Shadowbar Shepherds K9 Coaching Open for Business

It is with some trepidation that I begin adding my words of wisdom to the training blog again.  The last two years have been a blur of hope and sadness and in my defence it is because I have had my life turned upside down.  We lost Shaggy, Hunter, RoZe and Swayze, and Jodi's Mo all within a year and it was a horrible reality that there were no more GSD's at Shadowbar. 

My husband, Darryl, the wind beneath my wings when it came to supporting my canine ventures here at Shadowbar Shepherds and on the road, passed away June 11th, 2020,  just a month short of what would have been our 49th wedding anniversary after a short but brave fight against angiosarcoma. 

And of course, with coronavirus running rampid throughout Canada, I couldn't even hold a proper celebration of life. 

And my desire to move bravely ahead came to an abrupt stop.  And it has taken 8 months of  support from friends and neighbours to bring to where I am today.  Losing Darryl really changed my personal view of the future.  It made me determined to remain here in our home
 despite the work that would lie ahead of me having to manage Shadowbar on my own.

Enter my wonderful circle of friends .... who took over so much of what had to be done. Darryl, being the man he was, had left me with a list of exactly which "blue" jobs had to be done all year if I were to step into his shoes and keep the place in shape.  And so it began.  The mowing of all the pastures every two weeks was done, just like that.  The mowers and tractors and other personal vehicles were serviced. The plow was put on the truck and I got a lesson in how to use it.  The panels and fencing for the sheep arenas were up in a flash. The deck boards that needed replacing were replaced. The gate alarm was repositioned to catch all traffic (deer too) and a solar light was placed on the south facing window. The north wall of the barn was covered with metal. The willows and lilacs were trimmed out of the way of the wind fences. And the fifth wheel trailer was winterized and towed to Lethbridge for winter storage and some work, well before the winds came. 

The sheep were allowed to remain at winter pasture as was my wonderful 30 year old standardbred mare, all in the care of my friends. 

And then the contractors took over and fixed the furnace and the water pump, the chimney flashing and the vent that flew off in the 186km/hr. wind.  The wind fence had panels repaired and replaced, ready for winter. And when winter came, we were ready. 

So many worries taken off my mind....💜

Another Year Comes to a Close

Once again the old year passes and a new year begins; a year of goal-setting and planning.
2015 has been a good year for us at Shadowbar. Every goal we set for our dogs has been met and some extra as well.

Our four beautiful German Shepherds are still with us and although each of them has earned a grand retirement, they still enjoy coming out for some work now and then. 

The two dogs that are still competing in performance events are Drummer, our sheltie  (6) and Castle, our shiba inu (4).

In May, my friend, Shar accompanied Drummer and me to Hope, B.C., where Drummer entered the three day Herding Trials at DownRiver Farms.  We came away after three days of herding with a third place, a second place, a Reserve High in Trial and a High in Trial Award. 
Plus the Highest scoring Shetland Sheepdog three times in a row.  We also finished both our Started Stockdog and Herding Arena titles.  We were stoked!!! 

In late July at the Winchester Ranch herding trials, Drummer finished all his Intermediate Stockdog and Arena titles and also gained a Qualifying score towards his Advanced Title.  He did a great job, receiving 2 Reserve High in Trials as well.

In June, Drummer picked up two Qualifying scores towards his CDX title, leaving him one to go.  And in November, he did just that.  He finished his CDX title with High in Class!! 


In July, Drummer went 3/3 qualifying scores to earn his CKC AgNS title!  It was fun seeing him manage the course with little trouble. 

Castle did well in his NADAC Intro agility and has two legs towards his Nadac regular title.
Drummer has one Intro leg.

This year both the dogs competed in AKC Rally Obedience and WCRL Rally Obedience and their performances were amazing.  Both dogs earned the right to attend the AKC Nationals in Tulsa in 2016 with Castle's score being 398/400 from the Advanced class at the shows in Boise, Idaho, in October. Both dogs earned their American Rally Advanced titles 4/4 tries.  

Also in October, back in Canada, Castle and Drummer entered the Level 2 WCRL classes at Sit Happens! in Calgary, Alberta, coming away with their WCRL-2 titles.  Drummer went on to finish his WCRL-3 title as well.  So proud of their runs.

Drummer and Castle entered the SDDA Nosework trials at Red Deer this year and both completed their Started titles. 

And Castle recently received his first title in Intro BarnHunt.  Definitely his sport.

Scent Hurdle racing with Due South was successful as well.  Castle has his SHDCh and Drummer has his SHDMX title!!  

Our SAWHDA entered the Fort Macleod Santa Claus Parade and I took Shaggy Muffin. She was as good as gold and looked fabulous on the float.

To my clients and my friends who train with me, congratulations on your fabulous wins and titles achieved in 2015 and I look forward to seeing you all in 2016.