Border Collie Society of America
Conversations with Champions Borderlines쯦ont> January 2008
Q. How did you acquire Slider? Did you use any puppy evaluation methods?
I bought Slider as a puppy from Jan DeMello of Hob Nob Border Collies. At the time I had two Pembroke Welsh corgis and was thinking about adding a third when my friend, Yvonne Anderson, informed me that her BC Fable (co-owned with Jan) was going to sire a litter. I LOVE Fable! I had never been interested in owning a BC before I met Fable. So, I contacted Jan and asked to be considered for a Fable/Chisel puppy. Jan requests references plus an in-depth bio about yourself and what you plan to do with your puppy, and then she matches you up with the best puppy for you. She did a fabulous job of matching me with Slider!!! At the time Jan was still living in California so I flew down to pick up Slider when he was ready to come home and it was love at first site!
Q. How do you get involved in showing dogs?
I started showing animals as soon as I was old enough through 4-H. I showed sheep, pigs, horses, and eventually dogs. My 4-H dog obedience club leader was none other than Bobbie Anderson. However, it wasn͊until after college, getting started with my career as a zookeeper, and getting married that I was ready to add a dog to my/our life. I started training my first corgi Chelsea in obedience class when she was 3 months old. Several years later we started agility. That෨en I added my second corgi Kirby and we continued in obedience and agility plus added herding when Slider entered the picture. Slider is the first dog I have shown in conformation and trialed in herding. I had dabbled in herding with both corgis but Slider got me totally hooked with his first lesson. There is nothing like the BC herding instinct!
Q. What was the greatest problem/obstacle you encountered and how did you overcome it?
Slider is the first dog that I have trained/handled to any kind of championship and I owner trained/handled Slider to all four of his championships through the help of excellent instructors.
With his breed championship, it was a challenge showing a BC from working lines in the breed ring since most of the judges are used to seeing the BCs from show lines. However, Slider෯nderful structure and movement caught the eye of the judges and he finished his breed championship by 17 months of age.
The herding championship went pretty smoothly since Slider comes from wonderful working lines. The biggest problem with herding is that I live in the middle of the urban Seattle area so I have to drive quite a ways to work Slider on sheep. I do have an advantage in that I raised sheep in 4-H as a kid so at least I am comfortable working around sheep. There is so much to learn in herding and Slider and I are learning together. I really appreciate his patience with all the wrong directions I give him! Slider would like to spend all day herding.
The obedience championship was more difficult. Slider has a sensitive nature and has a hard time dealing with pressure. Achieving the OTCH involves a great deal of precision and its inherent pressure. I was very happy when Sliderࢲeeder Jan moved to Washington in the fall of 2006. She helped me teach Slider how to accept pressure and it really helped us as a team to move forward with the OTCH. Slider will always be sensitive but we both know how to deal with it better now. Slider really wants to be right which has its positives and negatives. Jan showed me how to take more of a leadership role when he is worried about being right (i.e. checking his articles over and over when he has already indicated the correct article) which helped Slider to relax. Plus, given his sensitive nature, competing indoors at big trials is hard for Slider. The weekend we finished his OTCH at an indoor trial, he won Utility which was his first class of the weekend and the only one we qualified in. Slider is so much happier competing outside!
The agility championship was exciting! Slider is a fast boy so it is always a thrill ride! He has a wonderful combination of speed and consistency. The main problem with the MACH was trying to find time to get to trials. Agility had to take second place to herding and obedience trials since there are fewer herding and obedience trials. Add to that working full time along with my normal work week being Tuesday 㡴urday as a zookeeper at the Woodland Park Zoo. I do take Saturdays off from work when I can for the bigger shows but generally we just trial one day on a trial weekend which slows the MACH progress considerably.
Q. Do you have any future goals with Slider?
I have never been one to set specific goals for myself and my dogs. We will continue trialing in agility and herding. We have just started to compete at the beginning levels of USBCHA trials. We will start tracking this fall/winter. I know that attaining the CT title is going to be a challenge but since Slider just turned 4 years old, we have time to work on it and I have friends who have offered to help us. With four championships so far, it is just too tempting to try to go for five!
I hope to someday compete in the AKC Agility Nationals with Slider. Slider qualified for the 2007 Nationals and is qualified for the upcoming 2008 Nationals but making the drive to the Midwest from Washington State at that time of the year is not very appealing so we젷ait and hope that the Nationals are a little closer to home someday. Slider does not like to fly so I wonవt him through that again just for an agility trial. We really enjoyed going to the USDAA Nationals last year in Scottsdale (not a bad drive from Seattle) so we젴ry to attend that event again, perhaps next year.
Q. When did you know Slider would be so special?
Slider impressed me right away with his intelligence and his eagerness to learn. Well OK, it did take him a while to figure out potty training, but everything else he picked up so quickly and he always wants to work more and more. I堮ever seen him get tired of training, I always have to cut him off and say we堤one enough!
Q. What has given you the greatest pleasure working with Slider?
I just love his happy attitude! He has this big, swishy, flag of a tail that he likes to wave back and forth when we are working and he usually has a big smile on his face. I also love his intense look when he is working really hard. There have been times when we haven෯rked on agility for a while and as Itting up an agility exercise to work, he젳top playing and run over to me to give me a hug like he is saying 䨡nks for letting us do agility Mom! Slider is big into hugging and is quite the Mommaࢯy which I just love. Slider is the ultimate Energizer Bunny, a trait (along with his hugging) that he inherited from his Grandpa Juice. That energy is contagious and keeps me going, even when I͊tired.
