brookcove
Posted : 11/21/2006 1:14:05 AM
Oh, yes, the Sheep Game! There's even a link to it on the Sheepdog side of the US Border Collie Handlers' Association (who sanction ISDS Open and nursery trials in North America). It's definitely more like the interaction between the dog and sheep, but it leaves out some factors.
Like "draw" - which is the sheep's inclination to go somewhere besides where you push them. There might be a barn where they are fed, or sheep in another field, or even just uphill versus downhill (sheep like to go uphill in the morning and downhill at night).
Plus once you get sheep to a pen you can
never just push them straight in unless they want to go in (like if they are fed in there). Usually, to get a sheep in a pen you use yourself and the dog to cut off all escape, while using "pressure off" to convince them that it's
safe to go in that thing that looks like trap! If you try to just push them in they will panic and blow right over you and dog.
And the other thing is that sheep draw each other, so while in the game you have to be careful where you put your "dog" so you don't push the sheep you are not working off - in real life you can position the dog so that the whole packet of sheep draw each other and act as a unit. It's easier to work bigger groups than smaller ones, in real life - sheep feel safer in bigger numbers and it's all about getting them to feel comfortable and keep them thinking rather than panicking.
Everything you wanted to know about sheep, but weren't bored enough to ask. [
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