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October 6th, 2007
Kane is starting his tracking career. We are attending a course in tracking and some basic working dog skills with the German Shepherd Club and my old tracking instructor the next four Saturdays.
October 20th, 2007
By now, Kane has been tracking six times, the last two today. Since he is a fast mover, a bit prone to try to use the air scent, I did a food track - and that went great. Now, he has caught onto what I want. So when we on our way back, walking along a gravel road, passed the track I'd laid out to Ponny the heeler, Kane shot out into the bushes to do that one to. Good boy!
We have also been working the first steps of search and rescue, working up his motivation to run out to people in the forest without me. After taking time to think about it, very characteristic it seems for young Kane, he now flies out to the (visible) figurants out there, then speeds back to me on the center line, and checks that I follow him out again - where he gets a lot of good stuff to eat. Later, when I have his tracking going well, we will start working on the next leg - locating them by air scent. But that will have to wait a bit.
We are also working with a few of his basic skills for future obedience, using a clicker, and he is a fast learner - which makes me having to take care how to train him!
October 22th, 2007
We have been working on some basic skills, using a clicker and rewarding with liver paté, which seems to be Kane's big favorite. He is very good at seeking eye contact, and this is how he looks from my point of view. At this stage he is still moving on a slight angle to me, but we'll se. He is understanding commands like sit, stay, the down is coming along, and his free recall out walking is pretty good right now.
Kane's working to keep eye contact
Kane's working to keep eye contact
October 24th, 2007
Went for a walk along the Akerselva river north in Oslo, which has a lot of resident and very hungry ducks. I start wondering if I have an Australian Birddog instead of Australian Cattledog, Kane is very interested in birds! He is getting used to the tame crows and magpies that will follow us on walks on the nearby big, old cemetary where we pass through on our way to the park. I feed them - with dog food! - and they come really close, the magpies only 1-2 meter away. He will look at them, and then come and sit in front of me instead - and get a reward.
But those duck were wildly interesting to young Kane, who seemed to be on the verge of getting into the water - which is very cold by now, winter is closing in on us now. I don't know if this is hunting or herding instincts kicking in, but he has a solid amount of prey drive it seems, while at the same time trying to find his way around the ducks in the water - a bit difficult, since they were in the middle of a cold river!
I'm here, they are there, and the water is cold...
I'm here, they are there, and the water is cold...
Peeing is important. Ponny has made where to pee a science, not to mention the eternal struggle to do it higher than anyone else, which is very difficult for a short legged little guy, who never stops trying.
Kane, who still kneels prettily most of the time, has at other times just started to get big - he is lifting his leg! Perhaps it's the company he keeps, since he is an eager student of the peeing science - where Ponny is the professor. But there is still no competition, Ponny does not yet bother to try to mark over Kane's manly attempts...
Kane admiring Ponny's style, and learning a lot about what's really important!
Kane admiring Ponny's style, and learning a lot about what's really important!
October 30th, 2007
Having trouble getting started in training Kane, and realizing I was a bit rusty in my clicker training skills and never having tried them with a competition dog in mind, we enrolled on a new course - where the goal is to learn heelwork!
Which, of course, involves a lot of different skills; everything from attention and position to hind-end control. Takes me about 45 minutes to drive one way to the farm house where the trainers Fanny Gott and Thomas Stokke give classes - but after our first lesson it is worth it.
Kane was an eager student, it's me who have to remember to go slowly enough, reward quickly and often enough, and to take breaks. But so far, I am very pleased with him, since he has enormous concentration. He was totally focused and tail wagging as well, even with four other dogs around being trained - click, click, click - and some sheep behind the fence at the end of the field.
November 3rd, 2007
Went to a big dog fair in Oslo, called "Hundelivsmessen", where we met so many old friends as well as making new - also of the four legged kind. Kane was very excited at first, but quickly calmed down and took all the impressions - from the strangest kind of dogs to all those people who wanted to say hello and ask what kind of dog he was - in great spirit.
Now having two rare dog breeds, the attention is doubled; I am used to Ponny the Heeler being the most interesting!
Outside, there was a demonstration with herding dogs and a little flock of five sheep, and that seems to be Kane's highlight of the day - he was extremely eager and attentive. So now I have to try to check out if there is anywhere around here that we might check out herding...
November 18th, 2007
As usual on Sundays, we made an early start to get out into the woods to train. I laid two rather long tracks for the boys. Kane is enthusiastic as ever, and picks up all the objects I have placed in the track - which are small pieces of wood that are new for each track, so there won't be too much of our own scent on them, just that the tracklayer has touched them. Today's track was two hours old, and I see no difference in him, even though the track went through different terrain - frozen field, forest, onto a gravel road.
Afterwards we went to have Sunday dinner at my sister's place. The three resident Kleiner Münsterländer girls are Ponny's favorites, and Kane is being accepted into the extended "family" pack, which also includes an English born racing whippet belonging to my niece who was also visiting.
