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!