aidannorris Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Hi Guys i was wondering if you could tell me any info about getting into "city herding", i have 2 kelpies and would like to get them into some sport herding for fun and obedience. i have just done the beginner course with one of them with Eric at "working sheep dog show" and she had a ball and was not to bad for a first timer. i would like to do more but have no idea where to start looking. we live near springwood in brisbane and wanted to know if there were any clubs near by. cheers Aidan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShesaLikeableBiBear Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) Hi Aidan We have a sheep herding training facility at Woodford and have people, and their dogs, come out every Sunday morning- beginners and more experienced, alike. Our instructors both have kelpies, and we have probably another 8 kelpies who come out, OH and some borders, plus the odd sheltie. The only other place that has training is at Toogoolawah, and they have fun days/training approx once a month. The group at Toogoolawah are Queensland Herding Association and they are on FB. You can also find us on facebook- sheepherdingqueensland. You will see some photos on there of the dogs who come out. Perhaps you would like to send me a message on FB if interested?. :) PS: http://www.sheepherdingqueensland.com/ Edited June 12, 2012 by Hesapandabear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry's Mum Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Try Dale Formosa - you can also find him on Facebook - he runs frequent schools near Brisbane but I don't know where in relation to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandybrush Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I was going to mention Dale Formosa, hes at greenbank. im taking my koolie to a beginners clinic of his on sunday..so i can let u know how that goes. im also interested in Eric Tighe workshops as i have heard he is an excellent trainer ill have to look up where woodford is...never heard of that one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidannorris Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Eric was really good, he is pretty firm with the dogs though. if your used to giving your dog a cuddle on the couch be prepared for some pretty hard yanks on the lead and a few little snaps on the snout. he definently knows his stuff and is good at getting his point across. he seemed to be a trainer for dogs that work though, but i found it enjoyable as did my dog. my kelpie is a gentle dog and doesnt react to stressand yelling and he realised that straight away and trained accordingly whic i found good. woodford is about 45mins inland from caboulture I was going to mention Dale Formosa, hes at greenbank. im taking my koolie to a beginners clinic of his on sunday..so i can let u know how that goes. im also interested in Eric Tighe workshops as i have heard he is an excellent trainer ill have to look up where woodford is...never heard of that one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandybrush Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 (edited) erm..ok well my dog is my pet/family first and i am only interested to do some herding for a bit of fun...if he were to snap and hit my dogs snout i wouldnt be going bak...im a big softie when it comes to my dogs and dont take to others correcting/disciplining mine well but i might have read to far between the lines then and might actually like him... Edited June 19, 2012 by dandybrush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weasels Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Dandybrush - I am the same and I absolutely prefer positive reward training wherever possible. The thing about herding tho is that you are responsible for the welfare of both the dog and the sheep. An out-of-control predator is a risk to the life of one or more of the sheep, which can occur easily if the stock panic and break their neck on a fence, sometimes you need to shut the dog down fast. The other thing is the dog is in high drive and deeply focussed - what would be a scary aversive in 'normal' life is just an attention-getter when the dog is working. My boy Weez is scared of innumerable things normally and a raised voice can send him running, but I can shout 'til I have a sore throat in herding and he just looks up like "What? Oh sorry I was just eyeing these sheep here, be right with you" :D He only shuts down when he's confused. It took me a little while to realise it (even tho I got told a bunch of times, I'm just a little slow :laugh:), but training herding is not like any other sport, either in technique or in the dog's mind. BUT having said all that, IMHO you have to be careful to pull out too much harshness on a dog that is just starting to gain interest and build drive. Maybe if you could observe a training session first and decide for yourself if you want to have a go or if the trainer is too full on for what you want :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I've had a lesson with Jim Luce and enjoyed it - he works with Kelpies mostly so knows how to work with them There is, however, a reason I do agility and not herding . . . methods vary hugely and many are not very positive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandybrush Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 yes observing sounds like a good idea weasels. i am mega fussy about who i will allow to handle my dogs :laugh: my boy razzle is a nutter, confident and outgoing, but when it comes to how he is handled