Notes from Nippersink Sheepdog Trial
This week is all about the Nippersink or Swim Sheepdog Trial, outside of Lake Geneva, WI. It was our first competition of the year, and given that training hadn’t been going well, I didn’t have much in the way of expectations. But it turned out well, and most importantly, Maggie and Skip appeared to have a wonderful time. If anything, I'd describe Maggie as elated after her first run. Be still my heart. If you're interested, I’ve included two videos, one each of Maggie and Skip’s runs. I should set the stage first: Nippersink is a big maw of a field, split by a deep creek (Nippersink Creek, thus the name of the trial), with flighty sheep who will run back to the barn given a Read More
Skill, Natural Ability and our Dog’s Happiness
I've been thinking about Maggie a lot lately, and wondering whether she wants to continue to compete in sheepdog trials. She is always eager to work sheep, leaves the course (or did last year) as if eager to do it again, even when it went badly. She clearly adores the part she's good at (outrun, lift, fetch, and shedding), but struggles on the part she's not (driving). She likes to drive sheep who are easy to move, as long as she's within 100 yards of me. She hates, and I use that word with confidence, driving sheep who are "heavy," who would rather stand still, or who are pulled in another direction like a set of iron fragments to a magnet. She's brilliant at defense, and Read More
Working on Sound, or, Making Better Noises
A dear friend (thank you Kathy!) sent me an autographed copy of a wonderful book, The Great Animal Orchestra, by Bernie Krause. Subtitled Finding the Origins of Music in the World's Wild Places, the book is a ". . . travelogue of sound, based on a lifetime of study, (and) will leave you hearing--and seeing--nature as never before." What perfect timing! Earth Day is this coming Thursday, April 22nd, so it's a great day to think about the chorus of sounds that surround us in nature. Earth Day encourages and exhorts and begs us to pay attention to Mother Earth, and focusing on the natural soundscape is a great way to do that. And what a great time of year to do so in the northern Read More