DDR Legends Discussion Board :: View topic - Dura vom Linmarc passes Temperament Test!

Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 6:06 am

Hello Everyone,
Today Dura passed her first TT. She is almost 6 months, so I took her over to a herding instructor who is a good friend, and she was introduced to sheep!
The instructor had her BC cut out four big ewes and put them in a big pen separately. She then put Dura on a 10 foot lead and with her staff and Kit(the BC) escorted her into the pen. She instructs Kit to lie still, drops the lead, and Dura takes a couple steps toward the sheep and barks at them. She then runs over to Kit and trys to engage him but he just lies still focused on the sheep and awaiting his next command. She then picks up Dura's lead and tells Kit to run the sheep. He chases them briefly and the scatter and he then rounds them up again. She then tells him to lie still lets Dura loose and then tells Kit to run the sheep. Dura went into the BC crouch and waited for sheep to come around and then went after one. The sheep broke into two or three directions and Dura chased her until she joined the pack and then broke off and returned to the instructor. By the time the instructor had Kit scatter them 5 times, Dura would immediately round them up and then return and stand next to the instructor. One time one of the ewes charged her and she jumped out the way and took a plug of hair from her when she passed and then chased her back into thepack.
At this point the instructor picked her up and brought her out of the pen with Kit.

She informed me this dog has bigtime natural herding instincts and she was also super impressed with her ability to handle the Ewe's charge and instinctively control her and run her back into the pack. Furhtermore, she liked the fact that the dog left me at 5 months and worked independently with a strnger without anxiety or stress. As a result of this success, i will start taking Dura to herding every Friday at 4 pm for the next six months.
This pups never ceases to amaze me...Cliff

Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 6:46 am

Wow!!!! That is awesome!!! I can only imagine the excitetment and the yelling that was going on inside your head!

Steve knows how to produce them! But, the imprinting and everything else was done by you!

Congrats and good luck on the herding training. Goat

Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 10:31 am

Congrats, Cliff! respect

Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 7:01 pm

That's great!! You go, girl!! Good One

You must really be proud of her, Cliff! I'd love to see some pictures of her next herding adventure. I've gone to a few herding seminars, but don't know much about it...

Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 9:48 pm

Liz, will take pics of her in the pen with sheep next week. I also took her to this giant jungle jim playground for kids where you go up the metal steps to different platforms and then you can come down the slide. She went right up the metal steps with no problem. Once up there I brought her down the sliding board with me...by the fourth time she was going up the steps(these steps are flat so not difficult to walk on but they are still grated metal and will test a dog's nerve), and coming down the slide by herself.

Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 11:36 am

After I introduced Dax to the playground equipment, he wants to stop every time we walk by them! Leh

But we don't stop if there are kids playing. They have the grating, several different heights of slides, a slanted "rock-climbing" wall, etc. He has a great time! We need to work on the stepping-stones coming down from the platform, he doesn't know where to put his feet yet, but he'll get there!

I look forward to pics of Dura doing the 'sheep thing'! Good One

Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 1:17 pm

Hi Cliff,

I don't think anyone could ask more of a 5 month old puppy. I have had a lot of puppies pass the herding suitability test but Dura went the extra mile.

On one of the old sticky thread that Ellen was on we both agreed that if you want a top working dog you are picking the same traits that you would for a herding dog.

I know that you waited 2 years or more for the right dog with herding instincts and you wanted a male from the Arko/Eicke litter but a few litters had all females and one or two but the males didn't work out. Either one male would die and I didn't want to send you the remaining male.

I don't remember if it was you or I that suggested a female from the Arko/Theres litter. Possibly Arko carries these traits as well as Eicke did.

I'm sure that Dura will excel in any work that you choose for her and I know that you are a finnisher... respect

.

Steve

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 4:53 am

Steve,
i think we discussed the litter at length and i thought about it and saw some real pluses. Like Campbell said the Grafental lines have strong herding backgrounds. Goat

Two she is grafental on both sides and thus strong Alf Kornersee from both sides. I like to have strong linebred females who have proven foundation lines they are linebred on. At Club training yesterday I lowered the A-frame to 4 feet and by third time she was up and over it on her own. Now I won't come back to A frame until she is 11 or 12 months but I have the imprinting in her to do the task so we won't have to learn later on. Will keep the herding training for next six months because I think it develops character in the dog instinctively as opposed to artificially. At 12 months we will get serious about the Sch one title.
this litter should be repeated while the old man is still good(hint,hint) Roll on the floor LOL

Take care, Steve

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 5:44 am

Cliff,

Now that you mentioned Alf...The breeding I'm doing in May is Arko/Ebba and they both carry Alf 3-4... Yeh

In july I am breeding Theres to Durbas and after that she will have a heat off and if time allows I will repete the Arko/Theres litter.

