7/14/2011

Sheepdog Trials

There were sheepdog trials going on just down the road from us this afternoon, so we headed down to watch these amazing collies and their masters at work.

 None of the photos do justice to what is happening. 

 Shrill whistles - their differences almost imperceptible, but understood by these clever collies - guide them around the sheep, to their right, their left...

 Here's the dog having taken the sheep to the gate of the pen. He's now waiting for the master's next command, but meanwhile he's still. The sheep mustn't be spooked, otherwise they'll dash off and the whole process of getting them this far will have to begin again.

 Slowly....

 Stealthily...

 Until finally they're guided in.


 This dog wasn't competing. He was standing at the sidelines with his master. 


Oh boy, did he want to get his opportunity to shine. What a darling dog he was, but he has a bit of a way to go in his training before he can enter competitions.

Can you see the eagerness? One day, he's thinking. One day, that will be me.




5 comments:

  1. ahh I have always loved collies and their ability to guide sheep is amazing to watch. They are so good at it!

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  2. I would so love to go to sheep dog trials. Just having my border collie round up my chickens and my grand children is something to watch. I think that would be a wonderful way to spend the day.

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  3. A great shot of that dog on the sidelines.

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  4. You're right - stock dog trials are AMAZING to watch. Those Collies (we call them Border Collies here) are incredibly intelligent. We have a Trial in my town that has been going on for many years. Two years ago we added a sheep (your FAVORITE animal! ha-ha) and fiber festival. Good times all round.

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  5. Oh my gosh, I LOVE to watch the dogs work! We have those trials here in Iowa at our State Fair and they usually end up on the TV in the nightly highlights (we take our State Fair very seriously here!). The dogs that are bred to herd are incredibly focused. We used to say that our Shetland Sheepdog would herd tennis balls if we threw a hand full of them across the room! Thanks for sharing!

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