Allie will be with Sheep 1st time!
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Congrats on getting Allie a place to go meet sheep. 
Her response and the sheep's reponse are not very predictable. Our own sheep were really bossy to Chewie when he was littler - they had lambs and were in a very protective mode. A couple times they went after him and rammed him into the pen walls. So, we quit bringing him out for awhile. Then we reintroduced him - but just to the growing lambs - and it worked well. The next step I took him to another farm - where he did his herding instinct test. He really went after them, they were sheep used to working with a dog. Last week about 15 of our lambs (now looking like the big sheep) got out in the yard. He went right after them and got them back in the barn. So now he is in a confident mode, and I'm sure he will be able to take on the big girls! It is not uncommon for a dog to be nervous, eat poop and not be "turned on" to the sheep at first. Sometimes it takes a few exposures. Is this farm used to working with herding dogs and are they going to be able to help you? |
| how cool want to see pics good luck |
| No, the farm has no herding dogs! Just a retreiver, who is around the sheep and the sheep ignore him. We are actually going there for a cookout and they told us to bring Allie, see what happens. The family who owns the farm is curious also! I will start out by letting her look at them thru the fence.
Got Sheep, any other tips, being you have a sheep farm and sheepies?? Sure wish I had cancelled the grooming appt today, but so hard to get in there. So I am sure I will have a muddy dog, but it should be fun! |
| We've only had the opportunity to let Winston around a herd of sheep once, and he was very young - only about one and a half, maybe less. But it was mind boggling to watch. He saw them from the car window, and the second I opened the door he was out like a shot. These were sheep who had never had a herding dog around them, either. There were about 11 or 12 of them. Anyway, he ran right up and started after them - they ran to their pen and he stopped in the entrance. Not kidding - it just happened.
I've always wished we could do that more often....just to watch the pure instict - and to let the kids see now that they're older. But, I know nobody with sheep AND we live in the city! I hope you have as much fun. It's a great memory for me. |
| I personally wouldn't be too concerned about your dog getting hurt. I would think if they're letting your dog run with their sheep, they or you will be in there with them the first time!
We've noticed that dogs feel most comfortable with their owner the first few times. Newbies that come to our herding place always have dogs that want to know where mommy and daddy are ...so don't concentrate on the sheep at first (this was pretty much every herding breed that goes to this place). Have fun! I think it's a neat experience. My dog loves sheep more than food......................hands down! Quote: It is not uncommon for a dog to be nervous, eat poop and not be "turned on" to the sheep at first.
This made me laugh. I forgot what our friend calls the eating poop, but the reference has something to do with her dog thinking the sheep are her very own pez dispenser.  We've seen so many dogs, INCLUDING YUKI, be more interesting in eating sheepie poop the first several times!!! They get over it once they realize what their duty is.
We also notice a lot of first timers can't resist pooping their first time! I think a lot of it has to do with the high activity level. All of our dogs GO soon after they herd sheep. They've learned not to do it while working.  |
WOW - good luck! I have read that some sheep can be more aggressive than others - probably depending on age, experience with dogs, etc. So while I wouldn't stress out about it, I would just "go at it" either!! However, I have no personal experience!!  |
| Have fun, lots of photos too. Some have the instinct for it, others don't, take it from a person who's one sheepie relative saw the sheep, the sheep went Baah and he hid behind his moms legs and would not move.
Go for it and enjoy, be nice to hear how she went and what she thought of the sheep that go BAAAH. |
| Sounds like it's going to be lots of fun! You definately have to get back to us and tell us how it went.
Years ago when I moved to suberbia I was happy to find that the end of my cul de sac led to a tiny kids park. No one but the people in the cul de sac would even know it existed. Better still, next to that an acreage, in the heart of the burbs which was hidden from the main road! Recieving the owners permission to walk my dog there, I was even more amazed to find his neighbor also had permission to let his sheep graze there! Shaggy, who was a city dog and never seen a sheep in her life, came across them one day grazing in the field. Shaggy tentatively walked out and greeted a tiny lamp by touching noses. Both seemed shy but I was confident that Shaggy would be gentle with the tiny creature as she was very mothering to all small animals. Suddenly she was off like a shot and her herding instinct kicked in. She rounded up the sheep like she'd been doing it all her life and even led them back to the barn two fields over! The sheep didn't appear to be frightened of her and she didn't nip them but raced circles around them and made sure none strayed. This went on for years and even when Big Dog, another sheepie joined our family, he too, would round up the sheep and lead them back to the barn. That, or the sheep knew instinctively to race for their home turf. Both sheepies were never harmful to the sheep. Kinda neat to watch the natural instinct kick in. I hope your experience will be just as positive and can't wait to hear how it went for Allie. Marianne |
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