Trial summer in Finland and training in Norway

Trials in Tammisaari
I arrived from UK to Finland with my boys just in time for the trials in Tammisaari, at Annika Paarvios farm.
The field is a little bit tricky, long and narrow. Many dogs seems to have "straightruns" instead of outruns there. I´m lucky to have two dogs who are both good outrunners. Rhy did perfect outruns both days, but gripped when stopping an escaping ewe at the pen one of the days.
Coel went in to the forest at the most narrow place, I´m not sure if I´m happy with that or not. Should have sent him to the right maybe...but then he might have gone out on the road instead...he hates to be tight on top. Don´t think I hit the cross gate with any of them...I don´t remember any points or placing anymore, so I assume we must have been crap...

Continental - and Nordic -championship qualifications at Kotikoskis

The judge was Patrick Byrnes from Ireland. The trial course was over two fields with a big ditch between, with a bridge for the sheep to come over in the middle and one on the left side for the dogs, if they see it..It´s a lot of water in the ditch so the dogs have to swim if you send right. If you send left, you won´t see if the the dog doesn´t go over the ditch, before it´s too late and it crosses. The sheep were set out quite close to the outletting, so there wasn´t much room on the left side, much more room on the left side.
Saturday
I sent both dogs right and they had good outruns. Missed both gates with Rhy, I just couldn´t see. For Coel I borrowed LittleLeenas (Vaarasto) glasses, still missed the cross gate. Felt very dissapointed with myself, what the hell has happened...I can´t "feel" if I´m hitting the gate anymore at all

Sunday
I think I missed the gates AGAIN with Rhy, he didn´t take my whistles, close work good. I was really down, felt I can´t be around anyone, I would only spoil other peoples day. First I thought I´ll just leave, but managed to make myself to stay. Took the dogs and rested at the sauna cottage, until it was Coel´s turn. He had a good start, one misunderstanding at the second gate, but the sheep had continued quite okay, even if it felt terrible with panic whistling. Close work good, even I felt I didn´t get any hold of the sheep. I had the feeling that I had run really crap, and I just wanted to go home. Anki asked why I was so upset, when I told her she answered that she had checked and Coel was in the lead. Whaaat?! I couldn´t understand at all... Well, thankfully Leena had filmed it, and it was actually a good run, except for the panic whistling at the second gate. Coel won. Next day I went to Instrumentarium and ordered own glasses.

I can see, I can see :-)

 Norway

Knivebakken
Before the last qualifications, me. Leena, Jonna, Linda  drove to Norway for training, Minna and Santeri went via Karin and JoAgnars trial and joined us the next day...
I had felt like I had lost something, that I couldn´t do proper runs at all anymore, I couldn´t figure out why... I hoped that Jaran Knive would be able to help me realize what was missing.
Before the first training day, we went to train to Cathinka. She hadn´t came home from UK yet, so her sister came and brought us the sheep. It was really hot, so we gave the dogs a short run with alpacas watching us, after that we took the dogs swimming.

Curious alpacas

It was so hot in the middle of the day, so we decided to start training at 6 in the morning. Jaran´s sheep were in the forest, first day we managed to find about 15, he had beautiful hilly big fields. I was really excited and a bit nervous, I thought that he was a bit scary and afraid I wouldn´t understand the language well enough.
Jaran was straight, really straight. He said what he saw, and then it was up to you if you listened, even to the things he didn´t say. In his opinion, without a dog that isn´t a good listener, its´almost impossible to run well enough, especially on the level where every point is important.

Anja, you have got a problem!

He said that he thinks the dog has to be sensitive away from sheep, but tough enough towards sheep. If the dog is not listening or bothered away from sheep, it won´t be a good listener on sheep.
The first thing he said about Rhy was, your dog is not very obedient is he? No, he is not. The next day he said that it might be that he is not that stubborn, he is just very keen, but the fact is that he isn´t a listener. True. Now I understood even better, what the difference between a real listener (Coel) and the other one (Rhy) is. I also realized even better (Simon Mosse has told me the same thing), that I sometimes just starts to drive something somewhere, I don´t have a proper plan or picture of what I´m gonna do. I have to be much more exact, now I understand, so now I have to do it as well. Always.

Having a break and chatting, Jaran with Bea and Beri

Minna running Heili

We also talked about the importance to have someone to look up to, if you don´t have anyone you can watch in your own country, an other working thing is to have a group who train together and try to solve problems together.
One of the best things was to see him train his young dogs, Bea and Beri. Wow. Now I realized something I hadn´t done before, the difference between driving slow with good pace and to really be in control of the sheep. The man is a genious.


Saturday afternoon we went out for a meal and a drink...hilarious time we had.

Me and Jonna had just seen a pic of our selves in my camera...

Me and Leena

 

Me and Leena took a selfie outside Drammen Hotel and put it on FB, next minute Alex Fyhr and Arne sand invited us to train with them.
Alex is working for Jon Sand, a big farm with a historical beautifu house. We had a cup of tea and got to run our dogs on a nice quite steep hill field. Jon and Alex showed us their promising young dogs as well

Jon Sands farm

Watching Jon training

Arne´s home field

Next afternoon we went to Arne´s farm. Wow. A brilliant shed with all equipments you could ask for, whole place very tidy and spot on, nice field where you could see everything. Arne had to go and give a ski´ng lesson, but left us to train on his sheep. It was really appreciated, now we had the opportunity to practise the things we had got from Jaran.

Super equipment

Norway is our Nordic own Wales, amazingly beatuiful and a lot of really nice people. Thanks Norway, we´ll defenitely be back!

Halikko, last qualifications for the team 2016 (Continental and Nordic)Judge was Simon Mosse from Ireland. The course was on a slopy field down towards a little stream. Outrun about 300m, after the lift, you couldn´t see the sheep for about 50m. The sheep had a strong draw back to the outletting, so it was interesting to stand and wait where the sheep would turn up...if they would turn up.

After my break down at the last trials, I had been to Anne Talvitie a couple of times, she has helped me to find a way to relax and find the right focus on the course. This would be the first trials after that.
Both dogs and me run very well. I felt we had control and felt very confident all the time, everything went so easily. Coel won the first day and Rhy was fourth, the second day Rhy won and Coel was fourth. This meant that Coel won the qualifications over all and Rhys was sixth, both dogs in the team. And for the second time I would have the honor to be the captain for the Finnish Team.
And on top of all, Leena, Jonna and Minna made the team as well! Happy happy happy!

Coel singles

Coel shedding

Rhy single

Finnish Team 2016

Coming up; Continentals 2016 and UK 2016