MARISTELA Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Hi, everyone! Does anybody know a way of keeping sheep away from my feet? I have been working with broken sheep to train my dogs and the sheep seems to be too broken. They step on my feet, bump against my legs (I have several purple bruises on my legs). While the dog trains, they put their heads between my legs and don't let me walk. That's very irritating. They keep tight even if the dog doesn't put too much pressure. I don't have many animals, just 30, and they all come too close to me. I've seen in some videos/dvs that the sheep doesn't stand too close to the trainer. Does it have anything to do with the breed of the sheep? I would very much appreciate if someone could give me some advice. thanks a lot, Maristela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiegirl Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Hi Maristela- In a previous thread here, called "how do you?" I posted about they very same thing. The sheep that I work with don't just step on my feet, they push past me. One of the things that helped with this was keeping the dog off the sheep- but they still have that inclination (the sheep, to step too close). I also sort of wave my "tool"/bop them on the forehead (the sheep, not the dog!) to keep them cognizant that I am not for bull dozing. You have to be fair, but if it becomes a habit for the sheep, they need to be reminded NOT to come TOO close for no reason- if the dog is off them, and still they do this. What kind of sheep are they? Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARISTELA Posted January 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Hi, Julie! After having wroten my message I saw yours (how do you?)and learned a bit from the answers you got. If only you could see the bruises I have on my legs... The sheep I have here is a mixture of Texel, Hampshiredown, Corridale and Santa Ines (a brazilian breed,without wool). The problem is that I am always in the middle of the flock, as if I were the biggest sheep of all. I hope my dogs are intelligent enough to see the difference. I didn't have any results with my stick. I can hit their heads as much as I want, but they don't go off me if the dog is around. I will make some more experiments with a toy. If if works, I will let you know. If you find something new, please, let me know. thanks a lot, Maristela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiegirl Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Hi I too am in the middle, with only a few sheep. Do you know if the sheep act the same way with dogs that stay off them? This may sound odd, but go in the field with the sheep without the dog, and see how they act. If they ease up a bit, that will tell you they are feeling the pressure with the dog. Keep changing direction too- the sheep are lazy, and will begin to hang back, wondering where you are going. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARISTELA Posted January 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 Hello again! If I go to the field without the dog, the sheep simply stares at me and follows me with the eyes, but they don't come to me. On the contrary, if I approach them without the dog, they run away from me. But at the moment they see the dog, they come to me to find shelter. That's it. Maristela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiegirl Posted January 5, 2007 Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 Are the sheep the same way with all dogs? How close to the sheep is your dog? Perhaps some fresh sheep would be a good thing. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgBC Posted January 6, 2007 Report Share Posted January 6, 2007 How many are you working at one time? Maybe try fewer sheep? I've worked with a few that would do that - and what I did was as they approached me I'd try to grab one. That made them want to get away in a hurry. I hate the knee knocker types - they don't really show you (or your dog) when the dog is in the right place. I've even worked sheep who would come towards my dog to get to me. That just about drove me and my dog nuts! If you trust your dog not to do any damage with sheep who are away from you, maybe it's time to work on some sheep who aren't quite so broke. Or if the dog is far enough in training, have the dog push them away from you and do some driving with them - that's one way maybe to show them that there are other ways to to be safe from the dog's pressure besides running to a handler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARISTELA Posted January 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2007 Hi, Well, my sheep responds differently to the dogs. It deepends on how much energy the dog shows. I have a young dog, who is still too much anxious and the sheep comes closer to me to avoid the pressure. My dogs work a bit too close to the pack, about 2 meters in the "walk up". I am trying with fresh sheep but it is a big difference for my dogs, they (the dogs) weren't used to so much work, since the broken sheep used to come to me like robots and the fresh ones run in different directions. Now they have to run a bit more and show that they can handle the situation. I've noticed that one of my dogs, who seemed to be a bit bored with the trainings seems to work with much more willingness since I changed the sheep to unbroken. I normally work with about 6 sheep.The idea of trying to grab one seems to be interesting. I'll try it. I have already tried with the stick with plastic bags (like Glyn Jones) and it didn't work as I expected. Well, as soon as I have some news, I let you know. thanks for the advice Maristela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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