[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Herding and sheep
- From: Ruth Scheubler <rightdogphoto@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: DaList <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:00:23 -0700 (PDT)
Graze a while, walk a bit, test the dog a bit - pretty much the life of a
c-course sheep.
Ruth
________________________________
From: "EJDegen@xxxxxxx" <EJDegen@xxxxxxx>
To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2009 9:03:30 PM
Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Herding and sheep
Oh my GAWD, Kathy! I've been herding for over 20 years (training my own
dogs as well as others...and worked trials with dogs when I'm not entered)
and haven't seen as much destruction and mayhem as you have!
My number one rule for myself as well as my students was that the sheep
(stock) did not volunteer for this assignment and MUST be treated with
respect....period. I also, tho, start ALL my students' dogs if they don't
have
herding experience. If the dog won't work without mommy in the ring, then
mommy comes in with me. That is a last resort, tho. Under NO circumstances
would I leave an inexperienced dog and inexperienced handler alone in a
ring with sheep. Just like you wouldn't put a person who has never ridden on
an unbroken horse, the same goes for sheep herding.
Also, it looks like from your statement below that you saw some of the
problems with sheep that weren't accustomed to being worked by dogs. It takes
an experienced dog & handler to "dog break" sheep. It isn't easy and
needs to be done correctly or you WILL have accidents.
I'm not saying that sheep "enjoy" herding. I don't think they do. They
would much rather graze or just laze around all day. Who wouldn't? :-)
However, since most sheep used for herding would have long since gone to the
butcher, I think if you DID give them a choice, they would say that herding
is better than the alternative! Still, they need to be treated with
respect and NOT being chewed up is paramount.
Julie Degen
_www.caissonkennels.com_ (http://www.caissonkennels.com/)
"A well-balanced German Shepherd has a title on both ends!"
In a message dated 9/24/2009 4:12:09 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
Showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
----- Original Message -----
From: _Pinehillgsds@xxxxxxxx (mailto:Pinehillgsds@xxxxxxx) To:
_Stormy435@xxxxxxxx (mailto:Stormy435@xxxxxxx) ;
_showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(mailto:showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2009 5:29
AM
Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Herding with Dogs stresses sheep???
Oh they stress the sheep BIG time. Compared to many, I've had very
limited experience training and trial-ing, but even w/ limited
experience,
I've
seen <2> broken legs on sheep (green, that have hit an enclosure, not
being
chased by a GSD although it could have been), and many, many, MANY bloody
sheep from dogs who just want a little taste! From what I can tell,
ducks
have it even worse as far as mortality rates.
(I think the worst offenders I've seen have been the Malinois ~ they run
by a sheep so fast you don't think anything happened until you see the
red
line under the sheep's belly...get out the needle and thread!!!! Or the
Australian Cattle dogs who want to grab a sheep's muzzle...do sheep have
a
muzzle or is it just called a nose?...which can lead to sinus
injury/painful
damage and infection for the sheep.)
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POST is Copyrighted 2009. All material remains the property of the original
author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind
are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the
Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org
NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/
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