Sheepdog training weekend

On the 4th and 5th of June, a sheepdog training weekend will be held at Nan and Murray Lloyd’s property, west of Darkan.
Come anytime after 8.30 am.

This weekend is for anyone who is interested in learning more about training sheepdogs, needs some help with their dog or wants to learn how to start a pup the right way.

Or perhaps you are interested in sheepdog trialling, and would like some information. If anyone out there is thinking of giving trialling a go this year, this would be a great start.

Experienced handlers will be available to offer help and assistance. And also some inexperienced handlers, like me, just to offer moral support and proof that even the incurably incompetent can enjoy working sheepdogs...

Accommodation can be arranged if necessary
Cost will be $20 and a plate of food for anyone staying the night. Those who just wish to come for the day please bring a plate of food.
Cooked breakfast will be included for anyone staying over night.

For more details ring Nan Lloyd on 97361043.
Or email karuma1@bigpond.com

Come along, but wear long trousers, gloves and some heavy duty pest repellent, because in the wilds of Darkan you may encounter one of these:

or even these:

and possibly lose a finger.

New Year’s Day

At the Atherton’s. Nice people, nice dogs (and Bill came along too), a drink or two and a sad little collapse into bed at half past ten with the kiddies.

One of Phil Doherty’s young dogs- Ramulam Don x Ramulam Jen

Sam Lloyd and Kumbark Yindi (Badgingarra Bobby x Christies Driftz)

Ramulam Gus (Boylee Doug x Branga Spec)

 Mac’s Boss and Ollie (Badgingarra Jake x Daheim Queani)

The Jake/Queani boys are starting to grow up a little- Boss is the most serious, still the most like his mum and a bit softish, while Ollie is just a great big sweet pup who has some growing up to do. Boss will stay here, Ollie will probably be looking for a new home soon.

 Boss

Ollie 

Boylee Copper (Boylee Tobie x Boylee Speck)

Copper was an unexpected Christmas gift, and if things work out he might be my new trial prospect. His first time on sheep looked okay- I just need to work out how to catch him!

An up and coming Ramulam kelpie pup 

Pete Doherty’s newest additionAn Olboa Ben x Jandoree Molly pup

Sooty is an up and comer too- not sure where she’s coming up to or from, but she’s too cute to care

Pavlova and fruit- Aussie kid fuel!   

    Looking forward to a fabulous New Year!

 And a good solid nap…

Starting pups

Following on from the Flyboys' debut as sheepdogs, I thought I'd stick up a few other kind of recent clips of pups starting on sheep.

Mostly we start them in the round pen, mainly because it's easier to catch the pups. The small area and higher pressure of the pen can make it more intimidating for baby dogs, so sometimes we start them out in the paddock, hopefully using some quiet trainer sheep if we have them handy, with an older dog covering out wide. It depends on the puppy (are they quick enough to get around sheep in the paddock, and can they handle the round pen pressure?), the available sheep (the killer mob often includes unworked older sheep which either take on little dogs in the round pen, or take off running in the paddock) and the available facilities (sometimes our round pen set-up gets used elsewhere).

We usually show the pups sheep as early as possible, let them have a go in the pen or paddock at 4 or 5 months just to see what they do, and start working them properly when they're showing that they can handle it, which might be 6 months for one pup and 18 months for another (stand up, Pinky!).

Watching baby pups like the Flyboys having their first taste of fresh sheep poo, it blows me away to think about their great-grandmother, Glenview Spotty, who apparently ran in her first 3 sheep trial at 5 months, where she made the Open final. She won her first Open final at 9 months, and was still trialling successfully (and working for a living) at 13 years.

Here's Just Esme (Grassvalley Tippy x Boylee Ella), taken on the same day as the Flyboys clips last week. She's 5 months old now, and she has a bit more experience on sheep than the Flyboys- not a deliberate move on our part. She'd started taking off at the end of a walk to follow the delinquent Salli Kelpie down to the training paddock, where Salli would muster the training mob to the gate, and Esme would run amok. But it doesn't seem to have done her any harm.




From earlier this year, this is Kriszty's Secret (Mick x Ivanhoe Sally), on her first holiday back at the farm. She was also 5 months old- still a bit of a puppy, and a bit fired up at times, especially in the round pen, but she picked up confidence quickly later on.




And this is Secret's litter brother, Sonic, 6 months old, on sheep for the first time at the Jenny Parsons' clinic at Capel in February. He was a bit unsure and a bit focussed on getting to the heads (like his mum), but nice and calm, which I think took Karen by surprise. I did hear that he fired up more on his second exposure!

Recent clinics- Sean Barrett, Jenny Parsons

Last weekend it was the stockhandling school with Sean Barrett of Black Dog kelpies, held at Nan Lloyd's place at Darkan. Very very worthwhile, even if the lack of sleep and cranky baby made life fairly difficult. Similar to Neil McDonald and Bud Williams methods, and the "parts of the eye" stuff teaching us how to influence animals using the drive, drift, bend and block zones was an eye opener. I can see it being extremely useful for me alone and working my dogs- it seems they have a better understanding of this stuff than I do. R was familiar with it already because of the natural horsemanship he's done, but it was still very useful.

No photos, sorry.

This weekend we managed to get to Capel to Jean Hydleman's place, for a school with Jenny Parsons. This was very casual, extremely well catered (I ate like a pig!) and we were able to stay in Jean's caravan so I would have been well rested if babyJ hadn't decided to wake up every half hour on Saturday night. He was exceptionally well behaved otherwise, spent most of his time paddling in the dogs' trough. Mucky water, dogs galore, it was Jack's idea of heaven.

We saw a few nice young kelpies, Richard's favourite being Badgingarra Blue, a Jock pup (out of Robinson's Lady), and a mix of other dogs, from the babies (Nan Lloyd's Drift pups and Tom's fuggly pup), various pets, rescues, show-bred dogs, shelties, aussies, BCs and working-bred collies and NZHD-BC crosses, to the mature and sensible experienced trial dogs like Jean's Laydee and George.

Because of the range of ages and levels of experience in handlers and dogs, the clinic went from round yard to paddock and back, but focussed on getting handlers to recognise the influence their behaviour has on their dogs (I need to stop scowling, apparently), and for the dogs, exercises on learning pace and "low-stress stockhandling", so it tied in nicely with last weekend.

We also got to see young Sonic's first time on sheep- Karen was sure he'd be a nutty barker, but he was quiet and fairly serious, kept well off the sheep and settled fairly well, even if he seems a bit soft and possibly overly strong on the head like his mother. He's only a baby yet, but fingers crossed he'll turn out to be a dog Karen can go on with.

Karen with Sonic:
 












Hayden Harries with one of his nice young NZHD-BC pups (KnightxKelly)
 













Marianne and her new mini Beardie (no, sorry, that's Tom's Border Terrier Pritani)
 













Nan's Drift:
 

Guirmere Brynn:
 












Tom and Chris with Brynn:
 











Warren with his kelpie, Badgingarra Blue (a Jock pup):
 












Karen's Riot (Hotnote AsGoodasitgets):