Journey’s Stockdog Journal…

Part of the Maple Grove Farm Flock

Journey is a Drover/ BOO son.

He is quite the character….Everyone loves him and he can” put on the dog” as my Grandpa use to say… He has a way with everyone young and old alike …Loving, friendly, happy…

with me serious and wants to work sheep…

Yesterday  Journey and I walked across the dam…you know that moment when the day goes from dusk to all most dark?  Well that happened right as I was fixing to open the gate. We were headed to get the sheep up from the far pasture.

I had waited a bit to long and some of the ewes had bedded down for the night with their lambs. This makes the gather in the dark a bit more difficult. 

My plan is to all ways gather the entire flock to the gate before I open the gate… and then move out  across the dam and into the areas where there are no fences.  This is especially important with lambs…you cannot leave lambs behind. 

So picture about 1/3 of the flock bedded down in the field and down the hill out of sight.  Then about 1/3 of the flock helping the horses eat their hay. So sheep hinnys is all you can see heads are buried in the hay,.. and the the rest of the flock just milling about …That last group are the Smart ones!  They know it’s time to go to the fold for the night.

So Journey works to gather the down hill group and of course one ole ewe with twins is happy where she is! (at least she thinks that) and Journey has to work her more than the others that have happily joined the hay eating group …did I mention there are two horses eating hay as well? My “J” finally gets the whole flock to the gate and I open it…It is dark now…and One Barbados and her lamb at the last moment (too much pressure and it is dark) though because of the large flock I do not see her.. they dart towards the pond and freedom!  Right!  Then “J” listening well gathers and drives and uses the right amount of pressure and they run to catch up as I shut the gate “J” continues on with his job keeping his proper distance. I am 600 feet behind the work and it is really dark…note to self do not do this again!  “J” moves the sheep quietly effortlessly and correctly. At this point I realize I have to trust him with my lambs and ewes because I can’t see to tell him what to do!  I am thinking this is not so much fun…TRUST that young dog with lambs! Has he done anything to harm any sheep? Well no…BUT! OKAY calm down Kay! He has this and you do not!  Just try and not fall in this slippery, sliding mud!

I get to the gate of the holding pen and Journey has most of the sheep in. I had watched as I walked how he took one group and moved them then stopped turned his head and that made another group want to go with his group. He worked that whole grass loving eating flock in to the muddy holding pen till he had all of them in there. I only gave a few aways and go byes in the whole process….

Of course by now I have a phone call and I needed to take it…so as I talk I count the lambs. Then I see what Journey is doing ! As I move through and around the flock he is balancing to me! Oh my goodness! He is amazing!

When that dog started working he had the flock under his control and he knew it…and knew where they were supposed to be!  I will hopefully be able to take some video this evening…

He is like his sire Drover in this work but with a bit more authority. He is faster than any of my dogs if need be. He is more intent on his job too. The work… it is important to him… more so than me when working. Though he remains entirely biddable in the whole process. this was my view as we put hay out for the sheep…this evening