Q. How did you feel the day you got your championship?
When he finished his breed and herding championships, I was very happy about accomplishing them. When we finished his obedience championship, I was elated and relieved! That was a hard one! The herding and agility came very naturally to Slider but the precision needed for an OTCH is not natural. When he finished his MACH, he became the first Quad Champion Border collie so the excitement of that day was exhilarating! Since each championship was a first for me, they are all very special. The MACH was the most exciting though due to the significance of finishing the Quad. The OTCH was definitely the hardest one.
Q. Do you follow a certain person's handling style? Who is your mentor?
My mentors are my excellent instructors who have become wonderful friends as they have guided me through the training and have been there to support me along the way. With agility, Jill Crawford has taught me consistent handling and training (following Greg Derrettਡndling style) in order to communicate effectively with my dog. Jill is the best coach who keeps pushing me to improve. With obedience, I started taking classes with Linda Shea with my corgi Kirby and continued with Slider. I have learned so much about dog training and handling from Linda! It is through taking classes with Linda that I learned how much fun obedience training can be. With herding, Chris Soderstrom and her Fidoơrm have been a Godsend! Slider and I took our first herding lesson at Fido෩th Karen Child and I became completely hooked. Chris taught me how to handle the A course and has been there to help me work through problems. I have also had the opportunity to work as a stock setter for Chris at herding trials and she has taught us good stock management. She is such great support for us. And then there is Jan DeMello, who I have learned so much from in so many ways! I am so glad she moved to Washington! Jan has taught me about the pursuit of excellence in training as she has helped me with Slider͊agility and obedience training. I love taking lessons with Jan as I come away so inspired to train and improve. Recently Jan posted some of her obedience competition videos to YouTube and it was through watching Janਡndling style that I have finally found a heeling pace that works for me. I have struggled with finding a consistent pace with Slider as I had a difficult time transitioning from a rather manic corgi (I do love him!) to a border collie. Watching Jan in action gave me the mental picture I needed to do a better job of heeling with Slider. Jan has also helped me learn to visualize the perfect performance and then follow through with that 졮殢sp; Jan is the picture of what a wonderful breeder should be and I am very thankful for her support and friendship!
Q. What do you like so much about the breed?
Whatயt to like about a border collie?! I love their intensity, their quirkiness, their sense of humor, their willingness to work and how they give it their all. There is nothing like watching a border collie at work. And when the work is done they are the best buddy to hang out with. I just love my cuddly boys!
Q. What do you like least about the breed?
I was really hoping they wouldn೨ed as much as my corgis, but they doﳰan>
Q. Do you think everyone that has a BC should do herding?
If at all possible, yes! There is nothing like herding with a border collie, it is one of the most amazing experiences! Your border collie will thank you for it.
Q. Anyone you want to thank?
First of all I need to thank God for giving me the opportunity to play with dogs. Of all the animals I堷orked with at the zoo, the domestic dog is still my favorite by far. And, thank you to my husband for his tremendous patience with me running off to dog classes, shows, seminars, practiceᮤ for the love he gives to our 餳᳠ they all love their daddy! And then to Yvonne and Jan for introducing me to Hob Nob border collies and my Slider - none of this would have happened without the two of you! Thank you for welcoming me into your family. And to my instructors and treasured friends Jill, Linda and Chris who have put up with me and let me keep coming to their classes 䨡nk you! This list could go on and on with all the friends and family who have encouraged us and cheered for us!
Q. Anything else you would like to add?
We did make the drive this October to attend our first BCSA National Specialty. It was a long drive but well worth it! My husband shared the driving duties and we got lucky with the weather and missed the snow through the mountains. Slider was entered in just about everything as I felt this was our best opportunity to compete for the versatility award. Slider did a great job in herding earning a RHIT from the Intermediate B sheep class on Monday, a fourth place from a very competitive Advanced A sheep class on Tuesday, a RHIT from the Started A duck class on Wednesday, plus he won the Highest Scoring Champion of Record from the Intermediate B class belt buckle award. He ended up qualifying in all 7 of the herding classes that he was entered in over the three days. On to agility where on Thursday Slider took first place in 20 inch Excellent B Standard and second place (by 0.05 of a second) in Excellent B JWW to earn the Top Scoring Agility Dog of the day award. On Friday he won JWW but we missed the tricky weave entrance in Standard so we did not qualify. In obedience, Slidernsitive side decided to make an appearance at a very inopportune time and we did not qualify at all which was very disappointing. Slider did earn second place in the herding titled dog conformation class to earn a few more versatility points. At the end of the week, Slider had the highest versatility point total and earned the Janet Larson Most Versatile Border Collie Award!
I am SO proud of my Slider as it was a long, tiring week of competition! I am hoping we can make it back to another National in the next few years, perhaps when Steam is ready to compete in versatility!
Here is a list of my dogs:
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
鲢y栂oitano Hoping and Wishing It So UD RN PT AX NAJ MXP MJP PDII VC (7
yr)
Border Collie 쩤er羚nt> -
CH HC OTCH MACH Hob Nob Triple Play UDX AAD (4 yr)
Border Collie 䥡m羚nt>
询 Nob Fire and Ice (1 yr, Sliderའbrother)