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by fawndallas on 10 May 2012 - 20:05
Does anyone have links to or pictures of GSDs herding in a natural state (not as a competition)? I am curious to see a GSD working on a farm/ranch as a herd dog.
Most of what I am finding is in a competition atmosphere and this is not what I am looking for.
Most of what I am finding is in a competition atmosphere and this is not what I am looking for.
by peter c on 10 May 2012 - 21:05
you might like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkQ9yvCVPrg
by Ramage on 10 May 2012 - 21:05
by tom12j on 11 May 2012 - 16:05
Dude youtube is full of these kind of videos, just search on youtube. you'll find the results
by fawndallas on 11 May 2012 - 16:05
i have to be careful of YouTube. I pay by the download on my internet...
Next question.....
Does anyone here actually have a herding GSD of their own (again, not for competition)? A working ranch; cattle is best, as that is what is mostly in my area.
If so....
What type of herders are GSDs? (i.e. heelers, headers, rounders)
Do GSDs work better in pens or open range?
If you are located in Texas, would it be possible to come by on a weekend in June to view the GSD at work?
Next question.....
Does anyone here actually have a herding GSD of their own (again, not for competition)? A working ranch; cattle is best, as that is what is mostly in my area.
If so....
What type of herders are GSDs? (i.e. heelers, headers, rounders)
Do GSDs work better in pens or open range?
If you are located in Texas, would it be possible to come by on a weekend in June to view the GSD at work?
by aceofspades on 11 May 2012 - 16:05
The people I bought Ace from work their dogs on their ranch. But you can't come see them. Northern BC Canada is a little far from Texas. LOL
by RompNRun on 11 May 2012 - 17:05
Save your pennies and fly up to NY for the annual HGH trial. It is a spectacular display of the original purpose of this breed. You have not witnessed genetics, training, and conditioning come together like this before.
by fawndallas on 11 May 2012 - 17:05
Hmmm...Canada is on my husband's wish list for a vacation...May have to make some plans.
New York.....not too sure I can convince my husband to go there (too many people he says)....May be just a play weekend for my self.
New York.....not too sure I can convince my husband to go there (too many people he says)....May be just a play weekend for my self.
by Rass on 11 May 2012 - 17:05
German Shepherd dogs are large flock TENDERS. They are trained to maintain a BOUNDARY.
I did some videos of the HGH trial in NJ last fall. I did not post them and have no plans to. The dogs had to maintain boundaries on a wide graze, a narrow graze, bring the sheep up to the shepherd when he called them and lead them to a new area and maintain the boundary along a "road." They also had to bring the sheep up to the shepherd out of the pen and to the wide graze where they maintained the boundary.
They are not headers.. and they will do more heel work.
I had a GSD that worked my cattle back in the 90's. She would help the horse push the herd to another location (I was on the horse). It was all pushing at the back of the herd. There were fences so we had a boundary and I was asking my dog to work at something she was not genetically programmed to do.
She did herd because THAT was in her, but she was never trained to the boundary. She would have done it.. as she showed some natural boundary tendency when I was out in the field just letting the cows graze and sitting on the horse and watching them. Kazi would pick up a line and hold it or stand and watch the cattle with me.
If you want cattle dogs to handle semi wild cattle up close (especially beef) you probably would be better with a dog like an ACD.
Here is an example of a GSD tending:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgJ-LSxukCk&feature=related
And a Schaefermeister at the 2011 Bundeshuten using the (typical) two dogs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ojNQGa0TwE&feature=related
In Germany the dogs were used to help contain large flocks that were put together from several owners in villages. There were no fences and the dogs had to keep the flock out of other crops and on grazes along roads and the like. It was not open range like we have in the US but more like New England Fields with some in grass (hay) and grass around the edges of fields and along the roads. The shepherd was paid to graze the sheep through the season and would move them over several miles through a seeason moving from graze to graze. He was responsible for those sheep and if he lost one or one was injured, he had to pay for it.
I did some videos of the HGH trial in NJ last fall. I did not post them and have no plans to. The dogs had to maintain boundaries on a wide graze, a narrow graze, bring the sheep up to the shepherd when he called them and lead them to a new area and maintain the boundary along a "road." They also had to bring the sheep up to the shepherd out of the pen and to the wide graze where they maintained the boundary.
They are not headers.. and they will do more heel work.
I had a GSD that worked my cattle back in the 90's. She would help the horse push the herd to another location (I was on the horse). It was all pushing at the back of the herd. There were fences so we had a boundary and I was asking my dog to work at something she was not genetically programmed to do.
She did herd because THAT was in her, but she was never trained to the boundary. She would have done it.. as she showed some natural boundary tendency when I was out in the field just letting the cows graze and sitting on the horse and watching them. Kazi would pick up a line and hold it or stand and watch the cattle with me.
If you want cattle dogs to handle semi wild cattle up close (especially beef) you probably would be better with a dog like an ACD.
Here is an example of a GSD tending:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgJ-LSxukCk&feature=related
And a Schaefermeister at the 2011 Bundeshuten using the (typical) two dogs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ojNQGa0TwE&feature=related
In Germany the dogs were used to help contain large flocks that were put together from several owners in villages. There were no fences and the dogs had to keep the flock out of other crops and on grazes along roads and the like. It was not open range like we have in the US but more like New England Fields with some in grass (hay) and grass around the edges of fields and along the roads. The shepherd was paid to graze the sheep through the season and would move them over several miles through a seeason moving from graze to graze. He was responsible for those sheep and if he lost one or one was injured, he had to pay for it.
by Rass on 11 May 2012 - 18:05
BTW the photos of the dog that Ramage posted are not showing the tending training the German Shepherd was genetically programmed to do. That is more like Border Collie herding where the dog is driving and the dog lies down to take pressure off the stock. German Shepherds STAND and do NOT lie down to handle stock. They take pressure off or on by movement and by standing still. They watch a boundary and drive the sheep back in if they cross the boundary.
The boundary my be a plough furrow or a strip mowed short or a road or a change in crops.
The boundary my be a plough furrow or a strip mowed short or a road or a change in crops.
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