Herding lines? - Page 4

Not Daryl or Aqua, but check out the judges list on the AKC website (look for C course judges) and/or the Yahoo tending group. Those are great starters if you do not get someone word-of-mouth.
--Mary

It isn't easy to find if you want to train regularly it seems.  My biggest concerns were finding a trainer that used methods I could live with for my dog.   I ended up buying my own VERY SMALL flock of sheep so we could practice more regularly and it is really difficult to keep my gsd soft enough on 17 sheep to keep them calm, but we are managing the basics of boundary tending and a bit of leading road work.    The more regulrly we work the more she keeps her head.   I'll have a chance to see her on a hundred sheep in June and I am so excited about it.   I have no idea if she'll be overwhelmed or finally feel like she has enough to do.   With our little bitty flock she wants to move them FAST, and she doesn't really see the point in working a border if they are all standing around and she can see everyone perfectly well from one spot.  I have heard from people that work all sized flocks on C and HGH that for her dogs, it's easier with a big flock because pressure from the dogs doesn't make the whole flock move, just pushes a bit on the edge of it.  Less reaction, keeps things calmer.  I love love love learning about this tending stuff.  My dog wasn't born for it,  and I have had the pleasure of working a kirschental import that belongs to friends, and he falls into it much easier than she does.   But I like working her anyway even if we have to work at it a bit, she is very intuitive and thoughtful and really driven to work as a team with me, more so than he is.  So that makes up a bit I think for the lower auto-pilot herding drive.   It's a blast, if you can find a place, try it.  

Heather

I have really been wanting to find some one that is eduacated on this...  I have showlines, which are not as drivey as the working lines, I wandered what would be better, I can see my working line girl doing a great job, but I could also see her getting carried away!!  lol  I have one showline female who thought it would be better to listen to her instincts instead of my commands about a week ago and would not leave the horses alone, needless to say she got a swift kick in the noggin!!  Now she keeps a much safer distance!  lol  If I knew what to do I would so go buy some sheep and just have some major fun with it!  I definately got the pasture for it!  My working line girl is always herding my horses on her own, and she stays on the outside of them almost pacing behind them, she has never went after them but I think it would be very hard to resist on a smaller animal...  My Mali wants to herd my chickens...LMAO...NOT she wants to eat every one of them!!  hehehe 

You can find lots of great experienced advice on the yahoo tending group at http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/TendingDogs/  Susan Sullivan and Dianne Wright are very helpful, and can answer all your questions about tending in AHBA, AKC, HGH, etc, and possibly refer you to a good training instructor in your area.

You might try this one in Berryville VA, but I don't know if they're closest, or even if they do tending.
Potomac Valley Stockdog Association, Sue Mesa, (540) 955-0764

"My biggest concerns were finding a trainer that used methods I could live with for my dog."

What do you mean by that, Heather?

"There are many tasks the GSD excels in today but this was what the breed was developed to do by Stephanitz."

Moons, I think it would be more proper to say, breed was already fit for the job, but that he helped to develop it into a "police dog".  My impression is more that Stephanitz was a promoter, a politician, before amounting to much as a breeder.  The requirement of having dogs for herding, tending and livestock guardians was already in great decline before Stephanitz's work began, but I'm sure the talent was much more prevalent than is now.  The breed, as he found it at the turn of the 20th century, wasn't so drastically different from the native dogs that were tending flocks documented by the first Romans to venture into the region among its native peoples centuries prior.  But the breed has drastically transformed since his hand in it, with his handpicked selection of influential sires.  I often wonder if I'd prefer the breed, if it were more like it was in the 1920's or earlier.

There is a place in Bangor, Pa called Raspberry Ridge Sheep farm, I think, that has a herding boot camp listed amongst it's many canine classes. Never been there, haven't met the folks, just saw the web site......jackie harris

<<<<My biggest concerns were finding a trainer that used methods I could live with for my dog."
What do you mean by that, Heather?>>>>


My dog tries very hard to be correct when she understands the rules of a new game.  We teach new behaviors primarily by positive reinforcement and motivational methods.    We encountered too many herding methods that rely on immediately starting with corrections for mistakes before the dog has a chance to understand the game, or that involved the trainer taking the leash and forcing the dog to march the border to show them they had no choice but to work when told.   I wasn't comfortable with that.   For my dog, I did not feel those were the right way to be starting her training. 

I just saw the post on Raspberry Ridge...  we LOVED tending camp there,  had a great time, and will be going again in June.  Really looking forward to it. 

Heather

Blkdog,

Check out this woman's blog: goingferal.livejournal.com/tag/herding  She is a GSD breeder in Virginia and has been taking several of her dogs to herding training in Smithfield, VA. Her kennel Website is blackthornkennel.com/ . She might be able to help point you at a training flock near you.