Freckles Herding Test Results

Did take Freckles up for his Instinct Test yesterday but made a big mistake by taking Duke along also. When we arrived at the training complex around 9:00 there were already about twenty people with dogs waiting so I walked Freckles over to get him used to the new crowd while Dukesmom walked Duke back to a pond. They returned and sat on a bench behind the crowd while Freckles and I waited for his turn in the pen with the sheep. Freckles kept wanting to go to back to Duke.
When his turn came the instructor took his lead and walked him into the pen but all Freclkes wanted was to go back to his his mama and brother. The instructor finally asked me to come in and take his lead and I finally got him to notice the sheep and start to sniff which was a good sign but then he would head for the gate pulling me along.
Meanwhile Dukesmom said that Duke spent the whole time whinning and trying to go to us. Just two big ninnies
Freckles did fine in obedience and beginning agility because I took him alone without Duke so I am going to try the herding again later this fall.

 

Ack! That happened to me once at an agility trial. I had a friend holding Bonnie way at the back of the arena while I ran Nala. I couldn't hear a thing, but apparently Bonnie was crying and Nala definitely could hear her. She would stop right in the middle of her run and turn and stare at Bonnie, and I had a heck of a time getting her attention back. I had to put Bonnie in the car for the next run. Now I always put Bonnie in her crate and have her facing away from the ring and leave her long enough before the run that she's had a chance to settle down. Or I leave her at home, because all that just gets exhausting.

Can you tell us about the other dogs at the herding test thingy, and what the testers were looking for?

 

When Dooley was tested he acted the same way. The trainer had me come into the ring and Dooley would approach the sheep WITH me, but was not at all interested in anything but getting the heck out of Dodge. I made sure that nobody else was there..and that was still the reaction I got. You may get the same reaction. I'm not an expert...but I would think that a dog with very strong drive would in that moment be more interested in the sheep than anything else. Annie, who has incredible drive is incredibly difficult to pull away. Her focus is so great that you literally have to touch her sometimes to get her back down to earth.

 

Jamiya,
Basically they were looking for focus and interest in the sheep. Sniffing, staring, following etc.
The other dogs there were mainly purebreds known for herding. Border Collies, Aussies, and Corgies, as well as two Puli's and one German Shepherd, and a Sheltie. The owner has ten Border Collies that she trains for field trials and three Great Pyrs that guard her herd of about 80 sheep.
The people with the Puli's went out to the main field to work the big herd and a bit later all three Pyr's launched off to the field when they saw the people approaching the herd.

 

I need to get my dogs tested, just for fun! Actually, I want to teach them to herd the fosters in to me when we go to the park. :lol:

I predict that Nala would want to play with the sheep and Bonnie would be scared of them. Bonnie might do ducks okay, although she might be scared of them, too. Even Nala might be scared of sheep at this point. A year or so ago I don't think she would have been.

Little Chomper may indeed have some aussie in him. When the dogs play chase in the backyard, he tends to turn and head Nala off. My dogs play like that all the time, but when I had Emma May she never did that - she just followed (and couldn't keep up). Chomper can't quite keep up either, but he's faster than Emma May was, even with his short legs. And he's fairly mouthy, too.