For those who are not 'in the know' when it comes to the classes offered in CKC herding, there are two classes offered; Stockdog and Arena. There are three levels of herding in each of the classes, beginning with Started, then Intermediate, and last of all, Advanced on the way to earning titles.
A team has to earn three qualifying scores at each level in order to gain a title in that level.
The Stockdog class is comprised of various 'chores' that a dog would do around the ranch.
Things like gathering stock and putting them through footbaths or into pens or trailers or through chutes and then sorting them into various groups, gathering or driving 7 sheep here and there in as straight a line as possible from one area to another without losing control of the sheep or upsetting them.
The Arena herding is more prescribed than Stockdog and it has a defined number of activities that the dog must carry out. The dog gets the sheep from a Take Pen and then, depending on the level of competition, it must fetch or drive the sheep in as straight a line as possible from one point to another. At some point, the dog must exhibit a 'call off' the sheep and it has to put the sheep through fence line and free-standing obstacles and it has to repen the sheep, after holding them back from the gate.
Lore had Remi and Daisy-May and I had my husband's dog, Drummer all entered in the Intermediate Stockdog (on sheep) and Arena (on sheep) classes.
At the end of the weekend, Remi had completed his Stockdog Intermediate title with two 4th place ribbons. He had also gained a 3rd place in Arena work.
Daisy-May picked up two Q's towards her Intermediate Stockdog title with a 1st place ribbon and a Reserve High In Trial. She also gained 2 Q's in Arena work with a 4th place and she won the award for having both Beauty and Brains!!
Drummer received three High Combined Shetland Sheepdog awards and one High Scoring Shetland Sheepdog. He finished his Arena Intermediate title with a High in Trial, and took a Reserve High in Trial & two Q's towards his Intermediate Stockdog title which he could have finished as well, if his handler had hustled and shut the gate sooner. TIME!! Five seconds.... lost it by five seconds. Grrrrr.
Goes to prove that Sheepherding is not for sissies!!! Plus we get to play at Lore's Cardigan Corgi trials in July!!!
A professional photographer was on hand to take some pretty impressive photos of the dogs working. Lore's photos have some explanation to them so here goes:
Remi working 7 sheep in stock dog. Good distance.
Remi taking sheep through y-chute
Getting ready to put sheep into foot
bath, slow and steady, lots of gate work.
Daisy holding sheep to the trailer
Daisy holding sheep in a chute. Lambs are not people friendly so they can pop out easily. A fine line to hold sheep just right. Reserve High in Trial for this run.
Daisy taking sheep through the y-chute
Lore's loot. What a great weekend!
Drum and I waiting for the sheep to be sent out.
Impaired Driving !!!!
Drive done....phew!
Ready to gather, lift and fetch to post.
Thank you to everyone who made the weekend so memorable. To DownRiver, to the judges, to the stock handlers, the clubs who offered the trials, the sheep, and of course, to our dogs.
"That'll do, Babe.
That'll do."
