Category: Our sheepdogs at work
Training a strong dog and struggling?
Does your sheepdog training sometimes feel like a fight to protect the sheep? We welcome questions from subscribers to the online tutorials, and a common problem (sometimes described as “the red mist”) can be summed up by this extract from a recent email. “We are training an 18 month old B/C bitch we have owned for three months. She is very strong willed. We struggle… Read more.
Herding Sheep and Cattle at Dean Farm
Carew at work with sheep and cattle Yesterday’s routine trip to Dean Farm turned out to be more challenging than I expected when first Carew had to gather thirty ewes with lambs which were mixed up with an equal number of young cattle, and then she had to return some renegade calves to the field they’d escaped from. Gathering the ewes and lambs was no… Read more.
Sheepdog vs stubborn sheep
Carew’s patient determination when a sheep gets difficult Watch the sheepdog vs stubborn sheep video Just under a week ago, we exchanged our well-chased sheep for some fresh ones. The new bunch of sheep comprises several breeds, including pure Welsh, speckle-faced, and mules. There are even two black sheep in there! Sheepdog vs stubborn sheep! Some of the newcomers can be surprisingly stubborn sheep when… Read more.
Carew and Kay meet their match!
Our Featured image (above) shows Mo – seemingly unaware of the two lambs behind her! The sheep in Shropshire don’t give up too easily Herding began well on Saturday, when we took Carew and Kay to Shropshire to gather sheep for shearing, but unfortunately the ewes and their lambs were determined not to be gathered easily. Splitting into two or even three groups, some of… Read more.
Now Available – A Tale of Two Collies!
Our new Sheepdog Training Tutorials project compares the training of litter-sisters Bronwen and Scylla They may be litter sisters, but Bronwen and Scylla are two trainee herding dogs with very different temperaments. Both love to play, and both are fanatical about working stock but there the similarity ends. Scylla isn’t too keen on people and much prefers the company of other dogs, particularly her father… Read more.
A cold wet gather but our spirits were high
In less than a month, the days will begin to lengthen! This morning I had a surprise call from our landlord John who wanted me to help gather sheep at Dean Farm. As usual, I was more than glad to oblige, but things were a bit rushed! We were late getting up, and the first real frost of the winter meant the hose pipe was… Read more.
Gathering sheep in glorious October sun!
Kay and Carew both put in a good performance at Dean Farm After the sheep gather was delayed by two days of really wet weather, we were rewarded with bright sunshine at Dean Farm today. Kay and Carew worked very well together. In this picture they’re driving a flock of ewes towards the railway bridge on the drive to the farm. I was especially pleased with… Read more.
Eve at the Pen – Sheepdog Training Video
Getting sheep into a tight spot, and then getting them out again, needs confidence and control Practising any particular technique, time and time again, becomes boring for handler and dog, so don’t be afraid to tackle something new with your young dog, even if you think he might not be quite ready. There’s no harm in broadening the dog’s horizons, and encouraging it to think.… Read more.
Carew’s Impressive Outruns at Dean Farm!
“Rudi” (as she’s known) did the entire gather by herself Driving to Dean Farm at dawn this morning, I decided that Kay would do the longer outruns today. Kay’s taken something of a back seat in recent weeks, with young dogs needing practice. It seemed fair to give Kay some long outruns – she’s always enjoyed it, and she’s good at them. Last week Carew… Read more.