Im thinking about....

[HayleyMarie]

Putting Teagan into a herding clinic.....

There is a dog herding place an hour or so from me and they do an all breed clinic once in a while. I think it would be fun to try Teagan on sheep, although I have no idea how she would react to sheep as she has never seen sheep before.

Hell if she enjoys it I might just keep at er' Would'nt that be funny a Westie that could herd sheep??

This is the place that holds the clinics:
ELF stockdogs - Training and Breeding Working Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, Kelpies and Guardian Dogs,

Im slightly a little hesitant becaues I hear they use CM methods, but I am sure if I have an issue on the methods then I just wont do them and walk away..

And maybe I could get my mom to come with me and bring Emme, and see if she has any herding sense in that noggin of hers.

But this is an idea mulling around in my brain.

So what ya think?? Am I crazy

[colliewog]

I was testing my Collies on goats several years ago and my BF brought his Westie along. The little dude was a natural and fun to watch! I say go for it ... you may be surprised! Now, granted, his dog wasn't very terrier-ish, so was gentle and we only let him work baby goats, but it'd be a neat experience!

[JacksonsMom]

You are not crazy! I have sooo wanted to see how Jackson would act, I almost think he'd be pretty good at it, but I haven't found a place around here yet. Well, haven't really searched very hard either though.

Woohoo, how awesome if our terriers turned into sheep herders? LOL

[Aleron]

I'm not sure I see the point of taking a Westie or Yorkie "herding". Chasing some livestock around doesn't mean your dog has "herding ability". There is so much more to herding. I'm actually sort of surprised they have a clinic that people can bring any breed to, all of the herding events I have gone to are for herding breeds or mixes of herding breeds only.

FWIW herding is generally not trained in an all positive manner. I doubt they use "CM methods", since I don't think CM trains herding dogs. But I can almost guarantee that they use physical corrections. If your dog acts inappropriately with the stock, you dog will likely to be whacked with a thin PVC pole or have something thrown at them. They have a priority of keeping their stock safe over making sure your dog has a good time. And dogs bred for the work with a proper temperament should have the drive and biddability to not take it personally.

If you want to try something fun with your little terriers, there might be "Terrier Days" in your area which feature lure coursing, barn hunts, earthdog and terrier racing. They sound like a lot of fun! And if you're really stuck on the herding thing, there's always Treibball

[JacksonsMom]

*shrugs* I don't see the big deal. Lots of other breeds besides terriers would love to do lure coursing, barn hunts, earth dog, and terrier races. I've seen events before where they hold that kind of stuff and other breeds besides terriers give it a try. Just because one breed of dog might be bred for something doesn't always mean they'll be good at it, but also vice versa... sometimes breeds bred for one thing end up being good at something entirely different. I think it's all about individual dog.

I probably won't ever do sheep herding for real with Jackson because I haven't really found a place and I haven't plan on really looking hard for one. It's just always been a funny thought in the back of my mind. If I'm going to be "involved" in anything, it's going to be agility.

I did look into earthdog, unfortunately, since Jackson is not a purebred registered "terrier" he can't participate in most of the clubs I've found. Yorkies aren't included as they are toy dogs, not terriers.

But I'm not disagreeing with you, I do think herders were obviously MADE for the job but I think if someone was just trying something out non-seriously, it wouldn't be a big deal.

[Lizmo]

Originally Posted by Aleron

I'm not sure I see the point of taking a Westie or Yorkie "herding"

A person I talked to recently said "Border Collies are like the Ferrari's of sheep herding. When you have them, why use anything else?" Kind of agree, there is alot of difference between a GSD and a Border Collie. I guess my advice would just be don't expect it to be like a Border Collie working stock.

I have no problem with people doing herding just for the heck of it. But, you (general!) MUST be able to give your dog the corrections it needs because the sheep are LIVING things that FEEL. They may be stupid as all get out, but they still feel and you MUST respect the sheep. If the dog is gripping for no reason, that dog HAS to learn that doing that is NOT okay. In whatever way it takes.

I am curious, what makes you (terrier owners) think that your terrier has herding instinct? I've never been around them, so I have no idea. But I know quite a few members have said they would like to try them out on stock.

[Aleron]

Originally Posted by JacksonsMom

*shrugs* I don't see the big deal. Lots of other breeds besides terriers would love to do lure coursing, barn hunts, earth dog, and terrier races. I've seen events before where they hold that kind of stuff and other breeds besides terriers give it a try. Just because one breed of dog might be bred for something doesn't always mean they'll be good at it, but also vice versa... sometimes breeds bred for one thing end up being good at something entirely different. I think it's all about individual dog.

From what I have heard, the "Terrier Fun Days" welcome all small dogs. I know someone from another forum who takes her Schip and Chi to them and often comes home with ribbons. Chasing stuff is pretty natural for dogs of all sorts, so all breed coursing and the such make sense. Herding is a much more specific set of skills than chasing a plastic bag or looking for a caged rat. There is also some risk to both the dog and the stock with herding, which is why most herding trainers have a policy of not allowing non-traditional breeds.

[AdrianneIsabel]

Meh, maybe the OP just wants to have fun?

[AdrianneIsabel]

I should add we have a ton of terriers in our triebball classes. They really excel at it. Think herding with bubble wrap. ;-)

[SaraB]

I think the reason why it's different having non-traditional breeds herding than participating in other sports is that living creatures (sheep!) can and do get injured in the process. There is a very fine line between herding and chasing prey and it's tough for dogs that haven't been bred specifically for the purpose to walk that line. That and like others have pointed out, this isn't just a fun, yay, lets go chase sheep sort of thing. Generally a trainer is handling your dog and they will use corrections if necessary.