Vickie Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 (edited) We just had the most awesome day! We helped muster real sheep on a real property for vaccinating. It was an opportunity of a lifetime and it sure beats poking around with 5-6 dogged sheep in an arena. It was really amazing to watch Trim steady in her work & be part of a team of dogs getting a job done. I am on such a high She was so amazing & truly contributed to getting the work done. She was given some nice accolades by people I suspect don't give them very often & that was certainly the icing on the cake. Little Shine did her bit as well. She helped out a bit in the yards & I was thrilled to watch her starting to read her sheep & well. She is showing incredible confidence & calmness for a young dog and seems to have a very sensible head on her shoulders. Now I just have to wait for her body to catch up No time for pics today! Too busy My body is so tired, covered in sheep youknowwhat & I stink but my mind is buzzing. Edited February 23, 2007 by Vickie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShesaLikeableBiBear Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Congratulations, something which we all aspire to. Have a shower, have a sit down, pour a glass of something and relish in your and your dogs' achievements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tunsafun Boxers Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 It sounds like you had a fantastic day..........im so jealous lol actually, i wonder, could Boxers be trained to round up sheep? ahh forget that thought lmao well done to you and your dogs, now as Hesapandabear suggested, kick back, relax and enjoy reliving your day ! Jenna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjk05 Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Good for you, Vickie Sounds like you all had a great time. I know my dogs and I really developed a different appreciation of each other when we started doing farm work. I get to see a whole different side to them when we're working rams, or lambs, or sick sheep, its work we have to get done, and I'm busy doing other things and can't be telling them what to do. It really makes me appreciate their instinctive abilities, and common sense. Its amazing to see them learn their jobs in different situations- whether its filling pens or races independently, and learning when to stop and wait and when to push, or just the pups learning to move a thousand sheep across the farm, as opposed to a handful around a small paddock. One of my favourite experiences was my young collie moving a mob of preg tox ewes across the farm- he knew those sheep had to be moved slowly, and just figured out how to keep them at a slow grazing walk all on his own. I don't know if we'll ever succeed in trials, but he's just a brilliant farm dog. And there's nothing like 7 or 8 hours of mustering and working in yards to settle a young dog down and get them thinking It sounds like you'll be invited back, anyway- so hopefully lots more opportunity for "real work"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidoney Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Can't add much except to say, brilliant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatevah Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Did you video it? I am taking Tia for another herding lesson soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie Posted February 23, 2007 Author Share Posted February 23, 2007 (edited) Thanks everyone, it certainly was a good experience for us, one that will definitely be repeated as often as we can. Did you video it? No, it would not have been appropriate nor practical to do so. I tried to take some video the week before, but I was there by myself & had no-one to move the camera around. The distances from the tripod were too great so you can hardly even see us. Edited February 23, 2007 by Vickie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAX Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Was she steady right from the start ? Or did she take a while to steady up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie Posted February 23, 2007 Author Share Posted February 23, 2007 (edited) Was she steady right from the start ? Or did she take a while to steady up? She was very steady from the start. Our first job was to drive a mob down a lane way & into a paddock. She tends to be naturally very steady when she is behind sheep, so it was a good job to settle her. The next job of gathering she got a little full on, she has never seen that many sheep before & hasn't really worked with other dogs like that. As soon as we started fetching she settled again. Once we got into the yard stuff, she took a few minutes to settle again...but she did. I think what we did last week helped. She really learned last week not to overwork. I think it is pretty common in a young dog to overdo it when faced with new situations. Last week she started out overflanking a bit & racing to get to each side. It only took a few minutes for her to realise that once she settled and backed off, so would the sheep and she could do small arcs behind to keep them in the right direction. It was great to see her slide into this very quickly this week, even though there were more sheep, as it means she learnt from it last week. The sheep do not come to people like sheep she has worked before, so she is really having to move them, rather than just staying behind them. The other thing was that the sheep were coming from different paddocks & some were new, so they were not moving the same as a group of sheep from one flock. It is nice to have goals & see consistent improvement. Edited February 23, 2007 by Vickie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooper Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Hooray for Trim and Vickie My brother-in-law has a farm near Inverell and offered for Jack to help in the yards when they started shearing early in the New Year but I chickened out ... I think he would be more of a hindrance than a help! But when we eventually add a working dog to our doggie family (way down the track), we'll be up for some real sheepwork for sure. That's just great! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie Posted February 24, 2007 Author Share Posted February 24, 2007 Hooray for Trim and Vickie My brother-in-law has a farm near Inverell and offered for Jack to help in the yards when they started shearing early in the New Year but I chickened out ... I think he would be more of a hindrance than a help! But when we eventually add a working dog to our doggie family (way down the track), we'll be up for some real sheepwork for sure. That's just great! ;) Thanks Mooper . You should have done it. I learned so much about sheep yesterday, not just about working my dog, but about watching sheep & how they behave. I started to really be able to predict their movements...not as good as Trim :rolleyes: but better than I have before. Next time you get the offer, you should do it. It'll only help with your next dog & it's just a great experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooper Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 I said we would give it a go next time, Vickie. By then Jack will hopefully understand that sheep are not for rounding up and then just chasing. He really doesn't know how to move them yet ... 'tis early days and he's an older boy (7yo) without too many smarts ;) But, yes, it will help with future dog(s) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry's Mum Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 Fantastic Vickie - I am not surprised Trim did well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie Posted February 25, 2007 Author Share Posted February 25, 2007 I said we would give it a go next time, Vickie. By then Jack will hopefully understand that sheep are not for rounding up and then just chasing. He really doesn't know how to move them yet ... 'tis early days and he's an older boy (7yo) without too many smarts But, yes, it will help with future dog(s) Good for you. We will expect a full report :D You are so lucky to have that opportunity. Unfortunately unless you know someone it is hard for many of us to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorkNBCs Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 Great stuff Vickie and Trim - it is amazing what our dogs can do when we let them - sounds like you and she have really come a long way. It will be interesting to see how she works a few sheep after that experience. A friend of mine said her dog never looked back once she had spent a couple of days doing "real" work. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie Posted February 26, 2007 Author Share Posted February 26, 2007 (edited) Great stuff Vickie and Trim - it is amazing what our dogs can do when we let them - sounds like you and she have really come a long way. It will be interesting to see how she works a few sheep after that experience. A friend of mine said her dog never looked back once she had spent a couple of days doing "real" work. Thanks WorkNBC's, we're in a situation now where we can do real work or close to it as much as we can get there right now. I'd like to steadily increase her numbers before we go back to a few, there are lots of things we still have to experience & learn and I think they are things better done on many. The other thing that is cool is that rather than going out specifically to train something, we are having to deal with things as they happen. It's a much nicer way for both of us to learn, right or wrong action needs to be taken and there is no time for indecision. I was told this a long time ago by a very good handler, I listened to the words, but honestly I am only just getting it now . A big part of it being easier for me is also not being a student who is watched by an instructor. It sounds stupid, but I have always been self conscious like this . Success is measured by whether the job gets done, much easier than having someone stand there & watch you all the time. Edited February 26, 2007 by Vickie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now