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Teaching Gsd To Herd


HugL
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I recently moved out of Adelaide and am looking at running small amount of stock in the future. I currently have a 4yo GSD and was wondering if anyone has trained one to herd in real life situations.

I looked into herding before leaving Adelaide but, since moving, have seen real herding and realised how different the two are. Even trailing with these dogs is different.

I tried searching these forums with no luck and goggle only led to overseas breeders or u-tube videos of trials & mucking around.

I know GSD's competitively trail in SA but I am looking for more than title-training.

We have done obedience and he currently shares the backyard with a lamb we rescued from our cattle-grid.

Any help would be appreciated.

(I know some of the questions can get people heated so if I have written anything that offends, please realise I am just giving all the info so I can hopefully get help)

Thanks

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You are soooo lucky living in SA. Jane Humphrey the Herding Judge lives there. Please PM me and I will put you in touch with Jane, she will let you know when herding starts again next year. Most states don't start herding again now until March.

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Thanks for the link Kavik. Had a quick glance but looking forward to reading in full when I have time.

Freundhund - Does Jane train for real life and has she any experience with GSD? I don't think trial training is really what I am after ATM. I will PM you if I change my mind about what I am really after. Still new to this so it could happen as I get more informed. Thanks for the response.

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Jane is a GSD specialist breeder and show person. Her two older GSD's are full german imports(both herd and have herding titles). Her new puppy is from a bitch that herds.

Yes, Jane does herd in real life as well as for trialling. When she lived in WA she had her own sheep. Once her new house is build she will have sheep again.

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Jane is a GSD specialist breeder and show person. Her two older GSD's are full german imports(both herd and have herding titles). Her new puppy is from a bitch that herds.

Interesting! I didn't think we had full HGH lines here, I'm filing this knowledge away for a later date...

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Weasles, love kelpies but not in position to get 2nd dog. Waiting for my 2legged girls to get older before going down that path again. Maybe in the future....

Freundhund, do the HGH imports have current shape or old fashioned? And are they going to be shown or just straight working? No real relevance other than my curiosity.

Thanks again for all info. Finally have somewhere to start referencing.

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's OK HugL I was just stirring :)

I have only seen Aussies and OESs herding out of the shepherd types (and only for ANKC trial training) but I think Kavik's description of a mobile fence is a good one. I am constantly amazed at how close the shepherds get to the sheep compared to the sheepdogs.

This article touches on the development of different herding types too - http://allbreedsherdingclubwa.com/images/understandankc.pdf (small PDF file).

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Some HGH lines are very closely related to showlines, as Karl Fuller of Kirschental fame, has for years combinded the current top Siegerschau dogs with his working herding dogs and bitches. A large number of herdinglines don't look out of place in the Siegerschau line up and some acutally compete in both.

In 2010 the HGH dogs that competed at the Siegerschau contain lines froM Naxos/Negus vom Holtkamper See x 3, Odin vom Holtkamper Hof x 3, Godalis Tino x 2, with VA dog Quantum vom Fiemereck x1 and x 3 grandchildren, highly regarded showlines such as Bojan von Pendler

x1 plus some grandchildren.

There is very little divide between the herding community and the showline community, unlike between show and workinglines.

Edited by freundhund
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Yep Jane would be your person. She is a wealth of knowledge on GSDs and herding and has spent time in Germany with the shepherds. You do have to realise they work differently to traditional working dogs in Australia so depending on what sort of work you need done, they may or may not be suitable for the task.

Jane trains her shepherds to work as moving fences as Kavik said and it is a totally different concept. I believe once she is set up on her new property she hopes to offer training for shepherds and similar working breeds.

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Weasels - I don't think I would include Aussie Shepherd in the group of breeds that are described as a mobile fence, they have a different style again. I certainly haven't heard of them being worked as a "C Course" breed - not to say that it couldn't happen though.

And I am sure an Aussie person will jump in and correct me if my understanding is wrong :)

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Some gsd herding links in US- going back to mostly old HGH/working.

Ellen Nickelsberg

Kleinenwiese German Shepherd

Some HGH lines are very closely related to showlines, as Karl Fuller of Kirschental fame, has for years combinded the current top Siegerschau dogs with his working herding dogs and bitches. A large number of herdinglines don't look out of place in the Siegerschau line up and some acutally compete in both.

The lines you are calling HGH lines today look exactly like other showlines to me, no wonder looking at their pedigrees as they are 99.9% the same as other modern showlines with a few faraway ancestors that were from old HGH dogs decades ago.

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I'm sure you're right Piper :) Aussie's are the most 'shepherdy' dogs I've personally seen herding though, and they seem to me to move the sheep more with their whole bodies (as 'loose-eyed' dogs) and working very closely compared to the BCs and kelpies at training. Unfortunately the OES I watched was just starting out and was nipping more than herding.

I would love to see GSDs and compare another type again. :)

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Aussies, while an upright breed, do work similarly to BCs, Kelpies, Koolies etc unlike the tending (if that is the right term) breeds like GSDs and Belgiums.

I have seen the imported HGH dogs work here in Sydney. They do seem to have a lot more instinct than most of the show line dogs who do training on C course. Camille imported the bitch in whelp and she has kept most of the resulting pups.

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I would love to see GSDs and compare another type again. :)

Someone had some really long videos on YouTube (I think), worth a search. Blissful.

It is. When you watch a good dog patrolling a graze or the road you realise the completely different work styles. Beside the GSDs we have a very promising Belgian training at the moment

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I would love to see GSDs and compare another type again. :)

Someone had some really long videos on YouTube (I think), worth a search. Blissful.

It is. When you watch a good dog patrolling a graze or the road you realise the completely different work styles. Beside the GSDs we have a very promising Belgian training at the moment

I love how in the tests (well, in the training for the tests, it's a bit more demarcated in the tests), one minute they are gracefully patrolling the furrow while the sheep peacefully graze. Then they go off and bite a dude while he cracks the schlagstock, then they just go back to to trotting along the furrow keeping the sheep calm and contained :laugh: Reminds me so much of my own dog in my suburban backyard in a funny way.

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