Today we went to Soldier Hollow. It was the site of the cross country skiing and biathalon competition at the 2002 Olympics. Today, however it was the site of the National Sheep Dog Competition. Most of the dogs were border collies. They would travel about 1/4 mile up a hill and gather up 5 sheep and bring them back down. There were several gates set up for the dogs to navigate the sheep through. When the dog got the sheep down, he then had to separate them into groups of 2 and 3. Finally he had to send them into a pen. These animals were amazing. Their handler would whistle and they would know what to do. Wait, wait, that's not all. If you act right away......Sorry, got carried away. They also had splash dog competition where the dogs would get a running start on an elevated platform and their handler would throw something they obviously wanted very badly out in front of them and the dog would leap as far as he could. The one that leaped the farthest was the winner. Lastly, they had duck herding where a gaggle of ducks(can you have a gaggle of ducks and not geese?). The dog would run them through a round pipe and then back into their cages. A fun day. Wait, wait, we also saw kite surfers on Deer Creek reservoir and got to stop at Cabelas on the way home. Now, that was a great day. Did I tell you about the pancakes Diane made for breakfast? Now that was a perfect day.
I can’t tell which kite belongs to whom?
ReplyDeleteHow well trained are those sheep used in the contest?
I assume the dogs are trained, but are the sheep also trained to be herded? Is this their first time ever to be directed by a dog?
My little Shaddy knows “my left” from “my right.” And “further back,” from “closer in.”
I’ll fling a ball back into the woods in the back yard, or even at a wooded campground. He will chase off to find it, and is pretty good at following my voice directions.
He loves to play “find the ball,” but I don’t think he would work well with sheep. He’s kind of snippety when it comes to other animals.
And he doesn’t like to go in the water. Brother-in-law Jimmy Fred has some dogs that go fetch in the water in a big way. Shaddy eschews any water opportunity.
Paddy