A lively evening, with all six dogs mingling happily. There are more pictures in the gallery, but this one's of the whole bunch gathered on the porch!
From left: Ponny, Jippi, Szarga, Kane and Mac, with Bare sitting behind them on the porch
From left: Ponny, Jippi, Szarga, Kane and Mac, with Bare sitting behind them on the porch
December 14th, 2007
Christmas is closing on us, and to me the greatest Christmas gift this year will be that Kane will have a Happy New Year - once more being able to run free and enjoy life.
These past two months have been tough. Kane was limping, and the vet tried to figure out the cause, and we realized that he was lame in both front legs. X-rays done of the elbows showed nothing that would indicate the reason, so we moved up to the shoulders - and there it was...
Well, to put it short; Kane has osteochondrosis in both shoulders. He was operated in his left shoulder, removing a loose piece of cartilage, on December 3rd.
And on Monday, which is the 17th, he will go in again doing his right shoulder, which is a tougher thing - he will have the tendon to his biceps muscle cut, to relieve the pull on the shoulder joint.
It was very tough, particularly having the vet asking about if I wanted to operate him or put him down; since we also saw on x-rays that one hip was not all that great looking either.
But the little guy is so great, that he deserves a chance - even though it might be a shorter life than I had thought I got a ¨"healthy, long lived cattle dog" for, and very tough having to spend so much time at the vets, so short after losing my beloved Shepherd "Panter" in cancer.
The prognosis on his left shoulder is good, on the right "relatively good", and the veterinary surgeon and I decided to worry about his hip later.
After almost two months of restricting a young and eager cattledog full of life - first because of his limp, then very strictly after the operation, I look so much forward to being able to let him run loose again - enjoying life as a young puppy should.
He is everybody's pet at the veterinary hospital, and they take excellent care of him. After this second operation, we will start rehabilitation training - training on a water tread mill, doing stretching exercises and so on. In two months time the vet experts - and I - hope he will be fine again.
He is aching to run, and in the meantime we do a lot of clicker training, he is doing is retrieve - the "apport" - pretty well already. By that I mean the last steps, since we chain it backwards - the retrieve and the grip itself. Of course I have "clicked in" the stretching exercises we do.
Ponny helps me keeping him occupied, the two boys still enjoy laying on the carpet and "fencing" with their teeth, growling at each other over who gets the fluffy rabbit toy! But Ponny is also angelically patient when Kane "overflows" with energy - he seems to understand that we have to be kind to a sick little cattledog boy.
For Christmas, we will travel to my sister - where a big wire crate will be placed in her small living room - instead of the Christmas tree!, since it's a small living room - where Kane can be with us without straining his newly operated leg, and watch the ongoing circus. As usual, there will be presents for all the dogs too - which are those six on the picture above: Sausages wrapped in Christmas paper!
Ponny keeping young Kane occupied. The coat is slowly growing out again after having been shaved.
Ponny keeping young Kane occupied. The coat is slowly growing out again after having been shaved.
January 12th, 2008
Time flies, and Kane is growing fast - he is still no large ACD, but he is filling well out. He is also maturing a bit faster mentally than I expected. Today, he raised his voice for the first time to Ponny, after their usual playtime got intense and he got carried away. Of course, Ponny set matters straight and the two "brothers" reconciliated immediately.
I was expecting something like that, since the best indicator is to watch the little guy's interest in peeing on top of where Kane has peed! If Ponny is diligent in those matters, Kane seems to be in some mental development stage requiring some extra attention from big brother...
But to the rest of the world, they stand united! Ponny has already run interference once, when a hefty young Fox terrier wanted to boss a leashed Kane around - and Kane was extremely eager to answer; then the little guy marched between them, and mentally "force marched" the terrier away.
Kane is good with other dogs, having become not the least uncertain any more, rather the opposite! I will continue to try to let him meet steady, older and/or larger males in the next months, and keep him away from young guys like himself - he is not backing away right now, if somebody asks him first :-)
That worked for Ponny, so I will follow that method for Kane as well. Since he is also a bit hard in his play, and not all small dogs are as sturdy and tough as Ponny, we visit our friends at the doggy designer store and cafe, Pet Shop Girls, where a lot of small dogs drop by with their owners.
When we were there this evening, Kane got a lesson in "how to flirt with a chihuahua", which involves laying down on the floor and being nice and quiet. He is a quick learner, and it was pretty sweet to see how he let the little chihuahua girl stand up and put both front paws on his face so she could kiss him on the nose.
Kane is, of course, about as high strung as a race horse not being allowed to run - and we both can hardly wait until Wednesday next week, where new x-rays will reveal how his shoulders have developed after the operations, and we also will get an estimate as to when he will be allowed more exercise.
