The roses at the cabin

Up at the cabin my brother and his wife have a row or hedge of roses. It helps to separate the yards, but it also helps to keep the kids from running across their yard.

While we were there, we did notice a few white roses.

But there were more of these pink roses. These looked like what my Mom used to call wild roses when I was growing up.

They were pretty much past their peak for blooming, but still lovely to see.

The birds in and around Island Lake

One of my most favorite birds of Northern Minnesota, the state bird, the Loon!! We don't get them down here in SE Minnesota at all and I sure do miss them. I love how they look, I love their song. Yet one more thing that I miss from up north.

And then as we were cruising around the lake my eagle eye brother(pun intended), Mike spotted this Bald Eagle. We went very slowly past him/her and got lots of pictures. I won't bore you with every picture that I took of this eagle.

But he just sat there and let us take pictures. He was probably thinking, tourists.

And then we saw this guy. He made lots of noise. We were thinking that he might be an immature Bald Eagle? All I know is that he was noisy, but still something cool to see.

The reason that I was thinking that he is an immature Bald Eagle and that he has the same very pronounced hook on his beak. There are some osprey that live on this lake too. I haven't gotten to see any of them close enough to take a picture yet.

Family Get Together on the Lake

We went up to my brother's cabin this past Saturday for a sibling get together. Their cabin in on Island Lake by the town of Sturgeon Lake. Isn't it beautiful.

Isn't the lake beautiful? It does make me miss being in Northern Minnesota where the lakes are so clear and beautiful. Not much for sheepdogging up there, but it is a beautiful area.

After lunch we went out on the lake on the pontoon boat. My oldest brother, Bill, was our pontoon pilot.

A few enjoying the pontoon ride. From L to R. My brother in law, Ted, husband to my sister Barb. My sister in law, Peggy, next to her husband my brother Mike.

Deep discussion.

My sister Barb enjoying the scenery.

My sister in law, Bill's wife, Sandy. Enjoying herself.

My brother, Mike and Peggy. They just celebrated their 37th anniversary this past week.

My sister, Barb and her hubby, Ted.

After we got back from the pontoon ride we competed in a mean tournament of bean bag. Here Steve is showing his form.

Here is brother Bill showing his bean bag form.

Sandy showing her form.

Mike showing his competitive side. Mike and Steve won our little tournament.

Ted was showing good form in spite of not being able to use his right arm.

Barb concentrated very hard trying to get her throw just right.

Mike cheering on his wife. He was saying "Go Mags, go!!"

And then Peggy would hit the hole!!

All in all it was a wonderful weekend with family. For Steve and I, it was a relaxing day that we really needed. The food was good, the pontoon ride was excellent. I will post pictures of some of the birds that we saw while going around the lake in another blog post. I know that I really miss the lakes, the pines tree and how nice it is in the north. We both really miss the lakes of the north country.

Clinton Anderson quotes

Just thought I'd share some quotes from Clinton Anderson's book, "Lessons Well Learned." I think that a lot things that horse trainers do can be used with sheepdog training.

"Frustration ends where knowledge begins. The key to ending frustration and building knowledge, confidence, and ability with horses is a matter of keeping simple and breaking your goals into specific steps."

"Do what you have to do to get the job done. Building better communication with your horse really comes about by making the right things easy and the wrong things difficult---and always rewarding the slightest try."


"Take everything step-by-step. Frustration, obstacles, and challenges in horse training ---and in life---are best overcome by staying focused, finding balance, and taking things one step at a time."

"To change your horse, you must first change yourself. Being willing to open your mind, increase your knowledge, gain experience, and make a commitment to consistent effort will first transform you---and then your horse."

"To be effective, you have to be understood. Black-and-white communication with horses creates the understanding that helps solve problems and paves the way for achieving your highest goals."

"There's no substitute for hands-on experience."

"Horses are creatures of habit. Horses don't understand "right" or "wrong," they just know what they've been allowed to do."

"You have to allow a horse to make a mistake---and then correct it. Correcting a mistake after it occurs accelerates a horse's learning, while preventing a mistake just guarantees he will keep making it."

