VBCA Summer Trial

Last weekend we went to the VBCA (Virginia Border Collie Association) summer trial and annual meeting. It was held at the beautiful farm of Richard and Rae Rogers in Luray, VA. I just love the spectacular views of the mountains from their place. And they are unsurpassed in their hospitality. Wonderful folks.
I’m not going to go into detail about our runs because they were awful. The best thing about Heather’s run is that she didn’t grip for once. But she was pushy as hell and we never did get the sheep settled. Andre was sick on Saturday but went anyway and he just wasn’t into working his dog. Champ was pushy and the sheep wouldn’t settle to get around the course nicely (I’m seeing a trend here……).
On Sunday I ran Vic in Novice Novice and before I went in I saw the mud at the entry gate (we had some rain that day) and was worried that he would pull me down into it. Someone suggested that I go into the field without his leash on – what’s the worst he could do? WELL……he took off down the field before we even got to the post. Thankfully they hadn’t brought the sheep down yet so he finally came back to me after running all over the field looking for SHEEP. Afterwards, some people said they loved his double lift (something that is done in OPEN trials where the dog has to gather one set of sheep and then “look back” for a second set and then bring them all – not exactly what we were supposed to be doing in this trial….) This boy is 4 years old and has never settled down – and we just can’t get him to understand that we are in the picture. I’ve had the bright idea lately to let him gather our sheep at home in the evenings when they are out in the yard grazing, thinking that if he does this daily then he won’t be so hyped up every time he sees sheep. That has helped some, but it has also made him a sheep gathering fool! He’ll now go out for potty breaks with the rest of the gang and will push his way through 2 gates before we notice all the sheep moving and coming into the paddock……Vic following nicely behind. What do I do with this guy?
I think we’ve ended up with some dogs that needed good handlers who could have seen the issues and dealt with them – and we’re not good handlers. But we’re having fun – YES Andre – You Are Having Fun!!! I do enjoy this even if I don’t place, but Andre is a little more competitive and would enjoy trialing more if he could place occasionally. He’s learning patience….
The trial went well for most people – the sheep were good but a bit challenging to pen and also seemed to not want to split for the OPEN dogs to shed. Nathan Mooney was the judge and did a great job. Seems lately I don’t hear complaining like I used to at trials about this and that – I think people are grateful and understand the hard work that goes into putting on a trial. Thanks VBCA.

Next Trial = Keepstone Farm, July 26th. Blue’s Debut.