We work a lot with getting him to calm down and stay in contact - with me! - in different situations now, including a new obedience course with Fanny and Thomas at Klickerklok.se. Great fun, and new challenges to both of us as well.
Kane is being intense and loving, and Ponny yawns to calm things down. The "brothers" have a very strong bond already.
Kane is being intense and loving, and Ponny yawns to calm things down. The "brothers" have a very strong bond already.
January 18th, 2008
On Wednesday this week, we went to Oslo Dyreklinikk to do x-rays of Kane's shoulders - four weeks after the last operation. We met the surgeon who operated him, Trond Bergsjø, who seemed very pleased when looking at the x-ray pictures. Kane's left shoulder will be just fine. As for the right shoulder, if we are lucky, the bone will grow all the way - now that the ligament to the muscle has been cut, and relieving the tension on that part of the joint.
Thursday we went to se the vet who is doing rehabilitation work with Kane, Zoe at AlternatiVet, and she was also pleased. He shows progress from last week just in lifting his right leg more instead of just "paddling", which indicates that the muscles around are adjusting to the "new" situation.
If things go well, I might even try to show him again. In any case, Bergsjø the vet almost "promised" me a well functioning dog that can be working and live a healthy, happy life if things continue to look well.
That means another four weeks on the leash (and me carrying 21 kilo cattledog downstairs) to give the right shoulder joint enough time, but with the permission to go for longer walks now. Good news for Kane, and good news for my wallet - even with insurance, this has cost a small fortune as well as some disappointment.
So the bottom line is: Young Kane is happy now, going to training class and going for a bit longer walks, and I look forward not to be his "jail warden" any more and keeping him on the leash. Mid-February, please come soon!
February 14th, 2008
At last! Good news! 🙂
Wednesday afternoon, we went to see the veterinary surgeon who operated Kane's shoulders - to do the last x-ray of his right shoulder. A month ago, it looked as if the bone in the joint was growing nicely and joining up as it should, and it was decided to give it a bit longer.
While Kane was snoring away and slowly waking up after being sedated, we looked at the digital x-ray pictures on the computer screen - and they looked great, the vet was very, very pleased.
Now the brave little gray guy has two shoulders that work, no limping or pain, a bit funny movement of his right fore, and can now gradually be allowed to live a normal dog's life.
To celebrate, and to take advantage of the fact that he still was a bit dopey and hung-over from the sedation, he got to run a little bit off leash. I found a place were there was no ice to slip on, and no other dogs other than Ponny, taking the leash off. He trotted a bit around, looking pleased, while I pretended this was all normal routine.
This was his first time off leash since November! He has a lot to catch up on, thankfully it looks as if his recall is as good as ever...
February 22nd, 2008
More than a week has passed since Kane was officially cleared and ready to run - and that has been a joyous week!
Clicker training class is working out great, Kane is enrolled in another one - and does very well! He has good speed, is easy to train, and responds very well to this kind of training.
To our luck, the temperature got milder so most of the ice melted away from the park lawns and the beaches around the Oslo fjord, making them perfect places to run for a recovering young man like Kane. His shoulders seem to hold up fine, and he has become more active than ever.
I still keep him away from running with his fastest friend, like Mac the whippet with muscles, and pick out some nice, older ladies for him to run around with.
His recall seems to hold up well, but that is the next challenge - working to get it as good as we can.
Of course the first challenges also comes now, with Kane maturing into a young man who does not seem to be the kind to just walk away... or give in! And there are some males who mistakenly think they can get away with trying to dominate him... but there comes Ponny. Yesterday, a border collie tried to pick a fight with Kane - and then brave Ponny trots in between, tail almost touching his ears, and virtually stares the border collie away from his grey brother. Loyalty is big with these two guys, that is the inheritance from Panter, my now dead black working German Shepherd, who always watched out for her friends.
Ponny and Kane, the English and the Australian Heeler, has together with their best mate Mac the Muscle Whippet joined forces. We call them the "Herreforeningen", which translates to The Men's Club, and they are the greatest friends - all three of them attempting tug of war at the same time.
February 25th, 2008
This weekend was pure joy for Kane!
Both Saturday and Sunday we started out in the woods, where the boys were digging for mice, rolling in the soft snow, finding all the exciting tracks from moose and others who live among the trees. After all those months on leash, he enjoys his newfound freedom for all its worth.
Having blown off some steam, we headed for the biggest park in Oslo, where dog people meet. Time to practise social skills!
Having been a country boy until he was four months old, and then just having one month on the go before his shoulders troubled him and he was more or less confined for three months, he has some catching up to do - but he is a fast learner and had two great days meeting a lot of new dogs, in all sizes and with all kinds of behavior.
