Herding Sheep with my Australian Cattle Dog

Today I went to a place that lets you take your dog to a to train it to herd sheep. I thought my dog would be a natural for it since its bred to herd cattle. There is a place here in Long Beach, Ca about 5 minutes from my house that has this very setup. I thought bitchen I am getting the ball throwing thing down with my dog pretty good now and she listens to me, let’s go chase a bunch of sheep around and see how she does with that.

Here is a video clip of me and my dog learning how to herd sheep.

Australian Cattle Dog has befriended you, they are a friend for life….but that friendship must often be earned. Australian Cattle Dog are often referred to by their owners as “velcro” or “shadow” dogs…because wherever you go, there they are!
As my health concerns continue to rise, fitness is no longer considered a fad; it is considered a way of life. I am no exception to that rule by any means. I am fat, overweight and as I found out today very out of shape. Smoking sure doesn’t help my stamina and not doing any exercise sure isn’t helping either. I have found the need to start doing some exercise and I want to do it in a fun way I just hate going to the gym.

The deal is you pay $30 and they let you bring you and your dog out with a trainer and they give you two runs and getting your dog to run the sheep. The basic concept is that you get yourself in front of the sheep with the trainer and you try to get your dog behind them to herd the sheep towards you. The sheep are trained to follow the humans around and all you have to do is get your dog to pick up the rear and keep them moving. Well one thing I didn’t realize is that you need to be walking and running backwards the whole time so you have the sheep looking and coming towards you and you can see what the dog is doing and keep her off of your heels.

I was pretty excited about bonding this way with my dog and what a great way to get some exercise for myself. Well what I learned is that you are pretty much running backwards around the corral the whole time because once your dog starts nipping and the sheep’s heels there is no more walking around the sheep are trying to run you over and your in thick dirt which eventually led to me falling on my ass once but I am proud to say that I didn’t let a sheep knock me over because that also happened to one of the other people that were out there to do training. This was one of the best experiences I have had in my life, my untrained cattle dog when not being distracted had a few moments when it went into natural mode and we were working as a team. Of course this scenario only played out about 5% of the time but that 5% is going to get me back next Thursday to see if we can make some improvements.

So basically it was a big mess I was trying to run backwards, get my dog off my heels and on to the sheep’s heels which is no easy task. We did manage to get the sheep around the course the 1^st time with the help of the trainer and the second time my dog Bonnie wasn’t interested in the course so much so the trainer told me to just get in the with the sheep and try and make it fun for her. So here I am running full speed backwards, trying to give me dog commands all while not trying to fall down or get run over by sheep.

When I finished the second time I couldn’t even finish up properly I felt like I was going to pass out I was exhausted and ready for some water. I gave my dog praise and we both had a great time. With a little work I think we are going to have to take the I out of Louie and the I out of Bonnie and become a team because that is what it is all about.

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Bust a Myth, Get a Benefit

Few subjects harbor more myths and misconceptions than nutrition. Some of the most common:

"Low-fat" means "healthy."
Low-fat foods can be healthy, but not always. The problem? Many processed foods that are low in fat are high in sugar, which gives you extra calories and may cause wide swings in your blood sugar levels. This makes you gain weight and lose energy, and may raise your risk of several diseases. Some people believe "low-fat" means "Eat all you want."

I remember a dieting patient who was puzzled because he was gaining weight. He mentioned he was eating a low-fat cake. When I asked him how much, he replied, "Oh, one or two." "One or two pieces?" "No, one or two cakes!"

An ideal diet is low in fat and low in sugar. Most people can enjoy high-sugar, high-fat treats on occasion, but if you indulge one day, be sure to eat healthier the next.

Canned fruits and vegetables aren't nutritious.
They can be. A recent review of studies found that nutrients are generally similar in comparable fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables. Many parents have told me that, knowing this, they might be more likely to cook at home rather than eat less nutritious meals at restaurants.

Red wine, not white, prevents heart disease.
Yes, drinking red wine may significantly decrease the risk of heart disease, but white wine may be just as protective, at least in rats.

Resveratrol is a healthy substance found in the skin of red grapes. It's higher in concentration in red wine than white because red wine is fermented with the skins, allowing it to absorb the resveratrol. American and Italian researchers recently found that grape pulp extract (white wine) was equally effective in protecting rats from a heart attack as grape skin extract (red wine). Also, most of the antioxidant benefits of wine come from the grape itself, not the fact that it's fermented.

Studies show that spending time with friends and family may reduce the risk of many illnesses. People who imbibe moderately often do so in the company of others, and these psychosocial factors may be as powerful as the drink itself.

I neither prescribe nor proscribe alcohol, but if you're going to drink, have no more than one or two four-ounce glasses of wine, one or two beers, or one or two ounces of liquor. More than that, and the toxicities of alcohol begin to outweigh any of its potential benefits.

Juice is less healthy than whole fruits.
Not always. "The view that pure fruit and vegetable juices are nutritionally inferior to fruits and vegetables, in relation to chronic-disease risk reduction, is unjustified," concluded a recent review of studies. The impact of antioxidants on disease risk may be more important than the amount of fiber. Whole fruits and vegetables do have more fiber than most juices, and fiber has many benefits. It fills you up before you get too many calories, and it helps regulate blood sugar. Some juice companies are preserving the pulp (which adds to the fiber) or are even putting it back in.

Summer Diet Traps
It's the season for travel, day trips and meals on the run, and it's easier than ever to eat healthy on the road. At airports, look for fresh fruit and packaged salads. Dip your fork in the dressing instead of pouring it on. Amusement parks are providing healthier choices. Disney will eliminate added trans fats from its parks by the end of this year, and kids' meals will include sides like applesauce and carrots -- not fries. Some fast-food places offer better choices, too, so you can eat well just about anywhere.

From Reader's Digest

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Beer for Greenies!

After the introduction of Wal-Mart’s scorecard, I’ve enjoyed watching manufacturers make a mad dash to modify their packaging and processing to reduce waste. Everything from laundry detergent to electronics to soda pop. And beer is not to be left out! While keeping an eye on this evolution of packaging, I noticed Adnam’s efforts. Of course, the fat NPR piece on their new beer helped grab my attention too.

Adnams (a UK beer manufacturer for those dry readers) already has in place an eco-distribution center, an energy-efficient brew house, and a light-weight bottle that reduces transportation fuel requirements. But in their effort to be carbon neutral as a company, they’ve managed to get one of their beers in the zero zone.

East Green is touted the UK’s first carbon neutral beer. It is made with local, high yielding, naturally aphid-resistant hops, decreasing the use of pesticides and transportation of goods. It is processed, bottled, and distributed from their already in-place eco-friendly systems. These factors shrink CO2 emissions down from 583g per bottle to 432g per bottle. They offset this amount through Climate Care, a highly transparent carbon offset project. The Carbon Trust thinks so highly of the product that for the first time ever, they’re allowing their logo to be used on packaging. CRed has worked with Adnams on the research to make sure the numbers are legit, and they give it the carbon neutral thumbs up. As if I needed another reason to pop open a cold one! The only downer is that all that carbon neutral-ness is kaput should I, a US drinker, purchase it and have it shipped to me. Bummer. But for those of you living in or visiting England, you can get your carbon-neutral buzz on!

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