I did what I promised myself I'd do: I brought my little blank book with me every time I practiced on sheep, and wrote down everything. It was invaluable in forcing me to focus on specific problems, structuring my practice time, and letting me see that indeed we were improving — and that encouraged me to continue to be structured and focused.

Every time we went out in the practice arena, Bonnie was better. Not miraculously better, but improving every time. This is what makes a better-trained dog, it seems: focus, structure, practice, practice, structure, focus. Gradually the knife becomes sharper.

Don't overdo it! I found that about ten minute sessions, separated by breaks at least that long, were the most profitable. After about ten minutes we both were getting sloppier, not sharper.

At first she was terrible about getting all the way to head, and I could barely push her out and around far enough each time. One way, she'd stop and even bark at me, the other way, she just went slower and slower as if filling up with lead. But every day she was working more freely and confidently, until after five or six practices I was happy to find that sometimes she was doing it all on her own and even when she was short it was ever easier to push her to cover all the way. This was a habit I had created in her, she is not naturally short at all, so I felt particularly good about the progress we made.

On her gathers she was also better, but I couldn't tell whether this was because I was always setting things up very carefully to make sure she never was allowed to cut in at the top. I am not unhappy about this, as my primary goal at this point is to retrain myself to stop letting her be wrong.

Holding the flock in the open, the third part of my homework, was vastly improved. She went from only being able to hold about eight of the most docile sheep to being able to hold the whole flock, even the lambs and the old spoiled wether who takes off on his own at the least opportunity. The problem had always been that she wasn't working wide enough. But as we practiced she got wider and wider. I was impressed at how far she could kick out and not lose focus.

Meanwhile we were always doing chores, of course. For example, Gwen asked me to gather and load her new mommas who were out at her house grazing down a backyard corral with their tiny lambs. I was proud of how calm, thoughtful, and quiet my dog was. It was not an easy job but she made it easy.

And, I am planning my big trip at last. The litter I have decided on will be eight weeks old next week. So I am getting ready for my road trip, heading north to Canada. The breeder, Marilyn Ballard, has been socializing the pups, taking photos, and exposing the pups to stock, and reporting back to me, with my description of "the perfect dog for me" in mind. My perfect Aussie, along with being the paragon of stockdogs, is a serious, intelligent, thoughtful dog with great presence and of sterling loyalty. Well, we'll see. It is always a gamble, with puppies. Especially as regards working qualities, which cannot be truly assessed until adulthood.

Serendipitously for me, there will be an ASCA trial near Seattle at the same time. I'll be able to watch the dam of the litter work — she needs one Advanced cattle leg to finish her WTCH — and her daughter, a half sibling of the litter, will be also be entered. I sent in an entry for Bonnie too, although it appears that I might not know whether I got in until I get there.

The owner of the sire is planning to make the six hour drive down to Marilyn's from her remote British Columbia sheep ranch so that I can see him work. That impressed me. I have heard great things about this young dog, Tag, who has very little formal training but has still managed to do very well in the few sheep and cattle trials he has been to, who works every day on his own ranch and also helps out at the neighboring cattle ranch. Tag is the very last of a line of working Aussies which otherwise would vanish from the earth with all its genetic potential, so this is a very special litter.

The dam, Breeze, is a proven producer of healthy, talented working dogs, balancing out, to some degree, Tag's lack of a track record (this is his first litter). And she is a proven worker herself. This was one of the most important things on my want list — that both parents be proven on stock.

It's a big worry for me to do such a big trip by myself, leaving all my animals and garden to be taken care by my loving but essentially clueless family. It's a big adventure for me, an essentially retiring and home-loving person, to go off and meet so many people I have only email relationships with. At least I'll have Bonnie with me!

This will be my last diary entry for two weeks, as I will be away from my computer, but I hope to have a lot of stories to tell when I get back.