To finish off Sunday, we went for coffee at Pet Shop Girls, a doggie designer shop (where he got his collar!), who is also a meeting place for many small dogs. He has now learned to lie down when he wants to "play" on leash with chihuahuas, and got very attached to a 10 week old Danish/Swedish Farm Dog, who was allowed to climb all over him. Only when he gets a bit excited comes those cattledog paws!
Kane the Urban Cattledog
Kane the Urban Cattledog
Saturday March 1st, 2008
Kane and Ponny met up with best friend Mac the Whippet for a long walk on the Bygdøy peninsula, a posh place to live in Oslo where there are beaches and a small forest to walk in.
They are always happy to meet each other, and Mac is even more happy now that Kane can run - and chase him. Even Ponny got carried away and did some running on the beach together with Mac and Kane.
Afterwards, my niece was going back to the racing stable where she works and rides. We went along, and the boys became the entertainment of the day for a stable full of bored race horses off season!
These magnificent thoroughbreds lead charmed lives, they are spoilt, each have their habits, but as long as they run well and win a lot their eccentrics are allowed. All of them were straining their already long necks out of their boxes to watch with great interest these two weird dogs that visited their stable.
Ponny of course ignores them, but Kane was a bit more uncertain about being the center of attention like this - but picked himself up quick enough when he realized that they could not come out all at once. When my niece cleaned out the boxes, he was watching with interest - rather the horse droppings than the horse though... He had the little cattledog "snap" of his teeth, so he was not allowed too close.
Ponny could not care less, he wil reprimand the horses if he deems them a danger to his friends, but is as usual King of Cool. Kane lost any cool he had when he discovered the two rabbits that lives in a cage in the stable!
Here is a picture of Kane in the stable, with a curious race horse watching him. 
Here is a picture of Kane in the stable, with a curious race horse watching him.
March 15th, 2008
Another walk with the Men's Club, in other words - joining up with Mac for a long walk. The three boys are quite a team, but the two older dogs are a bit blasé and does not bother with Kane's youthful attempts of finding his way in a dog's world.
After a nice walk in the woods, we met a whole bunch of Portugese Water Dogs on the beach, together with some assorted bird dogs and a Dachshund (see pictures in the gallery). It must have been about 15 dogs running around in the sand, and Kane behaves like a prince. When he meets males that are fully mature, he is very respectful. But he still has some manners to learn concerning his ways with the ladies, he is a bit too enthusiastic.
Afterwards, a walk on the crowded wharf Aker Brygge in Oslo, filled with shoppers and people enjoying meals and a beer out in the slightly warm sun. Kane is a totally urbanized dog now, as well.
The most puzzling thing of it all is Kane's continued deep, deep fascination of the sea - be it seagulls or just the waves from a big boat. He can stand totally still for many minutes gazing on sea birds or just the horizon. When a boat was nearing the quay, he pulled ever so hard on the leash - he had to watch. Those photos in his album where he has his "far away look"... they are all taken by the sea side!
Enjoying life.
Enjoying life.
March 17th, 2008
Reading the paper with a Cattledog trying to insert itself as a bookmark can be rather challenging. Kane is very much the velcro dog, never far away - and sometimes very, very close. Actually he is more of a lap dog than Ponny, and seems to have a need for a lot of contact. Quite nice - and it does not apply outdoors!
Sunday we went training tracking and search and rescue with my old German Shepherd training group, which he did with great enthusiasm after quite a break because of the operations. The track, which was laid by one of the others, went very well, and he is also ran out fast as anything to the figurants when we tried that after three months.
And that evening all was peace and quiet... which seems to prove there's something to that saying that "a good Cattledog is a tired Cattledog". But he is a good and sweet boy even when he is all over the place, I think.
April 22nd, 2008
In a few days' time, Kane will compete in his first official dog show, in the Junior class. I entered him and Ponny at a local Norwegian show, before we the first weekend of May set forth towards Sweden and the specialty show there.
Only 14 cattledogs entered, but we'll be there.
I have nothing - or rather nobody - to compare him with, so it's going to be interesting! It's fun to have a dog to show, but it is more fun to have a dog that's working - and Kane looks fine at the time being.
We are moving on with his working dog skills, laying out tracks and training search and rescue with him. We have started the basic training for searching for objects within a field, and he retrieves them like a champion.
Since we are going to MH-test him in June, going to Sweden to meet up with his little sister Besse and her owner Liv, I wanted to test how he reacts to shots. So we went up to a forest bordering the local shooting range, and went for a walk. The first time we were there just a short time, yesterday we spent an hour sitting down as well as having the boys working while the shots were fired. It went beautifully, there were different types of arms fired - some in rapid succession as well. Kane held himself together very well.
Even Ponny, who flunked his Funksjonsanalyse-mental test as three years old because I could not get him to play again (he wanted to go after the shooter at the test), holds up like an old war horse when the shots are going off constantly - he does not react.
