Task Farms put on 3 Fridays of AHBA classes, on cows and sheep for silver belt buckles. I didn't have a chance to attend until this very last Friday. I had the day off so, I thought Yoko would have some fun in the ranch class. To my delight, we had some new competition. Anna Guthrie and Cindy Easley brought their very fine young cattle/sheep dogs to the trial, plus a few other people that I have not trialed with before. They needed a dog to set the arena classes. I work at Task Farms routinely so I was more than happy to assist. Plus, Yoko was grateful to be doing something.
Yoko was more than happy to set the AHBA arena classes
Lots of action in the pens with a large group of cows close by
What a good girlie. Yoko was...quiet and perfect
Yoko adores cows...way more than sheep, so this was a real test for her
"I'll just sit here real lady like and walk you quietly out to set-out"
I really enjoy working Yoko. She is a nice dog.
She is a pretty "steady eddy" at 3 yrs. of age (sometimes)
Waiting for the next set with one of her goat friends
She found a pen with some pumpkins in it!
She carefully walked up and down the aisle way keeping guard on her pens.
Occasionally a sheep would challenge her.
And, best yet,she loved a cow to challenge her. Anything for a nose bite.
Here an ACD met it's match in the arena class (OR rather, the other way around)
Finally, the arena classes were over and it was time for the RANCH class. That is what we came for today. The ranch class consisted of 80 sheep and goats in a pen to start with. You had to sort 8 sheep out of the herd. This may sound easy, but it isn't. I have to admit I had a "Home Court Advantage." This is where I work my dogs routinely. Those 8 sorted sheep needed to be driven across a wash/gully up a steep embankment. The dog had to drive them along the steep embankment for quite a ways before allowing them to cross the wash back to the other side. Then 8 sheep were brought to the pens to sort 3 of them into a pen by themselves. 5 sheep were taken to an arena and put through designated arena panels with the advanced handler staying in one spot. Then, those 5 sheep were brought to another arena and put through another group of panels and into a free standing pen. Three sheep had to be sorted off while 2 were held. The 5 were then combined and then put into a back pen. 20 min was your time allowed.
More tomorrow........
2 comments:
Wow, that ranch class sounds like one heck of a challenge, but fun!
Does Yoko eat pumpkin? Many years ago at Halloween, the kids had carved their pumpkins and put them by the door. Our black lab ate one:(
Every animal here will EAT anything, I swear! When somebody doesn't eat, they are sick, fer sure. Our Lab would have finished off that pumpkin. The sheep LOVE pumpkins.
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