Sioux and Sequoyah went to a doggy fun day yesterday and were tested on sheep. (No new initials after their names, it wasn't a sanctioned test.) Anyway, both my girls were awesome. Sioux, at age almost 8, went right in, remembered everything about those first sheep she saw six years ago, and passed with flying colors - "sustained interest" in the sheep! Not bad for a half Aussie shelter puppy who doesn't have enough drive to chase a tennis ball LOL. My demure little Sioux works close and isn't a pansy when it comes to keeping those butts together.
Little miss beanhead (Sequoyah) was very interested in those sheepies, too!!! The tester's comment, among others - "very nice girl". And, a mom's brag & a testament to training - at one point, she got a paw caught in the drag line the tester was using. Worried she would get really hurt and think the sheep did it to her, I just said "wait" and lo and behold, she stood stock still while I quickly untangled her. I released her and she went right back to the sheep:-))) The two dogs got almost identical comments on how they work, except Sequoyah was more intense. And, you would think she'd have barked up a storm. Nope - both dogs are silent workers. Go figure. Sequoyah's tendency was to want to split a sheep out of the group, Sioux's was to keep all the butts together. Both were considered very trainable for herding. Yay!!!!!
I have to admit, though, that the best dog of the day was a little Shetland Sheepdog - a complete natural. It was so easy to see that everyone watching was in awe of him. The owner was beaming, and rightly so. Great little dog.