It's going to be more interesting when the shots come at the end of the test, when the dogs have gone through the test course and might be more reactive.
A new favourite picture for the time being of young Kane, with his big eyes rolling!
A new favourite picture for the time being of young Kane, with his big eyes rolling!
April 26th, 2007
Time for Kane to make his debut at a "real" show - as an adult! After a very early start, we arrived at the Stangehallen, an indoor arena, near Hamar. Kane was the only cattledog, while there were three Lancashire heelers entered.
Judge Denis Kuzelj of Slovenia was very pleased with young Kane (read the written critique under News), and gave him his first challenge certificate. A great present for his 11 months' birthday - let's hope it will not be the last (touch wood...)! Next month he will be one year old, time really flies.
Kane showed very well, I have to say... though we have to train more to make him stand still for å longer time - he is a bit impatient! (who would have guessed...). But he showed like a pro, being so positive that Mr Kuzelj added "excellent temperament" on the critique.
No group placing for neither Kane nor Ponny, who was expertly shown by a young friend of ours, Belle.
I met a lot of old aquaintances, and the cattle boys were very pleased with meeting a lovely aussie who was just out of heat, so they got something fun out of the day other than lots of tidbits
Next week it's off to the Swedish specialty, the first of three Swedish visits planned this summer. In June we will go to have the mentality test, MH, and in July it's the World Dog Show in Stockholm.
Ponny the Heeler with his Best of Breed ribbon and prize, and Kane with his very first certificate and Best of Breed from his debut in the Junior class at an official show.
Ponny the Heeler with his Best of Breed ribbon and prize, and Kane with his very first certificate and Best of Breed from his debut in the Junior class at an official show.
May 15th
Busy times, so no entries for quite a while. Springtime has come, with lovely weather and nice long, light evenings that we spend outdoors, so little time for computers and stuff.
In the first weekend of May, the cattle boys and I went for a little drive to Backamo on the West coast of Sweden, where the ACD Club of Sweden had a specialty show. You can read more about it under news, but Kane did well and it was fun seeing other cattledogs.
We got up at four in the morning to drive down, and drove home the same evening. Even after a day at the show, meeting lots of lovely ACD ladies, and sightseeing a bit, all I see in the rear view mirror when I am driving is Kane's ears - he sits in his crate in the back of the car, ever ready for more. So to end the day, we went for an hour walk in the woods, finally making the young man happy.
Kane's always ready.
Kane's always ready.
June 1st, 2008
A busy day. First we got out up early in the morning to train search and rescue in the forest of Nittedal outside Oslo. The temperature has been up to 25 degrees C, so we started out early. Introduced Kane to the dummy bringsel ('løsbitt' in Norwegian), it's about time - since he did not think it quite necessary to go all the way to the person hiding in the forest, he started "reporting" to me instead, running to and fro eagerly. But he picked up the idea with the dummy bringsel immediately, so hopefully that will work!
Afterwards we drove up to a friend 's barbecue party, where Kane and Ponny got the leftover hamburgers. This crowd is into American cars, and afterwards we travelled with them to their regular hangout - an ice cream parlor at Karl Johan, the parade street of Oslo. There Kane got his first own ice cream... which he was totally taken with: He licked it up fast, and the expression - particularly in his eyes - is a hoot, he was almost in a trance, concentrating on this lovely taste.
One of the guys asked if this kind of dog came in different colors, and it turned out he met a red ACD in Montana, where it was used both for cattle and as a watch dog - against grizzly bears! Well, this blue ACD called Kane is not into grizzlys at the time being, so he fell asleep on my lap - laying on his back, very relaxed. One spoilt dog..
June 14th, 2008
The day had come for Kane to get his mentality assessment, the Swedish MH-test. We were off at seven o'clock in the morning, having quite a few miles to drive to the Grums Brukshundklubb, where we were to meet Liv and Besse.
Besse had come in heat unexpectedly early, so Kane had to defend the family honor - and mentality - on his own. It was fun to see Besse again, after meeting her last time in September on my way back to Norway with young Kane.
And Liv was a great moral support that day, thanks Liv 🙂
The assessment path takes the dog through different situations and different stimuli. The result I have placed on a separate page, in Swedish... I will do an English translation later.
To summarize, the assessment went great - he has lots of prey and hunt drive, plays tug of war with strangers with great relish, there is not much threat or aggressive behavior in the test situations - when the two "ghosts" approached, he controlled them both, but actually lay down in the sun and just watched them.
He reacted most to the human dummy which suddenly appears in the path of the dog, fleeing a few yards, before barking very deeply, and coming up when I was standing next to it.
We are also very pleased with the grade 1 when it comes to the shots, which there are fired four of. He controls quickly, and then it's back to play, or just back to his relaxed position when passive.
