sandra s. Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 Last week I posted about finding a new herding trainer and sheep - today we had our first lesson! Her methods are completely different from the other place we went, and it turned out that she and her environment are MUCH better suited for Kessie. Don't get me wrong, I liked the other place a lot, but the pressure in the small round pen and the louder, bolder trainers were a bit much for the very soft dog that she is. Today there was a lot more space, and a calmer atmosphere. Last time she jumped out the fence when she felt she couldn't understand something that was demanded of her, this time there was nothing of that sort. She can actually do the "BC crawl"! I've never seen her do that before on sheep (for the cat - yes ). We practised walking up to the sheep in a straight line, and going left or right around them. She did so well!!! Braggedy brag. I sort of feel like driving into town and parading her up and down the main street (bet you know that feeling!). Poor Kyla had to sit at the fence and protest, because this trainer doesn't believe in letting dogs on sheep before they have a good down and recall. That's why we don't have any good pictures - my mum tried to take some, but she had to hold on to Kyla and her dream of wooly mouthfuls. Here are the best we got: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyoBC Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 That's so cool! Yeah I know that feeling too I'm so proud of her! Great job both of you. I'm thinking of getting into herding too since Black Jack seems to have a lot of herding in him. He's really not bad for never doing it before! But I'm not sure yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra s. Posted December 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 I'm thinking of getting into herding too since Black Jack seems to have a lot of herding in him. He's really not bad for never doing it before! But I'm not sure yetI'd say go for it if you get the opportunity! It's addictive (we have to wait until after Christmas for the next lesson! And that feels long. ) but I don't think that he'd suffer in any way if you tried it once and decided it wasn't for you. Kessie doesn't even look at any sheep we meet on our walks, as long as they're on the other side of a fence. Hey, where's that half chicken that I just put in front of her?! :eek: Seems to be hungry work, all that staring and concentrating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 Glad you found a trainer whose methods work for Kessie! The pictures look like she is having a good time being a bc! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 Congratulations, Sandra! Your pictures are wonderful and I am happy you have found a trainer that seems to suit you and Kessie well. That is essential. Best wishes (and here's hoping that Kyla will learn her necessary manners soon enough to become part of the action! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiegirl Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 That's great about Kessie! One thing about recalls, downs, and then recalls, and downs ON sheep. Sometimes no matter HOW great a recall you have, you may just not have one when a very keen dog is on sheep. That is why the long line is so useful- you can grab the line instead of playing catch me if you can with the dog. Another thing, sometimes dogs are BETTER at downing while on sheep. Since I have been working my pup on sheep, her downs are much better, off sheep too. So, spend the next week working on downs and recalls with your other BC, and then get her on sheep! Just remember this: You can't knock keenness. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra s. Posted December 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 I agree...at the place where we went before, they started dogs without asking for manners, and it worked! I also saw some of those dogs who lose their manners on sheep there. I'm just glad I happened to work on Kessie's down-at-a-distance as part of our ball game, otherwise things would have looked dark for her too! I don't really want to argue with the trainer though, since we get to use her sheep almost for free, not to mention her advice...but I might carefully mention the long line next time . Kyla is my mum's dog, so it's those two who have to work things out somehow. Of course I try to help training her when she's with me, but we'll both have to do a lot more until she'll listen on sheep! She really wanted those sheep today. I really feel bad for the little devil, she wanted to help so bad. Maybe we'll have to try clicker training, she's pretty feedable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 Yay, Kessie! Isn't it fun? We can't wait to go back. Keep us posted on her progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie_Girl Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 Way to go Kessie! Yeah, the right trainer is pretty essential! Keep at it! And keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra s. Posted December 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 You bet I will! Keep doing it, and keep you posted (=keep boasting) . In fact I'd like to go back right now. This IS addictive. She's actually tired now. When we came home, she made an unusually bold attempt on the cat, and then fell asleep while watching her . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie_Girl Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 LOL Yeah, after Jackson has worked sheep, he just passes out! But it is an hour drive so he is quite ready for some ball/frizbee when we get home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra s. Posted December 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 Maybe she'd be more lively if she hadn't just made the second half of her Gotcha Day chicken disappear at breathtaking speed ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen Stein Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 Sandra, that looks like electronet fencing in the background, right? I assume the juice was turned off? Glad things are working out so well for you and Kessie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoe Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 Well done Kessie ! She looks good in the pictures. Video next time please ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra s. Posted December 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Ok, video next time . I wish the camera could cope better with the "dark", that is, foggy cloudy weather. If we ever get nice sunny herding weather (is that like geo field trip weather? Which HAS to be nasty by law of nature...) we'll get better pics, but yesterday the camery thought it was night already . That's where the grainy quality comes from. Yes, the electric fence was turned off! Proof: I was inside the fence (I'm really sissy about electric fences for some reason, and I can hardly get myself to touch those things even if I KNOW they're off!). Our trainer had her own dog with her, who was good but pretty hyper after working on a larger flock shortly before. She managed to chase a sheep into the fence (and to get her own head stuck in it after she was put outside). I'm surprised that sheep can't jump a fence like that if they really want to, electric or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen Stein Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 > Some can. Those are the ones you send to market next time the truck is going. Fortunately there aren't too many like that, at least among wool sheep. What surprises me is that you can use it with the electricity turned off to contain sheep being worked by a beginner dog. I would think they'd charge right through the thing, the first time the dog made them "really want to." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie_Girl Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 I don't think sheep action can ever be predicted! At Carol Anns, Jackson was bringing a group of probly 30 sheep through a narrow (maybe 20ft.)part of the enclosure so we could sepparate out the ones we would be working. All of a sudden this ewe jumps straight up and over doing a back flip over the fence into the pasture. I was yelling, what'd Jackson do???? Carol Ann said he did nothing wrong, the sheep just do stuff like that. But she did admit it was the first time she had seen that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra s. Posted December 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 What surprises me is that you can use it with the electricity turned off to contain sheep being worked by a beginner dog. I would think they'd charge right through the thing, the first time the dog made them "really want to." I suppose they (like me ) have been zapped enough times to make them NEVER want to touch an electric-looking fence again. Also, since she allows only dogs with manners on sheep, and doesn't allow them off-leash right away before seeing their reaction to sheep, she probably hopes that won't happen. At our first lessons they used an even crappier fence for the round pen, and the sheep did plough it down a few times! After that, we got the job of fence watching whenever the others were practising: we had to stand at the place where the sheep most wanted to get out, and try to look evil enough to make them want to go somewhere else (we succeeded at that!). All of a sudden this ewe jumps straight up and over doing a back flip over the fence into the pasture.LOL!! Gotta love them! I didn't have much respect for sheep before getting interested in border collies, but that's changing fast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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