My 7 Katahdin ewes are Gator Broke! It is the most amazing thing! They follow the Gator with me driving all over the Farm! But they do it Best of the evening when it is feeding time. They follow it up to the barn and their stall! (I will have to do a short video!)
Of the morning I turn the ewes out and let them free range on the farm, they usually head back to their pasture because that is where the best grass is and they know it.
This morning the sheep decided to eat the Red Tip bush on their way, and it could be poison! I am not sure! So I took all five of my dogs and started towards the sheep to move them on away from that bush! We stayed back about 100 feet at least and the sheep started towards their pasture! All was going so well I thought “why not use all five dogs?” So calmly and steady we moved the sheep.
Montanna was the one on the far left. Then BOO. Abilene and Drover. Myself and Amarillo was on my right. My fence was on the left and on the right was my Mom’s house. We were evenly spread over 125 feet or more wide and in a slight curve. As we walked up slowly I positioned myself to make the sheep go in the direction that I needed them to. But all of this was done slowly and far away from the sheep at least 150 feet. There was absolutely No Stress on the stock or the dogs! Nor on me!!!!!
Everything was going great and then too much pressure on the sheep! They went to fast to turn into the gate! But not bad! They stopped just past the gate and I told all five dog to “Stay” . Which they did !!!! I walked down the hill to the gate my dogs are all in a stay sitting and I called the sheep. “Sheep Sheep Sheep” and they walked right into the field without any fuss! I shut the gate ! Turned on the electric fence and looked around and there sat 5 English Shepherds quietly watching and doing as I told them right where I had told them! about 100 feet from the action! I said “good dogs! Come! and they walked up happy and quietly!
Okay this was pretty cool! I am very pleased!
I have been practicing “stay” every where with my dogs . One on one and as a group. But I have not had the added excitement of sheep to the stay till today!
Tomorrow we will try this again!
