Perky's Previous Updates - 2008

October 2008 News: Rough start, great finish

I attended several clinics this year with Dare, and I was able to use some of my newly-acquired training skills with Perky, too. As the trial season progressed, Perky teamed up with me much better.

Our first start was in June at the PA State Championship, at Sheepy Hollow in Hop Bottom. Jim Murphy was the judge. I was glad to be able to enter both Perky and Dare here as their first trial of the season; seemed almost like coming “full circle.” My first two dogs, Kaylie and Perky, both came from the late Walt Jagger at Sheepy Hollow, and Dare was sired by Walt’s daughter Cheryl’s Andy.

The sentimental symbolism didn’t translate into success for me with Perky, unfortunately. On our first run on Monday, we zig-zagged around the course in a herky-jerky fashion. On getting to the pen, I put Perky in the wrong spot or she didn’t listen to what I told her or something—I don’t recall, probably a combination of errors—but at any rate, the sheep got behind the pen, she snapped under the stress and gripped or tried to, so we retired (or were DQ’d). The next day didn’t give us much chance for improvement. As she lifted and came down the fetch line, she came full steam ahead like a freight train, absolutely ignoring my “lie down! Lie down!” So I thanked the judge and left the post, intending to insist on the lie down, but meaning to continue the course non-compete, for mileage and experience. Meanwhile, the sheep had now bolted for the exhaust gate, and through some crossed signals, the exhaust gate was opened and our sheep left the course. It wasn’t what I planned but perhaps it was a good thing after all, to take her sheep away from her when she is blowing me off and in her own little world.

©2008 Gene Sheninger

Our next attempt was at a fun run and small local trial in July. The field and sheep there are very challenging; difficult sheep, and extreme pressure. Dogs at all levels routinely lose their sheep on the drive line, as the drive-away line is a direct line to the set-out pen. Perky was no exception on all three days. I may have flanked her too late, but whether my timing was off or not, she didn’t make much attempt to cover—just more or less followed the sheep on up the hill. It was extremely hot, she has overheated once before, and she’s 10 years old; it just wasn’t worth it to me to insist on her working harder to try to “save” the run. However, I hated that losing her sheep all three days probably affected her confidence.

Two weeks later, we headed to a Novice trial in Virginia, where Pam Gardner was the judge. The trial was a super opportunity for trialing experience for both dogs and I, as there were two full trials scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday; four times to the post with each dog. The set out pen for the first trial on Saturday was almost directly out from the set out itself, and lots of dogs had trouble with the lift. Perky did manage despite coming in short on her outrun. We got through the course, but approaching the pen I tried to flank her a bit in front of the sheep so they didn’t beat me to the pen. I flanked her and she pushed them too hard; and they bolted to the exhaust. At that point, I retired without sending her after them, as I felt she was likely to just fall in behind and follow them up. The set out for the second Saturday trial was a bit further away. Perky didn’t come in or lift nicely—she ringed the sheep—so I retired to go help her. Once we got that fixed, the rest of the run was fine and I was happy with the rest of it! The course was changed a bit on Sunday, with the addition of a single-width chute on the line between the drive panels and the pen. Perky’s first run was rather better than the previous two days, although we suffered heavy point loss on her way off-line fetch. She required lots of lie-downs throughout as she seemed to have forgotten “steady,” but we managed to get through the course. She even got two of the three sheep through the chute! I was ecstatic as I closed the pen—it was our first real completed, course!! We earned 74 of 90 possible points, which was good for 7th place out of 26 dogs to the post. Our next run was less noteworthy. Just about as Perky got to 9 o’clock, our sheep left the set out, through no fault of Perky’s. They came down the fetch line, but instead of Perky staying out and going around them, she turned directly in on them, which pushed them to the exhaust, splitting them as she did so. Of course we were then off-line the whole way to the post, and the rest of the run was unremarkable. Our total was a mere 46 of 90, putting us quite close to the bottom of the class, but in spite of it being rather messy, I was still happy to have completed the course with her and to have earned numbers instead of letters like “RT” or “DQ” after her name!

©2008 Gene Sheninger

Perky’s last trial this season was the first weekend in September at the Green Lane Sheepdog Trial during the Green Lane Park Scottish-Irish Festival in Pennsylvania. The Novice classes ran under judge Dave Sharp. The sheep here were a bit touchy, and the trial is known for extremely heavy pressure to the exhaust (as per usual on the smallish fields here in the northeast), making for some very bowed fetch lines even among more advanced dogs. Successful pens are almost non-existent at Green Lane; only 10 all weekend in 175 runs. And, the weather on Saturday morning was very warm and muggy, just before Hurricane Hannah arrived. As is the norm for dog trialing, we soldiered on. I don’t remember many specifics of the run, other than missing the post, due to my overflanking her in an attempt to be SURE she covered the pressure to the exhaust. We were tantalizingly close at the pen a few times, but never did get it. What I do remember is the mist in my eyes at the end of our run; not from Hurricane Hannah, but from being SO PROUD of how hard Perky worked and tried for me that day! She tried hard and she listened to me, a big change from her usual state of being mesmerized by her sheep. It was a really good feeling! Her good work earned a 43 of 80 possible, which placed us 5th, of 17 dogs to the post. (The difficulty of the field and sheep resulted in some very low scores; the 1st placed dog in Nov/Nov won with a 51.) Oddly, I remember even less of Sunday’s run with Perky than our run the day before. We got around the post this time, and we were again teased by almost getting the pen, but we couldn’t quite get it done (partly due to my very bad habit of lying her down too soon!). We lost all our pen points, so our run was called. As we walked off the field, the sheep bolted from the exhaust towards the set-out, and she took off in mad pursuit; apparently again snapping under the pressure of exerting self-control for so “long!” So, after a pretty nice run, I had to go racing up the field after my dog screaming LIE DOWN! Ha—a typical Novice run! Fortunately, the score doesn’t change after the run is over; Perky’s good work before going mental had earned 48 points and WON THE CLASS! WOW! I couldn’t believe it! Sunday was a good one for our family, as Dare and I placed fourth in the same class, and Perky’s granddaughter, Heather Millen’s Kate, won the Pro-Novice class. Perky finished her season in style!

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