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One question that has been playing on my mind following the judging seminar is: Are we all guilty of pre-judging runs?

During his run, Kevin Evans was putting us all to the test - even if we hadn't realised it.

The intention of the seminar was to study the finer points of judging and encourage debate - and Kevin, taking on a devil's advocate role, provided plenty of opportunity for that.

For starters he sent his dog on the outrun before he'd got to the post. He also walked into the shedding ring before the sheep and after the pen he crossed his tracks for the single, deliberately coming onto the wrong side of the sheep (a deliberate move because he had been marked down for doing the same thing at a trial in the past).

However, during the analysis either these faults hadn't been noticed by many, or he'd been given the benefit of the doubt.

So, was this the case because of a lapse in concentration ­- or because it was Kevin at the post and therefore he'd be guaranteed to have a good run?

When top handlers go to the post every Saturday there is always the expectation that they won't be the ones making mistakes and their names will appear in the results list.

Granted, they are the top handlers for a reason ­- because they consistently excel in their field (no pun intended).

They are the handlers that everyone watches and when things are going well, a hush descends on the field.

They are the people who, when you start out in trialling, everyone tells you to watch, helping to perpetuate their status as the celebs of the sheepdog world. Nothing beats watching a great run, with handler and dog in perfect working harmony. And astute observers can glean valuable knowledge from watching the best.

I'm not saying that top handlers will always get the best marks just because of who they are and that the rest of us may as well give up now, but are we sub-consciously thinking they are bound to have a good run before they even start?

Do you agree? I'd love to hear your views on this and judging and trials in general. Email me at lisa@k9tales.co.uk.

 

So, as predicted, it's been a while since my last update.
That's the trouble with having dates on blogs, you can't hide from the truth.
Mist the puppy isn't entirely to blame - although she is very distracting and time-consuming.

She is now 6-months-old and is going through a tall, lean stage. She wouldn't look out of place with a pack of hyenas on an African plain.
I'd thought a recent spate of good behaviour may have meant we'd cracked the lessons on how 'not to chew the furniture - chew your bones instead'.
This false hope was shattered when we returned home one afternoon last week to discover she'd destroyed the stereo.
On the bright side, she has seen sheep a few times and is very keen.
Corrie and I have had mixed performances on the trials field. We managed a 3rd in the novice at Felindre ­ so it was worth the 3.45am wake-up call! But the situation with my lack of time and lack of training facilities is really beginning to frustrate me.
And, barring that elusive Lottery win, I'm not sure how to solve the problem.

News of Labour's plans to tackle ‘dangerous' dogs are causing a bit of a storm. And it's my current bone of contention.

Yes, animals can be dangerous - especially in the wrong hands. And let's face it, there are good and bad dog owners, but it seems the government's latest proposals will only punish the law-abiding citizens of England and Wales. Feel familiar?

A consultation, just weeks before the general election, is looking into amending the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act.

Micro-chipping all dogs and compulsory third-party insurance for all owners - in case their dog attacks someone - are among the proposals.

It is said that more than 100 people are admitted to hospital every week due to dog attacks. Clearly that is a problem and needs to be addressed.

But aren't the politicians barking up the wrong tree? They seem to think the solution is to criminalise all dog owners with an unfair tax.

Forgive me if I'm stereotyping, but surely the problem lies with the thugs using dogs as status symbols as they prowl the streets in hooded gangs, knives in hand? And the root of the problem must surely be our inner city societies where law and order is failing and violent crime is on the increase. Are these people really going to take heed and insure their dogs?

And is it me, but how exactly is an insurance policy or a microchip going to stop a dog attack? Its only use will be to trace the owner, if they've followed the law, and that may be of little consolation to the parents of yet another child killed in the jaws of a dangerous dog.

So what exactly is a ‘dangerous dog'? Any dog, of any breed, has the potential to attack, bite and fight. But cats can bite too, and hamsters (I had hamsters when I was a kid that would regularly draw blood, and I'm pretty sure they enjoyed doing it) - should all pets have third-party insurance?

