Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Herding adventure update & pics
Last week, I started a discussion to see if anybody had any sheep herding experience with their doodle because I recently signed for a class that a local dog trainer arranged. I promised an update, so here it is. We just got back from the class (which was really a session to see if your dog had any instinct to herd), and except for one aspect, it was a lot of fun!
The sheep herding instructor started off with a demonstration using one her champion border collies (the first couple of pics). It was really impressive to see the dog listen to commands from across the field and herd the sheep into a pen in a controlled manner. The instructor raises her dogs as working dogs and not really as pets, so while she will give them toys, she doesn't play with the dogs. She also doesn't take her dogs to dog parks or really socialize them with other dogs because she wants them to understand that sheep are their life. This was a foreign notion for the rest of us who dote on our pooches with play and daycare.
Then, it was time for the instructor to take each dog to test their instinct with a couple of sheep in a small enclosure. She first put a long lead on them, and if it turned out that they could be around the sheep without being aggressive, she took off the lead. All of the dogs were mixed breeds, so everybody was curious about how each dog would perform. Our local trainer also used the opportunity to point out different dog behaviors -- Some dogs exhibited a high drive to herd (really chase) the sheep, and one owner was pleased to discover an activity that her couch potato dog was excited about. A couple of dogs were intimidated and completely avoided eye contact at the sheep, sniffing the ground and looking anywhere except at the sheep.
And then there was Riley.
Riley was a goofball and had everybody laughing. Even the herding instructor called him silly. When it was Riley's turn to go into the pen, he didn't quite know what to make of the sheep. He was hesitant at first (as you'll see from the first couple of pics), but as soon as he saw that they moved when he approached, GAME ON! Most of the time, he had the zoomies and was zigzagging around pen and jumping up in the air. Everybody was laughing at my little clown. A couple of times, he tried to engage the sheep in play by initiating a play bow, and my poor little bear was disappointed when nobody chased him. That really cracked everybody up.
But I also got several good pics of him chasing the sheep. I don't think he understood what he was supposed to do, but he had a lot of fun doing it. He's exhausted and sleeping it off right now.
There was only one downside of the class: The last dog in the pen was really excited and tried to bite the sheep several times. The instructor's method to discourage this was to using a stick that had a spongy ball at the end, and when the dog got too close or tried to nip the sheep, the instructor would bonk the dog on the head or snout with the spongy end of the stick. And sometimes, it wasn't a light bonk. The dog's owner didn't seem bothered by this and was actually laughing about it, but I was uncomfortable, and I could tell that our local trainer was too. At one point, the instructor told us that she doesn't use the positive training method (no, really??). Now, let me be clear that the dog was not hurt, and I understand that you need to protect the sheep from dogs that have intense focus, but it still made me very uneasy. If this incident had occurred earlier, I wouldn't have let Riley in the pen.
Setting aside that one negative experience, I thought it was a great outlet for Riley, and I would do it again, but with a different herding instructor.
Here are several pics --http://picasaweb.google.com/yumipwr626/SheepHerdingAdventure#
Look at them in the full screen view -- better contrast. Enjoy!
The sheep herding instructor started off with a demonstration using one her champion border collies (the first couple of pics). It was really impressive to see the dog listen to commands from across the field and herd the sheep into a pen in a controlled manner. The instructor raises her dogs as working dogs and not really as pets, so while she will give them toys, she doesn't play with the dogs. She also doesn't take her dogs to dog parks or really socialize them with other dogs because she wants them to understand that sheep are their life. This was a foreign notion for the rest of us who dote on our pooches with play and daycare.
Then, it was time for the instructor to take each dog to test their instinct with a couple of sheep in a small enclosure. She first put a long lead on them, and if it turned out that they could be around the sheep without being aggressive, she took off the lead. All of the dogs were mixed breeds, so everybody was curious about how each dog would perform. Our local trainer also used the opportunity to point out different dog behaviors -- Some dogs exhibited a high drive to herd (really chase) the sheep, and one owner was pleased to discover an activity that her couch potato dog was excited about. A couple of dogs were intimidated and completely avoided eye contact at the sheep, sniffing the ground and looking anywhere except at the sheep.
And then there was Riley.
Riley was a goofball and had everybody laughing. Even the herding instructor called him silly. When it was Riley's turn to go into the pen, he didn't quite know what to make of the sheep. He was hesitant at first (as you'll see from the first couple of pics), but as soon as he saw that they moved when he approached, GAME ON! Most of the time, he had the zoomies and was zigzagging around pen and jumping up in the air. Everybody was laughing at my little clown. A couple of times, he tried to engage the sheep in play by initiating a play bow, and my poor little bear was disappointed when nobody chased him. That really cracked everybody up.
