What do dogs dream off?

Most of you probably think the dogs always sleep on my bed...
Well, they don't actually :)

I was going upstairs with the dogs the other day, but I forgot something so I went back down. And when I returned to my bedroom I found them all sleeping on their dog beds like little angels.

They must have been really tired, as they didn't even look up when I took my camera and made pictures. Except Yoshi, she looked at me as if I had disturbed the lovely dream she was having.

Suki opened her eyes but didn'n bother to move, and they were soon closed again. She was clearly enjoying her dream...

That made me kind of wonder what they were dreaming about. It must have been something nice, because they didn't seem to want to wake up. Since they often make running movements when they're dreaming, I'd like to think they're dreaming about working sheep. Maybe they even dream of running in a trial, maybe they even listen so perfectly that we're winning the trial! 

But after a while, I stopped dreaming myself and realised they're probably dreaming of working sheep without me, that annoying person who's always confusing them and disturbing their work.That person who doesn't see what the sheep are up to, causing them to bolt so the poor dog has to work even harder... I guess I better don't think about what they're dreaming, and try to make my own dreams come true.

Good night and sleep tight, my little friends!

Training with Suki

Today I asked a friend to take some pictures while I was training Suki, I realised I didn't have much pictures of her on sheep. She is a little rocket, but she's calming down and still tries her best to work with me. I do love training Suki: she is so eager to please and yet so focused on the sheep! She is so well balanced, I like to go on walkabout on the large field with her and she keeps on wearing the sheep to me whatever turn I take. She has a natural outrun, didn't have to teach her that: she does it by herself and just gathers the sheep and brings them to me. Driving away from me is still a bit difficult, but today she showed me she is finally getting it and it's okay to do a little driving, because after that I let her gather and bring them again. I'm so happy I can show some pictures of my lovely girl!

walking, wearing and balancing:

A little outrun...

... and bringing the sheep!

A bit of driving with me walking behind her

And on walkabout again...

Bringing the sheep in

It's winter!

This week we got the first snow, and more is expected tomorrow. Time to get the sheep inside, their fields are wet and boggy, and the grass is all eaten. Today we went to gather all the sheep from several fields, and brought them together while we walked them home.

We started to gather around 200 sheep in the fields besides the dikes of the river Durme and started to walk them home. On our way we made a little detour to another field where about 50 sheep more stayed. We walked from one side to the field and let the flock come together, and then proceeded by walking out of the field on the other side. We had to cross the streets several times, and even had to go a little bit on the street itself. People in cars stopped to let us pass, nobody complained, some even took pictures!

We had no real difficulties, sometimes a few sheep got stuck behind a gate and had to be pursuaded to go around it to follow the rest of the flock. Some even decided they had found a new field a tried to leave the flock for a bite of grass! Jessie kept them all in line though, worked hard to keep the sheep with us when we weren't quick enough to get at the other side of those who tried to flee, and brought back the culprits who tried to deceit us by taking a little detour in fields aside...

I could take some pictures from the first flock, but by the time we started on our way with the flocks together I was too busy keeping an eye on sheep and dog to take more pictures from the whole mob, except this one:

The weather gods were good to us, and stopped the snow to fall when we began our gathering until we were home. After that the snow started to fall again, but we were snuggled inside with tea and coffee and sandwiches...

And the sheep are warm and safe inside, enjoying their hay!

Jai in training

Jai is coming on nicely, I keep it slow and let him gain confidence. He likes going to sheep and is so keen to work them, and because he is very receptive to corrections he's also easy to train.
He might become a good one!!

Autumn means moving sheep...

... from the dykes to new fields.

Sometimes I go and help out on a sheep farm. They have milk sheep and grazing sheep, the latter graze the dykes along the rivers here in Belgium. So these sheep have no fixed field there, we place sheep nets and move them around so they keep the dykes neatly without disturbing the fauna and flora. But in autumn, the sheep must leave the dykes and so we move them to other fields nearby until there's no more grass and then they come home.

The last weeks we moved several little flocks of sheep to a few fields where they stay together until winter comes. Jessie has become a great help, she has gained experience by doing practical work whenever we could help out on the farm. How wonderful to see your dog has become a "useful dog"!

A little flock of ewe lambs going to a new field:

A bigger flock of older ewes with a few little lambs going to another field:

When sheepdogs don't herd....

... they sleep!


Yoshi always sneaks on my pillow:

Jessie thinks Jai is a terrific pillow...

Suki prefers to stretch in bed...

 

Jai loves his dogbed too:

Floyd almost always claims the couch:

Sheepdogs herd anything...

I took some awesome pictures of my dogs herding...

each other!


It's wonderful to see them in action, even if they're just trying to get a toy from another dog.
Floyd is always running around with an old ball, trying for us to throw it so he can catch it. Jai and Yoshi like to steal it away from him, while Jessie and Suki mostly lie down eying the rest. But when they all come in action mode, it's a typical border collie stance!

 

 

International Sheep Dog Trials 2012

And so it was that after the Continental came the International....

And yes, I bought tickets and made a reservation for the camping site and off we went!
My daughter and me with the canine girls, all women in our little caravan, haha!

On the wednesday we went straight to the venue and got settled. Jessie, Yoshi and Suki were ever so happy with a field full of sheep behind our caravan, it was like free TV for them. The weather was also very good to the competitors and the spectators, with plenty of sunshine and no rain. On Thursday the trials started, and I had three days of non-stop watching runs. The best of the best were there: from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The sheep were tricky and played the dogs, so a lot of runs were stopped before time by the bell. But everybody tried their best and I saw a lot that made me think "ah, so that is the trick to do this" and "that is how they resolve that difficult part!" Yes, a lot to learn from watching these top handlers and top dogs work the sheep.....

The Supreme Champion of 2012 was to be decided on Saturday, when the 15 best handlers of the two previous days competed for the coveted title. The winners were Ian Brownlie with Boredale Gus, and they showed everyone a near as perfect run, it was so wonderful and exciting to watch that I forgot to take pictures! Scotland won a lot of trophees this year, and took a lot of silver home. Well done to everyone who competed!

Ian Brownlie penning at his qualification run:
 

A happy Ian with Gus after their run:

Ian Brownlie receives the prestegious shield from the hosts:

More about our vacation later!