Will in Herding Training

It's been a pretty packed summer with lots of travel and training and fun in this the hot and humid weather. A few weeks ago, we started Will and Emma in some sheep herding training, something that Jim has really been anxious to do. He found a trainer in Portland, CT, who does one on one training, and we've had a few sessions with her. She has shown us some warm-up exercises that we should do with them, and says that dogs, just like humans, need to stretch and tone their muscles to prepare for exercise. It's also a way to get accustomed to handling your dog, and for them to get used to being handled and manipulated physically. They both really struggled against it at first, but now they know what it's all about, they don't seem to mind being pushed and pulled, and having legs stretched one way and head stretched back and forth.

Will doesn't seem to be very interested in the sheep at all, while Emma is pretty good at the herding. We thought she might just chase them once she got into the pen with them, but on the contrary, she seems to have a second sense about what she needs to do. What they are learning now is to be comfortable with the sheep, to figure out how to move in tandem with the handle, and to figure out how the sheep move when they move. It's one step at a time.

Here's just a few shots of Will in training. More with Emma later.

Lunging practice (just like training a horse)

Is it done yet?

Not my turn yet

Father and Grandfather sheep