Happy Hollow Day 2

We woke up this morning to a drizzle and a deep fog.  Hemp was up second but I couldn't see the sheep from the post unless I closed one eye and squinted.  It didn't matter though, Hemp ran out clean, lifted and took the sheep into the dip with no help from me.  When he came out of the dip, he was dead on the line, but coming fast.  He was going to make the fetch panels so I didn't slow him too much until he was through, then I told him to settle down.  He did and ended up getting a full point fetch! (he once had a full point drive, now a full point fetch.  If we could just do that in the same trial we might really have something!)  He was nice on the drive but we were wobbly in front of the crossdrive panels.
At the pen I was a little careless and let the sheep go through the rope and around.  My motto is that you must sacrifice the body to prevent this if you want your pen bad enough.  Stupidly, I let it happen again and this time I held on to the rope and took a decidedly ungraceful fall before getting a clue to shorten up the rope and get that pen.  The shed was rough as I was running out of time and the sheep just didn't move off a person.  They did, however, get pretty jumpy if Hemp moved so I took a cheap shed just before my time ran out.  Hemp scored an 83 today and was good enough for 4th place again.
I didn't see June's run but Scott was unhappy with her today.  She didn't finish her outrun on the comebye side and didn't want to take her comebye flank on the fetch.  Scott decided to train on her during the rest of the run and retired at the pen.
I told Scott that since I had to run this morning in no visibility fog, he needed a handicap too.  The fog had lifted and it had been on and off raining that morning, but as Scott walked to the post with Don, it started pouring. It was terrible but Don never faltered.  His fetch was a little off as he came up from the ditch but he was back on line before the fetch panels and had a good line the rest of the way, including his drive lines but he missed the crossdrive panels by just a little bit.  His pen was good and the shed looked easy despite the flood waters dropping on them.  He got a 90 today and won the trial again.
Poor Laddie.  Even though the rain had stopped and it warmed up a little, the sound went to pot.  The run before ours looked bad but I didn't realize it was the hearing.  Laddie had a good outrun and lift and his fetch went very well.  The start of his drive was good but as he went down a hill on the way to the panels, he clearly stopped hearing.  He kept trying but I couldn't get through to him and what he did hear was harsh and made him start to think I was mad at him.  When I missed the panels, I retired.  I wasn't going to place with that and there was no reason to keep harping on him when he wasn't doing anything wrong.
We moved on to the nursery and the sun came out and made it quite pleasant.

The nursery babies enjoy the sun.  Front to back, John, Ford, Mikey (next year`s nursery) and Missy Parker`s Tex (to debut at the Bluegrass)

 Unfortunately, the outrun and drive were as far as they were the day before so it was still very difficult for the babies.
Scott ran first with John and you could see that from yesterday to today, John's confidence had grown in leaps and bounds.  He had a clean outrun and made all his panels and was starting to get some style (as much as he could with the high grass) a nice pen and he got an 84 to win the class!  That was a 16 point jump from yesterday.  John is now qualified to run at the nursery nationals.
Jane and Bliss learned that Scott wasn't tied to the post during a trial.  Jane gripped at the top and Scott ran down the field, and Bliss tried to cross and ignored Scott's stop whistles, so he again ran down the field.
I sent Ford to the right today so that he could try the other outrun.  He needed a redirect and took it after a stop but he needed one more and wouldn't take his stop and crossed over just in front of the sheep.  His fetch was better but his stops still need improvement.  Shortly into his drive away he had a ewe look at him.  I had tried to get a straight line right off and ended up putting him in the sheep's eyes too much.  One started to look  at him and after being attacked last week at a friend's house by a grumpy ewe, he got worried.  He never ran away (an improvement from last week - he didn't know the sheep could hurt him until he was attacked and we knew it wasn't time to teach him to bite for confidence right before he started to trial) but didn't want to push on her.  He just tried to flank, so I walked away from the post towards him and got him started on the drive and then flanked him around to exhaust the sheep.
Wynn was a good boy today too!  He didn't have as good a drive today because he headed them just in front of the drive panel (the drive is about 200 yrds) but his outrun was good and his crossdrive

Wynn making the cross drive gates

 and pen were also good.  He got a 79 and was in second place getting his first nursery leg.

Diane Pagel`s Kinloch Wynn

 In the pro novice, Nan improved her run getting a 77 but Mike Goracke and his Nick dog improved even more, winning the class with an 80.  Nan ended up in third place behind Margaret Johnson and Art.
Ford had a better outrun on the shorter course and only needed one redirect to the right.  His fetch was also better and he was stopping but not for long enough.  His drive away went very well and he made the panel but after the turn I asked for a right hand flank to put them on the crossdrive line and he wouldn't give it to me. He just wanted to bring them back to me.  I walked away after several tries and showed him how it was important for him to take that flank.  We have work to do this week but he's getting better.


Day One Pro Novice (22 dogs)
1. Scott Glen and Nan 69
2. Kathy Farkos and Diva 67
3. Mike Goracke and Nick 64
4. Linda Meyer and Jill 60
5. Margaret Johnson 58


Day Two Open (30 dogs)
1. Scott Glen and Don 90
2. Larry Birch and Dot 86
3. Roy Taber and Craig 84
4. Jennifer Glen and Hemp 83
5. Peg Anderson and Hope 76
6. Linda Meyer and Gnat 76
7. Jennifer Boznos and Peach 75
8. Stephanie Goracke and Gwen 72
9. Peg Anderson and Spot 69
10. Larry Moore and Brandy 68

Day Two Nursery (10 dogs)
1. Scott Glen and John 84
2. Scott Glen and Wynn 79
3. Stephanie Goracke and Tweed 76
4. Linda Meyer and Jill 40
5. Margaret Johnson and Lark 40

Day Two Pro Novice (18 dogs)
1. Mike Goracke and Nick 80
2. Margaret Johnson and Art 79
3. Scott Glen and Nan 77
4. Cathy Farkos and Diva 61
5. Linda Meyer and Jill 45
6. Shane Hall and Yankee 42
7-18. RT