By Vicki Northway
Let me introduce you to Milou, more formally known as Shamquin Emei Shan. French born and bred, Milou earned an AKC herding title - Pre Trial Test or PT-- last winter in America. If you've read Milou's American Adventure Part I, you'll recall I ended my story with the comment, "I think Milou is just about perfect. Tough enough and very smart. If Milou stayed in a setting where she could continue to train, I could see her working her way upward through AKC herding titles and would be a prime candidate for obedience competition as well. She'd also make a great little farm dog".
As it turns out Milou didn't return to Paris. Nor did she re-join the Caamora corgis in Tehachapi with Pat and Dennis Seifert. Milou is with me in Northern California. Only now Milou is pretty well known having completed yet another American adventure. Not since the people of France gave us " La Liberté éclairant le monde" (The Statue of Liberty) has America been so charmed. You accuse me of bias but Milou has made friends. Does it rise to the level of detente? I'll leave it to you to decide.
Milou lives by her own schedule, so it turns out the rush to train and title Milou in January was unnecessary. Plans changed and Milou remained with me. Last May Beatrice Quinio, Milou's breeder and co-owner, asked a favor. Would I bring Milou with me to the 2014 PWCCA National Specialty Herding trial in Novo, Ohio so Bea could see Milou herd? This would be Bea's first PWCCA National Specialty, so I said, "Yes." You bet. No problem.
"Sure," I told Pat Seifert, Milou's American co-owner and my good friend. "I can run Milou but it would be in PT, the test classes." Since Milou had already earned a PT, Pat said, 'No', she thought Milou should run in a started trial class. Pat Seifert is ever the optimist.
That stopped me cold. It is one thing to train a dog for a pass/fail test class. A dog with talent and an experienced handler can pass. Pat and I have done that several times.
Milou earned her PT title in six weeks. The test level class asks for herding potential and some basic skills but the AKC trial classes are demanding and they are scored. They are not pass/fail. You start with 100 points and work like the devil to keep from losing points as you move sheep around the course. Every time the sheep stop or split, every little mistake costs you points.* Pat and Bea were asking me to prepare Milou in 4½ months to run at a National event. While you tell yourself, "oh, it is okay if I don't qualify as long as the dog does its best," I don't like to fail (NQ). I get very cranky. I told Pat I'd do my best but I didn't know if I could qualify. I was not excited at the prospect of letting people down.
This story has all the components of a thriller: Milou would not herd at all for most of May and June --- she tried every means possible to dig, squeeze or climb out of the sheep pen to escape. I was hospitalized for 5 days and could not train for two weeks. My training was limited to a 40 foot x 60 foot pen or a 5 acre field. The Chico area had a record breaking heat wave and that limited training to early morning or late evening. Oh, and Milou did not actually set foot on an AKC trial course until four days before the National. Did I mention Milou and I drove 4 days, 2300 miles, from California to Ohio to compete at the National? That's the distance between Oslo and Athens.
Like a thriller, puzzle pieces fell into place over time and revealed an interesting, unexpected pattern. Bea explained that Milou was probably afraid of the paddle I used in training because Bea pointed a broom at Milou to stop Milou from barking. Milou saw my paddle, thought she was being punished and tried to get as far from the sheep and my paddle as possible. She would not herd. I put down the paddle and my talented little friend decided to work again.
My friends with Border Collies, Colleen, Catlyn and Debra, reassured me the lessons learned in a big field by Border Collies could help a short dog too: pay attention or you'll lose your sheep! A 'set out dog' is your friend, ignore him. You must impress the sheep you are the boss. You need 'the human' (me) - because the human knows things. Milou became more responsible. This assured me there were lessons a small dog could learn in a big field: Milou must pay attention or she'd lose her sheep since there was no arena fence. She had to ignore the dog bringing her sheep but not ignore me, her human. She had to be calm but show authority with the sheep. Milou learned to be responsible for her sheep.
After months training in my backyard, I was frantic to get Milou into an arena on an actual course. At the point I left Chico, Milou had experience but not time in an arena. On the way to Ohio, I stopped in Colorado to give Milou some practice, continue my training. She actually did great in a regulation arena. Two days after that, I worked her again, this time on light (flighty) sheep with a trainer, Tonya Haney, in Ohio. Milou was still rushing the outrun and lift which caused the sheep to panic and bolt. She was working wide and with amazing obedience but Tonya said one little pounce or moment of inattention and the sheep at Hado Bar would escape.
On Friday and Saturday before the National I trialed Speed, the corgi I co-own with Pat, and Milou at the Buckeye herding trial. I wanted practice on the stock. Both dogs had trouble. Just as soon as the trial finished on Saturday afternoon (NQ's for both dogs on sheep), I drove back to Tonya's who suggested Milou was not confident with the sheep. Odd but true. As the sun fell that evening, I walked Milou on a leash around the stock asking her to "steady" and then to "down". Over and over I moved her around the sheep reassuring her I was there to help. I had learned the sheep at Hado Bar, the trial site of the National, were savvy. Milou's whole run depended on quietly fetching the sheep to me on the outrun. The rest Milou could do. Tonya said, "If you can just get that lift, I think you can do this. You can get around the course." Getting around the course might not get me a qualifying score but it could save me some embarrassment. The question was how?