he is very sensitive, love my crazy boy dearly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weasels Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I am pretty fussy too :laugh: But if you can find a trainer you trust it is great fun :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidannorris Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Dandybrush - my two kelpies are like our two kids, i would never let someone lay the smack on them, although i have tried with them for over a year with only positive reinforcement and i only got partial results. i introduced some neg reinforcement and they are now starting to obey. i ran out of training time as i had a baby on the way. i think i may have painted the wrong picture about eric, he is very good at what he does, he does give the dogs positive reinforcement and he doesnt go straight for the 'el smacko' with them. he calls the dog to get focus and then if the dog doesnt focus, there is a gentle yank of the lead, the dogs that i saw him handle never yelped or were scared. i was amazed when i saw a 7 month old kelpie (he did say that he normally doesnt work with them that young)go from whimpering when we were sitting in his shed having a chat about what we want as goals etc to, after a few corrections, sitting by his side looking at him for direction. when we got out into the round pen, he was never agro to the animals but he was firm, i guess because they are his sheep that we are using and he want to protect them as well as teach the dogs and us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandybrush Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 (edited) yes fair point thanx for clarifying aidan. i nearly went to that beginners seminar thingy with my boy, but i was busy that day and he ended up injuring himself so i couldnt do anything anyway. u have 2 kelpies and i have 2 koolies :laugh: and u live near me...we should so do a play date :D when my pair have all healed up from their injuries i think he might be worth a try even if i do go only once like i said im going to Dales this coming sunday so will give herding a try then :D Edited June 19, 2012 by dandybrush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I've had a lesson with Jim Luce and enjoyed it - he works with Kelpies mostly so knows how to work with them There is, however, a reason I do agility and not herding . . . methods vary hugely and many are not very positive. Yup agility and Flyball- I am leaving herding till I have my own sheep or find someone that isn't too harsh or wants to do obedience train herding . I wouldn't mind going to Jim Luce though!! Time is the other factor- I did get a HT on my eldest girl but between rain and other commitments didn't see sheep for awhile and she went feral on me and I was too lazy to retrain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandybrush Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 hmmm im beginning to wonder if i should bother taking mine herding at all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weasels Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 (edited) Oh please give it a try Dandybrush, it's an awesome sight to watch a dog 'switch on' like it's suddenly realised what it's put on this earth for! I've never needed to use any physical or leash corrections, only voice, and like I said most of them are just to snap the dog back to reality and listening to me :) Edit: if you have a good 'stop' and/or 'down/drop' under distraction you are already a big part of the way there, if something goes wrong you can just down your dog. Edited June 19, 2012 by Weasels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandybrush Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 lol nope dont have a good down :laugh: only when he is facing me and in front of me lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry's Mum Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 dandybrush you and your dogs would love herding - give it a go - Perry thinks it is the best possible fun apart from terrifying the parcel postman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Oh please give it a try Dandybrush, it's an awesome sight to watch a dog 'switch on' like it's suddenly realised what it's put on this earth for! I've never needed to use any physical or leash corrections, only voice, and like I said most of them are just to snap the dog back to reality and listening to me :) Edit: if you have a good 'stop' and/or 'down/drop' under distraction you are already a big part of the way there, if something goes wrong you can just down your dog. I agree do give it a go!!! I had great fun doing it with my eldest- my biggest problem was probably having a number of different instructors that just confused me and I sucked at it. The dog was fine :laugh: I also found that it developed my bond with her and I really can't wait for a time in the future when I can pick it back up. Its just not something I can do now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weasels Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 lol nope dont have a good down :laugh: only when he is facing me and in front of me lol Ah well, it's just a nice extra - I only had Weez for ~2&1/2 months before I started herding with him so he didn't know much of anything :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandybrush Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 ok thanx guys :) ill try to get some pics of raz on sunday then for you :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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