In the majority of cases, the dogs are not the problem, it's the owners who don't have a clue.

Even on recent walks with my new sheepdog puppy Mist, I've been amazed at some of the owners we've crossed paths with. A number of people have had no control over their dogs, there are others who don't seem capable of teaching their dogs how to walk on the lead properly and others who allow their un-neutered, over-sexed dogs to wander the streets. There was one nasty little jack russell (not my favourite breed) that ran over to attack Mist while she was on the lead, for no reason - would I therefore be able to claim compensation from the owner who told me: "Well, she's very soft with people"?

Fortunately, these have been the minority, and we've met lots of well behaved, friendly dogs, some of which go to agility, obedience and ringcraft classes. Mist's favourite dogs so far have been a very slobbery golden retriever and a brindle boxer.

For some time, I've wondered if there should be some sort of test or education for potential new dog owners. It seems absurd for those of us who have kept dogs all our lives, but some people literally don't know what they're dealing with. Then again, I think there should be an IQ test and parental skills assessment before some people should be allowed to have babies, but that's a whole other subject...

I agree that something needs to be done to tackle dog attacks. I don't necessarily agree with stealth charges for all and assuming everyone is guilty before they are proven innocent. Let's hope the 12-week ‘consultation' gets its teeth into the subject and comes up with some common sense plans. And let's hope sensible dog owners get their views heard by the politicians.

Personally I don't have a problem with micro-chipping. Corrie is micro-chipped and I'll be getting Mist micro-chipped in the next few weeks.

Some people have suggested bringing back the dog licence, but that was never enforced and many people didn't bother. Another suggestion has been a national database of all dogs' DNA, which could also be a hugely valuable research tool into canine health.

As for insurance, I have learnt my lesson and will always insure my dogs now following Corrie's extremely expensive chemotherapy costs. As far as I'm aware a number of pet insurance policies include third-party liability.

What would be really interesting, would be to see more in-depth statistics, such as where and when these dangerous dog attacks happen, who the people are who own these dogs, how the attack happened, how the dogs are kept, have they been to socialisation or obedience classses and so on.

I doubt the results would come back showing it was little Fido being taken for his walk in the park after collecting the kids from school, before his weekly obedience class.

Some interesting links on the subject:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8556195.stm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/7406938/Dog-insurance-scheme-could-penalise-responsible-owners.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8513921.stm

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1991/ukpga_19910065_en_1.htm

　

There's a new addition to the k9tales family... 9-week-old Mist the sheepdog.

Here are a few pictures of her getting up to mischief in the garden.

Unsurprisingly, life has changed dramatically in the last week and all my spare time has been taken up with the puppy. I've been left wondering if I'd ever get time to write again. Even now, writing this, she is chewing our rather nice sofa and constantly needs distracting.

In the coming weeks and months we'll be keeping you up-to-date with Mist's progress - so long as I can find 10 minutes to sit at the laptop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, the festivities are well and truly over. The decorations are packed away and the turkey carcass has been thrown out.

The new year has kicked off with a blanket of snow, creating excitement and chaos in equal measure.

In recent years it's been unusual for Pembrokeshire to have snow lying on the ground for more than a few hours. This covering has been met with glee by the kids whose schools are closed, and dread by the rest of us having to get to work - and home again - in treacherous driving conditions.

Just stepping out of the front door is an ‘interesting' experience, even with sensible shoes on.

It's all everyone is talking about. Hence our front page story this week headlined The Big Chill.

New Year's Day began bright and sunny with an exhilarating walk on Newgale beach. After lunch it was off to the drinking holes for a pub crawl (on foot) around the town. On our way out the snow began to fall, but never thinking it would stick I ventured out in boots with soles as smooth as the ice sheet now covering our drive.

And so it was that I came home later that night with two bruised knees, after my betrothed had dropped me twice on the hill back to our house. The perils of New Year's drinking.

