For more about David, visit his web site
THE PAST
How long have you been active in training and trialing working border
collies?
I purchased Holly, my first Border Collie in 1993. I worked with her on simple obedience at a very early age. When Holly was six months old she would lie down and stay, come when called and she knew a correction.
Tell us how you got started in border collies. Did you have any experience with any other dog sports before you got interested in herding? Did you have any livestock background?
I saw Border Collies work for the first time at a Rodeo. At that time
I was very active in team roping (an event where my partner roped the
steers horns and I roped its back legs) and I had a Cattle Dog that would
help push the cattle through the pens and into the chutes. I thought she
was just great and looking back on her working ability, she was a big
help but she did not work like a Border Collie. Like most kids I grew
up with a love for horses. My brother and I would ride horses for other
people all summer to earn money to buy a young horse in the fall. This
was more appealing to us than flipping burgers at McDonalds like many
of our friends. During the winter months we would train these young horses
and sell them in the spring. I gained livestock skills by gathering cattle
for local farmers. The year before I purchased Holly I worked on the Padlock
Ranch in Sheridan Wy. This was also a great experience and one that helped
polish my
livestock skills.
Tell us about your first dog. Did you train the dog yourself? How did you go about finding the dog? Were there any particular challenges that you encountered with the dog? Is there anything you’d do differently if you had the same dog to work with today?
My first job out of college was an assistant manager position for Southen
States in Tazewell, Virginia. One day a farmer came in with a Border Collie
in the back of his pickup and I told him that every year Roy Johnson came
to our county fair with a dog named Rosco and put on a demo. The man told
me that this bitch was a granddaughter of Rosco and was bred to have puppies
in about a month. It was at this time that the wheels started turning
and I became seriously interested in getting a Border Collie. He called
me when the pups were five days old and said that if I wanted one to come
out and pick. I thought to myself, how could you pick a puppy at only
five days old? I went out and saw a cute little puppy with a full white
collar and a split black and white face. I said that she was my pick and
I would name her Holly. I picked her up when she was five weeks old and
she has been with me ever since. Holly was a very hard first dog. She
is a fast flanker with no natural pace or feel for her sheep. I have done
all the training myself and she has been very patient and forgiving. There
are some things that I would
do different, but all things considered, she has been a great dog for
me!
Were any “big hat” handlers particularly helpful to you when
you were starting out? What was the best piece of advice that anyone gave
you as a novice?
I attended a Jack Knox clinic and a Alasdair MacRae clinic and together
with watching videos and reading books I gained a general knowledge of
how to start Holly. I also feel fortunate to live in a state with so many
top handlers to push me and also give me encouragement. I have always
looked up to Alasdair MacRae and admired his talents not only with the
dogs but also with pairing people up with the right dog for them. As handlers
we learn by example and another person that comes to mind with a gift
with dogs and a great outlook on the sport is Tom Wilson. He has always
encouraged me and complimented me on my dogs and I really appreciate that.
I guess that the best piece of advice anyone ever gave me was to work
hard at home, come to trials and do my best, always thank the trial host,
and do not complain!
Tell us about your first trial. What class were you in? What happened?
I ran in my first trial in May of 1995 at Seclusival Farm in Shipman
Virginia. This was only the second trial I had been to and did not know
what to expect. I entered Holly in Nov Nov. The first day I was first
and on the second day I tied with Richard Rogers and his dog Kit and we
had a run off. He beat us in the run off but I ended up Overall Nov Nov
Champion for the weekend. I was very proud of Holly!
What were some mistakes you made in your early days that you no longer
make?
I was always very nervous that I would not bring out the best in my dog
and that other handlers would think, wow, what a waste of a good dog in
the hands of a novice trainer. I would worry about winning instead of
concentrating on having good work and improving each time I went to the
post.
THE PRESENT
Tell us about the dogs that you’re currently trialing: how many
do you have? What are their names? What do you like about each of them?
Holly is ten now but is still my most consistent trial dog. Zoie and
Kirk are my other two open dogs who are very talented but both very inexperienced.
