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I knocked off another bucket list item on Sunday. I always liked watching herding dogs work and admired the videos of dogs working flocks. The American Herding Breeds Association has a course called the Herding Ranch Dog course with 10 sheep with a variation called the Ranch-Large Flock which uses 30 sheep.
The course is to take the sheep from a pen, take them on lanes over a bridge to a grazing area. The sheep have to actually graze for 5 minutes while the dog holds them within the area, then the flock is taken out onto the lane and to a road. The flock has to be held at the road while the handler checks for traffic. Then the flock is led onto the road and back to the pen. We're allowed 25 minutes to do it. See the map below. We grazed in area 1. At all times, the flock must be within defined boundaries, including the entrance and exit of the graze area. Other than the pen, there is no fencing and the dog does the work.
Our Sheltie Sabrina did the course once before on a Fun Day and, through error, I learned what to do and what not to do on the course. So I entered her with the object of having a brag that I was in a ranch dog trial. The little stinker did the course with only three points deducted and beat the Border Collies. She did it in 16 minutes of the 25 allowed.
Sabrina won the prize of a decorated herding stick (see below) that was brought back from India by the host clubs president because she had the highest score of all the Herding Ranch Dog and the Ranch-Large Flock entries.
She won even though she was docked 10 points because she was at the entry level, not the advanced level, which has to do a shed. Her highest possible score was 90 and the other classes had a maximum score of 100.
Sabrina also got a leg in the Herding Trial Dog course (the other blue ribbon) and on Saturday, earned her AKC title for Herding Started B Course Ducks and her first leg for Herding Master title on the A Course.
That run will be one I'll remember forever because it was what I love about training dogs. We worked perfectly as a team. She saw what I was doing and moved to her position perfectly. She adapted her pace to push the flock without making them run me over. On her own, she moved to keep the sheep online when one would start veering towards the lane boundary. I saw when she needed a bit of help and moved myself to where I could help her.
The course is to take the sheep from a pen, take them on lanes over a bridge to a grazing area. The sheep have to actually graze for 5 minutes while the dog holds them within the area, then the flock is taken out onto the lane and to a road. The flock has to be held at the road while the handler checks for traffic. Then the flock is led onto the road and back to the pen. We're allowed 25 minutes to do it. See the map below. We grazed in area 1. At all times, the flock must be within defined boundaries, including the entrance and exit of the graze area. Other than the pen, there is no fencing and the dog does the work.
Our Sheltie Sabrina did the course once before on a Fun Day and, through error, I learned what to do and what not to do on the course. So I entered her with the object of having a brag that I was in a ranch dog trial. The little stinker did the course with only three points deducted and beat the Border Collies. She did it in 16 minutes of the 25 allowed.
Sabrina won the prize of a decorated herding stick (see below) that was brought back from India by the host clubs president because she had the highest score of all the Herding Ranch Dog and the Ranch-Large Flock entries.
She won even though she was docked 10 points because she was at the entry level, not the advanced level, which has to do a shed. Her highest possible score was 90 and the other classes had a maximum score of 100.
Sabrina also got a leg in the Herding Trial Dog course (the other blue ribbon) and on Saturday, earned her AKC title for Herding Started B Course Ducks and her first leg for Herding Master title on the A Course.
That run will be one I'll remember forever because it was what I love about training dogs. We worked perfectly as a team. She saw what I was doing and moved to her position perfectly. She adapted her pace to push the flock without making them run me over. On her own, she moved to keep the sheep online when one would start veering towards the lane boundary. I saw when she needed a bit of help and moved myself to where I could help her.