The fun thing for me, was that the once shy country boy actually thrived in the testing situation - he thought this was interesting and exciting, walking proud. I have never had the time to walk him without Ponny, whom I thought he'd rely on, but he did perfectly well on his own and alone.
His body might not be the best, but his head certainly works very well, so it was a happy and proud car ride back to Oslo that evening.
June 29th, 2008
The test run before World Dog Show went well! At least for Kane 🙂
Both heeler boys were entered at the Norwegian Kennel Clubs international show in Oslo this Sunday. As my luck - which is not always that great - would have it, they were in two different rings, as far away from each other as possible, and with estimated time in the ring as number 35 and 36 - in other words, at about the same time!
Nothing to do about that, except get a handler for Ponny, who showed himself so well in the group with a good, young friend of ours a month ago.
So Ponny was installed in one end of the show, and Kane and I went down to the other. He showed like a prince, it's almost like the MH-test gave him a push forward in the right direction - giving him more belief in himself. We got a first in junior class, not bad for a judge who had sent a couple of young aussies out with blue ribbons in quality, as well as a HP. But the judge held back on the CK, so we did not get to be considered for a certificate; too bad...
Poor Ponny, on the other hand, missed his mom so much that he was too busy looking for me and whining, to show himself from his best side. Poor Belle his handler, she got a tougher job this time, and he placed as number 3 of three males, with CK at least. The relationship between the boys is a bit edgy now, with Kane growing up fast, so I think Ponny is more dependent right now.
So I have decided that at the World Dog Show, my first priority is to show Kane - and if time allows, I will then run off to a ring which sounds as if it is not TOO far away, to show the littlest heeler too. Keeping our fingers crossed for getting both boys shown!
July 8th, 2008
Having just recovered from a busy holiday week in Sweden, meeting old and new friends and dogs as well as cows and sheep and friendly judges, it's time to do some writing!
On Tuesday, we travelled to my sister in Sweden and her little farm with sheep, cats, hens and four Lapponian Herder - where both girls were in heat. Kane and Ponny was delightet, there are pictures in the Gallery of their double date with Josefin and Aurora.
The next day, we left the forests and set forth for Ransta and the countryside where Kane grew up. We landed at Else's farm, and Kane met his two sisters Tilda and Bella and his mother Pim. There was no time for niceties with Else for the returning "son", since both Tilda and Bella were in heat! And Kane has his priorities clear, although both he and Ponny calm down well and sleeps tightly the whole night through - noe matter what. It's good to see that they both tackle that kind of stress, although the competition got them a bit edgy.
Kane definitely bonds firmly with other cattledogs, and come Thursday he was in the pack with the girls and big mama Pim - trotting about the farm. Else took us to meet up with her herd of cattle, including a big, calm Zimmertaler bull. Kane was on leash, but definitely interested - and the tail came gradually back up. He started his expedition into the cow pasture with a nice roll in some very fresh cow dung!
We wandered over the fields with the pack of cattledogs and the one more low-riding heeler. The young ones looked for rabbits, before everyone went down to swim in the river flowing slowly through the fields. After walking past some Viking burial mounds, time had come for the sheep - and Kane definitely showed interest!
It was a wonderful day for the dogs, roaming freely on the farm. Else has firm control over her girls when around the herds, and the rest of the time the three have free run of their farm - like cattledogs originally must have lived. Kane and Ponny liked this way of life, they told me!
That evening, all dogs were pretty quiet, and I thought "have we worn them out the day before the show?". But of course not, Kane woke up early, rearing to go, and on we went to Stockholm - together with red half sister Tilda, and of course Ponny.
Kane behaved wonderfully, walking through the maze of barking dogs, stalls, busy people and all the noise, and showed himself well - earning his new title Junior World Winner-08.😀
We were very happy, and then sister Tilda went on to get an Excellent grade as well as placing 3rd in the Open Class. Ponny's result is nothing to write about, although I will take some blame for letting him become a bit TOO sturdy... No more showing him before weight is lost!
But the day was not over! Else and I drove in a small, two car convoy on small back country roads to visit Sonja at the Ayers kennel, where I would stay for two more days - participating as some kind of specially invited guest on the Ayers kennel camp! Thank you, Sonja, for your hospitality and for sharing your knowledge.
We had two lovely days tracking and training obedience, observing others who are well into their training with their cattledogs. Ponny wasn't the only odd one out, there also was an Aussie and a Cheasapeake retriever!
Sunday we headed home for Norway, all of being content with the last days. I suspect the boys were most happy with their constant flirting with those nice girls. I was happy with them being happy, as well as very pleased with Kane's title. That way, both me and my two sisters each got a World Winner-title on our dogs, in one way or the other!
Kane with sisters Bella and Tilda with mother Pim in the background. See more photos on the page Visiting The Farm
Kane with sisters Bella and Tilda with mother Pim in the background. See more photos on the page Visiting The Farm
July 27th, 2008
This past week has been busy and scary, since my sister in Norway wound up in hospital with a serious pneumonia of both lungs - and her daughter and I had to share taking care of her three bird dogs.
