Page 17 - Demo

My Journey Into Herding by Peggy Timm, DVM, Guest Editor
When I made plans in November of 1994 to travel to Michigan to show my dogs in ASCA obedience and conformation, I never dreamed that it would be the start of my journey into the world of herding and working stock dogs. The conformation ring had been set up within easy viewing range of the indoor stock arena, and I could not get my six-month-old Aussie, Rowdy, to get his blue eyes off the sheep as I tried to present him to the judge.
Because the stockdog trial did not fill, the judge, Bob Blount, agreed to run an impromptu clinic. I jumped at the chance to see what Rowdy could do, and I was amazed at his ability to group the sheep and bring them to us without direction. Judge Blount told me he had a lot of confidence and power for his age, and he encour- aged me to work with him.
When I returned to my suburban home in northern Illinois I was anxious to get started, but it took me three months before I could find a trainer who was willing to work with a novice handler and an Aussie. Shannon Wolfe of Magic’s Legacy became my instructor, coach, and friend, and remains in that role today. Despite Shannon’s expert guidance, I struggled when working with Rowdy. Despite the fact that Rowdy was a competi- tive obedience dog, my inexperience in the stock arena allowed him to take control of the situation. He worked
Rowdy guides the sheep around the PT course at the 1998 USASA Nationals.
too close to his stock, pushing on the sheep to move them, and he did not have a reliable stop. It took a lot of time, effort, and practice before I could get Rowdy to gather the sheep nicely and stay behind them at a reasonable distance. I was as proud of earning Rowdy’s pre-trial tested certificate at the 1998 USASA National as I would be of any future High in Trial wins.
While I was working with Rowdy, I purchased a Border Collie puppy that my husband named Floyd. It was my hope to learn more about handling and the sport of herding through a dog that would work farther off the sheep and give me a little more time to think. Floyd also taught me how to read livestock, because he could sense what the sheep were going to do much sooner than I could. Floyd loved working sheep and ducks and was forgiving of my novice mistakes. We became a suc- cessful team while trialing, which helped to balance my shortcomings with Rowdy.
My experiences with Rowdy and Floyd helped to define my criteria for my next puppy. My goal was to find a working bred Aussie with proven parents. My original contact with the Blounts led me to Allie, who became HOF ROM Silver Birch All Paws in Zone HXAs HSAd OTDcds AX AXJ. Allie was a more serious worker than Rowdy. She was eager to please and kind to the sheep, using just the right amount of power to get the job done. Allie earned her PT under judge Carol Ann Hartnagle, who was also one of the judges for Rowdy’s title. While I had been nervous when I trialed Rowdy, I was confident with Allie, and I knew we were prepared for this level. There would be challenges to face down the road but I completely enjoyed working with Allie.
November/December 2009 The Australian Shepherd Journal 15