http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEFm1qkXaI0&feature=player_embedded#
Awesome!
The intelligence and agility of those dogs is just awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Cool! I like how they explain everything too.
[QUOTE=Canaqua;6009074]
Cool! I like how they explain everything too.[/QUOTE]
Yes, he explains sheep herding trials well there.
Around here, we don’t have hardly any with sheep, a few with cattle, but not that many.
Further S and E is where you start to be able to find them and the trainers that can help anyone get started.
Fascinating to me, because I have two herders (ACD mix and BC mix) and nothing to herd…except Canada Geese. They are all over that! I have friends with goats, but there aren’t any sheep around here.
I’d like to get the BC mix, in particular, involved with herding (she just lights up when she gets to “work” the goats, very tolerant goats!), but I’d have to drive an hour and a half to get to a trainer with sheep, so not very practical. These dogs’ natural instincts just amaze me…friends had a working dairy farm until they sold all the cows a couple of years ago. They moved their cattle with Gators, but, when I brought my ACD mix around she got right to it and could move them all across the road, with no training. She got that they had to cross the road, but didn’t know where to put them after that and no one knew how to tell her. Imagine what she could do with instruction!
I think there is a niche to be filled by doing instinct tests, lessons and practices…
I’ve debated and hawed about it afew times(not lessons, but have my stockdog instructor out)…I always back off though due to possability of injury to my sheep…I know some folks keep their “money makers” and their practice sheep seperate…but I use my money makers for my dogs…that is why Im training the dog, to HELP me…LOL
2 years ago the local aussie club put on an instinct test…they charged $35 for this…and they were booked solid…I think something like that would go over well again.
I love border collies and sheep…Id wager to say almost more then the horse area of our place…;)…
If you have sheep or cattle and really want to use a dog on them, get a trained dog from a good handler, have him come dogbreak your livestock with good, trained dogs and learn how to manage your new dog.
Working your livestock with dogs is something you are better off learning well, for yourself, your dog and livestock’s sake.
Livestock are not dog toys, as any good herding trainer will keep repeating.
Just half doing it won’t work, will end up with chased around livestock and frustrated dogs.
In that video, I may have missed it, but I think he went right from the outrun to bringing the stock in, without explaining about balance points.
Other than that, I think it was right on, but my computer connection kept stopping the video for long time to load some more.
Herding is very rewarding to the dog and handler.
Done well, the livestock is not harassed, but learn to work calmly for your dog.
I know of herding clubs in towns that use indian runners, that are a kind of duck that herds, unlike most fowl, that tends to scatter, don’t stay together good enough to herd well.
The people in the herding world are some of the nicest people around, really.
Give it a try, but remember, herding can become addictive.