So we have been staying a few days each at the farm where she rents a house, a bit of a challenge with not that much room - and yet another nice lady in heat for the boys to get heated up about.
But they sleep well at night and eats like horses, both of them, so they are getting used to all this feminine "activity".
Soon they will be kenneled, both of them, this is a first for young Kane, since I am going to Norway's biggest blues festival next week. It's a small place, with an older couple running it, very sensible and nice people. I've used it for many years, and the dogs actually like coming there!
Well, today was yet another dog show - a smaller one an hour away from Oslo, the Moss Hundeklubb. Judge was Ove Gjermundsson, a Swede, who liked Kane - the only Cattledog that day - well enough to reward him the certificate as well as Best of Breed.
No group placement for a Kane not being the best behaved - he did some serious kangaroo jumping and galopping in the group ring; the Australian shepherd running ahead of us growled at Kane as it started moving, and he thought we were in hot pursuit and started off as a race horse out of the start box - including the gallopp! - and forgot everything about the 30 degrees heat. He was most surprised when I didn't like his move, could he talk, I am sure he would have answered "but HE started it!".
August 4th, 2008
Kane has been kenneled for the first time in his life! I went to a music festival to work, and the dogs were boarded. It's a nice, small place in the forest with an older couple running it, they are good, old-fashioned dog people who know no fancy words or training methods, but have a great eye for dogs and their ways.
Ponny knows his routine, and started peeing his way around the nice, big run. Kane realized something was wrong, and the second he understood I was leaving him there he started eyeing the fence!
They spent four days there, and Kane became on good terms with the people there. The man usually sits for a while with new dogs while they're in the run, and he told me Kane used to come and sit on the step below (Ponny being Ponny, he just acknowledges the guy and keeps on doing his thing). "Weird fellow" was the kennel guys judgement of young Kane, and I have to agree - they're not like any other dogs...!
In the car home, Kane was restless in his crate, his eyes were rolling when they saw all the trees and forests we were driving through. We already had a "play date", and met our white Shepherd friend Athena and her owner in Maridalen, another forest. It was a lovely walk, the boys getting all that pent-up energy out - they went mouse hunting in the ditches, bathed halfway in the streams we were passing, and had some nice, soft runs on the bog which was also ideal for Kane's big favorite, digging holes!
It was a perfect homecoming, and two nice and tired boys went home - happy and hungry. They really like coming back to our own appartment, where they invariably roll on the couch (Kane) or on the sealskin rug (Ponny).
Kane out on the bog. More photos in the album.
Kane out on the bog. More photos in the album.
August 17th, 2008
Today, the Norwegian Kennel Club had its international show, where the results also qualified for Crufts. Young Kane was the only one of the boys entered, he's still in junior class.
Five Cattledogs were entered, but in the end only three of them showed up. Linda with Amy, a Swedish champion, Cob, from Ayers, who was respectively BOS and Best of Breed. Kane showed well, and was given a CK and came 2nd in the Best Male Class. I think he thereby qualified for Crufts too.
We also met young Brix, a new Swedish import from kennel Snjos, and his owner Irene. He was a sweet little puppy with wonderful big ears, who charmed everybody and behaved like a pro on the big dog show.
It was a long day, we watched both some obedience and agility, and look forward to start competing. I bought the boys a few new toys, and am also thinking of entering Ponny in obedience competition again!
After a long day in the sun, young Kane was of course not the least tired, so we went for a long walk in the woods and a swim - and then he, as well as Ponny, was quite happy to go home and eat a late dinner!
September 13th, 2008
Long time since I have made an entry, but life with Kane has just been to busy. Right now I'm sitting on the couch with a very happy young cattledog next to me. He's been herding all day, and has decorated himself a bit with rolling in some sheep cookies... but who cares!
Having gotten a herding dog a bit closer to the roots than my previous two, I went to Sweden on September 1st and 2nd, to the Herding Clinic with Larry Painter that Inger & John at Torlundablue in Sweden was hosting. That was a wonderful introduction into a whole new world!
I will make a separate Herding Page later, with more pictures and text, but let's just say that it was great fun - and great luck that Kane's first meet and greet and bite with sheep was under the supervision of such a knowledgeable, experienced and calm trainer that Larry Painter is.
Thank you, Inger & John, for your troubles - that was such a great start.
Getting praise from Larry, a muttered "nice dog", was a great confidence booster!
Meeting all the nice people that came there, as well as Nina at Fäboden whose place the clinic was held at, also was a nice start (look at Torlundablue.se for pictures in the meantime).
So coming back to Norway, I dived into a "wild search" for anything about herding I found on the net - and found an ad for another herding weekend, right here near Oslo, "only" an hour's drive.
