10/24/2012 Coyote Classic 2012

The Coyote Classic is fast becoming one of my favorite trials.  Even though the weather has a tendency to be a bit cool, sometimes wet, and usually breezy, Deb & Tom Conroy go out of their way to make everyone feel relaxed and at home.  The stock is excellent -- with some of the best cattle I've had the opportunity to trial on anywhere.  And the folks that come to trial, help, and judge, are just plain good fun. It's a good thing the trial is so enjoyable, because my runs weren't as good as I had hoped they would be.  I had one consistent problem -- no crossdrive.  Yep, that's an issue all right.  Quinn's best scores were in the take pen.  The dog has a great one.  His drive up to the first panel isn't so shabby either.  Coming off that first panel, however, he sucks to the fence and

10/09/2012 So, You Think You’re Ready to Trial?

I was reminded this past weekend at the SEMASA trial (thanks to a very good friend not afraid to tell me when my head’s in an uncomfortable location) that there’s a whole lot more to trialing than preparing your dog.  A big hunk of competing has to do with preparing yourself.  You can have the best trained dog on the planet and if you walk out into that arena with the wrong attitude it’s going to come back and bite you in the arse. I’ve been working hard to make things black and white for Quinn.  I don’t course train.  I break things down into manageable chunks and work till he gets it right.  Not just once.  He needs to consistently get it right before we move on to the next piece of the puzzle. I went into the SEMASA trial confident in Quinn’s abilities to get the job done.  I also