Maybe it's just as well there aren't many trials on in Wales right now. And I'm not ashamed to admit, once again, that I am a fair weather trialler.

You've seen the Extreme Shepherds on YouTube, now you can preview a new extreme sheepdog trials game.

If you can't get enough of sheepdog trials and are feeling competition withdrawal symptoms in the quiet new year, refine your whistling and skills with Extreme Sheepdog Trials.

Being created as an app for the iPhone, Extreme Sheepdog Trials is causing a stir in cyber space and was runner-up in the AppsFire competition in December.

No news yet on the launch date, but you can download a test version of the game from its website.

Visit the website at http://www.extremesheepdog.com/ or view a preview of the game at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48sGBJBUAuo.

Shortly after buying the best gadget ever, ie the iPhone, I thought to myself a sheepdog game would make a great app. Unfortunately it seems someone else also had the same idea, with better technical knowledge than me, and has beaten me to it.

I really should act on my ideas and not leave them lingering in the depths of my mind.

It's that time of year again.
No, not the nursery sheepdog trials season, but fireworks and thoughtless yobs season.
It's the only time of year when I'm glad Corrie doesn't live with us. She hates loud bangs - fireworks, thunder, gunfire ­- and thinks the best way to stay calm is to climb onto the nearest person's head.
This can be quite perturbing if you're sat on a cream sofa with a glass of red wine in your hand, or if you're tucked up in bed sound asleep.
For the last couple of weeks fireworks have been blasting overhead every evening, causing the dogs in the surrounding streets to go beserk.
Not only is it extremely annoying for us humans, it's also a real issue for pets. But when there is so little respect for other people, how could we expect any consideration for the welfare of animals?
Don't get me wrong, I love fireworks and bonfire night - I'll be building a bonfire this weekend ready for some family festivities next week. But bonfire night is on November 5th - not the two weeks leading up to it and the weeks after.
I'm presuming that those who are letting off fireworks around us every night are teenagers with the excuse that they've got 'nothing better to do' and not so-called 'responsible adults'.
But it isn't an excuse. Every year hundreds of people are injured in fireworks accidents. Around half of those involve children under the age of 16.
I would hate to see a ban on the public sale of fireworks, but you can understand why there are growing calls for it.
If your dog suffers from fireworks jitters, there is lots of advice on how to deal with the problem.
PDSA Senior Veterinary Surgeon, Sean Wensley, said: "It is worth us imagining what bonfire night must be like for our pets ­ we know why there are lots of bangs outside, but our pets don't, which is very distressing for them."
Owners should be aware of signs of stress. Dogs may tremble, pace, pant and become 'clingy' towards their owners.
Sean added: "If pets do start to show signs of distress, owners should act normally. Trying to reassure pets with extra attention will only reinforce their fears that there is something to be anxious about.
"The owners of pets with severe noise phobias should seek advice from their vet. Noise phobias in pets cannot be fixed quickly, but with time, patience and the right veterinary advice, treatment can be very successful."
The veterinary charity has also come up with a pet-friendly fireworks code:
* Never take your pet to a firework display.
* Keep dogs and cats indoors and close all windows, doors, curtains and cat flaps. 
* In the weeks leading up to bonfire night, make a cosy 'den' for your dog and give them healthy treats when they use it. On fireworks night, this will be somewhere they can hide and feel safe. Equally, if your cat has a favourite hiding place, such as on top of a cupboard or underneath furniture, make sure this can be accessed on the night.
* Don't shout at your pet or punish them if they react to the noise, as this will increase their anxiety. The best advice is to ignore the noise and don't try to reassure them. If they detect your anxiety this will increase their fear.  
* Play music (something with a repetitive drumbeat) to mask the noises outside. 
* Ask your vet about using natural pheromone therapy. Pheromones are comforting animal scents (undetectable to the human nose), but they can help to decrease anxiety in dogs and cats.
* Make sure your pet is in a safe, secure environment, so if they do become scared or try to escape, they won't hurt themselves.
* Get your pet microchipped. Then, even if they do panic and run away, you are much more likely to be reunited.
And there may also be a herbal solution to consider.
Skullcap and Valerian tablets are said to help calm nerves and could be an effective way to reduce the stress caused by fireworks.
Both medicines are licensed by the Government's Veterinary Medicines Licensing Authority and are available online from Medicine4Animals, a brand owned by London medical herbalist Deborah Grant.
Deborah said: "21st century herbal medicine is now being underpinned by scientific research and as such is becoming increasingly popular with more and more dog owners turning to it for their pets as a safer, gentler alternative to pharmaceutical drugs."
Deborah, who practices at the Hale Clinic in London, also claims that cats and dogs are benefiting from this natural treatment as there are no side-effects.
She recommends that Skullcap and Valerian tablets should be taken morning and night with food, with double the amount over bonfire night. A liquid Valerian compound can be taken with or without food, and can even be applied to bedding.

