rlwzgd Posted August 2, 2013 Report Share Posted August 2, 2013 Got Al out to the sheep today (he's 9 months old). He noticed them right away. I thought he was just chasing, but the person evaluating him was very happy. He went to the head, was very concerned with keeping them together and didn't grip. He'd get to close so they spread and he'd go round all of then up again. The sheep really responded to him, they didn't challenge and were more than happy to move where he liked them - which was the corner by me now that I'm thinking about it... I'm wondering if this was just dumb luck with a pound pup. I'll have him on a different flock Sunday - we probably just had well trained sheep. Overall, I'm happy with him, though. Rebecca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted August 2, 2013 Report Share Posted August 2, 2013 My first trial dog was a rescue. We didn't make it to open, but we did get to open ranch, so there's no reason why your pound puppy can't have enough talent to at least get you started! J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlwzgd Posted August 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2013 Really? That's great to hear. The best part is that he's been so happy with himself all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Boots Posted August 3, 2013 Report Share Posted August 3, 2013 How fun! Congrats, keep us posted about Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlwzgd Posted August 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 Mixed feelings... I definitely wasn't as thrilled with him today - he worked very upright and this flock was really bothered with it. On Friday, there was a little bit of eye, unless I'm kidding myself, which wasn't there today. He was just so bouncy and didn't care as much about keeping them together. Maybe my expectations were higher today since I've seen some good stuff out of him. Maybe the "good stuff" was a bit of an accident. Maybe the person evaluating him was able to bring more of it out than I was... (Or d. All of the above). I'm trying to decide what to do. Since this was the main flock I practice on, and I don't want to bother them for my other dog and my friend's dogs, he can't work there. I could go back to the person that evaluated him, but she charges (more than I could realistically spend). It just looked so much more like goofy chasing than herding today... It could be that he's a cross and didn't get much of the herding... I'd like to hope he's a pup that's slow to mature and maybe I could try again after a while. :-) (just humor me here)... Honestly, he is a sweet boy and great with my kiddo, and darn good at agility, so that might be where he goes. Eta: taking Julie's comments into account, I'll definitely have him on sheep more when I can afford it. He's worth a good shake - I was just bummed by his goofy behavior earlier (he went back barking when I was out of sight, crappy recall, etc). I love puppies, especially puppies in the defiant stage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 That's what, two times on sheep? I don't think you can possibly leap to any conclusions about whether he's going to be a worker or what sort of worker he might be. You're just starting out at this too, so you don't even know what you don't know (to be blunt) and so really aren't in a position to objectively evaluate a dog. That said, if your access to stock and someone to help/mentor/train you is limited and you'd rather concentrate on other things, there's certainly no harm in that. I'd say that at least © above applies: a more experienced person will be able to get more out of him than you will. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlwzgd Posted August 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 Sent you a message Thanks, Julie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 You are a novice, he is a novice, he is quite young - don't jump to conclusions, as Julie said. Maybe put him up for a bit and try again in a few months. Males tend to mature more slowly than females. Also, these were different sheep from the sheep that the other person had him on - the sheep can also make a big difference particularly for a young animal and one just starting out. And listen to Julie's comments - she'll give you good advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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