GRANDORA, Sask. – Sheep producer Sharon Schaefer of Ituna, Sask., wanted to learn to talk and walk backwards at the same time.
Cathy Bishop from Provost, Alta., just wanted to learn how to get out of the way.
The women were two of the herding dog owners who gathered at Jennie Seaborn’s Grandora acreage ranch Oct. 17-21 to learn how to be better stock dog handlers.
“When you have people watching you, they can see what you’re doing wrong,” Bishop said. “I was blocking my dog, not allowing it to work.”
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Bishop has an Australian Shepherd, a breed that instinctively goes to the front of a flock to stop its motion. She said that when she blocks her dog, she confuses it and its performance suffers.
Now she knows better.
Schaefer, who attended the clinic with her Icelandic Sheepdog, said she learned that people and dogs need to know what they’re doing and when to do it.
“It’s about learning when to tell the dog the right thing at the right time. And there’s the practice thing too, like being able to walk backwards and being able to talk to your dog,” she said. “I’ve seen the improvements in me more than in her.”
Seaborn said she hosted the clinic so that handlers of all breeds of stock dogs could hone their skills. Most stock dog schools focus only on training Border Collies, she added.
“We’re holding it for people who love their dogs, but don’t necessarily want a Border Collie. So whatever breed of dog they wish to have, this was a training session for them,” she said.
Upright stock dogs such as the Australian Shepherd use more physical force with livestock while the Icelandic Sheepdog uses its bark. The Border Collie is an eye stock dog, meaning it stares down its herd.
Seaborn brought in all-breed stock dog trainer Lynn Leach from Hope, B.C., to lead the clinic.
Leach, who owns and operates the Downriver Farm Stock Dog training facility in Hope, is a herding judge and instructor and travels to clinics when she has the time.
“Grandora was excellent,” Leach said. “The dogs were just wonderful, all of the dogs.”
Seaborn plans to hold another all-breed clinic next fall.
“And if anyone is interested in herding or using their farm dog that isn’t a Border Collie, I can help get them in contact with another all-breed trainer,” Seaborn said.
“There are very few, and a lot of the Border Collie stock dog trainers refuse to work with other breeds, because they don’t know how to train them.”
Seaborn can be reached at 306-384-1583.
