Herding Sheep and Such

  A little over ten years ago, in the fall, one of my mom's co-workers was surprised to find that her dog had given birth to a litter of Bearded Collie puppies. My brother had always wanted a dog and now the opportunity had been placed right in our laps. It was up to us to provide one of them with a loving home...hmm at this pace the story I actually want to tell won't get told...so I'll speed things up. My brother, having a soccer game, was unable to come pick out a puppy, so it was up to me instead. This also meant naming our new dog would be my job as well. I picked one of the bigger pups who had a neat marking of a white streak right near his neck, like a bandana.  I named him "Charlie".

  Over the next decade we learned a lot about both Bearded Collies and Charlie, from research and experience. We learned that Charlie's favorite food is bread, especially freshly sliced breads. We learned that Beardies are an extremely high energy breed; this was evidenced through literature and also through the fact that some days we might walk Charlie two or three times and yet he will still have a bunch of energy later on. We learned that Charlie loves the winter when the snow comes so he can bound through the snow drifts fearlessly. We learned that Beardies were originally bred to be herding dogs, this clearly explained the high energy bit.

   Through the years we've always joked about getting a few alpacas, or sheep, or geese, or even chickens to keep in the yard so Charlie could be the herder he was meant to be. We never ( or rather have not yet) got a small flock of animals for the yard. No, but this weekend we did something almost as cool: we went to a farm an hour south of here where they have a flock of sheep that they use specifically for herding clinics. There were seven dogs including our own. Those seven included two Beauvais (they look like small bears or bulls, but more fluffy and less intimidating) they were owned by two couples, then there was a golden retriever/Labrador mix owned by a young man who lived in the area, there were two miniature Australian Cattle Dogs owned by a bespectacled woman, and a full sized Australian Cattle Dog, owned by a young woman who goes to college in Minneapolis, and there was one Bearded Collie who came with us.
  The day started off with introductions and a lecture from Judi, the woman who runs the clinics and the farm itself. Judi, who looked to be in her mid-sixties, was just as full of energy as the dogs she works with. She effusively told us facts about herding with a big grin on her face. She told us how there are two methods that different breeds naturally practice (the strong-eyed technique and the loose-eyed technique), how herding is a competitive sport practiced across the country as well as internationally, how herding has its own unique lingo and vocabulary, how herding originally comes from the wolf pack instinct to drive a wild group of animals in a certain direction until one of the prey gets tired and falls from the group -the killing part of this instinct has been bred out of the dogs through the years, and we learned how there are tools to this sport: the staff and the crook.

   After the lecture we went into the barn where Jerry, one of the other trainers at the farm, held a sheep in place while one dog and one person went out to let the dog say hello to the sheep. Most of the dogs were city dogs and had never met sheep before. How does a dog say hello to a sheep you ask? The same way a dog says hello to another dog, by sniffing the other's butt.

Jerry holding the sheep

One of the beauvais meeting the sheep

Charlie meeting the sheep

  Then came the first round of herding. Jerry would stand in the center of the pen with the three sheep, holding a long thin staff. Dog and owner would take a lap around the pen with leash on, upon reaching the corner of the pen the dog would be let off the leash. Here was the down-right amazing part; these dogs who had never met sheep before, who had not herded before, they sprang into action as if they had been doing this their whole life. The dogs would herd the sheep methodically, first almost in a circle, then to one side of the barn. If the direction that the dog was taking wasn't going to be as effective as another Jerry would put the staff down to block that path, forcing the dog to change tactics. This all was happening so so incredibly fast too, at times it was hard to follow.

One of the Miniature Australian Cattle dogs herding the sheep

Charlie herding some sheep

  Once each dog had had a turn it was time for lunch for the humans and a break for the hard-working pooches. Lunch was a potluck meal consisting of two types of chili, pepperoni bread, chicken salad sandwiches, tortilla scoop chips, and many wonderful desserts. It was all delicious, and though outside it was unseasonably warm for early January, it was still cold enough that I was extremely happy and grateful that some people had thought to bring warm, spicy chili.

   With the dogs and sheep rested, and our stomachs refueled, it was time for round two. This time the dogs had an initial experience to work with. This time they would be able to use that experience and correct the mistakes they made earlier. This time the dogs didn't let their excitement overtake as easily. There were also some other differences the second time around.  One of the miniature Australian Cattle Dogs didn't seem as interested in the sheep.  He didn't lose his turn, instead the sheep got a nice break and five of the farm's ducks were fetched in. The little dog seemed much more confident, much more excited with this change. And it was fun to watch the ducks get herded in circles, quacking in protest all the while.

"I really get to play with ducks?!"

   Judi explained that some herders naturally like to work with one type of animal over another, be it cattle, sheep, ducks/geese, or anything else. A herding dog can be trained to work with just about any type of animal, but there will always be the one kind that they are most comfortable and confident with.

  Charlie's second round was a success. He seemed more sure-footed about which way to take the sheep, as if  he'd been mulling it over while we were all eating.  It  also looked as if he was having the time of his life as his tail was in full swing the entire time.

Charlie: round 2

seriously, they were moving fast

   It was a learning experience, both for the dogs and their owners. I really think that was one of the coolest things I have done in a long time. I wish I had natural instincts like these dogs do.