It was 9:00 PM, the night after Halloween. Almost
all the kids in the neighborhood stood there in the
dark, gasping with anticipation every time a car
turned the corner onto our street. I couldn’t wait
until one of those cars was my mom’s, bringing home
our adorable little puppy, named Hobbes.
Disclaimer: This list of resources
is provided as a convenience. Listing should not
be considered as endorsement of products, business, or
organizations appearing on this list.
Sheep Herding Basics
By Jeri Reinhardt
Why Herding
Having
Border Collies, I have been fascinated by herding for a number
of years. I mean, "How do they do that?" Both
my BC's had their instinct test 7 years ago. Both passed with
flying colors and I even found a herding instructor in my area
but before we could get started, my instructor moved out of state,
drat! My alternative was to traveling over an hour after work
which wasn't realistic for me and I was already deeply committed
to agility and flyball. So, herding went on the back burner.
Then my BC, Meg, retired from agility because she "just wasn't'
that into it" and I retired. I was then fortunate to find a herding
instructor 20 minutes from my house. So, I finally had my opportunity.
Hooked on Herding
Since
I've retired, I know it is important to keep myself active and,
with a history of dementia in the family, keep that brain working.
For me, herding has added that new challenge beyond agility.
With agility, it's developing that team work to move your dog
through a course of obstacles and knowing where you need to be
in relationship to your dog to get through the course successfully.
Now imagine that those obstacles are now moving. So, I'm not
only trying to figure out where I need to be and where the dog
needs to be and... "Where in the heck are those sheep going!!!!" But,
in those moments when it all comes together, wow, how cool is
that. And, there is that extra bonus of just being outside and
spending time with the dogs doing something that they love. Herding
has become my therapy.
(Image on the right is Suzy pushing sheep)
Why herding with Suzy
"I could teach my Golden to herd" was the comment I heard from
Suzy's x-obedience instructor when I told her Suzy had started
herding lessons. That comment to me is like finger nails on a
chalk board. Not surprising that it came from the same person
who insists on calling Suzy a "terrier." SHE'S NOT A TERRIER,
SHE'S A FARMDOG! My purpose in starting herding lessons with
Suzy was to see, being a Farmdog, if she had the natural instinct
to herd. Different herding breeds were bred for different purposes
and have different styles of herding.
Most people are familiar with the Border Collies who have a strong "eye" to
intimidate the stock. They excel in working in larger open areas.
The Australian Shepherd, on the other hand, has a loose eye,
stands upright and was bred to work in smaller areas to move
livestock in and out of pens. And, since there are no books or
websites to learn about the herding style of the Farmdog, learning
more about how a Farmdog herds is also part of the fascination.
But, does Suzy have that instinct and/or ability to herd?
In
the video above it looks as if the sheep are following the humans
but it's the dog that's keeping the sheep to the handler. In
this exercise Suzy is wearing the sheep. Her moving back and
forth is a way of keeping them gathered in a group and as we
are moving around the pasture she is trying to keep the sheep "balance" to
the handler. If Suzy wasn't there those sheep would have taken
off up the hill. The picture of Meg (on the right), it looks
like we are just all going for a walk around the pasture but
I occasionally have to have Meg lay down because she is putting
too much pressure on the sheep and they start crowding me. As
we turn, she doesn't get around far enough and one escapes.
Getting Started in Herding
Instinct test
The first step is to have your dog "instinct tested" to determine
if it has the interest in sheep and show some of the natural
tendencies to gather or move them. Some dogs will immediately
show interest while others may take more than one exposure to
the sheep to show they have the instinct. And not all dogs from
herding breeds have the instinct to herd. There are a couple
of ways of getting an instinct test. First, is to check with
local herding breed clubs. They sometime have instinct test or
clinics as fundraisers. Many of the California Farmdogs had the
opportunity to do their instinct test at the WAGS for Wishes
event in Southern California. The second way is go directly to
a herding instructor. If you know you are interested in starting
lessons, an instructor would do an instinct test before you would
begin lessons.
Finding the right instructor
Depending on where you live, finding a herding instructor can
be difficult. If there are instructors in your area, the majority
can be found on the internet. Some may be reluctant to test a
Farmdog because they are unfamiliar with the breed. Other herding
instructors who commonly work with different breeds of dogs many
be more willing to test a Farmdog. I was turned down by my first
attempt to find an instructor because, with a waiting list, they
did not have time to work with a non-AKC breed. I was then fortunate
to find an instructor who just moved to my area and was looking
for students. Not all herding instructors are the same. They
use different techniques and have different philosophies. Some
even use clicker training and targeting which for me, isn't learning
to herd (that's for training Golden Retriever to herd, yikes).
My herding lessons
The best scenario would be for someone to know what they are
doing, either you or the dog. When starting with a rookie dog,
its better that the handler, in this case, your instructor, starts
working with your dog. And, in reverse, it would be better for
the rookie handler, meaning me, work with an experienced dog.
And, if things work out the way they should, everyone progress,
especially the dogs, at a fairly decent pace. But... things don't
always work out the way you wish. Although both Meg and Suzy
have worked to a certain point with my instructor, they would
rather work for me.
And, since I'm still learning myself, it adds more of a challenge
to our lessons. At times, my instructor has had to drag me around
with him as he works my dog. Fortunately, we have now progress
to the point where he can give instructions to me from the side
lines as I get dizzy or find myself tripping over gopher holes.
Hey, I'm determined to get this! The instructor in this movie
is teaching me to move properly with the sheep.
Finding a place to practice
The one thing about herding is that it is difficult to practice
without your own sheep. Well, I finally found some sheep small
enough to use in my backyard.
The backyard herding has really helped Meg and she's
now doing things that she could handle before like driving
the sheep and penning them.