Steve

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:48 am

Cliff, which old man? Arko or Steve? Knocking

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 12:10 pm

Jen,,,,Are both of them still breeding? Twisted Evil

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 6:51 pm

Arko's last litter was born 5 months ago...mine was born 40 some yers ago.lmao.

Steve

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 12:49 am

Cliff, that's none of my business. :lol*

Not sayin' another word on this topic. lol

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 10:36 am

I forgot what we were talking about Leh

Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2010 10:49 am

Update on Dura's progress....She has had 4 herding lessons. The instructor has her at the point that when she put the rod on her left then Dura will go on her right and go behind the sheep and move them. When she has the rod on her right, Dura will go to the left and do likewise. She is also moving the sheep in a circle around the pen keeping them together consistently. She no longer bites the sheep but still snaps at them when chasing to keep them in line. The instructor loves her biddability as she will come to her everytime she calls.
We have also started tracking with her....natural deep footprint to footprint nose. She actually is tracking better than my older male. Very intense and sure in her work.

Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2010 6:28 pm

I love hearing about Dura's progress Cliff.

I would have loved to have done herding with my collie when i had her but i was busy with school and and getting married, also admittedly a bit too lazy to have done it then.

I think herding is one of the best ways to have a true working relationship with a dog (police work is the other).

I think Sch. is great but I believe the dog does most of the work, where in herding it's closer to my idea of teamwork.

Cliff you are much more experienced than so i am sure you can balance more plates than I could.

Since I am new at all this i will be sticking to just one thing with the new dog. I really want to focus for now, but maybe in a few years or with another dog at some time
i would love to do herding and try to achieve some sort of title.

Keep up the with the herding updates on Dura Cliff!! And some photos too please.

Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2010 9:34 pm

Actually Nadeem, as I get older its harder to balance too many things. I have 16 month old that is BH ready is decent on tracking and is protection ready for Sch 1. Need to firm up dumbell and voraus and I would comfortable with him. I want to get Dura up to a Tr-1 level in the next year and then at around 14 months I will start concentrating on getting her Sch 1. I don't see the tracking and herding conflicting. Will defintiely take some pics this friday....Cliff

Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2010 3:45 pm

Congratulations Cliff! Very impressive!

Nadeem I disagree with your statement that the dog does more work in schutzhund implying the handler does less, and in herding the handler does more work and the dog less. Actually, I think it's the opposite. It's more natural in herding meaning it really makes the natural dog come out since the handler has less influence. After all humans and dogs have herded together for millenia and it's in the dog's genetic code by now. Schutzhund is a recent invention where the human is the dominant one in the relationship, and can make or break the dog. In herding, a good dog can make a bad handler look good. Doesn't happen in schutzhund. Even a good dog will not show well if the handler isn't top notch

Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2010 10:11 pm

Campbell, I agree and disagree. I think there are some pretty bad SchH handlers out there who take an excellent dog to make themselves look better. Can a bad handler make a great dog look bad? Sure! But I think it goes the other way just as often, esp. with TDs. They like really good dogs that make their sub par training look superb. This is part of why I'm so careful who I let work my dogs.

Great work, Cliff. Please keep us updated.

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 1:44 am

Cliff - I love what you're doing with Dura and it has inspired me to try and do the same. Especially, with getting a pup from Steve and it have strong Grafental pedigree. I'm in South Carolina right now, but will be moving back to Georgia. I've found a couple places who does herding training that I think I'm going to get my pup involved in which will help with bringing out the drives naturally and help with protection training in the future. Two of the places are actually having trials at the end of the month and the beginning of May. My brother and I plan to attend, watch, and ask a lot of questions. How many sheep does Dura work with now?

We're trying to learn as much as we can now before we get the pup so we won't become one of the bad handlers with great dogs. We want to be great handlers/trainers with great dogs which can make great successful relationships.

Cliff, when are the pictures going to come? I know a lot of people would love to see Dura work Goat

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 9:27 pm

Thanks everyone,
Dale at the current timr Dura works on four ewes in a medium sized pen. The instructor works her with her BC also in the pen but last lesson the BC stayed on the perimeter for the whole lesson as Dura was moving the sheep herself and rounding them up when they broke off by herself. The instructor says its a balancing act with Dura because she is moving very fast instinctively, but at the same time she is very young in big scheme of things. Will take pics this week....Cliff

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 9:55 pm

Cliff - The fact that you stated that she's very young in the big scheme of things is understanding. A lot of the websites I've found about training says they usually start with the pup at 8 months. So, Dura is kind of ahead of the game. That's the plus to having a friend in herding Laughing

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 3:12 am

Very exciting Cliff!! I would love to come watch one day. I don't live too far from you, maybe you can PM me with directions and the time you herd if you don't mind an observer.