We apply border collie on our sheep farm to manage day - to - day surgical operation . I do n’t have sex how we would do it without them . I never worry about how I will get a group of sheep from one ley to another .
My sheepdog , Dash , isalwaysup for the occupation ! Soot , my married man ’s hotdog , is no less eager .
The Work of a Working Dog
The goal is to move your sheep as quietly and strain free as possible . In some cases , we will practice our dogs to help us hold sheep while we administer medicament or essay a ewe for a metrical foot injury . Sometimes we necessitate to move sheep through a gate to a new pasture or into a penitentiary for various reasons .
Our dogs are the most valuable tools on our farm when it comes to work on with the sheep . And we are n’t alone in that belief — not by a long injection .
Some sheep Fannie Merritt Farmer buy a stemma dog already trained , which does economise a lot of time in get the dog to be utile on the farm . But a coach shepherd dog worth its table salt is not flashy , though many for sure seem to think the investment is deserving it .
Read more : see more about using stock certificate dogs with sheep .
Good Dog
I acquire Dash as an 8 - week - old puppy and have get word mightily along with him about how to make a great partnership to handle our sheep . It helped that he was from really ripe herding dog lines . aboveboard sometimes I would just look on him figure out what to do without much helper from me !
But a few class after , with his skills honed and my pastime intensify , we adjudicate to try our hand at asheep herding trial .
Sheepdog Trials
Sometime back in the recent 1800s . Some sheep farmers decided to equate the skill of their herd dogs . Small , local competition sprang up to see who could do what with his dog the good . There was a lot of pridefulness and probably a lot of bluster when it come in to comparing the teamwork want to manage , move or separate up sheep .
Back then the competitors were all sheep James Leonard Farmer who used their dogs to manage flocks of sheep in various types of terrain .
Fast forrader to today , when the competitive drive of humans has turned sheepdog trials into keenly honed competitions . Some who contend in herd trials are also sheep Farmer . Some are not .
Jana Wilson
Still , the desire to see how your bounder ’s skill on your own farm compare to another farmer ’s dog can be strong .
study more : Sheep and Capricorn bring yr - round note value to the modest farm !
Starting in the Novice Class
After seeing how well Dash worked at home with our sheep , I decided to inscribe my first herding trial . I had seen a few trials and feel like enter the Novice category would be the ideal affair for us to get started .
The goal is to abide at a C. W. Post and send your dog out into the field of force to gather up a group of sheep and bring them back quietly and sedately to me . But of trend , the cad needs to put a bit of pressure to move the sheep … just not too much !
After they get up to the coach , the hot dog needs to guide the sheep around them . Then the dog drops in behind the sheep to move them back up the field , through an opening in a set of panels . Jana Wilson
Jana Wilson
Higher Levels
In higher grade of classes , the dog needs to take the sheep all the way across the sphere in front of the handler to another opening in a set of control board . All the while , the coach may not move away from the place and must draw the dog only with voice and a whistling !
After all this , the detent must impart the sheep up to a pocket-size pen , where the handler holds the gate heart-to-heart while working with the dog to “ encourage ” the sheep to go in . As any sheep proprietor knows , it ’s pretty grueling to make a sheep do anything !
In higher level of competition , the dog and coach work on disunite a specified number of sheep away from the rest of the group . This is called “ shedding , ” which is also useful when you are separating sheep on your own farm .
In fact , what ’s really interesting is that most of the skills needed in a run are those that you would use on your sheep farm . I ’ve asked Dash to move sheep into a barn through a fairly minor opening . I ’ve also had him bring me sheep from out in the pasture , then take them down a gravel road to another pasture and through another gate !
Worth It
I wo n’t say our first debut at a sheepdog trial run was a blazing success . Being in a new domain with new sheep and a coach probably squeaking out commands tends to get a click ( and the sheep ) a bit pissed .
Dash lived up to his name and dashed around the field as uncontrolled as I have seen him . “ Lie down ” I scream . “ Lie down ! ” He did not dwell down .
finally the justice relieved us of our wretchedness and excused us .
Of of course , the next day Dash was perfect as we moved our own sheep on our own pastures . But we ’ve had a few more trials since then and we ’re getting better !
I also think it made Dash and I better cooperator on the farm . We learn a lot about each other . I ’ve also learned so much more about sheep while see my dog interact with them .
Yes , it is a lot of work to expend a dog on your sheep farm . But I just ca n’t suppose any other way to do it !