I mailed Alexander Strøm, who just became the champion herder in the Østfold area, and his response to hearing about a cattledog looking for some sheep was "cool".
So this Saturday, Kane and I and Ponny spent on a field in Eidsberg, and felt very welcome among the border collie people there. And - I am happy to say - the young man did well again!
Alexander uses an open field, but Kane has calmed quite a bit since the Skärblacka clinic, and relaxed most of the times on the sideline while the other dogs worked. When it is his turn, he is ready as can be, and with Larry's advice in the back of my head we walked calmly towards the sheep. Kane did not need the line, he was controlled and nice - and intense - trying to figure out exactly how this work is done.
It seems he has good work ethics, young Kane! Alexander's dog Bill was out on the field with us sometimes, and Kane will just go past him without looking - he's got his priorites! And on the side of the field were no less than two females in heat, but Kane never even looked their way.
Most of the day was spent working at fetching, and Kane is balancing up well - patrolling behind the sheep. Yes, of course I wave the herding stick at him, and he is still a bit too close for comfort, but it is starting to make sense to both of us - and it is nice to hear Alexander say "he can be a good working dog".
At one point, the sheep was going out into a small forested hill on the field - and without thinking I sent Kane away and he got up behind them as I walked backwards out on the field, and got the sheep out of there for me. Good boy!
At the last two passes we started working on his going out, from me and around the sheep to stop with them between us. I look forward to tomorrow, Kane shows - as usual - no signs of fatigue.
I have gotten a lot better at praising him, thanks to watching Gunnel working her two young males at the Swedish herding clinic - she set a great example of patience and understanding for me.
A dog who gave me something to think about too, was 11 year old Rina - who'd never been herding before. Owner Marianne took her to the clinic, and she went into the round pen with zest and all the instinct that had been waiting all those years, and looked happy as anything after her debut as a herding dog. This is what this breed was made for, and that is something worth thinking about.
PS! Ponny the heeler as always is a good sport and companion, he spent the whole day on the field with us. Tomorrow, I might ask to try him - although I think he is more of a driving dog than a herder. But it would be fun to see him with the sheep, the little brave guy.
Kane at the Larry Painter herding clinic in Sweden.
Kane at the Larry Painter herding clinic in Sweden.
September 14th, 2008
The second day of the weekend was still enjoyable, particularly since I saw the outlines of a workable herding dog, and the instructor - who does not gush about our darling dogs in general - said he can be "a handy working dog" and that my young man was "one of his favorites".
We worked on the outruns, and Kane is doing alright. Of course he could go a lot wider, but on the other hand - most of the novice border collies at the sheep clinic went as close. He is balancing pretty well, and is much more willing to lie down on the outruns, since he is rewarded with a bit of action afterwards, and he seems to realize that obeying is the key to more rewards=closeness to "his" sheep.
We got a few nice slow walking up from the lie down as well.
I feel we're a bit more of a team - since I am starting to get a bit hang of working the sheep (I was actually praised too 😉)
and I work Kane according to that, not being so unfair that I feel I was in the start.
The sheep were more unruly today, the wandered off - and were tough enough to sneak off one at a time. Kane got one "hunt", which stressed me a bit - a sheep veered away to the forest and Kane went after it, but the trainer said "just you wait", and then Kane outflanked it, and drove it straight back to me. We got another one of those, with three out of five running off, and Kane again outflanked, getting control of the one at the lead, and got them straight back to me (although a bit speedy!).
We also worked getting three sheep out of the small holding pen, they were a bit stubborn, particularly a big spotted sheep that had no intention of getting out.
Kane cowered a bit after being stepped on (!) by a sheep inside the pen, and quick learner as he is, he did not immediately want to go back in. Instead he ran on the outside, nipping at them from between the bars and barking a little bit for the very first time - that was the only time I saw a bit of frustration.
But he got his confidence quickly back, and we ended that same run by getting them back in the holding pen as well. I also notice that when Kane goes for one of the sheep, that he still likes to try at times, he will go in very low down on the hind leg - he is heeling.
Still amazing to see how those sheep get the full concentration, in spite of no less than three females in heat on the side of the field as well as good old Bill the border collie champ hanging around, waiting to be called.
Here are a few pictures from the clinic, www.gjeterhunden.com, click on the start page the link "Oppdatert 15. september: WT & Gjeterhundkurs", and then on "bilder".
We definitely must keep on herding, this is one of the more interesting dog activites I have tried for a long time!
And tonight, finally, young Kane has fallen asleep early... after two whole days of herding sheep.
Another picture from the Larry Painter clinic, Kane watches Inger work in the round pen with Rocky, with Else and sister Bella next to us.
Another picture from the Larry Painter clinic, Kane watches Inger work in the round pen with Rocky, with Else and sister Bella next to us.
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