The young competitors who took part in the eighth young handlers' sheepdog trial should be praised for their efforts, but I can't help feeling a little disappointed that there wasn't a better turnout.

Is it because other young handlers didn't know about it, or was it too far to travel for some, or maybe they just had other things to do.

As the trial organiser Colin Pickford said: "They've got to want to do it."

It creates a conundrum about the future of sheepdog trials in the UK. I'm currently working on a feature about young handlers including what can be done to encourage them and what they themselves think.

Talking to International driving champion Tom Lawrenson following his trip to Sweden to judge its first young handlers' championship, it's obvious that the future is looking brighter elsewhere in Europe than here.

He commented that the overall standard was high, plus there's a real enthusiasm to learn.

Handlers are also importing good dogs - why go to the trouble and expense of importing a dog if it didn't have real promise?

The situation the UK agriculture industry finds itself in must also be contributing to the diminishing next generation. There's a serious lack of new blood taking on family farms and the numbers of large sheep flocks in some parts of the country have all but vanished.

If something isn't done about it, and soon, sheepdog trials may be consigned to the history books.

 

If you are a young handler, or if you have any thoughts on the subject, email k9tales with your views.

 

Oh dear.

It seems I now have a favourite in the litter of pups.

Things are not looking good in the resisting temptation stakes.

And should I really be preoccupied thinking about sheepdog names?

It's all the puppy's fault anyway. He's far too adorable and really shouldn't keep sitting on my feet looking up at me with those endearing puppy eyes.

I knew this would happen.

I'd been quite stern with myself before they were born, saying I wouldn't be able to have one.

For starters I live in a town and have a full-time job. Corrie doesn't live with me for these very reasons.

Is having a puppy enough of a reason to move house?

Of course, I'd say yes - I'm not so sure about Lee's take on it.

I'd love to get back to country life, but there's the small issue of getting an even bigger mortgage ­ and selling our house in a recession. Hmmm.

While I'm flicking through the pages of our newspaper's property section, here are some new puppy pictures to amuse you.

 

Right, let's clear one thing up: No, the plane wasn't for me! 
For anyone who wasn't at the International and hasn't got a clue what I'm talking about, let me explain. 
On Saturday a plane flew over the trial field with a banner trailing behind it with the words: ‘Lisa I love you, will you marry me?' 
And it flew over twice for good measure. 
Since then people have been asking if it was meant for me. 
But alas, no. 
Lee had already asked me to marry him on Christmas Day last year. It was a few weeks after we'd been involved in a car crash and I think it made us both realise this isn't a practice run. 
And besides, he told Kevin he'd never have spent that much money on a proposal. Ahhh, ever the romantic. 
Coincidentally it was Lee's first outing to a sheepdog trial. Bit of a baptism of fire; sitting in a field, watching dogs for three long days, but I think he enjoyed it! And if you're going to go to a trial you might as well go to the International. That's what I told him anyway. 
In case you're wondering, my answer was yes. We definitely need to win the Lottery now if we're ever going to buy a smallholding AND have my dream wedding.