2025 Winnemucca RHR Brace Champions.
#blackgoldpremiumdogfood #bigbendtrailers #dropstitchinkembroidery #tooeleveterinaryclinic
Can we talk about how cool it is to be a dad?
I've won numerous national titles. I've made numerous dogs and horses that I'm proud of. Sold dogs and horses for copies amounts of money.
But the thing that I'm proud of the most is being this litle boys dad.
You don't realize it until you have kids, but not much else matters in comparison.
#ranchlife #ranchkid #ranchhorse #slashd
This video was from a couple of years ago, I had kind of forgotten about it and happened to stumble upon it this morning.
We found this sick yearling a couple of miles away from the truck in some pretty rough country. He had a pretty bad case of pneumonia, and the decision was made to take him home instead of doctoring him on the mountain and taking the risk of not finding him again.
Ike trailed the yearling quite a ways off of what we call the eastern plateau. However, anyone who has dealt with sick cattle realizes that when they are done moving, they are done.
We roped him, and it didn't take much educating from the dog to teach him that forward motion was his friend.
In my last post, I talked about a dog seeing the big picture when working stock. A great dog is born with this ability, albeit in an infancy stage.
The ability to truly read a situation is honed through years of miles and experience. There is no substitute. For me, this video exemplifies that.
Not a word was spoken, yet Ike knew exactly where to be and exactly how much pressure to apply. Those skills can't be taught, only refined.
#cowbossranchwear #dropstitchinkembroidery #tooeleveterinaryclinic #cowdog #bordercollie #blackgoldpremiumdogfood #bigbendtrailers #ranchlife
As we were checking on our cows ahead of the incoming storm we noticed that around 30 head had drifted south onto a piece that had already been grazed and needed to be moved a couple of miles back to the rest of the herd.
The cows were about 1/2 mile away from where i was parked, and although our dogs consistently work at distances greater than this, I thought this would be a good opportunity to work on precision control.
This dog Stitch did good, but there's room for improvement. She's done this job before and knew where the gate was and knew what needed to be done. However, my philosophy with dogs is do what comes naturally until I say otherwise. This is where she fell short. She knew she only had to go come by until about 9 o'clock in order to position herself to move the cows through the gate. Unfortunately, she let her ability to see the bigger picture inhibit her ability to take a command that would have, in her eyes, put her in the wrong position.
It's hard to complain about a dog that understands the job, but if we are striving for a well rounded precise dog, there is always room for improvement.
Most of the time, when i send a dog this far or further they are expected to work on their own using their experience and ability to see the bigger picture to guide the cattle where they need to go.
However, it's always nice to be able to manipulate their next move whenever and wherever you can, if needed.
Precision & control of your dog is like carrying a gun. I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
#bordercollie #tooeleveterinaryclinic #dropstitchinkembroidery #cowbossranchwear #cowdog #ranchlife #ranchhand #blackgoldpremiumdogfood
(Butterflies and rainbows)
Those of us that work with cattle would love it if everything always went according to plan. We'd love it if we lived in a magical land where every cow cooperated, no plan went awry, and the day was filled with butterflies and rainbows.
But, lets be honest, sometimes things go smooth and then again sometimes the plan goes to sh*t.
In our search for another cow that needed to come home, Mike, Seth & I found this cow with some pretty sore feet. After getting the other cow taken care of, we headed back for this one.
These girls are in a fairly big pasture, and while we are fortunate to have many roads running throughout the property, getting the truck to her wasn't an option.
When we caught up with her, she was about 2 miles from the truck and she absolutely refused to drive towards the truck alone or with others and was instantly on the fight.
As certified range cow M.D.'s, we quickly diagnosed her. It quickly became apparent, that this cow was in fact suffering from "Nylon Deficiency". Luckily for her, there is a cure.
We quickly administered the medicine that she desperately needed, and i am happy to announce that she is tucked in here at home and on the mend.
*please don't judge us on our commentary. God doesn't judge those who work cattle*
Our 2024 in a nutshell.
2024 was a roller-coaster for us, we experienced a few lows, but we also got to experience a plethora of highs.
We lost one of the greatest dogs we've ever owned, but he left us with the best set of young dogs I've ever had in my kennel.
Our yearlings & calves sold for personal record highs!
We got to watch Mack blossom from a baby into a full-fledged toddler.
But the best part about 2024 is the fact that we were able to spend more time with our family and friends than ever before!
Taylore & I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!
How to wear out your toddler….ranch edition!
Fall works are in full swing. We're getting ready to ship our calves off tomorrow, and the dogs are ready for a little break.
#bordercollie
#cowdog
#blackgoldpremiumdogfood
#bigbendtrailers
#tooeleveterinaryclinic
#dropstitchinkembroidery
#cowbossranchwear
Thank you, EVERYONE, for all of the calls, messages, and texts telling me happy birthday. I feel very fortunate to have surrounded myself with such great people, both near and far away. My circle has never been stronger.
I spent my birthday doing what I do the other 364 days of the year, fixing fence & staring at cows butt's making sure they're where they belong.
Thankful for the rain we received, thankful for my family, and thankful for you all.
I've debated posting this video. But after reading several posts bashing videos of stock testing pups and dogs that bite, i've decided to post it to provide some context.
I'm gonna start off by saying that I don't give a rats ass about anyone's opinion and you shouldn't either. I l, like most raise and use the dogs I have out of necessity.
This is a 13 week old pup. This is his first look at stock. His parents are 7J Ike & SD Sky. You'll see in the video that this pup is very forward and isn't afraid to use his teeth.
What does this video show me in regards to this particular pup? Not much to be honest. If anything, it shows me that i wouldn't mind feeding this pup until his next test. I've seen pups look like this on their first look and turn out to be duds. However, I've never seen one that wasn't forward like this as a pup turn out to be what we consider a Cowdog around here.
Now there may be some that would say that a pup like this is a mindless thug with no natural ability and is biting out of fear. To those folks ill say, you could be right but the odds are stacked against you.
You see, both Ike & Sky had very similar stock tests (Ikes second would really light up the PETA lovers). Both were very forward with ample bite. Both turned into long distance dogs with a ton of natural feel.
Each "type" of dog, particularly stock dogs require a little bit different approach. A trainer needs to only look in the mirror if they're looking into why they cannot turn a forward alligator into a productive member of society.
So before you pass judgment and think your opinion is that of some importance, just remember that at the end of the day, no one really cares about your opinion.
*No goats were harmed int the making of this video* 😉
"If you think you're a man of some importance, try ordering someone else's dog around"
Picked up our new whelping kennel from Elevated Custom Kennels @a1.stockdogs. Couldn't be happier.
Good boy Ike!
I may be mistaken, but I'm fairly certain that Ike was the only dog to complete the course in every round of the series.
Thank you, Lauren & D.J. Anderson for hosting an awesome series. It was first class all the way!
Congratulations to Frankie Acosta as well.
Raising & promoting dogs that meet our standards