But I also got several good pics of him chasing the sheep. I don't think he understood what he was supposed to do, but he had a lot of fun doing it. He's exhausted and sleeping it off right now.
There was only one downside of the class: The last dog in the pen was really excited and tried to bite the sheep several times. The instructor's method to discourage this was to using a stick that had a spongy ball at the end, and when the dog got too close or tried to nip the sheep, the instructor would bonk the dog on the head or snout with the spongy end of the stick. And sometimes, it wasn't a light bonk. The dog's owner didn't seem bothered by this and was actually laughing about it, but I was uncomfortable, and I could tell that our local trainer was too. At one point, the instructor told us that she doesn't use the positive training method (no, really??). Now, let me be clear that the dog was not hurt, and I understand that you need to protect the sheep from dogs that have intense focus, but it still made me very uneasy. If this incident had occurred earlier, I wouldn't have let Riley in the pen.
Setting aside that one negative experience, I thought it was a great outlet for Riley, and I would do it again, but with a different herding instructor.
Here are several pics --http://picasaweb.google.com/yumipwr626/SheepHerdingAdventure#
Look at them in the full screen view -- better contrast. Enjoy!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08 on
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Riley looked like he was having a blast. I'm glad you did enjoy learning how they heard sheep and look forward to reading about others things they teach you in this class. I don't like to see them use that sponge thing either to bonk a dog and I think most herding trainers do use them. Had it been my dog I would have removed her from that situation, sorry but I don't allow anyone to ever hit my dog's for any reason's. A firm correction is fine, but not hitting. Riley enjoy your nap...more fun adventures are yet to come.
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Permalink Reply by Leslie, Dexter & Kirby on
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You gave me such a good laugh :) I would bet money that Dexter would try to play with the sheep too. The photos are so cute!
I'm glad you tried this...I was really curious after reading your first post on the topic.
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Permalink Reply by Tammy & Gracie on
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That looks like so much fun. I hope you get a chance to try again. The photos are awesome!
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Permalink Reply by Adina P on
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Riley was hilarious! Sounds like it was a fun time overall. Thanks so much for sharing all those great pics. It is quite something to see real herding dogs do their 'work' as they are amazing at it.
So what's next? Is Riley gonna keep trying or do you think it was a 'nice fun day' but nothing to persue?
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Permalink Reply by Dan, Judi, & Timbow on
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The pictures are so cute!!!! When I first started reading this all I could think of was "Timbow would act like a crazy dog and want to play with the sheep and even try to lick them in the face". Guess our doodles have similar personalities! :-) I wouldn't have liked the sponge either. Hopefully next time you won't have to deal with that and Riley can just keep having a great time!!
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Permalink Reply by Linda,Yankee & Finn on
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That looked like a riot. Absolutely priceless. Are you going back for more?
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Permalink Reply by Ellen on
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It definitely was a lot of fun to watch all the dogs try it! I think that I may try a lesson or two in a larger field and see how it goes. If he doesn't show any interest, we'll chalk it up as a new experience.
I thought Riley would be scared by sheep, so it was nice to see that he wasn't (except when the lead sheep challenged Riley) -- and by the way, sheep are a lot bigger than I expected! And Riley met his first horses (although from afar).....initially spooked and barked quite a bit but by the end of the day, he could walk up to the fence and look at the horses grazing.
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Permalink Reply by Leslie and Halas on
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Looks like fun. Glad you had a good time.
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Just updated my page with a video of the herding adventure -- http://www.youtube.com/user/KissAbleCanine#play/all/uploads-all/0/S...
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Permalink Reply by Stella on
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Great pictures, it looks like he had a lot of fun! It is good that you got to try something so different, and usually so specialised to border collies!!
We were doing an agility demostration a few weeks ago, and after us there was going to be some sheep herding. In their wisdom, the organisers penned the sheep in the corner of the field we were doing agility in. My boy did ok after he'd had a good look at them, but one of the Wheaten Terriers in our group kept running away to stand at the edge of the pen and stare at them - we're not sure if he wanted to play with them or eat them!! We took our dogs to see a petting zoo at a local farmers market and Hartley stood sniffing the ponys nose and then bowing at him!!
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Your doodle had the same reaction as mine! It sounds like Hartley wasn't scared of the pony. Riley's a bit scared of horses, but he calmed down enough to walk up to the fence and watch a couple of horses grazing.
How did Hartley do in the agility demonstration? I'm starting to take agility classes, but Riley gets so excited that he can't focus. He just wants to see the other dogs and the trainer (who has hot dogs).
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