Suzy has been a different story. Maybe because of the tighter
environment but she can't seem to handle the pressure. While
trying to pen, the cow started to challenger her. Suzy had to
go in for the grip... but I could call her off.
Warning the following may be to graphic for
some people who would consider this abuse.
Basic Herding Commands
Heal: It
is not an obedience heal but to walk at the handler side.
That'll do: Stop
and come back to me or, in other words, the herding equivalent
to a recall. This is a must for the protection of the sheep.
Lie Down-(or Stand
Still): Necessary to stop the dog's movements.
This is also not an obedience lie down where the dog
waits for a release word. The dog can go back to work
based on your command, movement or in order to control
the movements of the sheep.
Stay: Don't
move until I tell you.
Come-by: To
send the dog clockwise around the sheep.
Away-to-Me: To
send the dog counter clockwise around the sheep
This is my herding instructor's dog, Pete. He can herd
anything and has a special talent for herding ducks.
Basic Herding Terms
Balance: The
correct position of the dog related to the handler and
the sheep in order to perform whatever task is required.
Wearing: The
side to side movement of the dog to keep the sheep grouped.
Gather: All
the work the dog performs to bring the sheep together into
a group.
Lift: After
the gather, this is when the dog approaches and makes contact
with the sheep. This is suppose to
be quiet with the dog under complete control.
Fetch: The
act of bringing the sheep to the handler.
Drive: The
dog moving the sheep away from the handler. This is more
difficult to teach the dog because their natural instinct
is to bring the sheep to you.
Penning: Putting
the sheep in a pen.
Shed: To
separate the sheep into two groups
Sometimes when you are training inexperienced dogs, it's
important to use "Dog broke sheep.
Herding Trials
Herding trials began
as a "friendly" competition between farmers/ranchers to determine
who had the best working dog. It also helps for breeding
purposes to keep the strong working lines. There are several
organizations that sponsor herding trials:
United States Border Collie Handlers Association (USBCHA)
This is Wally. He is a guardian dog. He'll protect his
sheep from any predators.
In order to compete in any of these venues, the dog must be
on its list of recognized herding breeds. With AKC, it also must
be an AKC herding breed. As of yet, the Farmdog has not been
recognized by any of these groups but could possibly be recognized
in the future by ASCA and/or AHBA.
It takes a older
more experience dog to be able to shedthe
sheep into two groups. They are also required to hold
one set. You can see how calmly Pete and separate the
two groups of sheep and is holding the wooly sheep.
Although
slightly different in each venue, each as several levels of competition
ranging from a novice to advanced levels. At the novice level,
the handler can stay with the sheep and dog as they maneuver
around the course.
The idea of the course is to simulate working conditions for
the dog which includes driving through gates and, depending on
the level, ending with a pen. As the handler advances through
the higher levels, the distance between the course increases
until finally, the handler must stand in a fixed spot until the
last test of penning the sheep. In the advanced level (Open)
of the USBCHA trials, the dog is also required to Shed the sheep
which means to divide them in have and hold one group until the
judge is satisfied the task as been completed. In International
competitions, the sheep are mark into two groups to designate
how they are to be separated (I.e. the movie "Babe").
Danish/Swedish Farmdogs
That Completed the Herding Instinct Test
Anna
Blondie
Lego
Maverick
Samson
Solo
Suzy
This article was written by Jeri Reinhardt for the use of the Danish/Swedish Farmdogs Club of America, Inc. (DSFCA) Web sites. This article shall remain a part of the DSFCA archives.The article was freely submitted for posting not copied, thus granting an implied license. Permission to use this article other than on www.farmdogs.org must be granted by the author and DSFCA's Board of Directors. - First published on farmdogs.org 06/05/2009
August, 2011
Having
Border Collies, I have been fascinated by herding for a number
of years. I mean, "How do they do that?" Both
my BC's had their instinct test 7 years ago. Both passed with
flying colors and I even found a herding instructor in my area
but before we could get started, my instructor moved out of state,
drat! My alternative was to traveling over an hour after work
which wasn't realistic for me and I was already deeply committed
to agility and flyball. So, herding went on the back burner.
Then my BC, Meg, retired from agility because she "just wasn't'
that into it" and I retired. I was then fortunate to find a herding
instructor 20 minutes from my house. So, I finally had my opportunity. 
Since
I've retired, I know it is important to keep myself active and,
with a history of dementia in the family, keep that brain working.
For me, herding has added that new challenge beyond agility.
With agility, it's developing that team work to move your dog
through a course of obstacles and knowing where you need to be
in relationship to your dog to get through the course successfully.
Now imagine that those obstacles are now moving. So, I'm not
only trying to figure out where I need to be and where the dog
needs to be and... "Where in the heck are those sheep going!!!!" But,
in those moments when it all comes together, wow, how cool is
that. And, there is that extra bonus of just being outside and
spending time with the dogs doing something that they love. Herding
has become my therapy.
(Image on the right is Suzy pushing sheep) 
In
the video above it looks as if the sheep are following the humans
but it's the dog that's keeping the sheep to the handler. In
this exercise Suzy is wearing the sheep. Her moving back and
forth is a way of keeping them gathered in a group and as we
are moving around the pasture she is trying to keep the sheep "balance" to
the handler. If Suzy wasn't there those sheep would have taken
off up the hill. The picture of Meg (on the right), it looks
like we are just all going for a walk around the pasture but
I occasionally have to have Meg lay down because she is putting
too much pressure on the sheep and they start crowding me. As
we turn, she doesn't get around far enough and one escapes.
Although
slightly different in each venue, each as several levels of competition
ranging from a novice to advanced levels. At the novice level,
the handler can stay with the sheep and dog as they maneuver
around the course.