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south east Indiana | Lad has been gone a week, the place seems quiet without him. I have been thinking about our more memorable adventures so I thought I would share one. It is a bit of a long story...
Lad came fully trained, he knew it, he was the Most confident self assused dog I have ever had. Not cocky he had just worked enough that he had dealt with it all, he also knew I think that his new job was two fold - taking care of Our sheep and Teaching me. Teaching me was by far the hardest part. I had taken him to one stockdog clinic to work on my handling skills more than him. We had done ok and I learned alot. I had hear of another clinic with a clinician from England that had a really good reputation so I entered Lad and my first young female that I was attempting to train.
We headed of to Wisconsin in May that year, I had had Lad maybe a year and half. In the world of stockdogs and border collie trial people I was seriously wet behind the ears. The morning of the clinic before it starts people begin to gather, some with dogs, some had left dogs in crates ect and were just sitting around chatting if they knew folks or just sitting with their dog for company like I was feeling a bit out of place. We were in a corner of the pasture where a BIG round pen was set up. I mean big, maybe 300 ft across and then in front of the round pen was a larger alleyway that led to a holding area off to one side. The other side of the round pen was the open pasture that was flat for awhile, then sloped up a hill into some tress on one side and kept going. Behind the round pen were trees and you couldn't tell what else was there. There were sheep in the pasture so everyone either had their dogs on leashes or were keeping an eye on them. We were all sitting kind of in the alley way with our dogs and just waiting for the clinic to begin. I had met the folks hosting the clinic the night before, Mary and Bill, they had bcs for a while it seemed and had a large flock, did lessons ect. Mary was bringing sheep down toward the round pen riding a 4wheeler and had one of her dogs helping. The closer she got the more trouble she was having keeping the sheep moving forward. Not a big surprise since they were coming out direction and with people, chairs, dogs ect I am sure the sheep wanted no part of it. Not to mention their buddies were out on the far end of that pasture grazing. Sheep are not dumb as some people believe. They are weighing their options I can tell- go closer to strange people who had lots of dogs and toward an area where they knew had no escape OR break back with only Mary and her ONE dog to get past. You can figure which they chose. The goup of 30 or so began to break in three directions. It had taken her quite a bit of time to get them down as far as they were and if they broke it was going to take a while to get sheep to use for the clinic rounded up. She hollered down she needed help. Well NOT ONe person went to help. I was thinking some of these folks know her, have been here to other clinics, had had a dog way Longer than I have SURELY they will sent a dog. Seconds tick by, her dog is trying but fighting a loosing battle. You know how time stands still in those moments - it was like that
I am thinking**** why dont they send a dog to help her. Damn really they are going to sit here because no one wants to step up, we will be another hour. What they heck do I know, These are experienced handlers, some compete at the highest levels. Lad is at the end of his leash watching the escaping the sheep. He sees them bolting and gives me a look. His look said" I got this, just unhook the leash, really, I got it." OK buddy. I unhooked the leash and said a quick prayer - dont let any sheep get hurt and make sure Lad comes back ok. Now as you send a dog you usually give him a direction to go out around the sheep. Problem was they were headed three directions I had NO CLUE how he was going to stop them much less round all three groups up and get them to under control to bring them down. **** I said LAD Bring Um.
Then he disapeared into the trees behind the round pen. You hear critters crashing through underbrush. I am thinking OH HOLY CRAP. More crashing and banging I am thinking my dog is going to break a leg, or kill a sheep or... Dont know why he chose that way first, the others were in the open some going back up the hill and another group off across the flat that would turn and go up in a bit. You couldn't see sheep or dog for what seemed liked forever then above the trees he had that bunch and was taking them to the group that were heading up the hill. He stopped that group and now was bringing them down. the other sheep that headed across the flat saw Lad and sheep coming back so they slowed and watch since the dog was in their prefered path to the rest of the sheep. Dang if he didn't have all three groups back together and was marching them our direction.
Sheep can read a dog, they know how much power and determination a dog has. They can size up a dog and know in short order which they buffalo and which mean business. Lad is all business and has the confidence to back it up when needed. Few sheep ever tried him, never saw a sheep win.
I do not remember what Mary and her dog were doing, maybe watching with everybody else. I do remember her saying "****, he's got um" and then telling everyone to move out of the way and open the gate to the holding pen. Lad marched those ewes past all the people and dogs and into the pen. I could see a few were weighing the options again, they decided going into the pen was a better option than trying to get past LAD. I finally took a breath after the gate was close and he came to stand beside me. I told him he was Freaking Amazing and put his leash back on him and sat down, then said a thank you for none of the sheep bleeding or carrying a leg and Lad being fine. Come to find in the tress behind the round pen was a good drop off and creek.
Mary came over and said Lad was great and asked about him and more about me. I assured her right them he did it all on his own. Then she asked if we could gather sheep for the clinic each morning and have them down before the clinc started. Sure, Lad would like that I said.
That day I learned a handlers job is to teach a dog how/ what is the acceptable way to work sheep and then TRUST the dog to do his job. It is not telling him every move to make, those generations of knowledge are there for him to draw from. Jack Knox would say "You correct the wrong and leave the right bits alone"
I imagine Lad is sitting up on a hill with a flock of 100's of sheep grazing below just waiting for the go ahead from a shepherd | |
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One of my best memories of Lad