My Nursery dog is McCloud. I guess I have picked these dogs to run because
they have stamina, power and the ability to take the pressures of intense
training and trialing.
What is your general working routine with your dogs? How often do you
work each of them? How do you tend to plan and structure each working
session?
I work dogs every day that I have the opportunity, which is most every day of the year. For me a good day includes working dogs and I am very dedicated to being the best handler and trainer that I can be. The time I spend working each dog varies on the dog and its level of training. I train my open dogs for as long as an hour at a time but that hour is different that the hour I spend deworming sheep using a young dog to push them up to me. Before each work session I try to evaluate the dog and concentrate on its problem areas. Does it have too much eye? Is it coming on to hard on its sheep? etc.. When I have the problems identified I then think about how to address the problem in order to fix it.
What are your facilities like? How large are your fields? How many
(and what type of) sheep do you have? Are you able to get to different
fields often?
I have a 40 acre farm that is very hilly. My longest outrun is about 250 yards. For this reason, I haul sheep a couple of times a week during the trial season to strange places with long outruns. I have a flock of 60 Dorset/ Cheviot cross ewes with a few Barbs to help on certain training issues.
Do you prefer training your own dogs now or purchasing trained dogs?
What qualities do you look for in a dog? Do you use your trial dogs for
farm chores?
I prefer to train my own dogs because it is very rewarding and challenging to me. Having said this, I want to run the best dog that I can find no matter who has done the training. I want a dog with enough eye to make it stylish. I want it to constantly put pressure on the stock by walking freely toward them, and last but not least, I want a dog that can take the training pressure and is willing to work together with me as a team. Since I do have farm work for my dogs, they must be strong enough to move rams and ewes with lambs or they are no use to me.
How do you mentally prepare for a run on the day of a trial?
First of all, I always like to attend the handlers meeting. I like to watch a few runs to see how the sheep are working and more importantly to see where the pressures are on the field. Eight or ten runs before mine, I take my dog on a quiet walk to let it use the bathroom and get its muscles warmed up. After this walk I will let it watch a couple of lifts and then wait for my turn.
What has been your most gratifying trial experience to date?
The 1999 trial year was one of my best ever. I was sixth in the Purina
Points and fifth at the National Finals with Holly.
What are your goals as a trainer and handler? How are you working toward
those goals?
I want to win the Finals with a dog that I’ve bred, raised and trained.
I would also like to be respected by other top handlers and trainers.
I want the reputation of being a source of knowledge on training working
dogs and a top breeder and handler of a strong line of Border Collies.
I strive to be the best handler and trainer that I can be. I also try
to keep only the best, most capable dogs in my kennel that I can find.
Through sacrifice and dedication I have made Border Collies a big part
of my life. I am constantly looking for training knowledge and ways to
polish my handling skills.
ODDS AND ENDS
What do you see as the single biggest challenge facing the sport of
trialing border collies today?
I think that in this modern day of agriculture where true farm work is
not available to most trainers and breeders we must focus on keeping a
strong working line of dogs. Dogs that have the ability to work all day
with their master gathering, sorting and moving sheep during the week
and still be competitive at the trials on the weekends are the dogs I
admire the most. Unfortunately, I see the trial Border Collie changing
to more of a weekend trial dog who has been bred to win ribbons instead
of do a days work on a
farm.
What advice would you give to a novice starting out in the sport?
If you are buying a puppy, ask to see its parents work. The owner should
be more than happy to show them to you. If you are buying a dog to work
cattle then watch the parents work and make sure they meet your expectations.
In a nut shell, make sure that the parents of the puppy can do the tasks
that you will expect of that puppy. You should also pay attention to the
handler from whom you are buying a puppy. Does this person handle their
dogs the way you want to handle your dog? Different lines have different
personalities and require certain training techniques to make them successful.
Talk to as
many different people as you can. Read books, watch videos and attend
clinics. Put all this information together and find out what works best
for your training environment. Be quick to learn from your trialing experiences
but slow to complain about the judges, setout crew, and trial host. If
you follow these rules you will always be welcome at trials and a door
to a whole new life will be opened for you.