Two Dogs, First Time on Sheep

[MistyMae]

Y'all are much more active over here, so I am posting a sheep question here, too! 

Complete newb alert here! I have been fascinated by sheep and sheepdogs for years now. I finally took the dive and brought my Border collies to see sheep. Neither of them are ideal candidates for herding, which I get into below, but I am wondering if others have any comments:

Dog 1: 5 years old, bred for herding and out of successful working/trialing sheepdogs. Trained for and competes in dog sports-- Upon seeing sheep, she showed no interest. She wanted to stick by my side and showed only interest in me. She was really meek and uncertain and the sheep seemed to sense this by turning towards her and stomping at her. 

Dog 2: Two years old, from a rescue. Purebred and originally from a breeder, but unknown lineage-- He showed interest right away. But, he was a barking mess and flew around, chasing the sheep like a madman. The trainer said we could try and work with this, but to my untrained eye, he did not seem different than any other dog chasing livestock. He shied away from their heads and made mad dashes at their rears. 

Please feel free to ask more questions about them, as I am not sure what details I should include for now.

My questions are: if you saw either of these dogs on sheep, would you bother continuing to work with them? What do you like to see in a dog who is introduced to sheep? Is it ever the case that a dog shows no interest the first time but does the next? What about a dog that barks like crazy? And finally, is it too late for these "older" dogs to begin? 

I'd have the opportunity to work my dogs about once a week.  I am trying to determine if we'd have any future in this activity or if I should just wait a few years until I get my next working bred BC (and have a more in depth idea of my goals)? 

Any comments would be much appreciated! 

[SS Cressa]

I’m a newb also. But I’ve always been under the impression you want to try a couple times.

[2bc4me]

I had an obedience/agility trained bc that was at first afraid of the sheep.  Many lessons latter, he did get his AKC started title.  It can be done.

[Agteachr]

Sometimes dogs trained in sports like agility or obedience are afraid to take their attention off their owners and onto the sheep, where it belongs. They think they are being disobedient and rude.  Sometimes having someone else work your dog the first time or two with the owner out of sight will kick start their instinct and then the owner can eventually get the same response. 

[toney]

Sometimes dogs trained in handler centric sports have difficulty taking their attention off the handler and onto the sheep, where it belongs. They consider this disobedient or rude behavior. Having someone else work the dog on sheep while the handler stays out of sight can kick start their interest sometimes. The handler can be gradually introduced back into the mix once the dog has keened up on sheep.