"Consistency is your greatest ally---and inconsistency your greatest enemy. Consistent practice in even small increments of time will build stronger mental and physical habits with your horses---and yield big-time results."

"It takes time, knowledge, experience---and desire---to get a well-trained horse. Evaluating your abilities, choosing the right kind of horse, and having specific goals will make your horse experience the best it can be."

"Success is just around the corner---the trouble is, most people quit before they reach the corner! Achieving success in horse training often comes down to patience, persistence, and consistency---even when it seems like the horse is never going to understand."

Some food for thought......

"The best way to break bad habits is to never get them in the first place."

Sounds easy enough, but difficult to do. How many times have I caught myself and said, I did that to the dog. I read this article in Horse and Rider and wanted to share some things from the article.

~~"This one is said relating to horses, but I think that it also applies to working/trialing dogs. "Don't Dummy Ride." Get into your horse's had and stay there every minute you ride him. If you zone out, you'll give him control and an opportunity to turn a positive ride into a negative one."

I see this one as we need to keep ourselves in the game, keep ourselves alert to everything that is going on with the dog and the sheep. If we don't keep ourselves in charge, the dog will take over for us. They need guidance.

~~"Video your rides. Watching yourself will help reinforce what you're feeling, or highlight any problem spots that need work. Both will speed your progress. Have a friend or family member video your progress every few weeks or so. Then watch those tapes before your next ride, so you can pinpoint habits that you need to break."

This is an excellent idea. Personally I have a camcorder and have rarely used it. I need to have myself videoed more often. That may mean buying a tripod so that I can just turn the camera on and go work my dog. I am sure that there are things that I am doing that I don't even realize I am doing.

~~"Reward, don't drill. If you ask your horse for something and get it, reward him by moving on to something else. Don't drill him on the maneuver or pick at him until you turn a willing attitude into an aggravated one (and a potential conflict). The point is not how long or how many times he does something, but rather that he's tried to do it for you."

I know that I have fallen into this trap. Drill and drill at something trying to get it so perfect that I sour my dog on that exercise. Once we get it somewhat close walk away and try it again the next time you go out and work your dog and ask for a little more each time. But not in the same session. In a sense, release the pressure.

~~"Practice the "two P's"--patience and progress. Impatience is a hard habit to break. But different horses progress at different rates. Be patient and avoid training by the clock or calendar.
Instead, gauge your horse's progress in increments: Is he even slightly better than he was yesterday (or last week, or last month)? If so, you're succeeding. If not, perhaps you need to try a different approach, or consult a reputable pro."

In training multiple dogs now, I have found that they are all different in how they handle things and how much pressure they can handle. Patience can be a hard thing, especially when you lose an experienced dog that you trial suddenly and you have no one to trial or you are in need of a chore dog. That tends to make us push a dog thru a little too quickly and then we need to back up and go over some things.

~~"Change things up. Every couple of rides, change the direction in which your first start your trot and lope, rather than falling in the habit of, say, always starting to the left. This will keep your horse guessing...which will help keep him focused on your for direction, rather than trying to take control. The more creative you can be about keeping rides from being routine, the more attentive your horse will be."

For me this means, get your dog out to other places to work sheep. They and myself, can fall into a routine/habit of always doing things the same way at home.

~~"Use your brain. Avoid trying to out-muscle your horse. You can't over power him, but you can darn sure out-think him."

You can't force your dog to do certain things a certain, but you sure can out think him/her and get them into a certain position or to do a certain. Use your thinking cap!!

~~"Be proactive, not reactive."

How many times have I been told this, especially when trialing dogs. Be proactive, don't wait for something to happen and then try to correct the dog. Don't be too late in giving a flank command on driving.

~~"Pick one thing. Have a plan when you ride. But keep it simple, so your horse had the best chance at success, by picking just one thing to work on. Too many requests at one time, especially with an inexperienced horse, is a bad riding habit itself, and one that can cultivate resentment in your horse."

I would call this, pick your battles. Don't try to train too many things at one time. Don't try to correct too many things in one session. The dog will start to think that they can't do anything right. That they can't win.