We survived our first herding trial together this weekend. Well, Ted's first, I mean - it's definitely not my first bar-becue though it's been years since I had a dog to run.
We won our class! There's no HIT in USBCHA-style trials so that's as big a brag as one can get for a trial. I'll have pictures, tomorrow probably.
I entered this trial just because it was a benefit trial - all proceeds went to ovarian cancer research. Ted was in no way ready, right up to last weekend. Then this week he suddenly turned into Trial Dog Extraordinaire. I think I mentioned the Sheep on the Porch incident.
Oh, maybe I didn't. I was literally trying to find something he couldn't do, some hole I could work on, and I finally asked him to put the flock of sheep we had (about fifteen) up the front porch. It took a little work but he stayed calm and did everything I asked, and we got them up. And then my landlord drove by. Oops. Well I heard about that, but I didn't care, I was so proud of my babydog!
I was still scared it was all a fluke so I went to the post and warned the judge that I'd probably be running up the field to get him to bend out behind the sheep, instead of going straight at them (his usual MO).
Instead he left my feet and headed for the fence, flew in a perfect circle around behind them, stopped a little short, but listened when I asked him to move the sheep a bit back so they got on line. We did the whole course. My husband got a video so I hope tomorrow to post that.
Off to a great start with Ted - Im just so excited and wanted to share it.