Oh my what fun! And that was me doing most of the giggling!

The Dog had even more fun she was pretty awesome with the sheep, no nips or bites just head bunts and flips with the nose doing the chase during the waring exercises. I haven't laughed like that in a while.

It was only 45 minute session and the poor dog pooped herself out in less than a 1/2 hour running herself silly. It was actually quite hot up here today and am wondering if there is a set way to keep a dog cooler while they are working in hot humid heat. We gave her lot's of water and wiped her down with lot's of water as well.

Seeing my dog work gives me a lot more respect for the animals that do the work full time.

 Quote: Geoff Empey

Oh my what fun! And that was me doing most of the giggling!

The Dog had even more fun she was pretty awesome with the sheep, no nips or bites just head bunts and flips with the nose doing the chase during the waring exercises. I haven't laughed like that in a while.

It was only 45 minute session and the poor dog pooped herself out in less than a 1/2 hour running herself silly. It was actually quite hot up here today and am wondering if there is a set way to keep a dog cooler while they are working in hot humid heat. We gave her lot's of water and wiped her down with lot's of water as well.

Seeing my dog work gives me a lot more respect for the animals that do the work full time.

I have never seen this, but I would love to. You didn't get any video, did you?

How did she do? Is there a score or something?

P.S. Water or a cold pack on the belly, groin, armpits, head, and neck is good, I believe.

I've read that dark-colored dogs should not have their back-fur soaked (unless they can stay lying partially submersed in the water) --- something about a greenhouse effect. At our club on hot days we have a kiddie pool set up with the right water level to soak the undercarriage (belly area) but not the back, and we have a hose set up.

You can buy cooling crate-pads to lie on.

And I've seen, but not tried, collars and vests that are filled with polymer crystals that expand in water and cool the dog as the water evaporates over a couple of hours.

Maybe someone here has tried them. They looked interesting and useful to me.

Sorry I missed you Geoff - we waited around but you were too far away to wait any longer.

Glad she did well - Rideau is having 'gripping' issues - but otherwise he's doing really well.

Actually, 45 mins is a very long session. Fifteen mins is the norm when introducing dogs to stock. They are usually so full on, that they run out of mental and physical reserves very quickly.
Julie

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

I have never seen this, but I would love to. You didn't get any video, did you?

How did she do? Is there a score or something?

This was the first time my Dog has done this so it was just basically a evaluation of her natural herding instinct not a specific competition or trial. What you do is go in with 4 sheep in a approx 300' x 400' ring and let the dog move the sheep with you as you move around the ring this is called 'waring' that the farm facilitator coaches you with. I got a few pictures that I'd like to post up on flickr but no video sorry.

The dog's job is to keep the sheep with you at all times and it is the sheep's job to break away. So it makes for pretty interesting behaviour from the dog as she tries to keep the flock together. I was all worried that Sasha would rip and tear into the sheep with those Maligator teeth, she sounds all business but like I said in previous post head bunts them and nose flip those ornery escaped sheep from the back end until they toe the line. Great Fun!

Lee and the other people I practice obedience with have been taking lessons with Nathalie since early spring. I think Lee has some pictures from some of her and Rideau's sheep sessions on her website. I know Nathalie trials her Border Collies and that at the bigger fairs there is a good chunk of change to be won for example this link to the Calgary Stampede Stock Dog info 'World's Richest Stock Dog' http://www.stampedeagriculture.com/tmp/PR291.pdf $10k not bad for under 5 minutes work..

Nathalie did say the same thing as Julie that usually the first time a dog is in with the sheep they konk out after 15-20 minutes (which my dog did) as it is very stressful mentally and physically on them, we did pay for 45 minutes and then just praised and cooled down the dog for the rest.

Oh yes here is a link to Nathalie's farm where we did the evaluation .. http://www.borderpup.com/id15.html

Edited by Geoff Empey (06/17/2007 11:54 AM)
Edit reason: added link

Here is a link to an interesting article showing the differences in herding jobs: http://members.cox.net/gsdherd/gsdstarting.htm

Great article, Susan; I have been herding sheep since December with my 2 year old female GSD, Ripley, and we have been having a great time! We've since started on cattle (talk about a whole different kettle of fish, so to speak) and despite my horrific handling skills, she's doing quite well.

The article addresses some questions I have had with her style (I train with Australian Shepherd folk who are very forgiving and most interested in Ripley's way of working) and I will forward it to my training instructor for her perusal. I tell ya, it's one thing to learn the theories from books and videos; another to put it into practice!

Good luck with your Mallie, Geoff-I hope to see more breeds out there working livestock besides our beloved border collies!

 Quote: susan tuck

Here is a link to an interesting article showing the differences in herding jobs: http://members.cox.net/gsdherd/gsdstarting.htm

What an informative article!

If anyone is interested in learning more about the german style of herding, here is a really good website:
http://www.german-shepherdherding.com/index.html

Edited by susan tuck (06/17/2007 09:41 PM)
Edit reason: corrected link

 Quote: laurie merlo

Good luck with your Mallie, Geoff-I hope to see more breeds out there working livestock besides our beloved border collies!

Thanks Laurie,

As that article points out different breed of dogs do the job differently. The article also may suggest that the way that stock dog competition is played out using the small (3-4) group of sheep favours the border collie in competition, but may not be representive of day to day life of a dog on a working farm.

It would be interesting to go forward with my Mal with working stock and see how it plays out to maybe a local trial. Me being city folk that wishes he was a country bumpkin .. who knows if I could take it to that level or anything outside of just having fun with the dog and the sheep ..

Though IMO a Mal has the same type of athleticsm potential as a border collie, as seen in agility where Maligators and Groenendael excel. I don't see why a Mal could not do the same type of job with the proper amount of time invested in training.