to thank enough has jumped in to help and will be taking Sophie because the classes are at the same time as Dixie’s. Also let’s not forget that it was my wife who gave me Dixie for fathers day, which will be two years ago tomorrow, which started this story of an old man and his dog.

The new Obedience classes started to day Dixie in open and Sophie in Beginners. It was sure nice to start learning new thing after going though Novice I and II so long. The instructor was good I like her, it wasn’t the lady I thought would be there, maybe she well be there next week.  Dixie did real good with just one little aggressive moment, but not bad. We got to practice jumping over the high jump and the broad jump. She did every thing really good, even her long sits and down with me out of the ring. At the end of class the last thing was a long sit and she didn’t want to wait I guess she was done for the day and was ready to go home. She started leaning to take a real dumb bell which I had to buy and there was the lumber for the new high and broad jumps I make for the backyard. More money, But Hey you can't put a price on Love.  

I also put up to 2 websites today so the world could share our adventures into the Dog world and Dixie's climb to the top. They are dixieandme.com, the one your on and another called sheepwatcher.com dedicated to our Sheep herding adventures.

In the second week of classes, Sophie got her first day in the training ring and saw more dogs all at once than she had ever see before, but she did ok it looked like to me from where I was watching one ring over. Dixie didn’t do as good as she did last week, it may have been from watching Sophie a crossed the room or something. She did most thing well, but she would not stay in her sits and downs if I left the ring, she would only stay if I was in sight and inside the ring somewhere. She still not comfortable with taking the dumbbell yet, she well sometime, but just for a few seconds. They gave us our homework so if we practice good maybe she can do better next week, how ever it worthy to note from the time we enter the building till we exited she never had an aggressive out break with human or dog “Hallelujah” for that, I know it just one time, but when your in the race we’re in it a step.

This week was also our last day in our sheep herding classes. It sure did go by fast. I was just getting in to being comfortable with being there and the new surroundings. I can tell Dixie really like being there, and today I can see she has come along way, she can’t herd, but she is trying hard to learn and having fun doing it. My wife went today and she took Sophie with us so she could see. Sophie didn't look like she care much, although a time or two when Dixie cane along the fence line with the sheep she bark like, “do you need me to help”.

I also think Sophie was wondering why Dixie wasn’t getting in trouble for chasing the sheep around.  The next round of herding classes won’t start till about two months from now, it getting way to hot out being July and August. I hope Dixie will not forget to much by then.

Week three is behind us now and I wish I could say thing are going well, but I don’t know. Sophie hasn’t done as good in class as I would like, which would sure help my wife to feel better. They are doing good as a whole, Sophie is being a lot better dog around the house and I think my wife has enjoy doing things with her and meeting some new folks along the way. 

As for Dixie and me, what this story is all about, well I don’t know. So far in her new classes she seams to be real distracted. It’s almost like she had never been to a class before. She won’t do her sits and down like she should and can. She doesn’t drop on recall as fast as I would like. She likes to do the jumps, but I can’t get her very interested in taking the dumbbell. She’ll take it sometime, but doesn’t want to hold it. I know a lot of the things we doing are new to her, but at home she dose them pretty good. In class she act like a beginner and it a little discouraging because she has been doing so well. In class she sometime act like we’re just there to play and want to just round around the ring nipping at my feet, something she never done before. She spends a lot of time just looking around the building at what’s going on in the other training rings. Maybe it just stress of the new and she well calm down before long. This weeks homework for her and me well be to get her to jump over the broad jump and not walk over it, along with taking the dumbbell and walking 4 or 5 steps holding it. The instructor gave me a few things to fix about me, and this always helps Dixie.

I haven’t been looking forward to Week 4, it been so hot out, like 105* and working out has been short and not much fun for me or my wife. Dixie likes it, she just like to run and jump hot or cold. This week I have felt a lot like my wife and Sophie, and that why keep going they just aren’t getting it. Dixie this week not only has not wanted to take the dumbbell, she lays down or hide when I pick it up. She just doesn’t like it and she never been a retriever of anything. It been feeling like thing are going down hill in her training.

But then there the good news, this week in class 4 she really tried to do her best again. During her long sit I was able to leave the ring and go to the far end of the building and she stayed. The news that makes me want to keep up the work is, out of the clear she started to fetch the dumbbell when I would throw it and bring it back (carrying it in her mouth) to me. She had to be encouraged to go, but she did go get it and come back. She didn’t always hole it till I ask for it, but man what a turn around. There just day when she make me proud and I think she know it.

Week 5 is now behind us, I wish I could say I'm seeing real progress, but I'm not. There is some but it is very small. During the week Dixie did good in our practice times with every thing but the dumbbell. In class this week she didn't do as good as last week. It was back to not staying for her sit and down when I would leave the ring. She did do the dumbbell better than during the week, but she wants to play and grab my feet and not retrieve it, until I grab at it a time or two then she will get it and bring it to me as I back up. She won't drop down on recall most of the time. That something that would be helpful even at her up coming sheep herding classes. I can say she has had less aggressive time at school, but then we are in a ring alone most of the time, how ever she come in and out of the building better as we pass by the other dogs. The instructor from her last class told me today she would try to find time after my classes to work with Dixie and me to try some desensitizing time that might help her get better. I guess we well have to try harder this week, what ever that means. 

            This week end we went to a meeting of Herding people who were and did start a new herding club here in Oklahoma. They called 4Cornersherdingclub and we meet some people who I think will be very helpful for me and Dixie as we get started in herding.  It’s been a busy week and we haven’t practiced like we should the first half, but we’re back on track now. 

What can I say about this week. It week 6 and mighty hot outside every day in the 100's. we have been practicing early in the mornings with both dogs. In class this week for some reason Dixie tried to be aggressive to all the dogs and some instructors too. She didn't want to heel or take the dumbbell. That would have been the end of a bad week except she, as she dose sometime to wins me back did her long down stay and did while I walk out of the ring to the other end of the building and in to the little room they have to be out of site. That was a first.

Them after class as I say earlier I was going to do I put her old muzzle on (just in case) and the instructor from her last class came over to see if she would let her touch her. And Dixie let her touch her all over anywhere she wanted and did not show any sign of resistance, no growl, no snap, nothing. The only thing she did not want was for her to take off the muzzle, it was touch what ever you want, but leave the hardware alone.  I guess Dixie thought that was my job.

I guess I have never said that I belong to a couple of Dog related new groups on the internet. I have been surprised to find so many people wanting to give me encouragement and ideas that might help Dixie and me along the road we travel. Some are funny and other are what seams like sound advice. There are one telling of what worked for them or thing they feel I doing wrong and ones like buy a already train dog or ship Dixie off to a trainer for a few months who knows what there doing. I guess some people just want to buy their way to the top not earn it the old fashion way, or can't live with we didn't make it, which sometime happen in life and that OK. But first we must run the race. I don't love Dixie for what she can do or what she may accomplish in the future, I love her because she Dixie my dog and my friend.