Vicki
and Milou waiting for their run
It could be said that I work best under pressure and I like to think dogs know when you need them most. On September 21, 2014, the final puzzle piece slipped into place and Shamquin Emei Shan, 'Milou', won High in Trial at the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America's National Specialty Herding Trial with a score of 93 out of 100. You see when I sent Milou on her outrun (to gather the sheep), I stopped her charge down the field with a firm "Milou, DOWN!" Milou immediately slowed and started to lie down when I then asked her to 'bring the sheep'. She looked back at me with a worried expression and a tail that was dropping and with confusion across her face. "What's this down business, we don't down on an outrun?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk6-DVSkbiI
Video of Milou's trial at the PWCCA National in 2014
Video of Milou's trial at the PWCCA National in 2014
And then with my "good girl" she moved down field, steady and wide and perfectly placed. The sheep came quietly to me and the three of us circled the handler's post and followed a straight path through the course. I think she was quiet but to be honest, I was so mesmerized I couldn't tell you if she was barking or not. The wind was blowing - branches were dropping out of the trees - but the sound of cheers and applause carried quite well as we slammed the gate on the re-pen. Milou barked non-stop all the way to the car - that I do remember.
Judge Dana Hasemeier, Pat Seifert, Béatrice Quinio and Donna Gilbert, President of the PWCCA (from left).
Seated: Vicki Northway with Milou after winning High In Trial.
The herding community at the PWCCA is pretty serious about herding. The fact that this group cheered for Milou was more than just good sportsmanship. They recognized Milou's talent. Cindy Traylor, Board Member of the PWCCA and Herding Trial Chair said, "You were right, Vicki, I really like this little girl! She is my kind of dog, and I'd take her home in a minute." Many at the National knew that Bea Quinio had flown from Paris and Pat from California. Folks were genuinely happy for Milou's owners. Having a French dog win the PWCCA National (and with a tail!) gave everyone a lot to talk about.
Milou went on to compete in the PWCCA Herding Titled class in conformation later in the week. Her training continued following our return from Ohio and Milou finished her AKC Started A Course title at the two day Briard Club of California herding trial in L.A., California on October 25 and 26, 2014. Out of a very large competitive class Milou scored a 90.5 on Saturday and a 93.0 on Sunday under Judge Linda Rorem. Having gotten that first started leg (qualifying score) at the National in September motivated Pat and I to finish Milou's Herding Started title as soon as we could. No way would we risk Milou returning to France without that title!
I'm not going to write a sweet good-bye paragraph. I will say, however, that is thrilling to herd with Milou. She is smart and bold and we work well together but I've had my doubts: what does she truly understand? Does she have the skills she needs? Is she ready?
Before the National, on that trip to L.A., I was discouraged. As I worked Milou, I mentally ticked off all my shortcomings as a trainer. Milou read my body, picked up on my mood and tried to give me more. She concentrated intensely on what I said, how I used my crook. She worked further off the stock and frankly far better than I thought possible. Our work that day was like some odd dance. When I came out of the arena, Pat Seifert was beaming. It was surprising to see how hard Milou tried to figure out what I wanted and to see her progress. But when Pat said, "I think Milou can go High In Trial at the National," I totally dismissed it. I thought Pat was being supportive.
So I will put away my puzzle and tip my hat not just to a talented little dog but to my friends. To Pat Seifert who is right about most things, to Bonnie Smith who made things happen and to Bea Quinio who has generously shared this very funny and gifted dog with me. I make no predictions about the future but Milou and I continue to train and enjoy each other very, very much.
AKC is also unique with trialing systems because if you lose more than half of the points on any given obstacle, you are disqualified. An AKC trial course A is divided into sections/obstacles: outrun, lift and fetch (OLF), Y Chute, Z Chute, Hold for Exam Pen, Cross Drive and Re-pen. Each area is assigned a point value: 20 points for the outrun/lift/fetch and cross drive and 15 points for the other obstacles. If a dog loses over 10 points on the OLF, he is disqualified regardless of the work he does on the other areas of the course.
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Vicki Northway breeds Pembroke Corgis under the kennel name DRIFAN. She is a member of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America (PWCCA) and the Golden Gate Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club. She was performance editor of the PWCCA Newsletter for six years and thanks to Milou has titled over 22 Pembrokes in herding and won High in Trial at the PWCCA National Herding trial seven times with five different dogs.
This report was written for the Bulletin of the Corgis Club de France (No. 70, Automne 2014) and reproduced with kind permission.
Photos by: Pat Seifert, Béatrice Quinio, Bonnie Hansen, Carol Donnelly.
10.01.2015
